Submitted photo Rob “The Fish Guy” Williams, 40, of Niles, stands next to an aquarium that he donated and maintains at Briarfield Manor in Austintown. Williams has loved aquariums since he was a child and recently turned his hobby into a business, Awesome Aquatics, through which he installs and maintains aquariums for families and other businesses.

NILES — Rob “The Fish Guy” Williams has loved aquariums his whole life.

“My dad had an aquarium and I just thought it was the coolest thing, and whenever I was at his house, I always was in front of his fish tank,” Williams said.

Williams, 40, has 35 active fish tanks at his home in Niles. Some are filled with his favorite tropical fish, which he competitively shows as a member of the Greater Akron Aquarium Society, and others are used to quarantine fish for his clients’ aquariums.

After working in the restaurant industry since age 14, Williams decided to do what he loves most and began his business, Awesome Aquatics, one year ago this month. While still working part-time at Olive Garden in Niles, Williams now maintains more than 20 aquariums for businesses and families, using tricks and skills he learned over the years.

When it comes to keeping a good tank, “Water changes are key,” Williams said. “I don’t like to over-medicate … I like to treat the fish naturally.”

BEGINNINGS

The logo for Awesome Aquatics has two fish — a betta and an angel fish — which tells the story of how Williams got started.

He was 9 years old when he got his first fish, a betta, and hasn’t been without an aquarium since.

The angel fish, Williams said, represents his late grandmother and aunt, two women who supported him and are his “guardian angels.”

Williams said he often went to the pet store with his grandmother, Hazel Williams — she’d be buying dog food — and picked out fish. She made sure Williams was responsible with his fish and he regularly changed the water.

His aunt, Patty Williams, who was also very supportive, died last year after a battle with dementia.

“I just really wish they could see Awesome Aquatics be what it is,” Williams said.

Williams earned his title “The Fish Guy,” after donating an aquarium to Briarfield Manor in Austintown. The residents there know Williams from his visits to maintain the aquarium.

“They’ll see me and they’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s the fish guy, the fish guy is here,'” Williams said.

He said for the residents who are declining mentally, the fish often bring back memories — which he loves to see because it reminds him of his aunt. The staff at Briarfield has told Williams residents sit in front of the tank for hours.

“You can literally just forget your problems and relax,” Williams said.

CLUBS

Currently a member of the Greater Akron Aquarium Society, Williams formerly was a part of the Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society. Both clubs have regular meetings, often with expert speakers.

“You meet people that travel the world collecting wild tropical fish, and they breed fish that are particularly hard to breed,” Williams said.

Plus, the clubs participate in fish shows. Fish shows are about presenting a fish that best represents its species, which can involve a lot of grooming, Williams said. Fish are divided into classes and are shown against like fish for prizes.

Williams’ favorite fish are South American — his dream trip would be to visit the Amazon Rainforest — and he especially loves South American cichlids, he said.

Williams also keeps some rare fish that are extinct in the wild. If those fish were to be reintroduced to their native environments, he could donate a breeding pair to help the cause, he explained.

PASTIME

A 2000 graduate of Niles McKinley High School, Williams played xylophone in the marching band during his high school years.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Williams filmed a virtual band night for area schools, traveling to seven counties to film band performances, he said.

“It was the only way the kids could see each other’s performances,” Williams said. “That’s the fun of marching band.”

He now is the videographer for the Lakeview Bulldogs Marching Band — “another pastime,” Williams said, although he admits his enthusiasm for video pales next to this love of fish.

“Fish tanks — that’s just what I’m really interested in, and what I want to do with my life,” Williams said.