Aquashella 2026: Why I Love This Hobby

There is something different about walking into a place where almost everyone around you understands why you are excited about fish, shrimp, plants, filters, rocks, aquarium equipment, and all the other little things that come with this hobby.

Aquarium keeping can be a strangely isolated hobby. Unless you actively look for other people who are into it, you don’t necessarily meet aquarium keepers every day — you can’t exactly walk up to random people and ask what kind of filtration they’re running, or whether they’ve ever spent an unreasonable amount of time staring at shrimp.

At Aquashella New Jersey 2026 in Edison, you don’t have to ask. You already know why everybody is there.

And I loved that.

Starting the Day With Dustin’s Fish Tanks

One of the first things we saw when we walked in was Dustin’s Fish Tanks.

That was a good way to start the day — Dustin was one of the first aquarium YouTubers I really started watching once I got deeper into the hobby, especially after I started heading down the planted-aquarium route. He was a pretty big influence on that part of my journey.

I actually bought two plants from Dustin at Aquashella last year, and both are still in my aquarium today and thriving.

This year, though, I didn’t buy any plants — not because I didn’t want to, but because I don’t have much room left.

My planted tank is at the point where the only section that still feels open is the right side when you’re looking straight at it. There’s stuff growing there, but nothing tall enough yet to block the view, and I want to keep it that way. I like having one spot where I can actually see the fish and get a little visual breathing room in the tank.

So I managed to walk away from the plant booths without adding anything else.

That took some restraint.

There Were Fish Everywhere

There was no shortage of livestock — angelfish especially. They seemed to be everywhere, and there were breeders and vendors selling freshwater fish, shrimp, plants, and pretty much everything else throughout the event.

I’m actually planning to add new fish to my own aquarium soon, but I decided I didn’t want to bring any home from the convention. That had nothing to do with the vendors — the fish I saw looked healthy.

Shrimp, however?

Apparently I was willing to make an exception.

The Blue Diamond Shrimp Came Home

I’ve wanted another color of Neocaridina shrimp for a while, so when I saw Blue Diamond shrimp from The Garden of Eder, I gave in.

One of the nice things about buying livestock at a convention is seeing exactly what you’re getting in person — no waiting on a shipment, no guessing what the animals will look like when they arrive, and no shipping cost tacked on. You just pick them out, bring them home that day, and start acclimating them once you get there.

That was enough to convince me.

Aquarium YouTube Suddenly Becomes Real Life

Dustin wasn’t the only familiar face. Father Fish and LRB Aquatics were both there too — people I’ve watched online for years. I’ve even bought shrimp from LRB before.

There’s something strange, in a good way, about watching someone on YouTube for years and then suddenly they’re right there in front of you. You can walk up, talk to them, look at what they brought, buy something, or just say hello.

The aquarium world that normally exists through a screen suddenly felt very real.

Hikari, Seachem, SICCE and the Equipment Side of the Hobby

There were plenty of major aquarium brands there too.

Hikari had a presence, which immediately caught my attention since I already feed my fish a lot of their food.

Seachem was there as well, with what looked like a cornhole-style game where people could play to win products — a nice, interactive touch.

SICCE was there too, showing off some of its filtration equipment, which I’ve always considered good quality even if it tends to run on the expensive side.

Still, it’s nice actually seeing equipment in person instead of squinting at a few product photos online trying to guess how big something really is.

There was even a booth selling used aquarium equipment.

I joked that it was basically the Facebook Marketplace booth.

You could find equipment that would normally cost a lot more for not much at all — I remember a heater that looked decent going for around $20.

Would I buy a used heater? I’m not sure. That might be one of those aquarium components I personally feel better buying new.

But I liked the idea — aquarium keeping can get expensive quickly, and good used equipment can make the hobby more accessible.

The All-in-One Aquariums I Probably Should Have Bought

One of the things that tempted me most was a set of cube-style all-in-one aquariums in roughly 10- and 20-gallon sizes.

They already had the rear filtration compartments and baffles built in, and some were under $200.

I’ve wanted an all-in-one tank for a while, so I’m still kind of kicking myself for not buying one and just storing it until I had the space. The only thing making me feel better is that I’ve also wanted to build my own one day.

Still annoyed I passed on it, though.

Fitz’s Fish Ponds Was There Too

It was good seeing Fitz’s Fish Ponds again — we’d been to one of their events a few months earlier, which I covered in our Fritz Plant Fest 2026 article, so it felt familiar this time.

They had a large setup at Aquashella with koi, pond equipment, and other products.

I like seeing that kind of crossover, because the more time you spend in the hobby, the more you start recognizing the same stores, businesses, breeders, and creators showing up at different events.

The aquarium world can seem huge online.

Then you start going to events and realize it’s actually a pretty connected community.

