Aquashella Chicago 2026 Walkthrough | Freshwater
Aquashella Chicago 2026 had a ton to see on the freshwater side, from rare plecos, discus, angelfish, corydoras, shrimp, and axolotls to planted tanks, aquascaping supplies, hardscape, botanicals, and plenty of gear. We made our way through the show floor to see what vendors brought out and what stood out along the way.
Some of the highlights included a live aquascaping contest, unusual freshwater fish like rays, puffers, and tiger morays, massive piles of driftwood, titanium aquascaping tools, CO2 setups, micro tanks, and more shrimp than we could count. If you couldn’t make it to Aquashella Chicago in person, come walk the freshwater side of the show with BRSfresh and see what caught our eye.
Vendor Interviews from Aquashella Chicago 2026
We caught up with several aquarium brands at Aquashella Chicago 2026 to get a closer look at new products, interesting ideas, and what they’re working on for freshwater and planted aquarium hobbyists. Expand the interviews below to hear directly from the people behind the brands.
Talking Fish Food with Hikari
Laura catches up with Chris from Hikari for a look at some of the latest additions to their aquarium lineup. We're covering a new bug-infused cichlid food with probiotics, smaller sinking food for carnivorous fish, foods designed for breeding and raising Medaka, and additional sizes of one of Hikari’s popular fish foods.
Aqua Natural: Small Rocks, Big Aquascaping Impact
Laura stops by Aqua Natural’s booth for a closer look at Iwagumi Gunsmoke, a favorite that really shows its colors underwater. They discuss how these smaller scatter rocks help create a natural transition between larger hardscape pieces and the surrounding substrate. Laura also recognizes it from the BRSfresh pea puffer tank, where she’s already seen the finished look firsthand.
Adam has been keeping reef aquariums since 2010 and has worked in the aquarium industry for much of his career. He began at Bulk Reef Supply in Customer Service, helping hobbyists troubleshoot problems and build more successful tanks. Today, he writes educational content and product descriptions that help reef keepers better understand saltwater aquariums and make confident decisions. He believes the best tanks are built around what you enjoy, not what’s trending.
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