Tea Party Theme Tank...

So I have a ridiculous obsession with themed tanks and finally have one that's a decent size to play with (29 gallon). I love so many fandoms that it was really hard to pick one. Especially after seeing some really neat Harry Potter and Starwars themed builds. But after seeing some of the picture below I decided to try a tea party theme!

I have three sort of center pieces in mind. These would all be assembled with aquarium safe glue, a mix of silk and live plants, marbles/gems, pvc or plastic support pieces and a white porcelain tea set that is listed as lead-free made from non-toxic AB grade porcelain approved by the FDA. Would love to hear which glue you've had the best luck with!

The left hand piece is a "floating" teacup. This is usually made by bending a fork and gluing it to a saucer with the cup positioned and glued above. You then hide the fork with either plants/flowers or gems that look as if they are spilling out of the cup. Is silverware safe to use an aquarium? Any ideas for a better alternative?

The center piece would be the teapot with plants coming out of the top and the lid positioned beside at an angle for a hide. I know I'll need to plug the spout to keep curious fish from getting stuck. I would love to cut out a hole in the teapot to use the inside as another hide but don't know if I could do that without breaking the entire thing.

The right hand side will either be a wonky stack of cups and saucers or cups hanging on some sort of rod. Either way i'd like each cup to have different aquarium plants growing out of it.

So far this is all highly theoretical but I found this gorgeous tea set on amazon and i'm SO tempted to get started right away. I think i'm going to check out a few local stores, maybe even goodwill to see if I could find some neat mismatched cups and teapot. Would love any additional ideas, advice, or even constructive criticism! TIA


* Also thinking this tank will have a small school of neon tetras, cory cats, and a sociable betta.

 

I don't know if it's safe to use silverware in an aquarium but I LOVE the tea party idea!

 

This is going to be an interesting build.

 

Can't wait to see this finished!

 

Please post a pic when it is up and running.

 

Neat idea! With white porcelain, especially grooved as in the photo, algae will be your enemy. So maybe work in some Otos and neocardina shrimp to your stocking? I wouldn't use silver or plate, but stainless steel is tank-safe. You can use an aquarium-safe varnish to be extra sure it doesn't rust. Not easy to bend, though. But you could also use a wood, plastic, or ceramic support.

 

Neat idea! With white porcelain, especially grooved as in the photo, algae will be your enemy. So maybe work in some Otos and neocardina shrimp to your stocking? I wouldn't use silver or plate, but stainless steel is tank-safe. You can use an aquarium-safe varnish to be extra sure it doesn't rust. Not easy to bend, though. But you could also use a wood, plastic, or ceramic support.

I would just add a few nerite snails and keep your current stocking

 

Very unique idea, I’ll be looking forward to pics!

 

Not my style but I actually love it. I think it would be great.

 

So I did end up getting the white tea set pictured above. It's on the way so this weekend I got the tank setup with the sand added so it can start cycling using filtered media from my other tanks. I'll be sure to post updates as I can!

 

I am so excited to see how this comes together!

 

I am so excited to see how this comes together!

Me to! I'm hoping I can get everything balanced/glued properly.

Someone in one of the betta Facebook pages did a similar Alice in Wonderland theme and posted it this weekend. Can't wait to try it myself!

 

So I have a ridiculous obsession with themed tanks and finally have one that's a decent size to play with (29 gallon). I love so many fandoms that it was really hard to pick one. Especially after seeing some really neat Harry Potter and Starwars themed builds. But after seeing some of the picture below I decided to try a tea party theme!

I have three sort of center pieces in mind. These would all be assembled with aquarium safe glue, a mix of silk and live plants, marbles/gems, pvc or plastic support pieces and a white porcelain tea set that is listed as lead-free made from non-toxic AB grade porcelain approved by the FDA. Would love to hear which glue you've had the best luck with!

The left hand piece is a "floating" teacup. This is usually made by bending a fork and gluing it to a saucer with the cup positioned and glued above. You then hide the fork with either plants/flowers or gems that look as if they are spilling out of the cup. Is silverware safe to use an aquarium? Any ideas for a better alternative?

The center piece would be the teapot with plants coming out of the top and the lid positioned beside at an angle for a hide. I know I'll need to plug the spout to keep curious fish from getting stuck. I would love to cut out a hole in the teapot to use the inside as another hide but don't know if I could do that without breaking the entire thing.

The right hand side will either be a wonky stack of cups and saucers or cups hanging on some sort of rod. Either way i'd like each cup to have different aquarium plants growing out of it.

