World's Most Expensive Aquarium Made with 24k Gold, Mammoth Tusk & T-Rex Bone.

The Aquavista Dinosaur Gold - The only Aquarium with a 65 million year old history.

This is the world's rarest, most exclusive, most expensive - and undoubtedly the most bizarre- fish tank ever made. 
No surprise that it's a product of Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, maker of all things elite (with the world's most annoying and poorly designed website) who was commissioned by Aquavista UK of London to design something luxurious and unique.




The result is a wall mounted panoramic aquarium whose frame is made with a massive amount of pure solid 24ct gold in the form of 68 kilograms. Embedded in the frame are two side veneers made from real mammoth tusk with a unique piece of dinosaur bone from an actual T-REX diagonally shaved into the tusk.



The specifications:
• Low maintenance – designed to simplify your life, the Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium requires less 
than 15 minutes per month


• No daily care – complete with embedded Automatic Feeder, caring for your fish has never been easier. 
Just refill the feeder periodically and enjoy!


• Complete advanced aquarium system – the Aquavista Panoramic is pre-assembled with dual filtration 
system, heater, air pump, lighting, CO2 generator, and automatic feeder that is controlled by an easy to 
use programmable touch-screen control that simplifies all functions. Essential aquarium 
care accessories are included at no charge.




• Create an underwater garden – each unit comes with a Carbon Dioxide Generator that allows live plants to photosynthesize and 
flourish. Aquascaping is a new and growing hobby, and it has never been simpler.


• Space-saving design – Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquariums’ sleek wall-mounted design brighten up any wall to create a 
clutter-free environment.


The project took 4 months to complete in London where Aquavista UK is based. Installation by Aquavista UK
.

Available as a limited edition of only 3
Priced at $4.8 million or £3 million

Buy it here

Archiquarium. A Modern Swedish Fish Tank By Karl-Oskar Ankarberg.

At the Home Fair Exhibition earlier this month in Stockholm, the Swedish Aquarium Leasing (Akvarie leasing) company debuted something very unique - a spectacular modern aquarium, designed by Karl-Oskar Ankarberg, known for his collaborations with Orrefors glassworks.

The new aquarium named Archiquarium is something really special for both aquarium and design enthusiasts. The spectacular aquariums are reminiscent of ultra-modern architecture, rather than traditional aquariums. The clean rectangular shapes and surfaces are hallmarks of modern Scandinavian design.


above: the frame is made of solid sawn wood, aquarium glass and Corian®.

Archiquarium is the work of increasingly high-profile designer Karl-Oskar Ankarberg. When the sketches were presented to the Aquarium Leasing AB, they quickly decided to go ahead and produce a prototype - which was presented to external design agencies in Karl-Oskar's booth No. AO4: 53 on the Home Fair, 7-10 October.







Aquarium Leasing AB leases and operates aquariums in over 2000 workplaces in industry and public sectors so that people can enjoy the serene spectacle that is the aquarium's signature. The company is based in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo and Copenhagen.

The Three AIR Aquariums By Design Studio Usin-e.

above: Air1 aquarium (top), Air2 (lower right) Air3 (lower left)


The newest AIR 3 Aquarium design (shown above) by Rémi Bouhaniche and Amaury Poudray of Lyon, France design studio Usin-e is the third in their series of modern laboratory glassware fish tanks.

AIR 1 Aquarium:



AIR2 Aquarium:





Each of the AIR series consists of a glass vessel perched atop metal legs. The first two AIR aquariums have horizontally elongated zeppelin-shaped blown glass (blown by Peter Pignat of Pignat glass) bowls perched atop metal legs.


above: Peter Pignat of Pignat scientific glass-blowing creating the AIR1 Aquarium.

The third is a test-tube like shape with a flat bottom and sheared off top, supported on an angle by white metal rods.

AIR3 Aquarium:





The AIR1 and AIR3 aquariums from a 2010 exhibit at La Bergerie, Marseille:


and the AIR2 aquarium at VIVID Gallery, Rotterdam, NL, 2010:



While it's true that these are impossible to clean, have no filter and are not the most fish friendly environments, they are beautiful as studies of material, space and balance.

Materials: Glass, metal
Size: diameter 15cm, 80cm X 25cm
Date: March 2010
Production: AD , Christophe Bailleux
Photos: Laure Mélone

According to the designers:
USIN-e is showing a new generation of Airs aquariums. It was on show for the first time at USIN-e’s exhibition, March 2010, in La Bergerie, Marseille. This aquarium is a glass bubble caught mid-fall by a metal structure. As other Airs models, Air3 was created using the techniques of scientific glassware. Hanging up in the air, Air3 tells us about weight and elevation.

