Sweden knows fish. The existence of a delicious, chewy candy proves this fact. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that the Norrom Aquarium, a gorgeous, 3D-printable fish habitat, was designed in Sweden.
Recently launched on Kickstarter, the aquarium is a 40-liter (10.5-gallon) freshwater tank for your finned friends. It’s made of acrylic glass, with hand-made bases and lids that come in a variety of colors and are made of birch wood. Instead of being lit from the lid down, the dimmable LED light is installed in the base; light travels up the bubbling tube, and the mirrored lid reflects it back into the tank.
The design team was all about what you don’t see. To keep the focus on the fish, the cord and air pump are concealed in the base, the lid covers the water line, and the ceramic rings and other components used for filtration hide under rocks. The noise of the air pump gets dampened thanks to this arrangement, according to Norrom.
The aquarium is suitable for a number of fish, including guppies, platies, and zebrafish, as well as certain frogs, snails, shrimp, and clams (though not all at one, obviously).
The lids and bases are handmade in the UK, but there’s also a 3D-printing option. Once you buy the aquarium, you can download a template and create your own base and lid. “Customers can easily interchange their lid or base with any of our range or their own 3D-print models by slotting them on and off,” says Charles Tornros, managing director of Norrom. “So, this means you can completely change the look and feel of the aquarium at any time.”
Norrom is attempting to raise $5,948 (£3,900) on Kickstarter for the aquariums. There are a limited number of rewards, starting at about $451 (£296). If you miss out on those, you can still order the system at a 10-percent discount, which includes a lifetime supply of filters. You also get stones, in your choice of color. Unfortunately, Norrom is only shipping in the U.K. right now, but plans to ship to the U.S. after the Kickstarter is complete.
Updated on 2/12/2015 to reflect the aquariums will soon ship to the U.S.
