China’s MetalFish has added a new PC case to its stables, called the Y2 Fish Tank Chassis. The name is quite apt, as the product combines a Micro-ATX PC at the bottom with a fish tank above. If you are an aquarist and PC enthusiast looking for a new HTPC, this might be a match made in heaven. For others, MetalFish reckons its new product will help owners “feel relaxed and calm.”
Many PC makers describe the size of their PC cases in liters, but MetalFish has omitted this important spec for its Y2 Fish Tank Chassis. We have the dimensions of the complete tower, which are 370 x 250 x 290mm (about 27 liters), so if we say that about half of the case is the fish tank, that would give your fish about 13 liters to swim around in.
While on the topic of looking after your fish, MetalFish bundles a USB-powered pump/filter/oxygenator. The LED light strip above the 5mm glass panel constructed water tank is also claimed to be tuned for fish and plant health, so it probably doesn’t sync with your RGB gaming peripherals. The case has separate RGB lighting, which can be turned on and off and adjusted using a supplied remote.
No mention is made about the fish tank's impact on the PC cooling, but having such a sizable thermal mass atop might help keep your PC a bit cooler. On the other hand, it is possible that pushing the PC’s performance for several hours may make your fish feel a bit hot.
As a PC case, the Y2 Fish Tank Chassis can fit your choice of Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX motherboard. Made from 1.5mm thick aluminum alloy, there are mounts for a single 2.5-inch drive, twin 90mm fans at the front (supplied), a 90mm tall CPU cooling solution, and a video card up to a maximum of 220mm in length. In addition, you have to install a small 1U or FlexATX power supply.
Surprisingly (or not), the Y2 Fish Tank Chassis isn’t the firm’s first PC case and fish tank hybrid design, but it looks a lot more elegant and integrated the previous Fish Cube chassis, which was also a Mini-ITX only design.
The MetalFish Y2 Fish Tank Chassis sells for a reasonable sub-$75 in China.