Behind Glass lets you design and furnish customizable aquariums with realistic fish behavior and plant life rendered in detailed 3D. Rather than a gameplay loop, it's a creative sandbox focused on aquascaping—building tanks to your specifications and watching them in a dedicated 2D viewing mode. It appeals equally to actual aquarium hobbyists seeking a low-stakes design tool and to players who find relaxation in watching virtual ecosystems.
About this game
Create stunning virtual aquariums on your PC! Our advanced 3D engine brings your fish tank to life with breathtaking realism, featuring lifelike fish, plants, decorations, and more. Transform your monitor into a vibrant, living aquarium. Virtual aquascaping has never been easier!
What players are saying
▲ Recommended1 hrs
I bought Aquarium Designer as well, here is a quick comparison as of August 2022 (both games have regular updates, and Behind Glass is Early Access at the time of writing)
Behind Glass: Aquarium Simulator - tank dimensions are customisable, but all rectangular - prettier fish - '2D mode' for watching the tank, zooms in on tank. Option to create tank to match your aspect ratio - bubbles decoration - saltwater tanks - 2 substrate blend - scattering of moss/pebbles option - crabs - more fish choices - size options for fish - fish recolouring tool, a bit tricky to use - more lighting options, spotlighting - different background rooms - fish animations look better, fish have nibbling animations, I think there's some fish behaviour AI.
Aquarium Designer - has a short story campaign - tells temperature and ph requirements for fish/plants, these matter in 'Realistic Mode' - In realistic mode, you need to clean the tank - Various tank shapes: tank with rounded front, semi-circle tank - Premade colour variations for appropriate species - lighting in form of "cover with a lamp", lamp hue can be changed - lots more tank decorations, rocks and plants - thermometer and filter accessories for tank
Conclusion: Behind Glass is prettier, Aquarium Designer has better gameplay.
I am 70 yrs old and have been an avid aquarist for more than 50 yrs. I consider this program a realistic representation of many of my tanks fresh and saltwater/reef and look forward to chemistry modules etc and have purchased copies for my son and granddaughter and they are enjoying it as well....Keep up the excellent work and Please dont give up !!!!!
I would definitely recommened this game. It's really super fun, chill and relaxing to create aquariums in this game and I just love to watch the fish in my aqaurium and how they behave. It all feels super realistic and super natural. Definitely a fun game for people that just like creative games but also for people that have a passion and interest in fish and aquascaping.
I myself know nothing about aqauriums and fish, but really am enjoying this game so far!
Here's another update with new content and improvements! This time, we've added plenty of new inhabitants and a decorations DLC for your aquariums:10 New Fish Species: Black Neon Tetra, Butterfly Barb, Dwarf Pencilfish, Hourglass Basslet, Orange Clownfish, Polynesian Anemonefish, Raja Ampat Dottyback, Sunrise Dottyback, Tetra Toucan, and Tucanare Peacock Bass.New DLC: Decoration Pack – Unlock 57 decoration items across 15 groups, including rocks, driftwood, and a variety of novelty decorations such as castles and treasure chests. The DLC also includes 6 new example aquariums.Bug Fixes and ImprovementsThank you for playing Behind Glass — and as always, happy aquascaping and relaxing!
It’s been some time since the last content update — and now your aquariums are getting a major expansion!This update introduces 20 brand-new fish species, including standout additions such as the vibrant Blood-Red Jewel Cichlid, the striking Orangespine Unicornfish, the bold Sergeant Major, and the ever-popular Texas Cichlid.From colorful reef dwellers to fascinating freshwater personalities, this lineup brings even more variety to your tanks. As always, the update also includes smaller fixes and improvements behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.Thanks for playing — and enjoy discovering the new arrivals!Full list of new species in this update:Blacksaddle wrasse Blood-red jewel cichlid Bumblebee goby Cactus pleco Cuckoo catfish Double-saddle butterflyfish Dwarf botia Guinean angelfish Halstead's sandy Jaguar guapote Keyhole cichlid King angelfish Masked bannerfish Orangespine unicornfish Rainbow krib Sergeant major Sun catfish Texas cichlid Threadfin butterflyfish Whitecheek tang
This update introduces 11 new fish species, including highlights such as the Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse, Spanish Hogfish, Midas Cichlid, and Three-Spined Stickleback.Alongside the new additions, the update includes various bug fixes and smaller improvements to keep everything running smoothly.Thanks for playing and enjoy the new arrivals!Full list of new species in this update:Tanaka's possum wrassePolynesian wrasseRainbow caleSpanish hogfishHawaiian cleaner wrasseBadisBlue tetraThree-spined sticklebackRed-tailed black sharkBanded leporinusMidas cichlid
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