StoryCraftShopShop Tanks
Underwater view of planted aquarium with java fern fronds and rising bubbles in soft focus

pH

7.2

Temp

76°F

Smart · Handcrafted · Alive

Built for the fish.
Designed for the room.

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pH MonitoringHand-poured GlassTemperature SensingIwagumi ReadyLight Cycle ControlFood-safe SealsWhisper-quiet ModuleRiver Stone DesignpH MonitoringHand-poured GlassTemperature SensingIwagumi ReadyLight Cycle ControlFood-safe SealsWhisper-quiet ModuleRiver Stone Design

Origin Story

Kraft paper sketches of early Aqua tank prototypes with pencil annotations beside a cup of coffee

Founded

2022

Portland, Oregon

A marine biologist who couldn't find a tank she'd put in her own apartment.

Dr. Mara Okonkwo spent eight years studying reef ecosystems off Bali before returning to Portland and setting up a home office. She wanted a tank on her desk. What she found in every shop — plastic hoods, glaring LED bars, chunky filters — looked like lab equipment, not something you'd live beside.

She started sketching on kraft paper in 2022. The brief was exact: optically clear glass, a sensor module invisible from the front, light that shifts with the afternoon sun. Eighteen months of prototypes later, Aqua was a tank she'd actually put in her living room.

18months

R&D

47prototypes

Tested

3sizes

Available

The Craft

Material No. 07

Eighteen months searching for food-safe, optically clear adhesive.

Most aquarium sealants are silicone compounded for construction, not contact with living water. They off-gas plasticizers that stress fish and cloud over time. We tested thirty-two formulations before finding a food-safe, platinum-cured silicone that stays crystal clear at year five.

Each corner joint is hand-poured in a single pass and cured for 72 hours at controlled humidity. The bead width is 4mm — narrow enough to disappear, wide enough to hold 40 gallons of water against gravity without flex.

Glass

12mm low-iron Starphire — 92% light transmission

Sealant

Platinum-cured silicone, FDA 21 CFR 177.2600

Module

Hand-machined river-stone resin housing

Close-up macro photograph of hand-poured silicone seal at aquarium corner joint showing precise 4mm bead

Sensor Module

Hidden beneath river stones

Beta Testers · Month Six

Thriving planted aquarium at month six showing dense hairgrass carpet and healthy java fern under warm afternoon light

6

Months

94%

Plant Survival

12

Beta Tanks

Twelve tanks. Twelve living rooms. All still thriving.

Our beta program placed tanks with planted hobbyists, first-time owners, and one very particular marine biologist. After six months, 94% of beta plants survived their first trim cycle. Every fish is accounted for.

"Month six and my hairgrass carpet is the densest it's ever been. The light schedule alone is worth it."

Kenji Watanabe

Planted tank hobbyist, Seattle

Aqua 20 · Iwagumi layout

"My betta has never been more active. pH stays at 7.1 without me touching anything for three weeks."

Sofia Reyes

Apartment dweller, Chicago

Aqua 5 · Betta desk tank

Choose Your Tank

Three sizes. One standard of craft.

Every Aqua tank ships with the sensor module, a 2m walnut-finish power cable, and a care guide written by Dr. Okonkwo. The only variable is scale.

Compact 5-gallon Aqua tank on walnut desk with single betta fish and small java fern
Best for Betta
In Stock

Aqua 5

The desk companion

$285

5 gal

14 × 8 × 10 in

Apartment desk · Single betta · Minimalist planted

Sensors

pH ±0.1Temp ±0.5°F8-hr light cycle
Mid-size 20-gallon Aqua tank in living room with iwagumi stone layout and carpet plants
Most Popular
In Stock

Aqua 20

The centerpiece

$485

20 gal

24 × 12 × 16 in

Living room · Planted iwagumi · Community fish

Sensors

pH ±0.05Temp ±0.3°F12-hr light cycleCO₂ indicator
Large 40-gallon Aqua tank as living room statement piece with goldfish and large driftwood
Competition Grade
Pre-order

Aqua 40

The statement piece

$785

40 gal

36 × 18 × 20 in

Dedicated space · Goldfish · Advanced planted

Sensors

pH ±0.05Temp ±0.2°FProgrammable cyclesCO₂ + O₂Flow rate

Not sure which size?

Question 1 of 3

Where will the tank live?

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