"Awesome Aquariums" in the news

[D.L.]

Interesting article in this Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the
growing interest in aquariums. Some people are paying $5,000 and up to
have custom built-in aquariums installed in their homes/condos -- then
they pay someone every month to clean and maintain the tank. Here's the
link:

http://www.jsonline.com/entree/decorating/jan05/296358.asp

[Angrie.Woman]

"D.L." > wrote in message
...
> Interesting article in this Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the
> growing interest in aquariums. Some people are paying $5,000 and up to
> have custom built-in aquariums installed in their homes/condos -- then
> they pay someone every month to clean and maintain the tank. Here's the
> link:
>
> http://www.jsonline.com/entree/decorating/jan05/296358.asp


I had an aquaintance in the Tampa Bay, USA area that started her own
business, just designing and cleaning tanks. Too labor intensive to get rich
off of, but she pays her bills and chooses her own hours.

A

[Robert Flory]

Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?

Bob
"Angrie.Woman" > wrote in message
...
>
> "D.L." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Interesting article in this Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the
>> growing interest in aquariums. Some people are paying $5,000 and up to
>> have custom built-in aquariums installed in their homes/condos -- then
>> they pay someone every month to clean and maintain the tank. Here's the
>> link:
>>
>> http://www.jsonline.com/entree/decorating/jan05/296358.asp
>
>
> I had an aquaintance in the Tampa Bay, USA area that started her own
> business, just designing and cleaning tanks. Too labor intensive to get
> rich
> off of, but she pays her bills and chooses her own hours.
>
> A
>
>

[Billy]

"Robert Flory" > wrote in message
...
| Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
|

Not really. If someone wanted to pay *me* a ****load of money to set
up a system for them, I'd call it anything but sad. I'd be getting
paid, and having a blast. Most LFS owners started out doing aquarium
setup\maintenance. The ones I've spoken to, at any rate.

[Victor Martinez]

Robert Flory wrote:
> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?

I disagree. There is nothing wrong with people who like to have a pretty
aquarium without having to trouble themselves with its maintenance.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here:
Email me here:

[Billy]

"Victor Martinez" > wrote in message
...
| Robert Flory wrote:
| > Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
|
| I disagree. There is nothing wrong with people who like to have a
pretty
| aquarium without having to trouble themselves with its maintenance.
|

Totally. *I* know of only one person who fits this, and he does it
this way because he works 50-70 hours a week, and when he DOES get
free time, he's on the lake with the sailboat. He has no time to
maintain a reef tank anymore, so most of the maintenance is done by a
local LFS. He has the dough to pay for it, so why not?

[Pszemol]

"Robert Flory" > wrote in message ...
> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?

What exactly is sad about it ?

[Elaine T]

Robert Flory wrote:
> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
>
> Bob

<soapbox>

The sad bit is that these people have no idea of the environmental
impact of removing sal****er organisms from reefs. Their tanks won't
contribute to breeding, coral propagation, or conservation research.
All they've done is to further deplete reef ecosystems for their own
greedy pleasure.

</soapbox>
--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Robert Flory]

The fun with fish and tanks is making them work. I train and exercise my
own dogs too.

Bob

"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> "Robert Flory" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
>
> What exactly is sad about it ?

[D.L.]

I will admit to feeling a bit of "tank envy" at the picture in the
article of the 125-gallon built-in aquarium that a guy had installed in
his kitchen behind the sink.

The aquariums in the article are "awesome," but I'm wondering if a less
expensive custom system is possible? Maybe a $1,500 system instead of
$5,000?

[Victor Martinez]

Robert Flory wrote:
> The fun with fish and tanks is making them work. I train and exercise my
> own dogs too.

Not everybody thinks the same way you do. What is fun for you might not
be fun for someone else.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here:
Email me here:

[Angrie.Woman]

"Robert Flory" > wrote in message
...
> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
>
> Bob


Perhaps, but most of her home-maintenance clients were professionals who had
money to spare. A couple had jobs that required sporadic travel (flight
attendants for one.) I'd pay for design it if I had the disposable income -
I just don't have an eye for that.

Plus, there's a therapeutic effect to the tank. That's probably lost for
some people (me at times) in the midst of the maintenance.

A

[Ross Vandegrift]

On 2005-01-30, Robert Flory > wrote:
> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?

Well, I can see both sides. I recently applied to work part-time with a
company that does installations and maintainence like this.

On one hand, those fish are getting better care than they would if these
people who don't want any responsibility just let the tank go.

On the other hand, if something happens in the tank that requires action
(water changes, isolation, etc), the owner is kind of helpless, since
they don't know anything.

I think I'd worry more about adequate routine care though - the
emergencies are rare when you keep up the tank.
--
Ross Vandegrift

"The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who
make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians
have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine
man in the bonds of Hell."
--St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37

[sophie]

In message >, Victor Martinez
> writes
>Robert Flory wrote:
>> The fun with fish and tanks is making them work. I train and
>>exercise my own dogs too.
>
>Not everybody thinks the same way you do. What is fun for you might not
>be fun for someone else.

I get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that my fish live in a
good, functional, stable environment. I also get a great deal of
satisfaction from feeding and watching them. If I had very little time,
I think I'd get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that the fish still
had a good, functional and stable environment - maintained by a
competent & knowledgeable third party.

but yes, I think that one of the reasons we feel so involved with the
fish is because we _are_ involved with the fish.
--
sophie

[Dan White]

"Robert Flory" > wrote in message
...
> The fun with fish and tanks is making them work. I train and exercise my
> own dogs too.
>
> Bob

But another thing is that not all tanks are for the home. I am considering
to have one in my business, but am shying away from it due to the
maintenance aspect. I agree that there is satisfaction in working on the
tank, but it wouldn't be good business if it were to get in the way of other
things during the day.

dwhite


>
> "Pszemol" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Robert Flory" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Am I the only one who thinks the trend a bit sad?
> >
> > What exactly is sad about it ?
>
>