Fish fans add huge aquariums to homes
Friday, September 16, 2005
By Kelly Crow, The Wall Street Journal
On a half-built lot in East Moriches, N.Y., on Long Island, visualizing the final layout for David and Valerie Cohen's new Spanish villa can be a challenge. An easier task: spotting the Cohens' 8,500-gallon saltwater aquarium. The tank's acrylic shell, designed to hold a Sea World's worth of fish, already rises three stories high, and will be cleaned by a scuba diver.
"We won't have to go to a public aquarium after this," says Mr. Cohen, 38 years old, a beauty-supply importer who is spending about $400,000 on the tank.
From a New Jersey businessman building a 20-ton coral reef in his cigar room to the rock singer who bought Shaquille O'Neal's home for its predator tanks, some fish-loving consumers are starting to create at-home versions of Atlantis. Inspired by resort aquariums and spurred by technological advances in the $3 billion aquarium industry, homeowners are building megatanks in unconventional shapes like arches and racetracks. They're also shopping for equally exotic -- and pricey -- fish and coral. Meanwhile, sharks and piranhas have become so popular as pets, the Monterey Bay Aquarium says owners now call at least once a week offering to donate fish species that have gotten too big.
While most of the growth is in expensive tanks, some of this is trickling down to regular homeowners. PetsMart's biggest aquarium, which costs $475, is now 150 gallons, up from 75 gallons a few years ago; later this year, some of the retailer's stores will start stocking a 110-gallon model with upscale cabinetry for $1,000. Petco has recently expanded its line of fancy cabinet finishes for bigger tanks. Even custom builders are reaching out to a slightly broader audience: Living Color Enterprises, an aquarium company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has just introduced its first line of $13,000 ready-made tanks about the size of a big-screen television.
Often, the public is soaking up what it sees on visits to public aquariums and hotels. Almost half of the country's 37 aquarium attractions opened in the past 15 years, and many tout their tank size. (The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which opens in November, boasts of having more than eight million gallons of water in its tanks.) More than half a dozen Las Vegas hotels have added "aquascapes" to their properties during the past few years, and about five million visitors have paid $16 a head to see Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef since it opened in 2000. The centerpiece of the newly opened Hotel Victor in Miami: a tank of jellyfish that get fed frozen shrimp by a visiting caretaker.
Americans have long been fans of fish. One in seven American households has an aquarium bubbling at home, and consumers own one-third more fish than they did a few years ago, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. But up until recently, nearly all fish tanks sold had glass walls, and maxed out at about the size of a coffee table.
Now, though, the industry is switching to acrylic walls, which allow for more flexibility in shape and size than glass. Casco Group, an aquarium manufacturer in Cerritos, Calif., recently bought an oven so it could heat and shape sheets of acrylic up to 28 feet long -- three times longer than its old heating methods could handle. What's more, new filter systems use bacteria-laden sand (instead of gravel), which makes it easier to sustain tank ecosystems. And chillers, which keep tank water cool, have shrunk to the size of microwaves, down from toy-chest dimensions of a generation ago.
Those developments allowed Bob and Joyce Johnson recently to install a 9-foot-long saltwater aquarium that divides their breakfast nook from the living room. "I thought it would look dramatic," says Mr. Johnson, a documentary producer in McLean, Va., who spent $40,000 on the project.
Last October, Shaquille O'Neal sold his $6.5 million house in Beverly Hills, Calif., to Japanese rock singer Kyosuke Himuro. What the singer loved best was Mr. O'Neal's two 600-gallon tanks, including one that contained eels, jacks and a 3-foot grouper named Bubba. Mr. Himuro initially kept Shaq's fish and the purple and yellow coral (inspired by the team colors of the Los Angeles Lakers), but last week had to donate the grouper to Sea World because he got too big. "The kids really miss Bubba, but I told them we'd go visit," says Mr. Himuro's wife, Mitsuyo Teranishi.
In most cases, homeowners hire an aquarist or marine biologist to design, install and stock tanks that can run anywhere from $15,000 to $1 million. Those costs can include everything from $5,000 for lightbulbs to tens of thousands for cabinetry, plumbing, wiring and lighting. The heaviest aquariums require structural support for thousands of pounds of water. And follow-up maintenance typically runs about $1,000 a month, though the price doubles if your tank is so big it takes a scuba diver to clean it.
One of the hardest jobs is keeping exotic fish alive. The popular Moorish Idol, known for its zebra-like markings, has such a fragile metabolism, retailers call them "Blockbuster fish" -- because they can last about as long as a video rental. Furthermore, independent service crews rarely reimburse clients for dead coral or belly-up fish on the theory that nature is fickle, says Jeffrey Turner, owner of Reef Aquaria Design in Coconut Creek, Fla., who also services tanks. (To guard against tank emergencies, he has clients buy a backup generator and a computer alarm that can e-mail technicians if there's trouble).
