What Aquafish does

Aquafish (legal entity Universal Aquaculture Limited, trading as Universal Aqua) is a UK-based specialist aquatic engineering and environmental services firm headquartered in the Brighton area of West Sussex. The company designs, builds and restores water environments across ponds, lakes, natural swimming ponds, wetlands, rivers, swimming ponds and aquariums, including dredging, lining, filtration, river works, and lake bank stabilisation. It also operates a separate aquatic retail shop-fitting service via okpet.co.uk.

Its core technology portfolio centres on chemical-free biological filtration for natural swimming ponds, multi-material lining expertise (natural clay, butyl rubber, concrete, fibreglass), laser-guided excavation for precise water levels and planting shelves, and a fleet of amphibious dredging equipment, barges and long-reach machines for difficult-access sites. Supporting capability includes in-house diagnostic services covering water testing, microscopy, parasitology, bacteriology, and virology (PCR/ELISA via specialist laboratories). The firm has delivered flagship reference projects including the UK's largest dedicated natural swimming pond at South Lodge Hotel and Europe's largest double bull-nosed jellyfish aquarium, plus heritage restoration work and international consultancy with African governments.

The business operates a project-based, fixed-pricing model across multiple revenue streams: aquatic engineering and construction services, bespoke aquarium design and installation (high-end private aquariums typically from £10,000+), technical and commercial consultancy, diagnostic services, equipment supply, and dredging and lake renovation. Customer segments span private high-net-worth clients and estates, commercial and hospitality venues, educational and research institutions, heritage and public bodies, and international government and NGO clients in Africa and the Middle East. Distribution is direct, field-based enterprise sales driven by a 20-year referral network rather than marketing spend.

Name

Aquafish

Legal name

Universal Aquaculture Limited

Website

https://aquafish.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aquafish (Universal Aquaculture Limited) is a UK-based specialist aquatic engineering and consultancy firm designing, building and restoring ponds, lakes, natural swimming ponds, wetlands and bespoke aquariums for private clients, hospitality, research institutions, heritage bodies and international government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquatic Engineering and Environmental Construction Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaculture & Fish Health Services (AFAEANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM), Aquaculture Health, Biosecurity & Veterinary Services (AFAEAAAK)

Keywords

• Aquatic engineering services
• Pond and lake construction
• Natural swimming ponds
• Bespoke aquarium design
• Fish health consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Aquatic Engineering and Construction Services: Design, build, and restore services for ponds, lakes, natural swimming ponds, bank repairs, and wetland habitat creation. Projects range from wildlife-friendly ponds to large ornamental lakes. Revenue generated through project-based fees.
2. Bespoke Aquarium Design and Installation: High-end private aquariums typically priced from £10k+, public aquarium design and installation, specialist installations including medical and zebrafish facilities
3. Consultancy Services: Technical and commercial advisory services covering fish health and welfare, water quality diagnostics, project advisory, and working with landscape designers
4. Diagnostic Services: Water testing and analysis, microscopy and parasite identification, bacteriology and virology testing through specialist laboratories
5. Aquatic Equipment Supply: Supply and installation of filtration systems for ponds and lakes, aquaculture and ornamental fish equipment supplied internationally to governments and organisations
6. Dredging and Lake Renovation: Restoration services to remove silt and debris, improve water quality and depth, lake bank stabilisation, planting, and re-profiling

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aquafish is a specialist aquatic engineering firm that designs, builds, restores and manages water environments including ponds, lakes, natural swimming ponds, wetlands, rivers, and bespoke aquariums. It delivers end-to-end solutions spanning concept, design, construction, installation, dredging/renovation, and long-term management, complemented by fish health and water quality consultancy and diagnostic services. Work is primarily delivered on bespoke, fixed-price project terms for private estates, commercial venues, educational institutions, heritage bodies, and international government/NGO clients.

