How does your building draw eyes and set the mood in its interior spaces? One way to accomplish that is with an aquarium installation. Something Fishy, Inc.—a first-time exhibitor at the BOMA International Conference & Expo in 2025—is ready to spread the magic of live fish at booth #1075.
The company operates in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and has a peer network to facilitate installations in other states.
“As a building owner, you really want to build an attractive piece of real estate with an environment that’s going to draw people in,” explained Kurt Harrington, CEO and “Fish Guy” for Something Fishy. “If you’re a building owner today, you’re looking at some of the more common spaces—that might be your lobby or a space on another floor where people are congregating. When you bring somebody into your building and you have an aquarium, you’re doing a tour to lease that space, and they see an investment in wellness, that’s going to have more people interested in your environment than the building they’re going to look at next. It really is a staple feature.”
How Aquariums Create Experiences
Aquarium owners can use their fish to improve environments in different ways, depending on what type of building and space the fish will be in.
- Corporate offices: Lobbies, conference rooms, and collaboration areas are all hot spots for aquariums, Harrington said. A law firm may choose to put the aquarium up front to set the tone for successful client interactions, while creative agencies may place their fish in a design space or a breakroom to encourage innovation and invest in employee wellness.
- Healthcare: Hospitals and medical offices can use aquariums to calm and distract people in areas such as radiology or oncology, where patients and their caregivers may be stressed. The cafeteria, where all kinds of patients and guests mix, is another popular choice. One Something Fishy hospital client put in several aquariums featuring different species and published a map so people could compare the installations, helping patients and guests relieve boredom between appointments.
- Senior living: “Nursing homes that have aquariums in their day rooms, where there are residents in wheelchairs, are seeing less anxious residents trying to get out of their chairs,” noted Harrington. “When they do get out of their chairs, there’s a percentage of them that result in falls, at an average cost of $23,000. We’ve seen dementia residents who are nonverbal point to an aquarium and say ‘Angelfish,’ and they’re actually looking at an angelfish. There’s a lot of magic behind that.”
“Between the water, the movement, the color, and the interactivity, it’s a dynamic that’s always changing,” Harrington said. “If I look at the aquarium behind me now and then I look at it again in three hours, I’m going to find something different.”
Considerations for Aquarium Owners
The design process typically starts with a discussion about size and budget. Aquariums can be big enough to accommodate a couple of human divers or down to small and tasteful units. Something Fishy typically tries to maximize what the client can get for the investment they’re looking to make. The final design will consider factors such as:
- Freshwater vs. saltwater fish: Saltwater fish are about 40% more expensive than freshwater fish to purchase and 50-60% more expensive to maintain, but they’re also more brightly colored. Buildings with multiple aquariums might decide to do a mix of freshwater and saltwater aquariums to have more visual diversity.
- Complementary species: “What kind of coral that moves and fluoresces are we going to have in there?” said Harrington. “What’s the kind of vibe that we’re looking to provide this client?” Your tank could also be home to sea urchins, snails, crabs, and other species that give more visual interest to the aquarium.
- Where will people view the aquarium from? The aquarium should be proportionate to the space it’s in and the viewing distance people will experience when they see it. A building with a tank meant to be viewed from a 10- to 20-foot distance would need different sizes and species of fish than a tank that will be viewed up close.
Something Fishy takes care of aquarium maintenance, but building owners should think about who will be responsible for feeding the fish. Food is provided in marked containers for each day; the feeding process can also be automated, but clients have reported that people seem to enjoy watching the fish feed.
“When it’s lunchtime for the aquarium, everybody gathers around. There’s a cultural impact,” Harrington said. “I would have the aquarium in a common space and mark it, ‘Feeding frenzy at noon or 1:00.’ You’re going to see cross companies in your building come together and form collaborations because there’s a purpose.”