Bruce Bunting's trouble came in canine form. After he installed a 6-foot-long tank in his Washington, D.C., study six years ago, Mr. Bunting's collie kept chewing the tubes and wires. Following several power outages and leaks that poured saltwater into his son's bedroom, his wife "got less interested in my hobby." So last summer, Mr. Bunting, a vice president of the World Wildlife Fund, gave away his favorite triggerfish and pulled the plug. "I got tired of being nervous all the time," he says. "But Trig was such a clever little fish."
As more non-hobbyists mull getting a big tank, aquarium companies have decided to play up new designs and cabinetry as much as the fish inside the tanks. Aquarium Environments in Houston, for example, recently replicated an Amazonian riverbank inside a tank. Mr. Turner offers homeowners the option of tanks encased in ebony, mahogany and sycamore that can cost up to $200,000. There are even artists who will create aquarium sculptures. Richard Bilow in Los Angeles, for example, produces $1,500 glass-blown sculptures that evoke the works of glass artist Dale Chihuly. "Anemones are my inspiration," he says. "So are sea squirts."
After a few visits to the Bahamas, builder Frank McKinney says he had to try adding "aquariums on steroids" in the houses he's building in Palm Beach County, Fla. "I went to Atlantis and saw what was possible," says Mr. McKinney, referring to the Paradise Island resort famous for lagoons filled with bonnethead sharks and stingrays.
Recently, Mr. McKinney equipped a home with a $250,000 aquarium that doubled as a wet bar, and featured a miniature replica of a sunken ship. The $17 million house sold in just over two months. After that, Mr. McKinney created another aquarium wet bar, but added a "Jaws"-worthy mosaic of a shark on the floor where the bartender would likely stand. It sold quickly, too -- for $7 million -- and Mr. McKinney now says he plans to include a mega-aquarium in all his homes. "People love these things," he says.
Tanking Up
For those who don't have the resources to invest in a built-in aquarium, here's a list of fish and accessories to help liven up your tank.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Blue Dempsey, Freshwater Fish
AVG. COST: $30-$60
COMMENTS: These neon blue-and-black fish are one of the more popular species of African cichlids. One reason: they're docile -- pretty much the exact opposite of their cousin fish, the Jack Dempsey, named for the boxer. Blue Dempseys like flakes or live shrimp, and will grow to at least 5 inches.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Conspicullatuf Angelfish, Marine Fish
AVG. COST: $2,000
COMMENTS: This 10-inch angelfish is "really chic," says Glenn Laborda of Absolutely Fish, a New Jersey retailer. Its black coloring fades to white with neon orange and blue markings around the eyes. Like most angels, it's territorial, so mix it with wrasses and tangs but not similar-sized angelfish.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Mimic Octopus, Invertebrate
AVG. COST: $500
COMMENTS: Common octopi are grey and go for $100, but the Indonesian mimic is banded in black and white. Buy a tank that can hold at least 30 gallons and watch a 6-inch mimic morph to match surrounding sand and rocks. But beware of escape attempts: Keep bricks on the aquarium lid.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Acropora, Coral
AVG. COST: $50-$400
COMMENTS: Collectors like this species of stony coral for its fanciful shapes and tropical colors. If you're more interested in soft corals, check out zooanthid polyps ($10-$100); they look like neon clusters of mushrooms, and a 2-inch piece can triple its size in half a year.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Live Rock, Rock
AVG. COST: $8 a pound
COMMENTS: For saltwater tanks, get "live rock" chunks that come with crabs, shrimp and good bacteria attached. "You're creating an ocean, and these help," says Mr. Laborda. For freshwater tanks, natural brown gravel (about $4 per bag) won't clash with the fish.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Sword plant, Aquatic Plant
AVG. COST: $4-$15
COMMENTS: The spade-shaped leaves on this Amazonian plant can shoot up a foot high. If leaves breach the surface, they can sprout tiny white flowers. Stick a stalk into the tank bed; it'll root itself.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Tank Laser Lights, Tank Toy
AVG. COST: $35
COMMENTS: A kid favorite: MiracleBeam's LED system features two modules for the tank bed that send out moving beams of blue and green light. (Fish don't mind the nightclub vibe.)
ITEM/CATEGORY: Half-circle, Tank Shape
AVG. COST: $2,000
COMMENTS: Oceanic Systems' half-circle saltwater tank has a bowed front that gives 180-degree fish views. At a little under 5 feet long, it holds 144 gallons.
