Home aquatics
Scientific research has long held that being connected to nature is beneficial to humanity and the environment, and it doesn’t seem to matter if that connection comes from a dip in the ocean or feeding the birds in your yard. Aquariums offer a convenient opportunity to connect to nature in your home. Or office!
I’ve been fortunate to design aquariums and accessories for two companies, United Pet Group, in service of their Tetra and Marineland brands of products, and Central Aquatics, with their Aqueon and Coralife products.
Small desktop aquariums
These stylish and inexpensive aquariums that I designed for Aqueon are less than two gallons in capacity; their small size makes them easy to maintain and allows them to fit on most any desk. The retail price of under $30 makes them accessible for people on most budgets as well. Modern but not edgy, the style harmonizes with both home and work environments.
Air pumps
Air pumps are critical for home aquariums, delivering the oxygen that fish need to thrive. But they can be buzzy and distracting, so Tetra asked me to design a quiet one. After benchmarking competitive products I consulted with an audiologist on the nature of sound and how it travels. I wanted to capture the sound an air pump makes as if I were holding a cricket in my hands. Turns out, that was a good approach. My resulting design is quite simple, with friendly rounded shapes to reflect sound back into the product, big rubber feet to isolate vibrations, and sound dampening chambers inside the thick plastic shell. The brand name is Whisper. Shhhhh!
Large floor-standing aquariums
Coralife BioCube aquariums are available in sizes from 14-32 gallons, and offer a deluxe, full feature, all-in-one design. All of the mechanical equipment (pumps, heater, filtration, aeration, etc) are hidden from view behind a rear panel. For this product update I designed the hood assembly and stands.
