Megaquarium - Fishing for Compliments

Overview / Storyline

The mission begins with you taking over a private collector’s aquarium and opening it to the public. Your immediate objective is to create a spectacular entrance tank (a centerpiece) that meets the collector’s specifications (for example: contain six different species, be healthy and themed).

The game blends mission-style objectives (similar to RollerCoaster Tycoon) with freeform expansion, research, and design.

Gameplay highlights and mechanics

• Tanks use a capacity system measured in “fish points.” Different species cost different point values based on size.
• Individual fish have many needs and traits:
  • Social requirements (minimum group sizes).
  • Aggression (bullies vs wimps).
  • Preferred pellet color / food types.
  • Habitat likes (caves, rocks, plants, lights).
  • Diet special cases (mussels, zooplankton).
  • Whether they damage coral or other decor.
• Water quality and temperature are vital. Filtration, heating and pumps are required:
  • Filters and heaters maintain water quality and temperature.
  • Pumps let filters/heaters be placed away from guest view while still servicing tanks.
• Research currencies: ecology, science, and prestige. Guests viewing exhibits generate these, unlocking tech, decorations, and new facilities (e.g., protein skimmer, disco mushroom coral).
• Fish and corals grow or change over time (e.g., moray eels grow and take more space), affecting tank capacity and water demands.
• Some corals/items (like disco mushroom coral) require specific lights and tank conditions to grow.
• Tank types include basic tanks, wall tanks, observation tanks, lagoons (sunken, higher capacity) and deep variants that increase capacity. Each type affects exhibit design and guest sightlines.
• Staff roles cover feeding, cleaning, repairing, and theming. Staff-only access areas must be separated from guest view (staff doors/walls). Tool stations and broom stands support maintenance tasks.
• Guests want a curated experience: hide equipment, provide benches/bins/vending machines, and use theming. Floor arrows can direct guest flow.

Key tips & strategies

• Monitor tank capacity and the impact of fish growth. Plan for future growth or choose species that fit your long-term plan.
• Keep water quality high:
  • Use sufficient filters and heaters and link them with pumps so equipment can be hidden in staff-only rooms.
  • Use a protein skimmer for small/high-demand tanks.
  • Add cleaners (e.g., hermit crabs) where appropriate to help maintain water quality.
• Separate incompatible species:
  • Avoid mixing conflicting pellet-food types (green vs orange).
  • Don’t pair bullies with wimps or species that will predate others (lionfish, morays) unless the tank is large and cohabitants are safe sizes.
• Localize consumables near tanks:
  • Place food or mussel dispensers close to tanks that need regular feeding to speed staff tasks and hide feeding from guests.
• Hide equipment and maintenance areas:
  • Build staff-only rooms behind exhibits to conceal pumps/filters/heaters.
  • Put doors at both ends of long staff backrooms to reduce staff walk time.
• Theming and guest comfort:
  • Use rocks, caves, plants, lights, sand, etc., to meet fish requirements and create visually appealing exhibits.
  • Place benches, bins and vending machines to improve guest comfort and reduce litter.
• Staff management:
  • Hire generalist staff initially so tasks get done reliably; add specialists later.
  • Place tool stations and broom stands near maintenance areas to minimize travel time.
• Experimentation is safe: you can sell placed items for full price, so try layouts and changes without heavy penalty.
• Traffic flow:
  • Use floor arrows to funnel guests down a single corridor/viewing sequence for a curated experience.
• Money & pacing:
  • Tanks and expansions are relatively cheap; aquariums tend to be profitable but watch cash when spending on theming and tech.
• Research planning:
  • Place exhibits that generate ecology or science (e.g., moray eels for science) to speed research unlocks.
  • Unlocking tech (lights, protein skimmer, new tank types) expands exhibit possibilities.

Quick checklist to open a new aquarium exhibit

1. Build the tank and check fish point capacity.
2. Add required filters/heaters (link via pump if you want to hide equipment).
3. Add required theming elements (caves/rocks/plants/lights) to meet species-specific needs.
4. Place food/mussel dispensers or provide staff access for feeding.
5. Hire enough staff and place a tool station / broom stand.
6. Ensure guests cannot see equipment (use staff doors/walls).
7. Add benches, bins and vending machines to improve guest experience.
8. Open and monitor water quality, fish happiness, and guest prestige/earnings.

Common pitfalls to watch for

• Overfilling tanks without planning for fish growth (future growth can push you over capacity).
• Mixing species with incompatible food types or aggression levels.
• Leaving equipment in guest view (hurts ratings).
• Not placing staff doors/tool stations appropriately, causing long maintenance times.
• Forgetting to provide platforms/stairs for tall tanks so guests or feeders can reach things.

Progression & design tips

• Use pumps to decentralize bulk equipment and hide it; multiple pumps and filters can support large or multiple exhibits.
• Upgrade to larger filters as you research them to support bigger exhibits.
• Deep variants of tanks greatly increase capacity — use them for big lagoons or packed wall displays.
• Theme rooms (floor/paint/wall) to create distinct zones (for example, Harbour → Beach/Lagoon) to keep exhibits feeling fresh and increase guest enjoyment.
• Balance small, colorful, social schooling tanks with big prestigious exhibits to generate steady prestige and research.

Sources / featured

• Video host / narrator: John (video playthrough and commentary)
• Event mentioned: EGX Rezzed (preview event)
• Game discussed: Megaquarium

Note: Some in-game staff names—Nigel, Fred—appear in the playthrough but are game NPCs, not additional featured gamers.