How to make a gumball fish tank

I saw this gumball fish tank project at least a year ago, probably more. I fell. in. love. I knew, one day, it would be mine. 

I have been had my eye out for a gumball machine for all this time, and last week there it was, at Goodwill!

If you want to try this cute fish tank -- all you'll need for this project is the gumball machine, aquarium sealant and a cut piece of glass.

So this weekend, we welcomed Squishy to our family: He's a little shy. :)

To start, take all the innards out of the gumball machine. Next, take the globe to a glass cutter to get a piece cut the size of the bottom. Mine was $3 and it took them five minutes:
Take the sealant (from any pet store, less than $5) and put a thick, chunky bead of it around the edge of the circle of glass, on top. Place it onto the bottom of the globe. 

Don't push too hard, so that the sealant all squishes out. You want there to be some between the two pieces of glass:

I was trying to make the bottom look at neat and clean, and they realized we'll never see the bottom with the marbles, so I just left it messy. 

I also took my (gloved) finger and spread it around the seam inside as well, to make sure the sealant was everywhere.

This is the view from the side (the aqua-colored piece around the bottom is what I glued on):

It has to dry for 48 hours, and then you can test it to make sure there are no leaks. 

After that, just fill with the fun stuff!

I used two packets of blue and green glass for $1.99 each, an a plant for $4:

I always wanted a fish for our son, and knew this was the only way to do it. 

With three cats in this house, fishy-fishy needs to be covered. Betta fish are different and can survive with less oxygen, and they tend to jump out of their homes (?!) so a cover is recommended.

This weekend we watched Finding Nemo, and it had me feeling major mommy-fish guilt about keeping this guy in a bowl. 

But it's one of my favorite kiddo movies, and the Squishy part is freaking hilarious, so I shall call him Squishy:

And over a gallon of water is better than the cup they have them in in the store, right? 

Adorable. 

The pictures just don't do this justice. And the machine is a pretty deep red, not blaring orange red like in these I-took-these-pictures-at-night-and-they-always-look-like-crap pictures.

**This small gumball fish tank is best for fish like Bettas who are OK in smaller tanks and can't live with most fish. 

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