We get so many tips telling us about this-or-that crowdsourced aquarium project, and most of them do not make the cut of being post-worthy but this one from Norrom squeaks by for having a very heavy emphasis on design. Perhaps Norrom’s focus on design and simplicity is perhaps a little too heavy handed with a demonstration video that shows this very capable 10 gallon cylinder populated with just a handful of grey livebearers and very few white stones on the bottom.
On the surface the Norrom Aquarium really is just another bubble-up freshwater all in one but what’s most noteworthy is what you don’t see. The light, filter and air pump are all hidden in the base of the aquarium for an exceptionally minimalist look that doesn’t detract from the aquarium display in anyway. We realize that’s the focus that Norrom was going for with their promo video but dang it, they could at least have built a real aquarium inside of this otherwise pretty large cylinder aquarium.
Really the neatest feature of the Norrom Aquarium is the base-up lighting system which channels light up through the uplift tube driving the air-filter, reflecting off a mirrored surface encased within the lid. This novel approach to the lighting does create a very brightly and evenly lit aquarium that could be a great photsynthetic environment for freshwater plants or marine corals despite Norrom making no attempt to demonstrate what is aesthetically possible with their minimal yet ingenious lighting solution.
A few other features about the Norrom Aquarium are very welcome like the cordless lid, no visible wires in the tank, the hidden waterline and integrated yet invisible filtration really make this a neat aquarium concept which is just dying to be exploited with a “real” aquarium ecosystem inside. In addition to a very nice presentation, the other nice feature that imparts the Norrom Aquarium a great deal of potential is that ten gallon water volume, more than enough to attempt a nice nano reef, especially with reef-wall hugging fish and corals like nano gobies and Blastomussa.
The price of admission for one of Norrom’s interesting cylindrical crowdfunded aquariums is £296 or about $455, not exactly a great value aquarium wise but it does have that nice “living room” design aspect to it which is sure to receive approval from the significant other, should you be so inclined. [KickStarter]
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