The Art of Aquarium Design: Elevate Any Space with an Aquatic Masterpiece

My childhood home had a modest 10-gallon fish tank in the den, and all these years later, I still find the sound of bubbling water comforting. In the intervening years, I’ve had fish tanks here and there, but it’s been a minute. However, I recently determined that it was again time to add the sound of bubbling water to my home. Because it’s been a few years, I was curious to see what innovative designs the residential aquarium market offers. Scrolling the internet seemed like a good place to start, and I wasn’t disappointed. The market is rife with options and possibilities, including classic, modern, acrylic, glass, bowfront, cylindrical, freshwater, and saltwater. If money were no object, I would incorporate at least one, if not all, of the following fish tanks into my modest home.

Corner Bar Aquarium

Oceans Aquarium Design creates amazing designs for residential and commercial properties in Southern California. Golan Binder, owner and chief designer, founded the company in 2008, after growing weary of his 9-to-5 tech job. Binder’s tanks reflect his passion for the ocean and his infectious enthusiasm for aquarium design. Scrolling through Oceans Aquarium Design’s portfolio of “featured aquatic masterpieces” provides ample evidence of his skills. Though the company primarily services SoCal, Binder will entertain requests outside of the region on a case-by-case basis.

Cylinder Stairway Aquarium

From modern to classic, aquariums can enhance any space in your home. Take this custom-built unit from The Fish Gallery in Houston, Texas. The vertical design allows the tank to fit easily into smaller spaces. The cabinet comes in 9 different finishes, from white to black walnut, and every color in between. If you have a smallish space that needs some sprucing up, this cylindrical aquarium might just be the ticket. The Fish Gallery can fabricate it and ship it to your door in 6-12 weeks.

Battlestar Galactica Inspired

Battlestar Galactica inspired this bull-nosed fish tank, designed by Justin Muir, owner and principal designer at City Aquarium in Brooklyn, New York. The 15-foot-long tank features fiber optic lighting and color-changing platinum ogon koi. City Aquarium, in business since 1998, designs freshwater and marine (saltwater) aquariums for residential and commercial spaces.

Island Aquarium

Started as a home-based business in 2002 and based in Lakewood, New Jersey, AquaCreations has become a well-respected aquarium design business serving the Northeast. The AquaCreations team offers design, installation, and maintenance. Customer reviews speak to AquaCreations’ professionalism, quality, craftsmanship, and ability to stay within budget.

Jellyfish Aquarium

One doesn’t typically think of jellyfish as residential aquarium dwellers, but that didn’t stop Infinity Aquarium Design, in Los Angeles, California, from designing this 360-gallon tank, which is six feet wide and five feet high. In business for over 30 years, Infinity designs and installs a variety of aquariums, including freshwater, marine (saltwater), living reefs, and jellyfish aquariums. According to customer testimonials, founder and owner Izzy Capuano continues to be an integral, hands-on presence at Infinity, supervising every step of the process from design to installation.

Cabinet Aquarium

A lot of thought, planning, knowledge, and expertise are required when installing a residential aquarium, because water is heavy. Modifications to existing floors and walls are often necessary to increase their integrity. But the work is so worth it, as the beauty and tranquility of an aquarium elevate any space. Founded in 2000 by brothers Mike and Jeff Senske, Aquarium Design Group’s initial focus was on freshwater tanks. The fellas prefer freshwater for its simplicity. However, their portfolio now includes a fair number of marine tanks. So, whether you’re in the market for a freshwater aquarium or a saltwater tank, Aquarium Design Group, located in Houston, Texas, can fix you up.

Sea Visions

SeaVisions of South Florida owner Gerry Calabrese understands that everyone who purchases a residential fish tank isn’t necessarily a hobbyist. This is why SeaVisions is a full-service outfit. From designing and installing to stocking, maintenance, and remote monitoring, SeaVisions provides it. Located near Fort Lauderdale and Miami in Southwest Ranches, Florida, on the edge of the Everglades, SeaVisions not only builds custom fish tanks but also invents products that elevate existing aquarium standards of filtration, earning them seven patents. In the 35 years since Calabrese founded SeaVisions, the company has designed and installed 350 aquariums around the world.

Library Aquarium

Cory Sligting, founder and designer at Living Art Aquatics, ditched the 9-to-5 in 1996. Discovering that his fanciful aquarium designs were beyond the expertise of existing fabricators, Sligting quit his corporate job and started designing fish tanks, which are truly works of art, or more precisely, heART. Primarily serving the greater Chicago area, Sligting does entertain requests from afar. Living Art Aquatics designs are rendered in glass or acrylic and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you can imagine it, Living Art Aquatics can make it, install it, and stock it!

Freestanding Fish Tank

Aquarium design teams are an incredibly diverse group. From structural engineers and graphic artists to lighting techs and woodworkers, many skills are required to design, manufacture, and install an aquarium. At Tsunami Aquariums, they want to help you design your dream tank. Their acrylic tanks come in an array of shapes, including bowfront and bullnose, and any size. Though Tsunami is based in Clearwater, Florida, they offer free shipping to customers in the Continental U.S. If you’re in the Clearwater area, you can see their designs in person at Suncoast Aquarium & Pet Supply.

Windows to the Sea

Could you imagine having a fish tank in your home that was designed by the same group that built the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Aquarium in the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History? Reef Aquaria Design (RAD) installs residential fish tanks as well as massive commercial aquariums. In business for over 50 years, RAD was a pioneer of the marine (saltwater) aquarium industry. Before the mid-20th century, the technology and know-how for maintaining the correct salinity in such tanks were hit or miss. Though RAD specializes in marine aquariums, they also build freshwater tanks. From consultation and design to installation and maintenance, RAD makes it easy.

Tank Me Now or Tank Me Later

From their name to their Montauk to Manhattan service area, Tank Me Later, in East Northport, is the quintessential New York custom aquarium company. Serving the greater New York metropolitan area, Tank Me Later designs, installs, and maintains residential and commercial aquariums, ponds, and waterfalls. Their team, which includes product designers, interior designers, structural engineers, stonemasons, and carpenters, creates head-turning water features. Tank Me Later‘s client testimonials are littered with superlatives and exclamation points, so you know they’re good. If you live in or around the Big Apple, check out Tank Me Later, and you can, ya know, tank me later.

Glass Cages

Though most aquarium design centers tend to be in large coastal cities, Glass Cages is based in Dickson, Tennessee. Designing commercial and residential aquariums since 1988, Glass Cages has all sorts of options to consider. From how the tank is braced to what the tank will house, Glass Cages leaves nothing to chance. They manufacture acrylic tanks, glass tanks, sumps, terrariums, turtle tanks, and furniture/stands to support your custom purchase. Glass Cages accepts custom orders via phone and ships worldwide, with a standard build time of 8-12 weeks.