Hasta La Ideas

Alex Andon started experimenting with new ways to bring sea jellies into peoples’ abodes—humble and otherwise—when he was laid off in 2009. Early press (including not one but two mentions in the paper of record in March 2009) presaged the success of the “Desktop Jellyfish Tank,” which has been funded some twenty times over during the first third of Andon’s campaign (which runs until September 12).

Andon, who studied Marine Biology as an undergraduate at Duke, spent the past two years developing bespoke jellyfish solutions for commercial and private clients, eventually arriving at a $350 desktop model for the Medusozoa-inclined Middle American consumer.

Wikipedia never fails to inform and delight:

A kreisel tank is a circular aquarium designed to hold delicate animals such as jellyfish. These aquariums provide slow, circular water flow with a bare minimum of interior hardware, to prevent delicate animals from becoming injured by pumps or the tank itself. Originally a German design (kreisel means spinning top), the tank has no sharp corners, and keeps the housed animals away from the plumbing. Water moving into the tank gives a gentle flow that keeps the inhabitants suspended, and water leaving the tank is covered by a delicate screen that prevents the inhabitants from getting stuck.

The pitch after the jump:

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