Aquarium Connections designs, manufactures and installs bespoke aquariums for homes and commercial properties throughout London, from our workshop and team in Cobham, Surrey.
Every aquarium is drawn in-house, built by our own construction team and planned around the building it is going into: its access, its structure and the way it will be maintained.
We handle each London project from the first conversation to the maintenance visits that follow, so the people who design the aquarium are the same people who build, install and look after it. Our full design process is set out on the aquarium system design page.
In a London property, the aquarium is usually one of the last things installed but one of the first things that should be planned. A large aquarium is a heavy, permanent fixture with water, electrics and equipment behind it, and it needs to be considered alongside the structure, the joinery and the services rather than fitted around them afterwards.
We work with homeowners, architects, interior designers and developers at drawing stage so the aquarium, its cabinetry and its filtration are resolved together.
For private homes, the brief usually starts with the room. We look at where the aquarium will be seen from, how much of the system can be hidden, who will maintain it and how often, then design the aquarium and its supporting equipment as one installation. Larger home systems can include a dedicated plant room with water change systems, quarantine and frag tanks.
Commercial aquariums for public spaces, shops, offices and hospitality venues bring different priorities: visitor footfall, opening hours, safe public viewing and maintenance that can happen without disrupting the business. Our commercial work includes the custom-built marlin display at the Natural History Museum.
Built-in aquariums are designed with the wall or joinery around them. External weir boxes bonded to a painted rear panel keep overflows out of view, one-piece euro braces avoid the need for a timber pelmet, and access to the top of the aquarium is planned from the service side.
We build both. Freshwater aquariums, including those built into media walls, are typically simpler to run. Marine and reef aquariums need more intensive filtration, stable water chemistry and specialist lighting and flow. As the UK ambassador and wholesaler for Triton, with an in-house ICP-OES laboratory, we have particular depth in custom marine aquariums.
Our background is in architectural glazing, where finish and accuracy are judged closely. We brought those techniques into aquarium construction, and every aquarium is still built by our own team.
Aquarium Connections developed its 45° mitred corner technique for aquarium construction in 2015. Mitring the viewing corners means the view through the corner is the same from the front or the side, giving the aquarium a symmetrical, frameless appearance that suits contemporary interiors.
Standard float glass has a green tinge that becomes more noticeable as the glass gets thicker. Low-iron glass reduces it, giving a clearer, truer view of the aquarium. Glass thickness is driven largely by the height and length of the largest panel, ranging from 10 mm up to 40 mm+ double-laminated glass depending on the size of the job.
Our CNC-cut one-piece euro braces do the job of conventional brace bars with a cleaner, more contemporary profile. They remove the need for a timber pelmet and leave an unobstructed view into the top of the aquarium.
Each aquarium is built to its own drawings, whether a wall-mounted feature, a double-sided divider or a large commercial display. Panels can be painted with our two-part finish or vinyl-wrapped to a colour of your choice, and painted panels allow equipment such as external weirs to be bonded directly to the glass.
Our London work includes the Natural History Museum's marlin display. The residential projects below are in neighbouring Surrey and show the standard and type of work we carry out for London homes. More is in our full portfolio.
A custom-built display designed around the museum's requirements for holding a marlin. The aquarium had to meet the museum's standards and work as both a functional system and a visitor display, with water chemistry, flow and structural integrity central to the design. Glass panels for the build were craned into the museum.
View the Natural History Museum project
Built on site by our team and maintained weekly. The plant room includes a bespoke equipment frame, sump, two water change systems, a quarantine system and a fragging tank. Finished with 45° mitred edges, a one-piece euro brace and low-iron glass.
View the residential reef projectA personalised 1,800-litre home reef aquarium designed as a bar display, with dual weirs for better flow.
View the Reef Bar Tank
A large custom aquarium built into a wall between two rooms, viewed from both sides.
View the Double Sided AquariumA bespoke aquarium is a long-term installation. What matters is that the team who designs it understands how it will be built, installed and maintained for years afterwards. Read more about Aquarium Connections.
Aquarium Connections is based in Cobham, Surrey. We do not have a London office, but we undertake projects throughout London, from central London, where we built the Natural History Museum's marlin display, to private homes and commercial properties across the capital.
London installations tend to raise practical questions that a project elsewhere might not. We plan for them at the design stage so installation day is predictable.
For projects in Surrey, see our page on bespoke aquariums in Surrey.
A free 15-minute consultation, then an on-site visit if needed to understand the space, access and your goals for the aquarium.
Production drawings to the millimetre, a detailed quotation and an approximate lead time.
Built by our in-house team. We can share photos during construction, and you are welcome to view the aquarium before delivery.
Delivery or on-site construction, then installation of the stand, aquarium, filtration and equipment, ready to fill and commission.
Scheduled maintenance, water testing and system upgrades to keep the aquarium running as designed.
There is no fixed price, because every aquarium is designed from scratch. Cost depends on the size and glass specification, the cabinetry, the filtration and equipment, whether it is a marine or freshwater system, and the installation itself. Access, on-site construction or a craned lift can all affect cost in London. After a free consultation we prepare CAD drawings and a detailed quotation, which can be adjusted to suit your budget.
Yes. We are based in Cobham, Surrey, and carry out projects across London as well as elsewhere in the UK and internationally. We do not have a London office, but our team travels to site for consultations, installation and maintenance.
Yes. Many of our aquariums go into existing homes, and large aquariums can be built on site where they will not fit through the door. We check floor loading, access and where the filtration can be housed. In one Surrey home, for example, a garage was converted into a dedicated filtration room. It is easiest if we are involved before any building or joinery work is finalised.
Yes. All construction, from glass cutting to assembly, is carried out by our in-house team, working from drawings produced by our own CAD specialist.
Yes. We build freshwater aquariums, including media-wall installations, as well as marine and reef systems, which need more intensive filtration and closer control of water chemistry. See our page on custom marine aquariums for more detail.
Yes. Our aquarium maintenance service covers general upkeep, water changes, equipment upgrades and system audits, supported by water testing in our in-house ICP-OES laboratory.
Tell us about the property, the space and what you have in mind. We will talk through what is possible, then follow up with a detailed proposal and quotation.