Our Story: Nature Aquariums, Lauderhill, FL
Family-owned aquarium store in Lauderhill, Florida
Two aquarists, one store, and a lot of very healthy fish.
Nature Aquariums is a freshwater and saltwater aquarium store at 5344 N. University Drive in Lauderhill, Florida. It opened in October 2022 and is owned and run by Henry and Miryam Tomassini through Nature Aquatics, Inc. The store sells fish, corals, invertebrates and live plants, designs and installs custom aquariums, and provides in-home aquarium maintenance from Boynton Beach to Miami.
Page updated September 2026.
- October 2022Opened in Lauderhill, FL
- 120+ aquariumsEvery one individually filtered
- Seachem PlatinumCertified retailer, one of few in Florida
- 3 years runningMarine and environmental science internship
- 180+ videosNatureAquariumsUSA on YouTube, 500,000+ views
The owners
Henry Tomassini
Co-owner. Aquascaping, planted systems, custom builds
Henry has been designing and planting aquascapes in South Florida since 2008. In the early 2010s he began learning nutrient dosing directly from Dr. Tom Barr, creator of the Estimative Index method of aquatic fertilization, and became active in the local aquarium society and the online planted-tank community. That approach, science first and test the water before you guess, runs through every tank the store builds today.
Miryam Tomassini
Co-owner. Fish husbandry and livestock
Ask anyone on staff: Miryam is the fish Google.
Miryam has kept aquariums since she was a child and has an affinity for marine life. Over the years she has studied and kept countless species of fish and aquatic animals and taught herself fish husbandry to a level most people reach only with a degree. She is the reason the store quarantines, medicates and feeds the way it does.
How we got here
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Henry starts designing and planting aquascapes in South Florida.
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Henry and Miryam become active in the freshwater planted-tank community. Henry studies fertilization under Dr. Tom Barr, and both join the local aquarium society and online forums.
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They open The Planted Aquarium Store, weekends only at first, while both still work full-time jobs outside the aquarium industry. Miryam runs the shop; Henry comes in to help.
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The store closes suddenly because of a family emergency.
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The NatureAquariumsUSA YouTube channel launches ahead of the new store.
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Nature Aquariums opens at 5344 N. University Drive, Lauderhill. Professional aquarium maintenance service starts the same year, and Henry's aquascaping design work finally has a storefront.
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The internship program for marine and environmental science college students begins. It has run every year since.
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More than 120 individually filtered aquariums, the largest aquatic-plant selection in Florida, a marine biologist-led maintenance team covering Boynton Beach to Miami, and a terrarium and paludarium line, Wet Roots · Dry Leaves, under the same roof.
The team
Our maintenance and livestock teams are built around people who study this for a living. Nathan, a marine biologist with a master's degree from Nova Southeastern University, leads the maintenance service. The rest of the staff are students or graduates of marine and environmental science programs who care about the animals as much as the customers do.
Since 2023 we have run an internship program for marine and environmental science college students, now three years running. Interns work with real livestock, real reef systems and real customers, in a store, not a lab.
- Led by a marine biologist (M.S., Nova Southeastern University)
- Staff attending or graduated from marine and environmental science programs
- Every employee trained in the store before touching a client's aquarium
- Internship program for college students, three years running
How we keep the animals
Respect for living animals is the first line of our mission, and it shows up as procedure, not a slogan. Every aquarium in the store runs on its own filtration, so a problem in one tank stays in one tank. New fish are quarantined and medicated as needed before they go on the floor.
- More than 120 individually filtered aquariums, freshwater and marine
- Fish are quarantined and medicated as needed before sale
- We will not knowingly sell a sick animal
- Every animal is fed daily, many several times a day
- Bettas are kept in individually filtered aquariums, not cups
- Discus are a specialty. Ask us; we can talk about them all day
Credentials and partners
- Seachem Platinum CertifiedOne of the few Platinum-certified retailers in Florida
- Ultum Nature SystemsFactory-authorized UNS retailer
- Planet Aquariums and TidelineLargest retailer of their aquariums and stands, according to the manufacturer
- Aquarium Co-OpRetail partner
- Top LidsAuthorized retailer
What we do today
The store
Freshwater and marine fish, corals, invertebrates and the largest aquatic-plant selection in Florida, plus equipment and supplies from the United States, Europe, Taiwan and Korea. A design center with the region's largest selection of aquascaping rock and wood.
Custom aquariums
Rimless planted aquascapes, reef systems and smart-automated builds, designed in the store and installed in homes and businesses. See recent builds.
Maintenance
In-home and in-office service for reef and planted aquariums from Boynton Beach to Miami, by our own insured, background-checked technicians. Maintenance service.
Wet Roots · Dry Leaves
Our terrarium and paludarium line: plants, hardscape and complete builds for the land-and-water side of the hobby.
YouTube and Tank Talk
The NatureAquariumsUSA channel has published more than 180 videos since August 2022, with over 500,000 views. Our Tank Talk blog turns the best of them into written guides.
Events and education
Aquascaping workshops, one-on-one design sessions, the Scaped aquascaping contest, and free aquarium calculators for volume, CO2, KH, GH and water changes.
What we're here to do
For the animals
Respect for living animals comes first. Quarantine, individual filtration, daily feeding and honest advice about what a fish needs before it goes home with you.
For customers
Make the hobby enjoyable and stress-free. Teach people how to care for what they buy, and sell the right product rather than the most expensive one.
For our people
Train, develop and mentor the next generation of aquarists, from interns to technicians, so they can build careers in this industry.
Questions people ask about us
Who owns Nature Aquariums?
Nature Aquariums is owned and operated by Henry and Miryam Tomassini through their company, Nature Aquatics, Inc. Henry leads aquascaping, planted systems and custom builds; Miryam leads fish husbandry and livestock.
When did Nature Aquariums open, and where?
The store opened in October 2022 at 5344 N. University Drive, Lauderhill, Florida 33351, where it still operates today.
Is Nature Aquariums the same business as The Planted Aquarium Store?
Same owners, new store. Henry and Miryam Tomassini ran The Planted Aquarium Store in South Florida from 2012 to 2015. Nature Aquariums opened in 2022 as a full freshwater and saltwater store with the same planted-tank roots.
Do you ship fish, corals or plants?
No. Live fish, corals, invertebrates and plants are sold in the store only. Online orders on natureaquariums.com are for dry goods: equipment, food, supplies and aquariums.
Does Nature Aquariums offer aquarium maintenance?
Yes. Our in-house team has serviced reef and planted aquariums in homes and businesses since 2022, led by a marine biologist, covering Boynton Beach south to Miami. Routine visits start at $125. See the maintenance page.
Who is the marine biologist at Nature Aquariums?
Nathan, our lead aquarium technician, holds a master's degree from Nova Southeastern University and leads the maintenance team. The rest of the staff are students or graduates of marine and environmental science programs.
Do you offer internships?
Yes. Since 2023 we have run an internship program for college students in marine and environmental sciences, working hands-on with livestock, reef systems and customers in the store. Details are on the internship page.
What makes Nature Aquariums different from a chain pet store?
Every aquarium in the store is individually filtered and every fish is quarantined and fed daily. The store is Seachem Platinum Certified, a factory-authorized Ultum Nature Systems retailer, and carries the largest aquatic-plant selection in Florida. Staff are aquarists and marine science students, and the owners are on the floor.
Come see the store
Bring a water sample, a photo of your tank, or just a question. Someone who keeps fish will answer it.
5344 N. University Drive, Lauderhill, FL 33351
Mon–Fri 11–7, Sat 10–6, Sun 12–5
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