Check this out! It’s called the Floating Garden – the newer, more modern version of the Peace Lily betta*.
The floating garden eliminates fish waste and keeps the tank clean by filtering the water over a sand-filled device and absorbing nitrates from fish poo to fertilize the plants. Pretty cool, huh?
From the press release:
“It gives concrete form to a ‘passion for waterworks’ shared by Benjamin Graindorge and Duende Studio. What with Graindorge’s ‘Domestic landscapes’ and the ’Local River’ project developed with Mathieu Lehanneur by Anthony van den Bossche, it only needed one step more (and a lot of experiments) for the principle to be turned into a commercially-viable product, realistic but full of poetic potential. Elegant design associated to extended function make ‘Floating Garden’ an object rich in paradox – thoughtful and forward-looking.”
Because of how the tank is created, each is unique in design, and will begin being sold in spring of 2010. And I imagine for a mighty price tag.
*Peace lilies, also called Mauna Loa or The Closet Plant, are easy to grow with exposed roots in water. However, this is not, nor has it ever been, a reccomended environment for a fish, especially a betta, which needs to come to the surface to breathe.