I'm fairly new at this and am trying something totally new and crazy today. I am placing shallow glass bowls between 3 double layer tiers with live fish in them! I had 3" diameter PVC pipe cut to the exact height of the bottom and middle tiers to support the weight of the bowls and put the middle tier on a dbl layer board. I am obviously going to asseble cake at reception. Any other ideas, thoughts, words of advice?

Good Luck!

ummm....how long will the live fish be in the cake? I'm assuming that the bowls will be covered by the next tiers cake plate and therefore no air will get in. When you buy a fish, they put it in a bag and its sealed...you can only have them in there for a short while before they run out of oxygen and die. So thats my only concern is that the bowl will be covered and so no air.

i 2nd that too, wont the fish die???

Good Luck! But I'd be concerned about the fish not getting any air and dying while sitting out there (won't be an appetizing site).

You should buy the beta fish....they dont need any air. They sell them at Wal-Mart on the shelves in the pet department. They sit in their own container with a lid and no air so they shouldn't die.

Oh, and good luck!

Sounds like a cool idea except for the risk of fish dying,Good luck.

the bowls are about 1/2 gallon each so i'm thinking the few fish that will be in there should have enough air. It's a 2 hour graduation reception and i wont stack it until just before the party

Wow, what an interesting idea!! Please post a pic when you're done!!

I would make sure the cake is perfectly centered and balanced because the water is adding extra weight to the cake. I wouldn't want it to fall over!

Good Luck!

Yes I would betas, but dont put two in the same bowl. They are med sized fish with long fins, so it would look pretty and "showy". Most beta that are sold are males and they will fight each other till death if placed in the same bowl. That would not be very nice, but good luck and post pics when its all said and done.

The fish won't die due to lack of oxygen--there's plenty of oxygen between the top of the water and the tier covering the fish bowl...of course this advice is coming from me, the lady who kept her daughters new gigantic gold fish alive for exactly 15 minutes after dumping it into the new gold fish bowl filled with well water from the tap without treating it first or allowing it to come to room temp !!! I can't wait to see your cake!!!

Please post pics when you can. It sounds amazing! make sure the bowls are clean of anthing that would harm the fish during that short time. And the water too.

Good Luck!

Interesting. If you are going to have live fish incorperated in your cake, why not make them part of the meal and serve sushi as a starter?

On a serious note, that sounds like a food and safety disaster waiting to happen. Live animals on top of food that is to be eaten???

I know it will be in glass but, there is water inside that the fish has been in.

I would not want to eat this cake! The water would be contaminated with urine and faeces.

Not much respect for the animal. Eat them or keep them as pets, not use them as gimmicks.

Um, fish take oxygen from the water, so covering the bowls won't make a difference.

A friend of mine did this several years ago, and it worked fine. Just make sure that the sides of the bowls are strong enough to support the weight of the cake tier(s).

Theresa

If I was that concerned about fish water touching my cake (and I'm not mind you, I won't tell you the things I've seen my mother do in the kitchen and I never once got food poisoning from her) then I would simply ask to have a slice of cake from one of the top tiers. Discreetly too. This is an important day for the graduate and I'm sure they're excited about getting a cake that's unlike anyone else's in their entire graduating class, or previous classes too. I wouldn't want to insult them by rudely announcing that you will not be having any of their cake because of the design they so carefully chose.

So quietly whisper to the host that you would prefer a slice from the top, or politely decline a slice all together. In this age of fad diets and healthy living, a guest declining a slice of cake is not unheard of, you don't have to tell them why you won't eat their cake. I do this all the time when someone offers me a slice of grocery store cake. Unfortunately I've kind of spoiled myself with the great scratch cake recipes here on CC! I smile, pat my belly and say, "Sorry, but the rest of the food was so good, I don't have any room for cake!"

There's my Miss Manner's take on the issue. Now as a decorator, I see nothing wrong with this. It sounds like a Duff cake with fireworks and spinning contraptions and music playing and etc etc etc. Logistically, it seems sound. Just seperate the glass bowl from the cake with cake boards. And I agree about the beta fish. Or you could simply leave an inch or so of clearance at the top of the fish bowl. Have fun and be sure to post pics!!! Perhps with an instruction article too so we could give it a try!

make sure the fish have adjusted to the water temp before releasing them into the bowl so they don't die of shock

I really want to see pictures of this cake, sound interesting.

Our bakery/cake shop would not accept a cake like this as it is too easy to be sued these days. Also the same for sticking those hard jewels/beads on cakes to be removed before eating. How can you guarantee that the reception staff will carry out the dismantling of the cake smoothly, without any risk? Perhaps for a small baker it is okay? Are there big cake shops that would take this order?

Take a look at this post:

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=595875&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=live&&start=0

Karen

Great, thanks for posting the other post. I am glad to see there are others finding this wrong on so many levels.

Just to make a few corrections about the fish- I breed all kinds of fish as a hobby including bettas.
The only fish you could keep in this set up is a betta, and no the bowl cannot be sealed with the cake. There must be access to fresh moving air. so no you cant seal it or cover it to prevent water spills.
bettas are labyrinth fish meaning they breathe the same air you and I do, they do not process the oxygen out of the water with gills like other fish do.

What are you or the client planning on doing with the fish after the party??
just planning to dispose of them?? rather cruel if thats the plan.

If you are going to do this, I personally think its a bad idea, make sure the fish aren't fed for about 4-5 hours before the cake is assembled, otherwise there will be lots of little poop balls at the bottom of the bowls.
The fish must then be fed as soon as the cake is disassembled.

This process is gonna take you a couple of days just for the fish.
Each bowl must have conditioned water in it for a few days before you place the fish in it.
also you cant just plop the fish in the bowl straight out of the container you bought it in the store in. it needs to be conditioned to the water in the bowls- usually about a 2 hr process.

if you want more detailed instructions pm me

Well despite what others think, I think it sounds really cool, and I cant wait to see a picture.

I do agree with not feeding them right before you stick them in the bowl, there will be fish dookie everywhere, so dont feed them until after they cut the cake. I think they will be fine in the little bowls for a couple of hours too, if they dont die right away from shock they will have enough oxygen for a couple of hours, especially if you are going to do your set up right before the party.

Neat Idea!