Are you looking to add some funky flair to your home? Well it turns out gumball machines make for the coolest fish tanks. Dust off that old candy dispenser and create this retro funky gumball fish tank.
To make your gumball fish tank:
Dissemble the gumball machine and take out the glass dish.
The only real thing standing in the way of you and your funky gumball fishtank is the gumball dispensing mechanism underneath the glass dish. If you filled your machine with water now it would just pour through the machine and out the dispenser in the bottom. So you have to seal the mechanism off from the glass dish.
There are two ways to do this. You can either cover and seal the gumball mechanism with a round plastic disc, or cut a piece of glass to fit in there. Either way you will need aquarium sealant silicone to finish the job and make a water tight seal.
Once you’ve sealed off the bottom of the dish decorate your aquarium with rocks and plants and then welcome your fish to it’s new home!
Be sure to clean your gumball fishtank once a week and move your fish to a larger home once he outgrows his fabulous gumball fishtank.
Awesome!!
Too Clever, love this, thanks!
This really isn’t the best tank for a betta fish. They’re tropical fish and they need heaters in their tanks. 78-82*F is their climate. They also need more space then what pet stores tell you. Though this is a cute idea, a plastic toy fish would probably be a better idea than potentially killing a live one.
Betta fish would be fine in a fish tank this small. In their natural environment they live in as little as 1″of water (puddles) and don’t necessarily need a filter if the tank is cleaned properly on a regular basis.
“Although bettas can tolerate small spaces and poor water quality, they do best in small aquariums (at least two gallons) with regular water changes. The preferred water temperature for a betta is 76-82 degrees F.”
http://www.petsit.com/facts-about-betta-fish?id=327278
Just one resource online.
Please do not believe what you are being told at a store. These are usually minors still in high school coached and misinformed by their peers so the store can make sales. Betas need at least a 2 gallon tank and a small heater. Filters are needed as well, unless you plan on doing a water change weekly, which is unhealthy for most fish as they need the bacteria/germs in their water as part of their in tank ecosystem.
Experience – Manager of a pet store when I was in high school.
Nice idea, but the fish needs fresh oxygene! Especially in fish tanks this small. You need to install a pump that adds oxygene to the water. The traditional, round fish bowl is animal abuse as well. Take care of your pets!
Wow this is so cute! What a great idea.. now I need to find an old gum ball machine! A little dramatic reaction from the fish lover crowd. It’s a fish not a human. Put some holes in the metal top and you got oxygen! I’ve had a beta for almost 4 years now and he is in the same fish bowl I got when I bought him…no oxygen tank or heater needed.
betas and gold fish are the only 2 fish that don’t need a heater or oxygen ( they come to the surface to breathe.) a Beta would go great in a gun ball machine bowl. you’d be cleaning it a lot more if you used gold fish… their ammonia output’s higher than the beta. very cute idea
this is fish abuse bettas need 5 gallons or more and heaters up to 78-80f and they need filters this little piece of shit jar is to small for shrimp and any fish
VERY COOL! Found you via Pinterest and had to repin. I’d love for you to come link up to my party at smallfineprint.com
Mandy
Small Fine Print
My betta does fine without a heater, and bettas actually take a gulp of air from the top every now and then instead of getting all their oxygen from the water like other fish, so an oxygen pump isn’t necessary. Bettas do fine in 1/2 a gallon or (preferably) more.
Looks cute but puts the animals welfare second to a bit of retro-chique upcycling. It is far too small, how would you feel being kept in a wardrobe all your life. Secondly these are tropical fish and although, as with many animals, they will survive in certain temperatures it does not mean that those are the optimum temperatures for it to live in. Finally, because of it’s size there is no shelter for the fish if it feels threatened. A quaint idea but unfortunately at the expense of welfare.
shrimp, snails, african dwarf frogs or white cloud mountain minnows would do better. and it may need better cover or a tiny cave for them to hide when they need to retreat 🙂 i love this we had the gumball fish tank as a kid but it wasn’t a real one like this i for one love it! just maybe not a betta although i have some in heaterless tanks right now and they are 72-76 every time i check which at times it gets colder than they need but i have a bigger tank that she should go into in a week 🙂
Love this idea!
Cute! However I believe I’m going to make one out of a regular fish bowl glued to the bottom of a ceramic flower pot. Going to paint the flower pot in some kind of football color! This is going to be a Christmas present for an 11 year old boy! Cool idea!!!