Owner Andy Post designs and builds custom aquariums and custom coral inserts at Ocean Aquaria, his aquatic manufacturing facility, he said. Post, who has been a scuba diver for 19 years, said he finds design inspiration from his sea dives and from various documentaries or shows about marine life. “I know what natural sea life is supposed to look like, so we try to keep the colors and textures as natural as possible,” Post said. Ocean Aquaria offers its custom pieces for homes, commercial businesses and public aquariums, Post said. “We do full-blown custom aquariums, from design to sales to installation to maintenance,” he said. “[I love the] freedom of creating these cool projects and being able to think outside the box.” When creating a coral piece, Post pours a type of nontoxic, animal-safe rubber resin into one of his more than 175 silicone molds, which are designed to be exact replicas of coral and other sea life. Post said using resin makes his pieces last longer than real coral while also preserving coral reefs. To further protect sea life, the company also recycles as much of its products as possible, he said. “It’s all about creating a beautiful, natural sea environment without damaging our already damaged oceans,” he said. Post said he originally opened the company in Florida in 2003, but moved to Magnolia in 2017. “There was just an influx of business [in the Houston area] at the time, so I moved my company where the business was,” he said. The company’s location on Tamina Road in Magnolia serves mostly as a warehouse facility rather than a walk-in storefront. However, customers can still come in by appointment to purchase items or discuss custom pieces, Post said. The Ocean Aquaria staff has completed projects for homes and businesses around the world, including Landry’s Aquarium in Kemah. However, he said he would like to see more interest from the local community. “I would love to have a ton of local businesses buying custom aquariums from me or my coral inserts from me,” he said. “We could use all the local business that’s out there, but they just don’t know about us.” Ocean Aquaria 32214 Tamina Road, Ste. B, Magnolia 281-825-8207 www.oceanaquaria.com Hours by appointment only