Just a mad thought, but I'd been seeing 'aquarium' novelty apps cropping up in the Nokia Store for years and resisted grabbing them - playing with the Nokia E7 and its angled screen, I wondered if any of the aquarium apps were actually any good. Taking the hit so you don't have to, here's my brief assessment of the three most obvious aquaria for Symbian...

First up, a freebie. Aquarium Fish Tank from G Soft:

Well, marks for the light effects and pretty tank design, but this is let down by the permanent display of ad banner, settings icon and by all-too-linear fish motion. Finally, the aquarium vanishes when the screen display dims and turns off, even when plugged into a power source, i.e. there's no overriding of the normal display behaviour.

Score: 35%

Secondly, The Aquarium, £1, by the Pico Brothers:

Realistic fish movement and 'tap-to-attract' impress, plus The Aquarium manages to keep the screen powered on at all times, for that 'permanent fishtank' look. Could do with a few more fish in the tank though!

Score: 80%

Thirdly, I had a look at AquariumHD+, £1.50, by Temuras Awari:

Very colourful and visually impressive, but then you notice that only two of the fish are actually moving more than a few millimetres, the rest are static and just 'wiggle'. Then the display turns off at the usual time, there's no overriding of this behaviour.

Score: 40%

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So a no-brainer win for the Pico Brothers' creation here, go grab it for a quid and enjoy your new tropical aquarium. Plug your phone into a TV for full 'fake aquarium' effect?

Comments welcome if you know of a better always-on aquarium for Symbian.