The Six-Figure Fish Tank Catches On

[Liberal_in_LA]

beautiful photots at the link

The Six-Figure Fish Tank Catches On

KARIN WILZIG has a hard time choosing a favorite color from among the 64 that she and her husband can use to illuminate the 14 1/2- foot, 450-gallon aquarium in their TriBeCa town house. The default is fuchsia, which turns the dozen koi a deep pink.

“Not pink,” said Mrs. Wilzig, 40, an artist and a mother of two small children. “Alan, go to the turquoise.”

Her husband, Alan Wilzig, 45, a former banker who collects motorcycles and prides himself on the orange tanning bed in his basement, goes to the James Bond-like control panel in the kitchen, where a touch of a button turns the fish — which are specially bred to be colorless — a vivid blue.

“I think they like that,” he said, walking down the steps to the sunken living room to admire the fish from another angle. (Given that they do nothing but swim from one side of the tank to the other, it’s hard to tell.)

Most people who keep fish have a tank or two; perhaps they start with a five-gallon model and graduate to the 35- or 50-gallon version that doctors put in waiting rooms to keep patients calm. But for a certain segment of the population — many of whom never considered keeping fish before they had a big space to decorate — a showpiece aquarium has become a must-have piece of décor.

Custom aquariums are popular for two reasons, interior designers say. One is that upscale nightclubs, restaurants and boutique hotels have been installing them, which gives homeowners the me-too idea. Another is that, among people of means, a dazzling aquarium is one of the last surefire ways to impress their peers.

Christopher Stevens, a Manhattan interior designer, said he has worked several giant fish tanks into residential projects at the request of clients. “They have a collection of cars, of motorcycles, of art, they have three dogs,” Mr. Stevens said. “It’s like, ‘What else, what’s the next thing to wow my friends?’ It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d see in high-end interior design, but that’s being reconsidered.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/garden/19aqua.html?src=me&ref=general

[dmallind]

1. Sorry but just for a moment

I thought you meant that a very large fish tank had itself achieved sentient status.....

Makes much more sense (while making not much at all) your way.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. lol n/t

[DJ13]

2. They definately need more tax cuts

:banghead:

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. Just what they need.

:argh:

[Canuckistanian]

3. 450 Gallons?

That much water weighs 3,750 pounds. That's like having a mini-van in your house.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. Yes. Much smaller tanks have to be placed carefully, sometimes the floor is reinforced.

everyhome can't have a 2 ton tank.

[bobbolink]

4. The fish can have a fancy home, but homeless people can't even fall asleep without being arrested.

Yup, we are definitely Dikensian.

:nuke:

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. This lavash spending helps create jobs

Someone has to build these massive aquariums, install them, and maintain them.

[Cronus Protagonist]

17. Not as good as pita spending

Lavash can be a little like cardboard if it's overcooked.

[msanthrope]

30. You can always moisten lavash

with a damp towel...

[Donnachaidh]

19. yeah, more servants for elitists who have so much money they turn their apartments into seaworld

Sorry if I don't cheer along with the other serfs in training.

How many homeless people would the COST of this tank feed? Oh wait, it's TriBeca -- that's where the *trendy* elitists live. They'd NEVER take advantage of the unemployed, would they? :sarcasm:

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. Thank you, Mr. Reagan.

[bobbolink]

32. You got it. King Ronnie is alive and well at DU, and keeps looking for fights.

He's not worth the effort.

[Lance_Boyle]

5. All that effort, all that expense, and they went FRESHWATER???

I'd love to have one of these. But in a spare room, and stocked with scallops and lobster...

[zonkers]

8. Colorless fish bred to be part of a light show is creepy.

[shireen]

21. very creepy!

I've seen some in fish stores that have been injected with dye. It's disgusting.

[jmowreader]

27. Are you talking "painted" fish or "glow" fish?

Painted fish are injected with dye. It's disgusting and they need to stop right now. (Better: they dye Bettas. The showiest, most colorful freshwater fish on the market, and they have to dye it?)

GloFish are a different thing. They're zebra danios--a very common ornamental fish--that are genetically engineered with a luminescence gene, and they were created for a reason: There's a lab that is inventing a fish that flouresces in the presence of pollutants. They want to take them to the river or whatever, throw them in and if they glow, there's a problem. (There won't be too much problem with them breeding because they're little, shiny and tasty to bass--perfect fish snacks.) The first step was to create a fish that fluoresces permanently, and after it was invented someone thought they'd look cool in your home aquarium. So now they're three bucks apiece.

[shireen]

31. talking about painted but glows are pretty awful too

I've see both at the stores. :(

[cbdo2007]

10. My parents use to have a 50 gallon tank and it was pretty cool.

Not near the expense or size of this one but pretty big and they had some cool fish in there. It was very relaxing to watch.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. Naw, if you REALLY want to impress them, go with a salt-water tank.

Koi are for pussies.

[rbixby]

24. "Come check out my aquarium filled with fancy carp" NT

[Junkdrawer]

12. Empire = Tiny FABULOUSLY wealthy class + MASSIVE underclass...

Yep. Our military is defending America from terrorists.