So far this is all highly theoretical but I found this gorgeous tea set on amazon and i'm SO tempted to get started right away. I think i'm going to check out a few local stores, maybe even goodwill to see if I could find some neat mismatched cups and teapot. Would love any additional ideas, advice, or even constructive criticism! TIA


* Also thinking this tank will have a small school of neon tetras, cory cats, and a sociable betta.

Lol, for some reason, I thought this was going to be a Boston tea party themed tank. Then I realized that it’s not.

 

Lol, for some reason, I thought this was going to be a Boston tea party themed tank. Then I realized that it’s not.

I don't think i'm quite imaginative enough to pull off Boston Tea Party. LoL

 

So what exactly is your idea?

 

So what exactly is your idea?

Mostly just creating something different. I like the different levels/hides this setup provides and like the idea of mixing silk plants and live plants as much as possible.

Currently stuck on the floating teacup bit. I don't want to use silverware so I think it'll just be a bit of trial and error finding something strong enough to support the cup while also being aquarium safe.

 

Do you have a drawing of the scape?

 

Do you have a drawing of the scape?

I don't, unfortunately not very handy at drawing. I had some images attached but it looks like they were removed due to copyright. Here are a few links though. Depending on the size of the tea set I may only do the teapot and stacked cups, and do away with the floating cup idea, although I would really like to try it if it's not too crowded.

Floating Teacup - How to make floating teacups, Floating tea cup tutorial - Dainty Dress Diaries

Flowering Teapot - Google Image Result for https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/b5/b8/61b5b87d19e0dc2fc5f87aaeb86c1a26.jpg

Stacked Teacups - Google Image Result for https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b4/49/f5/b449f50d16043625e5fbc580fa1b9a95.jpg

 

I don't, unfortunately not very handy at drawing. I had some images attached but it looks like they were removed due to copyright. Here are a few links though. Depending on the size of the tea set I may only do the teapot and stacked cups, and do away with the floating cup idea, although I would really like to try it if it's not too crowded.

Floating Teacup - How to make floating teacups, Floating tea cup tutorial - Dainty Dress Diaries

Flowering Teapot - Google Image Result for https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/b5/b8/61b5b87d19e0dc2fc5f87aaeb86c1a26.jpg

Stacked Teacups - Google Image Result for https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b4/49/f5/b449f50d16043625e5fbc580fa1b9a95.jpg

Cool. neat idea!

 

Lol, for some reason, I thought this was going to be a Boston tea party themed tank. Then I realized that it’s not.

That would be awesome!

Black water (naturally, because of all the tea!) tank, with some "tea crates" floating at the surface and at the bottom. Maybe some other artifacts on the substrate like Mohawk Native American items, a "copy" of the Townshend Acts?

*The OP's idea is also awesome!

 

That would be awesome!

Black water (naturally, because of all the tea!) tank, with some "tea crates" floating at the surface and at the bottom. Maybe some other artifacts on the substrate like Mohawk Native American items, a "copy" of the Townshend Acts?

*The OP's idea is also awesome!

Was there ship burning as well or was that my imagination?

When KingJamal2 brought it up I thought that would be super neat, especially with the black water idea! But then all the details got me lol. Plus I already have three or four other tank ideas I don't need another one lol.

But cmid21 I think you should do it!!!

 

Was there ship burning as well or was that my imagination?

When KingJamal2 brought it up I thought that would be super neat, especially with the black water idea! But then all the details got me lol. Plus I already have three or four other tank ideas I don't need another one lol.

But cmid21 I think you should do it!!!

Yes, I believe they set fire to the ships as well

not quite sure how you’d replicate that without setting off the fire alarms lol

 

Okay guys this is no where near complete but I got everything glued and placed a few plants to get an idea of what I want it to look like and it’s coming together well!

 

Okay guys this is no where near complete but I got everything glued and placed a few plants to get an idea of what I want it to look like and it’s coming together well!View attachment 676465View attachment 676467View attachment 676468View attachment 676472

Looks cool!

 

WOW! Looks good. Not my cup of tea but to each their own. (pun intended! lol) I had no idea what you were going to go. Did you use wire for the tea cup? What glue did you use?

 

Looks cool!

Thanks! It’s a work in progress lol

 

WOW! Looks good. Not my cup of tea but to each their own. (pun intended! lol) I had no idea what you were going to go. Did you use wire for the tea cup? What glue did you use?

Thanks! It’s definitely a different style but I’ve had fun with it and plan on playing with it a bit more while we’re stuck in Quarantine.

I used a mix of the GEL super glue and hot glue. We’ll see how well it hold up long term.

 

Ah, cool

 

That’s so cool!

 

I love it!