Product overview

Aquafish (Universal Aqua) is an aquatic engineering and environmental services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of water environment solutions. The core offerings include pond and lake construction and renovation, natural swimming ponds, bespoke aquariums, and specialist systems (medical, zebrafish, hatchery installations). Supporting services include dredging and lake renovation, lining and filtration, aquatic retail fit-outs, river works, and consultancy services covering fish health diagnostics, water testing, and project advisory. The company operates nationally across the UK and internationally in Jersey, Africa, and the Middle East, serving private clients, commercial projects, public spaces, and specialist institutions. The product portfolio functions as a unified service offering where consultancy, design, construction, and long-term management are delivered as integrated end-to-end solutions for water environments of every scale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pond and Lake Construction End-to-end design and construction of ponds and lakes for private estates, commercial venues and institutions, using advanced excavation techniques including laser-guided equipment to achieve precise water levels and planting shelves.
• Natural Swimming Ponds Design and build of chemical-free swimming ponds using natural biological filtration and aquatic plants to maintain crystal-clear water, with wildlife-friendly ecosystems. Highlight project: the UK's largest dedicated natural swimming pond at South Lodge Hotel.
• Dredging and Lake Renovation Restoration of ponds and lakes through silt and debris removal to improve water quality, depth and vegetation management, using amphibious dredging equipment, barges and long-reach machines for difficult access sites.
• Bespoke Aquarium Design and Installation Custom-designed and installed aquariums ranging from high-end private installations typically priced from £10k+ to large public-attraction aquariums, including Europe's largest double bull-nosed jellyfish aquarium and other specialist builds.
• Aquatic Retail Fit-out (Shop Fitting) Complete shop-fitting service for aquatic retail environments, including system upgrades and the development of aquatics departments within garden centres.
• Lake Works Comprehensive lake management services for commercial and private clients including dredging, construction, reprofiling and reed-bed installation.
• River Works River management services covering reprofiling, desilting and public realm improvements.
• Premium Ponds High-end pond installations including koi ponds, natural ponds and formal garden pond designs for premium residential and estate clients.
• Aquaculture Systems Commercial hatchery systems and aquaculture equipment supply, including trout fisheries and ornamental fish facilities, with international equipment supply to governments and organisations via container shipment.
• Specialist Systems (Medical, Zebrafish, Research) Specialised aquatic installations for medical facilities, zebrafish research facilities, university and research hatcheries (including the Bourne Hatchery in Hadlow, Kent).
• Fish Health and Welfare Consultancy Professional consultancy across fisheries, ponds and lakes covering fish health and welfare diagnostics, water quality improvement, system performance optimisation and aesthetic enhancements.
• Diagnostic Services Professional diagnostic services including water testing and analysis, microscopy and parasite identification, species-specific bacteriology, and virology testing (PCR and ELISA) arranged through specialist laboratories.
• Project Advisory Technical and commercial advisory for private clients, estates and public bodies covering aquatic projects from early-stage advice through to project delivery, including support for landscape designers and contractors on pond construction, filtration and system design.

Quantifiable outcome

• The UK's largest dedicated natural swimming pond at South Lodge Hotel
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global environmental services and water engineering firm delivering lake restoration, dam and reservoir work, and aquatic habitat projects. Comparable as the institutional-scale counterpart to Aquafish's niche aquatic engineering work, especially on public/heritage projects.
• AECOM: Large multinational environmental and water-engineering consultancy working on lakes, rivers, wetlands and aquatic infrastructure globally. Overlaps with Aquafish's lake/river/wetland work as part of a much broader environmental portfolio.
• Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems: Global supplier of aquaculture and aquatic life support equipment, including filtration, UV and water-quality systems. Comparable to Aquafish's international equipment supply stream but at vastly greater scale and across many species.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global environmental and water consulting practice covering catchment management, water quality and aquatic restoration. Overlaps with Aquafish's diagnostic and project-advisory services but at the strategic/infrastructure scale rather than the on-site construction scale.

Others

• Severn Trent Water: UK water utility operating regulated water and wastewater networks. Adjacent ecosystem contact for Aquafish's diagnostic water testing and pond/lake quality work but not a direct competitor given its public-utility mandate.

Direct peers

• Clear Water Revival: UK specialist contractor in natural swimming ponds and chemical-free biological filtration, the same end-customer (private estates, hotels) and technical approach (natural filtration rather than chlorine). Direct overlap with Aquafish's natural swimming pond offering.
• Natural Swimming Pools Ltd: UK-based specialist installer of natural swimming pools using biological filtration. Direct competitor for residential and small commercial natural pool projects where Aquafish is positioned as the premium tier.

Regional players

• Biotop Landscaping & Pool GmbH: Austrian/European designer and builder of natural swimming pools with biological filtration; comparable engineering approach and product category to Aquafish but operating across continental Europe rather than the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquafish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquafish