I was just reading IKEA catalogue looking at some tables and somehow my brain showed up with this particular idea.
I dunno if the idea has been done before or not but I quickly put it into paper and drawn a detailed (kinda) series of pics, just to outline the idea & give a rough description & guideline to hang on to for the moment.
Here it is:















As you can see the table is designed to view goldfish primarily from the top (ranchus, celestials, bubble-eyes, and tosakins immediately comes to mind). I've estimated the length x width x height of the tank alone is about 90 cm x 70 cm x 30 cm, making the volume of about 187-189 litre or 50 gal, enough for 5 fancies.

Obviously it's still a rough idea but definitely a do-able (and also a BIG) project and can be modified to further refine the design, given enough skill, time, and money. I'm not a carpenter or a handyman of any type so there are a few things that I'm not too sure how to put it in the design (e.g. light fitting, materials, etc).

Any comments from seasoned DIY guys here about the viability of the design?

It's still a dream for now but someday I'd really like to make something like this. *goes off to dream*

ithink its a really neat idea,
im taking a wood design class this semester,
and for the final is always to make your own table,
except he got sick of it and this year we're making stools,
or else i'd make that!

Exactly great idea. By the way you're a great artist.

Cool idea! Make one and I'll buy it!

That is a GREAT idea.

I bet side lighting would work better, you could bump out the side enough to slide a florecent fixture in there, nobody would know, either.

I was thinking side lighting too, and it could certainly be done. Dunno which side of the table u mean to put the light fixture in, but i'm thinking 2 fluorescent tubes on both sides just beside the goldfish paintings (though i gotta move the 2 air-holes a bit to accomodate that).

I've seen tank/coffee table pieces for sale, but they're all glass. I think they hide the filter somewhere underneath it all; it's probably not a good enough filter for goldies. I like your idea better. I especially like your little pearlie in the first picture. He made me giggle.

Things to think about:
How do you waterproof the top so that if someone spills their coffee/soda/martini, it doesn't get into the tank?
How do you clean it out? The tank being on the floor is going to make it hard to start a siphon, since there'll be nowhere for gravity to draw the water to.

I've thought about those and i think the most practical way is to line some sort of rubber around the lid, leaving no gaps (that's what the black lining in the first drawing is for).

Another way is to make the whole table top from a piece of glass (or acrylic, for weight sake) that's hinged so it could be opened, sacrificing the feeding flaps. The downside of it is u have to remove all things from the table when u wanna open

As for cleaning, it's still do-able using conventional syphon as the tank is still a few inches above ground, but using phyton is probably the best way (i never used phyton before, but it looked easy to operate).

thx for the suggestions kortniee

Don't know if any of you have seen the "goldfish toilet". I saw it on tv where this guy made them and sold them and the goldie tank area was a display which was the back of the toilet =x clear of course with a lid.

d_golem that's neat, nice idea. I've also seen goldfish sinks where a sink is clear and you could see the fish while doing something in the sink.

I have read that goldfish orient themselves by where the light is coming from. So, the light needs to be coming in from above or they will become disoriented and start swimming erratically.

So putting the lights at the top near the sides is ok, just not down the side. It sounds like thats what you mean.

The table is very cool! I would love to have one so I could watch the fish while sitting on the couch watching tv (make me a bigger couch potato).

Yeah that would be very cool, becky! when the commercials started i'd just look at my fishies instead

I really like your idea! Ive seen similar things on Ebay and stuff, the glass coffee table ones, but I can never understand where the filter goes, how it plugs in without cords going across your living room, etc. I think your idea is awsome though! The idea where you view them more from the top then from the sides is really neat!

Thx bigredandblindwillie
Now i just gotta take a 3-year carpenting class and then make one! ahh....a pipe-dream for now...

Great idea! I'd like to get my order in now before there is a wait list. As for the lighting, you could put a spotlight or 2 on your ceiling, and shine them down. I'm not sure if that would work. There are always those lights that you can put in your tank, I think they are mini spotlights. That's my little input. Oh, great drawing too. I love all the different views.

Awsome drawing too!!!
Id love one Put mine on order too.

When I picked up Dalamars tank from the market I had a catalogue of a place that makes them but from the pic...there is NO filter unless its hidden Theirs was basically a woden fram that housed the glass (like a big square bowl with no thought for the health of the fish)

I Like your design much better!! you have put alot of thought into it.
I threw the catalogue out Doh!
Next time I am there I will get another and scan the pic.

The only modification id make on your design is the side shelves where the canister is and the fish products go. I personally would enclose them with a door so they out of sight...but thats just me...i am a "Bree" (from desperate housewives) basically a neat freak LOL

Go to ebay.co.uk (english version)

Search 'aquarium table'

A few neat designs come up, but I wouldnt want to try to move one of these though?

That is awesome. I'd difinatly want something like that in my house. I always have trouble decinding where to put the fish tank, that would completly solve the problem. Great idea!

waow that is some nice designs on ebay.

That is an awesome design. Great drawings too!

Thats so cool.Wish I could do something like that but im just a kid.

wow d_golem! you are a great artist!!

i was looking on ebay too and man those are nice!! if you could find someone to make them you could make lots of $$!!!

put me on the list too!!

My dad and I was talking about the possibility of making it. It's gonna be pricey though, although we were also talking about making it in indonesia where it'll be much cheaper

Once you've made it, you CAN get it back to where you want it, right?

Just checking... I don't think it'll ship very well, and then there's customs...

Lol good luck d_golem! I hope it turns out beautiful! Your drawing of it certainly is very nice.

I have seen these things before and to me they dont seem very practical. If I did choose to have anything weird like that in my house I would probably choose to have an indoor pond.

Yeah i'm fully aware of the shipping & customs & quarantine etc i don't think australian custom will be very happy with me bringing a big block of wood into this country

i guess the most practical way is just make it here, though im sure the cost will be about 10x more than in indonesia

I found this: http://www.aqua-techuk.co.uk/

I don't like the fish bowls or the tall cylinder ones either. What fish could live in that. The bowls would be good for bettas, but the cylinder, what fish swims up and down they need more area. Some of the tanks are very neat. I have a tv tank, here is a picture of it, did it myself.

Lol that is cute!

D-golem, congrats on your cool design! It's great to work on ideas and dreams, good luck in the actual construction! I've got one point, dunno if you've thought about it, if the glass surface is resting directly on the sides of the tank, you might want to think about shock-proofing it, to avoid freaking the fish out when you put stuff on the table. I'm not sure what would work best, I'd say something like thick rubber stoppers or sumfink...

You'll have to take photos of the stages of the construction and let us know how it's going!

-Nice drawings too, are you an artist/designer?

You mean like these?

Wah Anic, pictures so small

The drawings and design was all kinda spur-of-the-moment thingy and while I did put some thinking into it, it was bound to have flaws, especially at that time I was a lot more newbie-ish than now lol.

The shock-proof thing is definitely a must though

and Mads, yup I'm currently doing design at uni and i like drawing since as long as i can remember

That IS a really neat design!! I have actually seen an aquarium table - same idea, but definitely not designed by an actual fish lover. There were no air pumps, no filteration, and it couldn't have held much more water then a 10 MABEY 15 max gallons. I say patent the idea for sure before some else sees and steals that idea because its a good one!

Thx Shawna but first I have to : 1. see if I got enuff money to build one, 2. build it, 3. test it thoroughly THere are some apparent problems with the design pointed out by some ppl in the forum so I gotta sort those out first (if I got enuff money....)

This is a silly question hehe :

Anybody can identify what breeds precisely are the 4 goldfish in the tank in the first diagram?

U won't get any prizes for answering but u'll get my utter & unadulterated admiration forever

a pearlie , a dragon eye , ranchu and a ryukin ( i think !!!)

close, but not specific enough!

A pearlscale, a ranchu, a telescope/moor, and i fantail.. or juvenile oranda!

Edit: oooor ryukin.. they all look the same from above!

I'm afraid it's wrong, and once again not specific enough & they don't look the same, not by a long shot

c'mon, who else?

a pearlie ( defo no crown ), a dragon eye (panda maybe) , ranchu and a tosakin.

If that is too unspecific I give up!!!!

by the way I love your designs

Lol close enough, stuey (short-tailed pearlscale, butterfly dragon-eye, side-view ranchu, and yep tosakin) u have my utter & unadulterated admiration

Thats one of the coolest ideas ive ever seen.

could you please not bring up old threads only reply if they are 2-3 months

i thinkthats so cool, so cool i might try it. the only problem i can rthink of is ppl setting their cups down on the glass and constantly scaring the fish.

Thought that was a strange reply.

I'm glad this thread got brought up again as I didn't see it the first time or 2nd time around. It's a great thread with a good thought out idea that I wish I had the skills to do..but hoping I can find someone that does.

Moving bed filter instead or after a cannister filter that can be highly O2'd to eliminate air stones in the tank that would splash onto the top glass making it hard to see through it.