:rofl:

No, really....

[ipaint]

13. Reminds me of the Plume trade. Too much money and no brains.

International Law Failing to Protect Coral Reefs and Tropical Fish, Experts Argue

ScienceDaily (July 21, 2010) — International law has failed to protect coral reefs and tropical fish from being decimated by a growing collectors market, but U.S. reforms can lead the way towards making the trade more responsible, ecologically sustainable and humane.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628092746.htm

[drmeow]

15. "The aquarium is no longer in use, he added,

as a bank has since foreclosed on the house."

My heart bleeds!

[Silent3]

16. What the rich do with their money wouldn't bother me so much if...

1) They paid a lot more taxes than they do now, and those taxes were insuring things like universal healthcare, basic clothing and shelter for the poorest among us, and access to good education.

2) They didn't waste so much money just posturing and posing for each other, playing shallow games of one-upmanship.

[uncommon]

18. I love aquariums but jesus. I hope they pay $100K a year for homeowner's insurance.

[shireen]

20. they're missing the real joy of keeping aquariums

I'm familiar with the hobbyist aquarium community since I keep two planted freshwater tanks (10 gallons and 40 gallons), and a 20 gallon microreef on my office desk, and belong to a couple of aquatic hobbyists organizations. For most hobbyist aquarists, keeping aquariums is not a passive activity. It's like tending a garden; we are constantly interacting with our tanks: water changes, maintaining nutrient levels, feeding, trimming plants (or macro-algae in the reef), observing behavior, etc.. It's a labor of love.

Ironically, in some parts of the hobbyist aquarium community, bragging rights are about "how small can you go? " The smaller a tank, the harder it is to maintain. Over the past few years, micro, nano, and pico tanks have become increasingly popular. Keeping a small planted aquarium (usually with shrimp instead of fish) and a small reef tank (mostly invertebrates) is challenging, and that's the fun of it.

The aquariums described in the article are mostly status symbols for the rich. They pay people to maintain it and have automatic equipment to regulate conditions. Except for feeding the fish, it's a passive experience for them, like a display of artwork.

There's something very special about creating a little aquatic microcosm, and nurturing it every day. It's a real joy.

[asdjrocky]

22. This just makes me sick.

These people, and the politicians that serve them are the problem.

[bobbolink]

33. Its the greedy mindset. Its the mindset of DEATH.

[tallahasseedem]

23. Damn...

and I thought my 3 gallon bowl that houses my male betta fish was a pain.

[Lisa0825]

26. Well, judging by he responses here, I must be a terrible person for wanting one....

I'll never afford one in my line of work, but if I had money to burn, I wouldn't collect cars or famous paintings, but I would LOVE to have a hug spectacular aquarium. I'm an occasional diver and I love to watch fish and other animals in aquariums. I think these are beautiful.

If I were rich, I'd spend a lot on helping people, donate to charity, and I'd probably have a few luxuries too.... and this would likely be one of them.

[shireen]

29. i don't think people are sickened by the aquariums itself

I think it's what the aquariums represent to these obscenely-rich people with money to burn. The tanks, fish and corals are just status symbols, no different from showing off a rare piece of expensive art. Most of these people have specialists that service the aquariums. Most don't know what type of fish they have -- they don't bother to learn about the animal. They don't know if it was caught from a sustainable source, or bred in captivity. They don't know what the animal needs to thrive in captive conditions. It's all about a novel new toy to show off to their peers.

If you want a big aquarium, you're willing to do the research on how to take care of it, have time and energy to nurture it, then go for it! It will cost quite a bit, upfront, but tending it like a garden will be a wonderful experience.

It's not about the size, it's about the sentiment. :hi:

[Lisa0825]

35. No, if I ever had one, I would want a professional to take care of it.

I have had small fresh water aquariums before, so believe me, any fish would be better off with a pro than with me! LOL! But I love to look at them. It's relaxing and entertaining, and it makes me reminisce about diving and snorkeling. I would most certainly research where they were from, if they would thrive in captivity, and how much space was needed for them to be content. But I really do not see any problem with people wanting a lavish aquarium, maintained by a pro.

It costs a lot of money, which some lucky business will benefit from, and some person who loves taking care of sea life and is truly good at it will benefit from the money the owner pays him/her to come by for service. I really don't get why anyone thinks that is a bad thing.

Sure, if someone spent this lavishly on something to look at AND they were a selfish greedy mofo, they're fair game. But how do we all know that those people in the article aren't philanthropists who volunteer at the homeless shelter? Just because they are wealthy enough to have such luxuries doesn't mean they are not also generous and decent people.

[shireen]

36. good point

As long as they appreciate all the little fishes and critters, and take good care of them .... :)

Silly story ... almost 2 years ago, i bought five pencilfish (freshwater tetra) at my local fish store. Today, I have more than 30! They've been quite quite happy, those little rascals! LOL! :D

[CreekDog]

28. Directions for setting up your aquarium:

1) drop lots and lots of $$$ into it regularly.

thank you.

[mitchum]

34. The Wilzig's sound like terribly charming people; too bad that they will also die and be...

eaten by worms.
Oh well!