# Mineral Oil Fish Tank

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 23, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136 "2010-02-23T16:40:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![JerseyFrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JerseyFrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyFrank)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136/21 "2010-02-24T02:44:36Z")

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That’s a great idea, though I wonder how I’d resolve the different refractive indicies with glass, plastic, oil, and water.

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**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136/22 "2010-02-24T23:47:43Z")

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> [@JerseyFrank](#):
>
> That’s a great idea, though I wonder how I’d resolve the different refractive indicies with glass, plastic, oil, and water.

I dunno, but you better post some videos when you get this worked out. I wanna see someone playing Doom 2 with a fishtank.

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**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136/23 "2010-02-25T01:03:35Z")

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> [@Translucent\_Daydream](#):
>
> I might think that the fake fish magnets\* would F up the computer somehow. Maybe I am wrong.
> 
> \*great band name

That is possible. The magnets weren’t particularly strong, though - nowhere near data-wiping strength though I don’t know how much more sensitive motherboards are.

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mineral-oil-fish-tank/530136/24 "2010-02-25T12:28:44Z")

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There are some mechanical fish that run on those little flat disk batteries that are half decent. They are made for water, so you may have to do some adjustments for oil.

Other than that, I second the double walled approach. Maybe if you could get one of those curved acrylic walls, you could use that as the divider. This would help the division disappear.

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