Competitions Across the Hobby

There were several competitions around the event too.

Shrimp breeders brought out some of their best-looking shrimp, mostly Caridina from what I remember, and attendees could vote on their favorites.

There was also a clownfish competition on the saltwater side, and I’m pretty sure there was a guppy competition as well.

Some displays let you scan a code or write down your vote, which made it fun to stop and compare entries.

Speed Scaping Was a Good Reminder to Stop Overthinking

Aquascaping had its own competitive side too.

There were finished aquascapes on display that attendees could vote on, along with a speed scaping event.

Watching people build impressive layouts under time pressure was a good reminder that we all overthink aquascaping sometimes.

You don’t always need to analyze every rock and piece of wood.

Sometimes you just have to trust your eye, make a decision, and keep moving.

Vanessa Glass and the Science Side of the Hobby

Aquashella wasn’t just shopping and displays — there were speakers too.

We caught part of a presentation from Vanessa Glass, who was getting into the science side of the hobby. I liked having that represented.

Aquarium keeping is one of those hobbies where you can come at it from completely different directions and still end up fascinated by the same thing.

Someone’s obsessed with water chemistry. Someone else lives for aquascaping, or breeding fish, or shrimp. Someone’s all about the filtration and equipment. And someone else just wants a beautiful aquarium in the living room.

The hobby can be biological, mechanical, artistic, scientific, and creative all at the same time.

Aquashella puts all of those sides in one building.

And Then There Were Reptiles

One thing I wasn’t expecting to see so much of: reptiles.

There were vendors selling terrariums and reptiles alongside all of the aquarium stuff, and we saw dragons, lizards, and plenty of others throughout that area.

And then there was the red tegu.

That thing was huge.

It was one of those animals you just stop and look at.

Even if you’re primarily an aquarium keeper, there’s a lot of overlap between the different sides of animal keeping. Aquariums, terrariums, paludariums, reptiles, fish, invertebrates — it all appeals to that same part of us that likes building little environments and watching things live in them.

And even if none of that interests you, it’s still hard to walk past a giant red tegu without stopping.

Entering the Saltwater Side Felt Like Walking Into Another World

Then you had the saltwater section.

It felt completely different.

The freshwater areas were brighter — plants, wood, stone, fish, all those natural greens and browns.

Then you walked into the reef side and everything went dark.

Blue lights took over. The corals glowed. The colors turned neon.

It almost felt like stepping into another event inside the event.

I primarily keep freshwater aquariums, but reef tanks under those lights are hard to ignore. The saltwater side of this hobby has a visual style all its own.

Freshwater can look like a little piece of a river or forest.

A reef tank under heavy blue lighting can look like something from another planet.

Aquashella Even Had a Mechanical Shark

And because apparently a convention full of fish, shrimp, coral, reptiles, aquarium equipment, and aquascaping was not enough…

There was a mechanical shark.

Basically, take a mechanical bull and replace the bull with a shark.

For around five dollars, you could get on and see how long you could stay there.

The Pet Supplies Plus Mystery Box

Pet Supplies Plus was giving away swag too, and we came home with one of their boxes without really knowing what was inside.

When we finally opened it later, we found a bright purple faux geode-style aquarium decoration — basically, it looks like somebody took a giant purple crystal formation and turned it into aquarium décor.

And now I have a strange purple fake geode sitting around as a souvenir from Aquashella.

The Best Part of Aquashella

For all of the things we saw, I don’t think my favorite part of Aquashella was any specific fish, product, vendor, or aquascape.

It was being around other people who love the hobby.

There were people from all different backgrounds, ages, and walks of life there for different reasons — some came for fish, some for shrimp, some for plants, coral, reptiles, equipment, aquascaping, or just to walk around and take it all in.

I didn’t leave with a huge haul. We came home with Blue Diamond shrimp, a funky purple aquarium decoration, and a lot of ideas.

But that wasn’t really the point.

Aquarium keeping can still feel like a niche hobby in everyday life. You don’t always know who around you keeps fish, or who would understand why you’re excited about a particular shrimp, plant, filter, or aquascape.

At Aquashella, you never have to wonder.

Nobody looks at you strangely for being excited about aquariums.

Everybody there gets it.

My Aquashella Highlights

• Livestock everywhere: freshwater fish, Blue Diamond shrimp, Caridina competitions, clownfish, koi, and plenty more.
• Aquascaping and education: speed scaping, display aquascapes, and a science-focused presentation from Vanessa Glass.
• Brands, creators, and gear: Dustin’s Fish Tanks, Father Fish, LRB Aquatics, Hikari, Seachem, SICCE, Fitz’s Fish Ponds, and plenty of aquarium equipment.
• More than just aquariums: glowing reef displays, reptiles including a huge red tegu, a mechanical shark, and plenty of unexpected things to stop and look at.