Source: American Pet Products Manufacturers Association; Absolutely Fish
Friday, September 16, 2005
By Kelly Crow, The Wall Street Journal
On a half-built lot in East Moriches, N.Y., on Long Island, visualizing the final layout for David and Valerie Cohen's new Spanish villa can be a challenge. An easier task: spotting the Cohens' 8,500-gallon saltwater aquarium. The tank's acrylic shell, designed to hold a Sea World's worth of fish, already rises three stories high, and will be cleaned by a scuba diver.
"We won't have to go to a public aquarium after this," says Mr. Cohen, 38 years old, a beauty-supply importer who is spending about $400,000 on the tank.
From a New Jersey businessman building a 20-ton coral reef in his cigar room to the rock singer who bought Shaquille O'Neal's home for its predator tanks, some fish-loving consumers are starting to create at-home versions of Atlantis. Inspired by resort aquariums and spurred by technological advances in the $3 billion aquarium industry, homeowners are building megatanks in unconventional shapes like arches and racetracks. They're also shopping for equally exotic -- and pricey -- fish and coral. Meanwhile, sharks and piranhas have become so popular as pets, the Monterey Bay Aquarium says owners now call at least once a week offering to donate fish species that have gotten too big.
While most of the growth is in expensive tanks, some of this is trickling down to regular homeowners. PetsMart's biggest aquarium, which costs $475, is now 150 gallons, up from 75 gallons a few years ago; later this year, some of the retailer's stores will start stocking a 110-gallon model with upscale cabinetry for $1,000. Petco has recently expanded its line of fancy cabinet finishes for bigger tanks. Even custom builders are reaching out to a slightly broader audience: Living Color Enterprises, an aquarium company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has just introduced its first line of $13,000 ready-made tanks about the size of a big-screen television.
Often, the public is soaking up what it sees on visits to public aquariums and hotels. Almost half of the country's 37 aquarium attractions opened in the past 15 years, and many tout their tank size. (The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which opens in November, boasts of having more than eight million gallons of water in its tanks.) More than half a dozen Las Vegas hotels have added "aquascapes" to their properties during the past few years, and about five million visitors have paid $16 a head to see Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef since it opened in 2000. The centerpiece of the newly opened Hotel Victor in Miami: a tank of jellyfish that get fed frozen shrimp by a visiting caretaker.
Americans have long been fans of fish. One in seven American households has an aquarium bubbling at home, and consumers own one-third more fish than they did a few years ago, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. But up until recently, nearly all fish tanks sold had glass walls, and maxed out at about the size of a coffee table.
Now, though, the industry is switching to acrylic walls, which allow for more flexibility in shape and size than glass. Casco Group, an aquarium manufacturer in Cerritos, Calif., recently bought an oven so it could heat and shape sheets of acrylic up to 28 feet long -- three times longer than its old heating methods could handle. What's more, new filter systems use bacteria-laden sand (instead of gravel), which makes it easier to sustain tank ecosystems. And chillers, which keep tank water cool, have shrunk to the size of microwaves, down from toy-chest dimensions of a generation ago.
Those developments allowed Bob and Joyce Johnson recently to install a 9-foot-long saltwater aquarium that divides their breakfast nook from the living room. "I thought it would look dramatic," says Mr. Johnson, a documentary producer in McLean, Va., who spent $40,000 on the project.
Last October, Shaquille O'Neal sold his $6.5 million house in Beverly Hills, Calif., to Japanese rock singer Kyosuke Himuro. What the singer loved best was Mr. O'Neal's two 600-gallon tanks, including one that contained eels, jacks and a 3-foot grouper named Bubba. Mr. Himuro initially kept Shaq's fish and the purple and yellow coral (inspired by the team colors of the Los Angeles Lakers), but last week had to donate the grouper to Sea World because he got too big. "The kids really miss Bubba, but I told them we'd go visit," says Mr. Himuro's wife, Mitsuyo Teranishi.
In most cases, homeowners hire an aquarist or marine biologist to design, install and stock tanks that can run anywhere from $15,000 to $1 million. Those costs can include everything from $5,000 for lightbulbs to tens of thousands for cabinetry, plumbing, wiring and lighting. The heaviest aquariums require structural support for thousands of pounds of water. And follow-up maintenance typically runs about $1,000 a month, though the price doubles if your tank is so big it takes a scuba diver to clean it.
One of the hardest jobs is keeping exotic fish alive. The popular Moorish Idol, known for its zebra-like markings, has such a fragile metabolism, retailers call them "Blockbuster fish" -- because they can last about as long as a video rental. Furthermore, independent service crews rarely reimburse clients for dead coral or belly-up fish on the theory that nature is fickle, says Jeffrey Turner, owner of Reef Aquaria Design in Coconut Creek, Fla., who also services tanks. (To guard against tank emergencies, he has clients buy a backup generator and a computer alarm that can e-mail technicians if there's trouble).
