Nat Geo WILD’s Fish Tank Kings follows the Florida-based aquarium specialists at Living Color as they use their unparalleled skills, creativity and teamwork to build the most extreme fish tanks. Fish Tank Kings boasts a cast of thousands of fish — from the giant Pacific octopus and rare captive-bred porkfish to blacktip reef sharks and lionfish. From selecting the fishes to choosing the reefs and corals, clients will change their mind 10 times in the process. Acrylic will be formed and displays will be artistically created, and we’ll be there for every reveal.
Each episode follows the dedicated team as they work to create some of the most impressive fish tanks ever developed: Mat Roy is the president and is responsible for overseeing all projects and running operations at Living Color. His favorite part of the process is seeing the look on clients’ faces as they view their aquarium for the first time. Jose Blanco is the production and safety manager, planning and creating a happy home for the fish.
MANDATORY TUNE-IN: Nat Geo WILD’s new series Fish Tank Kings premieres Saturday, May 12, at 10 PM ET/PT.
SHOW WEBSITE: http://www.natgeotv.com
ABOUT MAT ROY
President
Mat Roy grew up far from Southern Florida in Vermont and worked on a dairy farm. As a teenager he relocated to the sunshine state.
Shortly after high school Mat started his aquarium fabrication career working in the acrylic department. Then, in 1995, Mat started at Living Color as a tank fabricator and through the years he has risen through the ranks excelling at various positions: production manager, director of projects, project manager and Vice President of Operations learning everything there is to know about building aquariums along the way. With almost two decades of experience, Mat is now the president and responsible for overseeing all projects and the running of operations at Living Color.
Mat’s favorite part of the process is seeing the look on their client’s faces as they view their aquarium for the first time. He sees all of the hard work his team has put into every piece of the finished tank and feels prideful. While building custom aquariums for discerning clients keeps him busy during the day it’s his wife and two children that motivate him and he attributes much of both his success in life as well as that of Living Color’s to them.
ABOUT JOSE BLANCO
Production Manager/ Safety Manager
Jose’s parents left Cuba for Mexico with one baby girl, lived in different cities in Mexico and El Salvador and ended up in New Jersey with five kids and speaking very little English. He attended Kansas City Art Institute where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and held his favorite job as a short order cook in a Kansas City TexMex hole in the wall. “Being a cook, I ate for free…if you ever had to pay your way through college you’ll know what this means…no more Ramen noodles,” he says.
Jose considers Florida his home now and loves the state because it is all beaches. He got the job working at Living Color because they needed someone to run the “chop gun” which is a machine for laying up fiberglass and he knew how. He has now been a part of the team for 12 years and through his hard work, dedication, innovation and proven track record of completing jobs successfully he has risen through the ranks. Jose appreciates all of the hard work through planning and designing to create a happy home for fish.
While Jose’s favorite part of the fabrication process is the actual building of a reef structure, which is where he can use his creative eye to sculpt the reefs, it is the complete aquarium he finds hypnotizing. “It is amazing how watching the fish swim around separates you from all the nonsense life can throw at us and puts you at ease,” he says.
