Aquashella 2025, held in Edison, NJ, made history with over 7,000 attendees, the highest turnout to date. Founded by George Mavrakis also known by CoralFish12g, the show has rapidly grown into a premier gathering for aquarium hobbyists, pond keepers, aquascapers, and aquatic industry professionals.
This year’s edition featured more than 100 vendors, with strong representation from the koi and pondkeeping sectors. Participating vendors included Fitz’s Fish Ponds, RNR Koi, Poly Tank, Aqua Meds, Aquascape (represented by Atlantic Water Gardens), and Predatory Fins (for exotic fish).
“From the beginning, I wanted Aquashella to be a place where every corner of the hobby could connect,” said George Mavrakis. “We’ve always celebrated aquariums and aquascaping, but throughout this year we welcomed more koi and pond vendors than ever before and even held a koi show at our Dallas, TX Aquashella. At some point, all things lead to koi—that’s where I see the intersection of the hobby. Whether I’m filming a reef tank for YouTube and the client takes me outside to show me their pond, or I’m visiting a koi pond and the homeowner says, ‘By the way, I’ve got a reef tank in my office,’ these worlds overlap more than people realize.”
He told POND Trade Magazine Publisher Lauren Nolan that this blending of pond, koi, aquarium, and reef interests is not just incidental, but reflects what many hobbyists actually live.
What Aquashella Brought to the Table
Aquashella 2025 in Edison, NJ, offered a rich slate of contests, educational programming, interactive features, and kid-friendly events. Among these:
- Aquashella Aquascaping Contest: A live contest (sponsored by Fluval) in which selected aquascapers competed over two days, crafting underwater landscapes for judging and prizes.
- Kids Aquascaping Contest: The “Dustin’s Fish Tanks” Kids Aquascaping Contest allowed young enthusiasts to design tanks, fostering early creativity in aquatics.
- Aquashella Koi Contest: A competition for koi keepers to showcase color, form, and beauty of koi fish, judged alongside local koi clubs.
- Stingray Contest (with Predatory Fins): Stingray breeders competed in a specialized contest, giving attendees a rare chance to see high-level stingray specimens.
- Clownfish Contest: Designer pattern and rare morph variants were judged for aesthetic excellence in this contest.
- American Shrimp Contest: Breeders and hobbyists competed to present the best shrimp varieties in terms of color, health, and overall presentation.
- Guppy Contest: Showcasing guppy hobbyists’ breeding and morphological skills.
- Kids Zone & Activities: Fun, family-friendly features included the Kids Zone with crafts, aquarium-themed art & design, games, Mermaid Cove (face painting, sea creature themes), etc
- Speaker & Workshop Stages: Topics ranged from freshwater to saltwater, aquascaping techniques, pondkeeping, and reef care. (Workshops and demonstrations are regular features at Aquashella shows.)
Looking Ahead
With record participation in Edison, NJ, Aquashella 2025 has firmly set a new standard. George Mavrakis and the Aquashella team have made a clear statement: Aquashella is not only growing in size, but in scope. Those who attend or exhibit can expect future shows to continue emphasizing the intersection of pondkeeping, koi, aquariums, aquascaping, reef systems, and live contests that engage youth, experts, and enthusiasts alike.
