Meet the Team

  • Johnny Johnson

    OWNER & AQUASCAPER

  • Matt Taber

    PHOTOGRAPHER & AQUARIST

  • Keith Jackson

    AQUARIST

About Us

JJ Aquariums was founded in 2015 by award winning aquascaper Johnny Johnson. Combining a lifelong passion for aquariums with his love for art, design and architecture. Johnny set out to create a new kind of custom aquarium design, installation and service firm rooted in knowing that the aquarium could be elevated to the same respected heights as other forms of art and creativity. Balancing the specific needs of the precious lifeforms that make their work possible with an aesthetic sensitivity to form, function and space would become their life's work.

I'm Johnny Johnson, founder of JJ Aquariums.

To me, an aquarium is far more than a collection of fish and plants, it is a living landscape. Every aquarium should evoke the same sense of peace, wonder, and connection found while standing beside a mountain stream or walking through an untouched forest. That philosophy is the foundation of everything I create.

For over a decade, I have specialized in designing and maintaining high-end nature aquariums that seamlessly blend aquascaping, horticulture, and modern engineering. Inspired by the principles of Takashi Amano, each aquarium is thoughtfully composed with natural stone, driftwood, and carefully selected plants to recreate the beauty of the natural world beneath the water's surface.

Rather than simply building aquariums, I craft living ecosystems. Every detail, from the placement of a single stone to the long-term health of the aquarium, is considered with intention. The result is an aquarium that matures with time, becoming more beautiful and natural with each passing season.

Whether creating a private display for a home or a statement piece for a commercial space, my goal remains the same: to produce timeless aquatic landscapes that inspire, captivate, and bring a sense of nature into everyday life.

At JJ Aquariums, every aquarium is designed not just to be seen, but to be experienced.

A man and woman standing close together behind a wooden fence on a hilltop during sunset, with a scenic view of autumn trees and water in the background.

Today, I am married to my beautiful wife, Emma. She was my first girlfriend and now my last. Ironically, I met Emma in a fish store. As shy as I was, she definitely was the one to talk first and we ended up taking a photo together, and the rest is history. I proposed to Emma a year into our relationship in Springfield, MO on the James River. We had our wedding on Stockton Lake in Stockton, MO. In the same year we built a house in Raymore, MO and we love it. She has been the biggest supporter in trying to create my dream and doing what I love. If you are a client with us there is a good chance she will be assisting me when she is not healing and saving lives as a nurse. She loves talking, meeting all my clients, fish and animals just like the rest of us.

A bride and groom holding hands and walking on grass near a lake at sunset.
A wedding couple standing outdoors during sunset, sharing a joyful moment and smiling at each other, with trees and sunlight in the background.