We had some slowly collapsing vivarium lids in our Rainforest section here at Sealife London Aquarium so we needed to find someone who had the skills to design and build new ones with an understanding of the husbandry requirements of the species we exhibit.
After meeting him at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Ectotherm Conference last year we were happy to turn to James at Aquatect. He visited site to measure up and discuss design, then returned again to install them. We liked them so much we have gone back and ordered some more!

Aquatect have been amazing to work with from start to finish.  We asked for them to upgrade our aquatics facilities to industry standard and create a brand-new terrapin habitat, for which they worked within our remit, and our budget.  The final product is beyond our expectations and finished to an extremely high standard.  The new aquaria include industry level filtration and monitoring systems controlled via apps which allows us to include the use of technology in our day-to-day husbandry.  James and the team were professional throughout, the installation was seamless, and the aftercare has been amazing, James is on hand to answer any of our queries.  We would definitely work with Aquatect again in the future and fully recommend them.

James and the rest of the Aquatect team did a fabulous job with the creative renovations to our Burmese Python enclosure, our Boa Constrictor enclosure, the Chinchillas and the Sugar Gliders. We also had custom-built desert style vivariums that now houses our Blue Tongued Skink, Bearded Dragon, and Sudan Plated Skink. All these animals are thriving in their new habitats, and we couldn’t thank the Aquatect team more for their timeliness, their professionalism, and their wonderful creativity.

Solihull College recommends them wholeheartedly, and we will be sure to use them again in the future.

James provided us with his expert knowledge and skills to redesign our Wet Lab area from what was a wasted space to now hosting multiple vivariums which have been used to house a variety of species on display. From the initial to final stages of the process James kept us up to date with progress and worked considerately while in the public aquarium setting to minimise disruption to our visitors. I have since recommended Aquatect to many industry colleagues and often catch up with James on various occasions when our paths cross, it’s always a pleasure. – Steph Donahue, Assistant Curator – Skegness Aquarium
Aquatect installed our new Reptile exhibits and New Aquatic room including 22 Aquariums and a Snapping turtle exhibit. James was very knowledgeable in all aspects of the build, from the design stage, sourcing high quality top spec equipment, construction of the projects, systems and set up.
James is well educated on the needs of the learner experience whilst meeting all of the animal’s welfare and husbandry requirements. Aquatect’s work was of a very high standard and we are very happy with the finished product and the aftercare we have received. James communicated with us at every stage of the build and the work was completed on time. I would certainly use Aquatect again for future projects.

Having recently added some brand-new aquatics equipment at the college we asked James to come in and provide some training and support for both our lecturers and technicians.  James worked with us on a bespoke plan for the day – covering multiple topics such as water quality, filtration, health, nutrition, stock, and theming of aquariums. These were so beneficial to both lecturers and technicians in terms of running our new systems but also getting the most out of them for our learners.  The day was a great success, and all involved found the sessions extremely useful and James a very knowledgeable host.

When reaching out to my network of industry contacts to ask who might be a good person or organisation to deliver an event on aquatics, “James from Aquatect” was recommended to me multiple times. James took the time to put together a bespoke workshop for the animal care and management staff based on the T Level curriculum. From the initial meeting right through to the day of delivery, James communicated effectively his ideas, workshop agenda and ensured the content he delivered met the brief and what was relevant to the T Level staff. Staff often say that aquatics ‘is often an underrepresented area of teaching’, so we were thankful to James for delivering the session. Not all teachers or students have a lot of experience or exposure to aquatics even though it is on the T Level curriculum, but after explaining the prospective audience to James, he ensured the workshop was full of photographs, case studies and relatable examples to break down theories and techniques used in his field of work to cater to the audience perfectly. James was clear and conscience in his explanations despite covering a lot of content in the workshop and provided extra reading and resources for teachers to enhance their CPD after the session. James also took the time to answer all questions that were asked at the end of the session and left his contact details for providers to follow-up afterwards too. James is very passionate about the work he does and engages well with his audience, which in turn will inspire young people entering the profession too. James is also highly personable and easy to work with and would not hesitate to host another workshop with him again – many of our teachers are already asking when he can return for another event, especially something face-to-face and practical.

We asked Aquatect to deliver a practical artificial rockwork team building/ CPD session for our zoo keeper team as a part of  our ongoing zoo redevelopments on Rodbaston Animal Zone. The training was hands-on, engaging, and tailored to meet our specific needs. 

James was great during the planning stage. He listened to what we wanted, gave realistic feedback and useful advice on sourcing all of the materials needed. He helped make the whole experience refreshingly simple.

On the day, James shared his expertise generously with a professional, friendly approach, making the techniques accessible and inspiring confidence in our team. Even my least confident team members came away from the day buzzing about the new skills they’d learned and the results they’d achieved.  The session has had a real impact on the planning for our future projects, and we’re looking forward to working with James and Aquatect again in the future

With an eye for the natural, James is a keen designer and scaper of naturalistic rock and wood theming, competents with hard hitting, ultra-realistic work, made from durable materials built to stand the test of time in commercial or domestic settings. Aquatect’s ability to recreate naturalistic biotope displays using durable, animal safe materials enables the keeper to maintain show stopping displays for their visitors