About Usin-e (from their site):

Rémi Bouhaniche and Amaury Poudray are two designers based in Lyon, France. They received their degrees from Saint Etienne Art School , and went on to receive degrees in Industrial Design (BTS Design de produit) - Rémi in Marseille, France, and Amaury in Les Herbiers, France. Both studied abroad for 6 months - Amaury at the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States, and Rémi at the School of Art, Design and Technology in India, Bangalore Srishti. They experiment with materials, welding, cutting, folding, covering, stretching, molding. They are always looking for craftsmen and industies with whom to develop trusting relationships to create new projects.
**French** Nous recherchons les liens qui unissent la matière, la forme et les compétences, L'objet devient un pretexte pour rassembler. La recherche de simplicité nous pousse à travailler en cohérence avec les techniques artisanales et industrielles. Conscients du détail, nous préférons l’action simple, le geste précis et juste. Ce qui avant tout nous intéresse c'est de créer du lien entre des choses qui apparement s'opposent; personnes, techniques, matières. Créer des paradoxes, de la tension et de la légereté, du vide et de la fragilité, à l'image du monde qui nous entoure.


Village des créateurs,
Passage Thiaffait,
19 rue René Leynaud,
69001 Lyon
contact@usin-e.fr

all images courtesy of Usin-e and Amaury Poudray.
Special thanks to DsgnWrld for bringing this to my attention

More Modern Aquariums and Fish Tanks
I have a thing for modern aquariums and fish tanks. I've compiled a shopping list with links to purchase some of the coolest modern fish tanks and aquariums available right here.

Use Too Much Water And Poor Little Fish Floats Belly Up.

Industrial designer Yan Lu is hoping that you'll think twice about your water consumption if you think of it as draining the home of a poor little fish, hence the name of his innovative design.

The wash basin, "Poor Little Fish", topped off with a fishbowl, not only looks interesting but works in such a manner that, if you're a fish lover, will not have you wasting a drop.



Why? Because as you turn on the faucet and let the water flow, the level of water in the fish bowl lowers proportionate to the amount of running water you are using. Let the water run for too long and you've got a fish out of water. Don't fret though, the water level in the bowl returns to normal after turning off the faucet. And it's designed in such a way that the water from the tap is pure because the pipeline does not connect to the water in the fish bowl.





The project was first shown in 2008 at the Kith Kin exhibit, a London based art & design cooperative, producing events exhibitions and projects to inspire. Then at Designersblock London in 2009

Here are some additional images courtesy of Mocoloco:




Yan Lu is a Chinese designer/engineer based in London. He graduated from product design department in Central Saint Martins in 2009, and currently in the first year of the Industrial Design Engineering joint course (MA + MSc Double Masters) at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London.

See more of his imaginative and innovative designs here.

One Fish, Two Fish, Glass Fish, Gold Fish. New Shoal Lights From Scabetti.

I introduced you to Dominic Bromley and his stunning lamps for Scabetti way back in 2007. Since then, his beautiful Shoal light made of fine bone china fish that seem to be suspended as swimming in a school (hence the name) has expanded into a line that includes various sizes, custom versions and even special new editions such as glass and gold.

Gold:

Glass:

China:



Fine Bone China Shoal lights:
A mass of fine bone china fish carrying delicate sculpted detail, circle a central beam of light, creating a captivating cylindrical form. Each fish is lit not only by reflected light from its neighbours but also from within, with the light passing through the delicate translucent china body.

Shoal 64- made with 64 fine bone china fish.
size: 35cm (14") diameter, 20cm (8") tall


Shoal 186- made with 186 fine bone china fish.
size: 50cm / 20” diameter, 85cm / 33" tall


Shoal 284- made with 284 fine bone china fish.
size: 50cm / 20” diameter, 120cm / 47” tall


Shoal 798- made with 708 fine bone china fish
size: 75cm / 29.5” diameter, 175cm / 69” tall:


Shoal 1672- made with 1672 fine bone china fish.
size: 1.5m / 59" diameter, 2m / 79" tall




Each Shoal is available in glazed or un-glazed fine bone china as well as in various sizes. Each fish is 16cm, (6”), long.

Custom sizes available too:




Recent addition
Shoal Glass 386- made with 386 glass fish
size: 750mm (2.95\") diameter, 850mm (3.35\") tall
(the Glass shoal is also be available in other sizes)


Special edition
A limited edition (ten) of the iconic Shoal light sculpture, made with one hundred and eighty six fine bone china fish plated in twenty four carat gold.
24ct gold coating on 186 fine bone china fish and 24ct gold plated suspension frame and lines.
size: 50cm (20”) diameter, 85cm (33") tall



To place an order or request a price list please contact Scabetti directly via:
t: +44 (0) 1538 371 471
e: info@scabetti.co.uk

Scabetti
13 Town Yard,
Station Street, Leek,
Staffordshire, ST13 8BF. England.

Gallery address (open by appointment only)
30 Stockwell Street,
Leek, ST13 6DS.