Aquatic research systems · Made 100% in the USA
Research equipment, engineered around your experiment.
Flow chambers, swim tunnels, respirometry systems, life support and custom instrumentation for universities, schools, public aquariums and government laboratories — designed, fabricated and supported by the engineers who build them.
- Columbia University
- College of the Holy Cross
- Carleton College
- University of Rhode Island
Systems
Everything your aquatic lab needs — standard or custom.
Start from a proven Aquafab platform and configure it to your protocol, or bring us an idea no catalog can meet. Every system ships with integrated controls, documentation and lifetime support.
Research-grade flumes from 1 to 50+ ft and plug-and-play teaching chambers with 0–300+ cm/s programmable flow.
Swim tunnels for Ucrit, fatigue and metabolic-rate studies — Standard sizes from 0.5 L to 100 L or fully custom Alpha systems.
Scalable holding racks with integrated filtration, live monitoring and automated maintenance.
Biome-specific habitats that simulate real environments — tide pools with natural tide cycles, reefs with breaking waves, and turnkey public exhibits.
Aquafab Workbench programs, runs, calibrates and logs every experiment — plus retrofits and PIV flow calibration.
Zebrafish specimen holders, thermal packages, velocity measurement, sensor suites, lighting, stands and services.
Our approach
Standard solutions when you need them. Custom solutions when you don't.
Most suppliers sell you what's in the catalog. We start with your research question.
- Proven platforms — flow chambers, respirometers and racks with published specifications and fast quotes.
- Configured to your protocol — dimensions, flow, thermal range, materials and sensors chosen for your organisms.
- Fully custom when it matters — new instruments, robotics and electronics designed and fabricated in-house.
- One accountable team — design, fabrication, installation and support under one roof.
Why Aquafab
Built by researchers, for data you can defend.
Aquafab was founded by a physicist and engineer who spent years building custom apparatus for biology departments and marine laboratories. That experience shapes every system we ship.
Designed around the science
We start with your organisms, protocol and statistics — then engineer the hardware to match, not the other way around.
Precision you can calibrate
Guided PID calibration for flow, temperature and flush volume, with logged settings so every trial is repeatable.
Complete, integrated systems
Tank, plumbing, pumps, thermal control, sensors, electronics and software — engineered to work together from day one.
Built to last in seawater
High-clarity acrylic, 316 stainless and titanium options, powder-coated steel frames and tool-free service access.
Ready for procurement & grants
Formal itemized quotes, budget quotes for proposals and complete vendor documentation — handled by a team that does it every week.
Lifetime support
Installation, training, maintenance and direct access to the engineers who built your system — for as long as you own it.
Aquafab Workbench software
One platform that runs the whole experiment.
Every Aquafab system is driven by Aquafab Workbench — our in-house software that programs your protocol, runs the hardware, keeps it calibrated and logs the data. Buy one system or ten, and it all works the same way.
- Guided wizards with live graphs and previews that build calibration routines and trial curves for you
- Automated respirometry — measure/flush cycles with optional thermal cycling
- Swim studies — Ucrit, fatigue and endurance protocols
- PIV flow calibration and flow-field analysis
- One software, no paywalls — control, monitor and analyze, with remote access and full trial history
Who we serve
Trusted across research, education and public science.
Research-grade flumes, swim tunnels, respirometers and life support for faculty labs and core facilities.
Teaching flumes, classroom aquariums and lab exercises for K–12 through undergraduate courses.
Biome-specific exhibits we design, build, install and set up — every part of the project.
Documented, supportable systems for federal, state and municipal science programs.
Research spotlights
Real systems. Real research.
See how scientists are using Aquafab equipment to answer questions that off-the-shelf tools couldn't.
A fully integrated intermittent-flow system that reproduces tide-pool temperature swings in the lab.
108 × 24 × 24 in, ±0.01 cm/s flow resolution, running from a standard wall outlet.
Embedded sensors record flow, temperature and oxygen inside the interstitial spaces of living beds.
How it works
From first conversation to first experiment.
Consult
Tell us about your organisms, protocol, space and budget. We'll ask the questions that matter.
Configure & quote
Configure online or with an engineer. You receive an itemized quote ready for purchasing.
Build & test
We fabricate, assemble and run your system in our Cincinnati workshop before it ships.
Install & support
Installation, training and lifetime support from the people who built it.
Start a project
Let's engineer your next experiment.
Tell an engineer about your research, or start building a system online and get an itemized quote within two business days.