Do you think fish tanks/aquariums are tacky?

[Snoopymom]

Call me a snob, but I do, even the ones with the custom cabinets look cheesy to me, but I really want one, LOL.

What do you think to yourself when you walk into someone's house and see one? Cool or yuck?

A friend gave ds a 20 gallon tank and after setting it up in his bedroom and having so much fun picking out the tetras, mollies, and platties and watching them, (I can just sit and stare at it forever, it's such a peaceful feeling, and I've heard it's almost as much of a stress reducer as sleeping.) I'm thinking about getting a 50+ gallon one and keeping it in our bedroom so it's not out where everyone can see it, but I'm afraid I'll hate the way it looks even in my bedroom, no matter how pretty the fish, rocks or plants are, LOL.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

If they're kept clean and have interesting fish, they're cool in my book!

 

[janette]

My brother has a custom made one and people go out of their way to see it. Yuck certainly isn't anything anyone would say. He spends alot of time and money though and it is very impressive. Really depends on what you put into it.

edited to add a picture, not sure if it will work. The tank is 415 gallons.

 

[In a hurry]

I usually think they must enjoy their fish. I had one when I was a kid, and we would spend hours watchin those silly fish. Beats TV! Enjoy yours wherever you put it!

 

[Crankyshank]

Considering I have 2 - a freshwater and a saltwater, I don't think it's tacky at all. I have interesting fish and the tank is clean and well cared for and the stand matches my decor perfectly.

 

[Sparx]

I love em.
we had fish for years. Neat ones too. Neon tetras, and mickey mouse fish. I had one fish live to be 8. It was a mickey mouse fish.

 

[Snoopymom]

Jannette, Thanks so much for the pic!!!! Wow, absolutely beautiful!!!!. Saltwater is way over my head, lol! I love how it looks like there's sunlight above filtering in, like you're diving.

Now I could put that in my great room, but then I'd have to completely redecorate it to look like an expensive resort beach house type of place, LOL, not in the budget at all.

 

[MoniqueU]

I think pretty much everything is tacky and I don't think fish tanks are!! Go for it if it makes you happy. There is nothing like a well loved pet.

 

[MoniqueU]

I think pretty much everything is tacky and I don't think fish tanks are!! Go for it if it makes you happy. There is nothing like a well loved pet or pets in this case.

 

[RitaZ.]

Janette, that's impressive!

I love fish tanks when they are kept clean, I think it's soothing and relaxing to watch the fish. One of my neigbhors had a big tank on its own stand, it was always filthy and looked very depressing. She wanted to get rid of it and another neighbor wanted it. The other neighbor completely turned it around, he stripped and stained the cabinet/stand; then put all kinds of interesting fish and things in it and keeps it clean. It all has to do with how much care you devote to it.

 

[Cyndirella]

Janette, that tank is beautiful!

I love fish tanks although we don't have one. I think they are very relaxing to watch and have never thought of them as tacky.

 

[sharbear]

Don't tell my DH that fish tanks are tacky. Actually he wouldn't care. LOL! He got a new fish tank for Christmas last year. It's a 90 gallon tank. He custom made the base, out of oak, it looks like a nice piece of furniture. He spends a ton of time on his fish tank, cleans it and changes the water a couple of times a week. He spends a bunch on money on his fish, fresh water Discus, if anyone cares.

As he says it keeps him out of the bar. No, I don't think fish tanks are tacky, exp. when they are done nicely.

 

[Chicago526]

Well, the "cheapy" ones look, well, cheap! But the nice ones with the hard wood look good to me! It also depends on what you put in it, like color of the rocks, plants, etc.

From what I can tell though, the fish are the cheapest part of this hobby! You'll spend hundreds of dollars to build a home for $20 worth of fish!

 

[janette]

Thanks for my brother, he loves to show off his tank. He has live corals and that makes it really pretty but lots of work. The lights are on timers so the are off at night and come on slowly in the morning. He also started raising clown fish and usually has at least a tank of babies in another area. It can be a very serious hobby, they have chairs that sit in front of the tank and it is very relaxing to sit and watch.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Just a suggestion; if I were you, I'd worry a lot less about how things look and a lot more about just enjoying the little things in life, even if some of those little things make you feel tacky. Which, by the way, in no way is a well loved fish tank a tacky object to have in your home. I don't own any myself, but I think they are beautiful.

I do what I want with my home and money and find it odd that some people don't. I don't live my life to impress others. I have raised snakes, iguanas, turtles, frogs and even a tarantula. And the huge handmade wooden cages I made for my iguanas must have looked unsightly as hell to some people. But these things made me happy! Had anybody dared come into my home and suggest I was tacky because of my hobby, I would have personally shown that person to the door, laughed at their snobbiness, and encouraged that they take the stick out of their rump before giving them the final shove off my property. Life is way too short to not engage in any hobby or interest that makes you happy and especially, life is too short to worry about appearances. But that is just an opinion.

 

[diznygirl]

I don't think fish tanks are tacky - but some of those cabinets are! We plan on getting an aquarium someday (DH is allergic to everything else!) Every now and then we browse web sites looking for the perfect tank and accessories...... I don't need a cabinet - I'll put it in that awkward empty space they built-in for my TV.

 

[Crankyshank]

Well, the "cheapy" ones look, well, cheap! But the nice ones with the hard wood look good to me! It also depends on what you put in it, like color of the rocks, plants, etc.

From what I can tell though, the fish are the cheapest part of this hobby! You'll spend hundreds of dollars to build a home for $20 worth of fish!

Not saltwater unfortunately. The fish DH wants for his birthday is $100

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I've never thought of them as tacky.

My brother has a salt water - pretty big, and has a huge lion fish in it and it really looks beautiful - he takes good care of it, though.

 

[ZachnElli]

I don't think they are tacky at all. Dh and I have always had a fish tank. In our house now it is actually built into a wall between the kitchen and den. Very cool. We just sold this house and the people who bought it specifically listed the fish tank stays (like I'd leave a hole in the wall). They must have really liked it too!

 

[Cass]

We have a 180 gallon saltwater reef tank... I sure hope people don't think it's tacky!!