Planted Aquarium

This freshwater aquarium is well stocked with fish, a frog, some rocks and many live plants. The tank is displayed an a sturdy wooden cabinet that also houses a high performance canister filter. An additional hang on back filter has also been deployed to be sure the water always stays perfectly clear.

The model stands 3.5 inches (85mm) tall and is built with 77 LEGO pieces. Attention to detail combined with a minimal design approach to this model leaves "little" to the imagination. The items inside the tank could be substituted if the builder wishes to create a saltwater scene. For instance the leafy green plants may be substituted with items that mimic seaweed and/or a coral reef.

I used SNOT to produce the desired wood panel effect on the front of the cabinet. The 6:5 stack height ratio was the key element in what turned out to be a flawless cabinet build.

This model is not mini figure scale, nor does it offer much play opportunity. I feel this model would be more of a conversation or display piece for the enthusiast of either aquariums or LEGO. This is the perfect gift for your aquarium hobbiest friend or family member, who has not shown any previous interest in LEGO.

The inspiration for this model was one of my own live planted tanks. A picture of the tank is displayed below. It is a standard ten gallon tank with 6 watts of LED lighting. The live plants, Anubias and Cryptocoryne, are rooted into common pool filter sand. The fish in the photo is a female rosy barb. The frog was intended to be a piece of driftwood, but a focus group decided the frog was better off just being a frog.