Kiran Hefa | People

Jared McMillen

Wayde King and Brett Raymer have worked on their fair share of impressive fish tanks, but a recent addition to their resume introduced them to some very special collaborators.

“It was pretty painless,” Raymer says of working with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, who came out to admire their handiwork at the grand opening of a KISS-themed miniature golf course in Las Vegas, where the duo built a tank bearing the band’s logo.

The structure is just one of many the pair, who are also brothers-in-law, construct in the newest season of Tanked, which airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet. Later this week, King and Raymer will head to the home of 30 Rock star – and noted animal lover – Tracy Morgan to install a shark tank.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind deal because it’s going into his basement and we actually have to assemble it on site,” says King. “It’s going to be pretty interesting to see it done on TV, all

Jared McMillen

the different guys that we work with and putting it together in pieces and bringing it downstairs in pieces. It’s going to be a pretty unique tank.”

While they’re capable of creating tanks that defy gravity and expectations, King and Raymer say their main motivation for creating these works of art lies with their love of fish.

“We want it to be very fish-friendly and accessible to take care of,” King says. “We want people to be happy, but the safety of the fish is very important to us.”

And according to Raymer, some of their best projects have been ones undertaken for simpler reasons.

“We do a lot of nature centers, public aquariums, schools; we do a lot of things that are going to bring educational value to kids and people out there,” he says.

“The best thing is when you’re done with a tank and you build it from scratch and you see a little kid run up to it,” adds King. “That’s probably the most rewarding feeling you can have.”