Aquarium

Overview

Aquariums let you display caught fish inside your home as living decorations. They are unlocked by completing the Finny Roommates quest early in the game. As you advance through the Angler profession, larger aquarium sizes become available from Delphin's shop at the AquaBlue Outpost at Half-Moon Bay. Cube Aquariums come in five sizes, from the basic model at Apprentice tier all the way up to the XL at Expert, with blueprint prices ranging from 500 to 8,500 coins.

The aquarium system ties into the broader fishing ecosystem, which also includes Fish Ponds for breeding fish on your farm and Fish Traps for passive catching. The game tracks over 105 sea creatures across 8 biome types in the Islandpedia, giving completionists plenty to collect and showcase.

Finny Roommates Quest

The Finny Roommates quest unlocks aquariums and becomes available on the Bulletin Board after talking to Delphin at the AquaBlue Outpost. You must have completed the Apprentice Crafter trial and spoken to Zerine before the quest appears.

Quest Steps

1. Accept the Finny Roommates quest from the Bulletin Board.

2. Catch 10 fish of any type and bring them to Solara at the Community Center in Starsand Town.

3. Craft a Softwood Plank using a Cutter (processing station on your farm at Hopeland).

4. Complete the quest. Solara gives you your first Aquarium, which you can place inside your home.

This quest also teaches you the Soup Dumplings recipe, which you will need again for the Starsand Station fast travel quest.

Aquarium Sizes

Cube Aquariums come in five size tiers, each unlocked at a higher Angler profession level. Blueprints are purchased from Delphin at the AquaBlue Outpost. Larger aquariums can hold more fish and display them in a bigger tank, making them better suited for showcasing rare catches.

At the Expert Angler tier, Delphin also sells the Aquarium Building Manual, a high-tier blueprint that lets you construct custom aquariums with more design flexibility.

Placing and Displaying Fish

After crafting a Cube Aquarium from a Worktable, place it inside your home like any other furniture item. To add fish, interact with the aquarium and select fish from your inventory. The fish will appear swimming inside the tank as a living decoration.

Important: fish placed in an aquarium cannot be removed afterward. Once you put a fish in, it stays permanently. Plan your displays carefully, especially with rare or seasonal fish that are hard to replace. If you need duplicates for other purposes like the Senior Angler quest, catch extra copies before placing any in your personal aquarium.

Aquariums make great home decorations and count toward the Home Items category in the Islandpedia. Catch rare fish in the three deep-sea zones (Coral Sea, Luminwave, Celestwave) accessible from Starsand Port and display them in your largest aquarium for an impressive showcase.

Senior Angler Aquarium Quest

The Senior Angler certification quest requires you to fill up the Aquarium at the AquaBlue Outpost by providing 20 different fish species. You need 3 copies of each species, so you will have to catch a total of 60 fish across 20 types to complete the quest.

How to Complete the Quest

1. Catch fish using rods, fish traps, and manual fishing across rivers, lakes, and ocean zones. Fish traps alone provide limited variety; you need to fish manually from multiple locations to reach 20 types.

2. Go to the Aquarium at the AquaBlue Outpost and deliver your fish. The aquarium tracks how many species you have submitted.

3. Once you have fulfilled the quota of 20 types, select the "Submitted" option at the bottom of the aquarium menu to lock in your selections. This step is critical; simply collecting the fish is not enough.

4. Return to Delphin to turn in the quest and earn your Senior Angler certification.

Tips for the Senior Angler Quest

Some fish species are seasonal. If you are missing a seasonal fish, you can attempt to breed it in a Fish Pond rather than waiting for the next season cycle. Focus on common, easy-to-obtain fish species first before targeting rarer ones. Fish from rivers, lakes, Half-Moon Bay, and the deep-sea zones all count as different types.

Fish Ponds

Beyond display aquariums, the Angler profession also unlocks Fish Ponds, outdoor farm structures used to raise and breed fish on your farm at Hopeland. Blueprints are sold at the AquaBlue Outpost.

Breeding Fish in Ponds

Fish Ponds let you breed fish to produce eggs, which can then be hatched into new fish. The breeding process works as follows:

1. Place one or more fish of the same species into a Fish Pond. Multiple fish of the same type increase the chance of egg production, though even a single fish can eventually produce an egg.

2. Add Fish Feed to the pond. Without feed, fish will not produce eggs. You can craft Advanced Fish Food at Chopper III using 50 Vegetable Juice, 1 Fruit Pulp, and 1 Flour.

3. Make sure the pond's Incubator is built and activated. Access the Incubator from the pond's second tab. The Incubator is required for eggs to hatch into fingerlings.

4. Wait 1 to 2 in-game days. A notification appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen when an egg is produced. Collect the egg and use the Incubator tab to hatch it.

5. Hatched fish grow to full size and can be harvested for selling, cooking, or placing in aquariums.

Stone Pond vs. Small Fish Pond

The community has reported that the Stone Fish Pond works more reliably for breeding than the Small Fish Pond (wooden variant). The wooden pond has a known bug where breeding sometimes does not function properly. If you are not seeing eggs after a full in-game day, try building a Stone Fish Pond and moving your fish there. Also make sure all fish in the pond have enough oxygen, as low O2 levels can hinder reproduction.

Fish Pond Tips

The ranch NPC (Hattie) sometimes gives you fish eggs as a gift when you talk to her. These eggs can be used in the Incubator, though some players have reported that NPC-gifted eggs occasionally do not register correctly in the system. Fish Ponds provide a steady supply of fish to sell or cook, freeing up time you would otherwise spend at the water.

Fish Traps

Fish Traps let you catch fish passively without active fishing. They are unlocked at the Intermediate Angler tier and crafted at Worktable II.

How to Use Fish Traps

1. Place the trap in water where fish visibly spawn. Areas with consistent fish spawns produce better results than random shoreline placement.

2. Walk up to the trap and press F to open the information panel. Open the bait menu and insert Advanced Fish Food.

3. Leave the trap in place overnight. Return the next in-game day and interact with the trap to collect your catch.

Known issue: Fish Traps placed in rivers and certain water locations can clip through terrain and disappear. The community recommends placing traps at Half-Moon Bay beach near the existing traps by Delphin's location, where they work reliably. Space traps apart to prevent inefficient overlap.

All AquaBlue Outpost Blueprints by Tier

Here is the complete list of fishing-related blueprints Delphin sells, organized by Angler certification level. His shop is open from 08:00 to 22:00 daily.

Tips

Complete the Finny Roommates quest as early as possible. It also teaches you Soup Dumplings, which are needed for the Starsand Station fast travel quest.

Before placing rare fish in your personal aquarium, catch extra copies first. Fish cannot be removed once placed, and you may need duplicates for the Senior Angler quest or for breeding in Fish Ponds.

Upgrade to larger aquariums as your Angler tier increases. The XL size at Expert tier is the ultimate showcase piece and can hold the most fish.

Use the Stone Fish Pond over the Small Fish Pond for breeding. The wooden variant has reliability issues, and the Stone Pond consistently produces better results.

For the Senior Angler quest, focus on common fish species from diverse locations (rivers, lakes, Half-Moon Bay, deep-sea zones) rather than chasing rare seasonal types. If you are short one seasonal species, try breeding it in a Fish Pond instead of waiting for the next season.

Fish Traps work best when placed near active fishing spots at Half-Moon Bay. Always load them with Advanced Fish Food; a trap without bait will not generate reliable catches.

Related Articles

Fishing | Angler | Fish Ponds | AquaBlue Outpost | Delphin | Cooking | Crafting Stations | Shops and Vendors | Islandpedia