Bruce Bunting's trouble came in canine form. After he installed a 6-foot-long tank in his Washington, D.C., study six years ago, Mr. Bunting's collie kept chewing the tubes and wires. Following several power outages and leaks that poured saltwater into his son's bedroom, his wife "got less interested in my hobby." So last summer, Mr. Bunting, a vice president of the World Wildlife Fund, gave away his favorite triggerfish and pulled the plug. "I got tired of being nervous all the time," he says. "But Trig was such a clever little fish."
As more non-hobbyists mull getting a big tank, aquarium companies have decided to play up new designs and cabinetry as much as the fish inside the tanks. Aquarium Environments in Houston, for example, recently replicated an Amazonian riverbank inside a tank. Mr. Turner offers homeowners the option of tanks encased in ebony, mahogany and sycamore that can cost up to $200,000. There are even artists who will create aquarium sculptures. Richard Bilow in Los Angeles, for example, produces $1,500 glass-blown sculptures that evoke the works of glass artist Dale Chihuly. "Anemones are my inspiration," he says. "So are sea squirts."
After a few visits to the Bahamas, builder Frank McKinney says he had to try adding "aquariums on steroids" in the houses he's building in Palm Beach County, Fla. "I went to Atlantis and saw what was possible," says Mr. McKinney, referring to the Paradise Island resort famous for lagoons filled with bonnethead sharks and stingrays.
Recently, Mr. McKinney equipped a home with a $250,000 aquarium that doubled as a wet bar, and featured a miniature replica of a sunken ship. The $17 million house sold in just over two months. After that, Mr. McKinney created another aquarium wet bar, but added a "Jaws"-worthy mosaic of a shark on the floor where the bartender would likely stand. It sold quickly, too -- for $7 million -- and Mr. McKinney now says he plans to include a mega-aquarium in all his homes. "People love these things," he says.
Tanking Up
For those who don't have the resources to invest in a built-in aquarium, here's a list of fish and accessories to help liven up your tank.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Blue Dempsey, Freshwater Fish
AVG. COST: $30-$60
COMMENTS: These neon blue-and-black fish are one of the more popular species of African cichlids. One reason: they're docile -- pretty much the exact opposite of their cousin fish, the Jack Dempsey, named for the boxer. Blue Dempseys like flakes or live shrimp, and will grow to at least 5 inches.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Conspicullatuf Angelfish, Marine Fish
AVG. COST: $2,000
COMMENTS: This 10-inch angelfish is "really chic," says Glenn Laborda of Absolutely Fish, a New Jersey retailer. Its black coloring fades to white with neon orange and blue markings around the eyes. Like most angels, it's territorial, so mix it with wrasses and tangs but not similar-sized angelfish.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Mimic Octopus, Invertebrate
AVG. COST: $500
COMMENTS: Common octopi are grey and go for $100, but the Indonesian mimic is banded in black and white. Buy a tank that can hold at least 30 gallons and watch a 6-inch mimic morph to match surrounding sand and rocks. But beware of escape attempts: Keep bricks on the aquarium lid.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Acropora, Coral
AVG. COST: $50-$400
COMMENTS: Collectors like this species of stony coral for its fanciful shapes and tropical colors. If you're more interested in soft corals, check out zooanthid polyps ($10-$100); they look like neon clusters of mushrooms, and a 2-inch piece can triple its size in half a year.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Live Rock, Rock
AVG. COST: $8 a pound
COMMENTS: For saltwater tanks, get "live rock" chunks that come with crabs, shrimp and good bacteria attached. "You're creating an ocean, and these help," says Mr. Laborda. For freshwater tanks, natural brown gravel (about $4 per bag) won't clash with the fish.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Sword plant, Aquatic Plant
AVG. COST: $4-$15
COMMENTS: The spade-shaped leaves on this Amazonian plant can shoot up a foot high. If leaves breach the surface, they can sprout tiny white flowers. Stick a stalk into the tank bed; it'll root itself.
ITEM/CATEGORY: Tank Laser Lights, Tank Toy
AVG. COST: $35
COMMENTS: A kid favorite: MiracleBeam's LED system features two modules for the tank bed that send out moving beams of blue and green light. (Fish don't mind the nightclub vibe.)
ITEM/CATEGORY: Half-circle, Tank Shape
AVG. COST: $2,000
COMMENTS: Oceanic Systems' half-circle saltwater tank has a bowed front that gives 180-degree fish views. At a little under 5 feet long, it holds 144 gallons.
Source: American Pet Products Manufacturers Association; Absolutely Fish
shaq just got alot cooler in my book 
