Wall Art or Fish Tank?

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

18 Jan 2007 10:14 AM

As I mentioned in my article, Shopping the Sales: Cool Christmas Clearance for Pet Lovers, I'd like to have an aquarium some day. I was thinking along the lines of a basic fish bowl, some rocks, one fish, maybe a sunken treasure or castle or something for decoration. That was until I saw the AquaVista 500.

I stumbled across it in a magazine, but when I went to the product maker's website I discovered they've been featured on the CBS's The Early Show and HGTV's I Want That. I can see why, they have a pretty neat product.

Now, in all fairness, in the aforementioned article I did write about the Frame a Fish Aquarium - Fish Tank, which is the same principle as the AquaVista 500. Both can be framed, backgrounds can be added, and they both can be hung on the wall. The Frame a Fish Aquarium is smaller than the AquaVista 500, though. (It holds roughly just a little more than 2 gallons, whereas the AquaVista holds 6.6 gallons.) Backgrounds also differ slightly. Personal photos can be enlarged for display in the Frame a Fish version, making it more uniquely yours.

The AquaVista offers one advantage: it's high tech. Controls are all computerized and it includes the filter, heater, overhead lighting system, and pumps. They claim maintenance is roughly 10-15 minutes a month.

However, apart from cosmetics and maintenance (the Frame a Fish Aquarium boasts easy maintenance, too, but it doesn't appear to have the high tech advantage of the AquaVista) the price between the two is significant: $149.95 for the Frame a Fish Aquarium compared to $299.99 for the other. (And if you want to customize your AquaVista 500 with a different background or frame than what it comes with, frames run from $40-$60 and alternate backgrounds are an additional $20.)

Then I got to reading the reviews on Amazon.com for the Frame a Fish Aquarium. Many people were disappointed with it, didn't think it was attractive, and felt it was too small to hold more than two one-inch fish. That pretty much tilted the scale in favor of the way I was already leaning, towards the AquaVista 500.(This may seem contradictory, since I said I initially started out thinking I wanted just one fish in a bowl. The reviews got me thinking how cruel such a tight space is in the Frame a Fish Aquarium. I don't know if fish have feelings, but I did see Finding Nemo and can't help but think they might!)

However, the reality boils down to affordability. At this juncture, my initial concept of a bowl with rocks, one fish, and some kind of decoration is more feasible for my pocketbook. But there's no harm in dreaming is there?

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Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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