Shaq, who is 7'1“ and 325 pounds, is not your ordinary guy with an ordinary fish tank. Nicknamed both ”The Diesel“ and ”Superman” during his illustrious 19-year career in the NBA, he needed a fish tank that reflected his personality and his image.
“I’m a big guy,” he told PEOPLE Magazine, adding, “I can’t really buy regular things and have them fit. And I’m a perfectionist. I like things to be done right.”
That’s where Brett Raymer and Wayde King, co-owners of the aquarium maker and installer Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, come in.
Watch as Raymer and King, stars of the Animal Planet show Tanked, unveil a 250-gallon Diesel and Superman themed fish tank to Shaq - to Shaq’s delight.
After seeing the tank for the first time, Shaq’s jaw dropped and he enthusiastically gave high fives and hugs to the Tanked crew, which included shop manager Robbie Redneck, who is nicknamed “Red.”
“That’s awesome, bro. Impressive,” Shaq said. “It looks better than the renderings.”
Raymer and King chose the tank’s design, themes, and its location in Shaq’s 8-bedroom mansion.
Raymer and King admitted they were nervous about building a fish tank for Shaq. “You don’t want to disappoint a man 7-foot-tall that they call the Man of Steel,” Raymer said.
The facade of the tank is the front of a real diesel truck, with real bumpers, lights, and a truck horn, which knocked Shaq off his feet - literally.
Raymer and King picked exotic predatory fish for the tank: a blue-and-red miniatus grouper, which has teeth inside its throat; a scribbled puffer; and two Japanese eels.
Currently in its 4th season, Tanked airs on the Animal Planet channel on Fridays at 10pm Eastern/Pacific.
