Chillquarium is a one man idle aquarium from Ben Reber, released 6 September 2023 and usually priced under six dollars. You buy booster packs of fish, drop them in a tank, and they grow on a wall clock whether the game is running or not. Grown fish either get sold for a lump sum or kept so they pay daily ticket money forever. There are 156 species across six packs, and each one can roll Painted, Golden or Rainbow colour variants behind long odds. Steam sits near 93 percent positive across more than 5,000 reviews, which tells you this is a screensaver you occasionally click rather than a game with a fail state.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Starter Freshwater Tank | Real time fish growth basics | Rare | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Expanded Freshwater Tank | Booster pack odds mastery | Rare | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | First Saltwater Tank | Painted, Golden and Rainbow variants + gear | Common or Rare | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Giants Tank | Build optimization | Common | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Collection Screen | Min-max | Common or Mythic | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Starter Freshwater Tank)
The 50 slot tank you begin with. Capacity is the binding limit long before money is, so the two cheap upgrades come before anything else.
Level/Difficulty: 0 to 1,000 dollars of net worth Key Rewards: Access to Freshwater Friends and Rivers and Ponds fish, first daily ticket income
What to Do in Starter Freshwater Tank
- Learn Real time fish growth. Fish grow against the system clock, not against play time, so a tank left alone overnight is further along than a tank you watched for an hour. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Rare as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Buy both freshwater tank upgrades before your first Rivers and Ponds pack. 300 dollars total buys 50 extra slots, and slots are the bottleneck for the whole early game.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Rivers and Ponds pack or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Real time fish growth fundamentals
- Rare selected and functional
- Starter Freshwater Tank main content cleared
- Ready for Expanded Freshwater Tank
Phase 2: Early Game (Expanded Freshwater Tank)
80 slots for 100 dollars and 100 slots for 200 dollars. Both upgrades pay for themselves within a day of ticket income, so there is no reason to delay them.
Level/Difficulty: 1,000 to 200,000 dollars Key Rewards: 100 fish capacity, enough throughput to bulk open Rivers and Ponds
What to Do in Expanded Freshwater Tank
- Work on Booster pack odds. Six packs gate the entire economy behind money. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Rivers and Ponds pack if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The game credits growth from the system clock, so quitting and coming back tomorrow is mechanically identical to leaving it running. There is no benefit to keeping it open.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to First Saltwater Tank.
- Consider whether Common might suit your playstyle better than Rare.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Booster pack odds integrated into gameplay
- Rivers and Ponds pack acquired
- Expanded Freshwater Tank fully cleared
- Ready for First Saltwater Tank
Phase 3: Mid Game (First Saltwater Tank)
A six figure purchase that gates the top four packs. Sources disagree on the exact price across patches, so check the shop before committing your bank to a pack you cannot store.
Level/Difficulty: 200,000 to 50 million dollars Key Rewards: Reef Fellas storage, roughly 60 additional slots, entry to the high income economy
What to Do in First Saltwater Tank
- Master Painted, Golden and Rainbow variants. Colour variants stack on top of rarity. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Freshwater Friends pack. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Pity counters track fish opened, not packs bought, so opening 500 cheap Freshwater Friends fish moves you toward a guaranteed Golden faster than a handful of expensive pulls.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Ticket income versus selling for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Painted, Golden and Rainbow variants mastered
- Freshwater Friends pack acquired or in progress
- First Saltwater Tank fully cleared
- Ready for Giants Tank
Phase 4: Late Game (Giants Tank)
Late saltwater capacity built specifically for the Giants pack. Giant species take noticeably longer to reach adult size, so this tank sits idle for days at a time.
Level/Difficulty: 50 million dollars and up Key Rewards: Giants species, the highest daily income per slot in the game
What to Do in Giants Tank
- Finalize your build. You should be running Common or Rare with optimized gear.
- Freshwater Friends pack should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Sell plain Commons and Rares the moment they hit adult size. Their daily income is low enough that the slot is worth more than they are.
- Tank capacity upgrades optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Collection Screen.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Freshwater Friends pack upgraded to max
- Giants Tank fully cleared
- Ready for Collection Screen
Phase 5: Endgame (Collection Screen)
The out of tank record of every species and variant you have ever owned. It tracks all 156 species plus their Painted, Golden and Rainbow forms, which is the real completion target.
Level/Difficulty: All stages Key Rewards: Species and variant completion tracking, a reason to keep opening packs after money stops mattering
What to Do in Collection Screen
- Collection Screen tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- A Painted fish is worth roughly double a plain one and Rainbow roughly 25 times, so a single Rainbow Common can out earn several plain Epics.
- The endgame loop: run Collection Screen, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Mythic for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Tank capacity upgrades mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Collection Screen fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Filling all 50 starter slots with cheap Commons and then having nowhere to put the first good fish.
- Selling adult fish that were earning strong daily income to fund one more pack, which nets you less money over a week.
- Buying the Reef Fellas pack before owning a saltwater tank.
- Opening packs one at a time, which makes the pity counters feel broken because progress is invisible at that scale.
- Treating this like an active game and sitting on the tank screen. Growth is on a real clock and staring at it changes nothing.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Buy both freshwater tank upgrades before your first Rivers and Ponds pack. 300 dollars total buys 50 extra slots, and slots are the bottleneck for the whole early game.
- The game credits growth from the system clock, so quitting and coming back tomorrow is mechanically identical to leaving it running. There is no benefit to keeping it open.
- Pity counters track fish opened, not packs bought, so opening 500 cheap Freshwater Friends fish moves you toward a guaranteed Golden faster than a handful of expensive pulls.
- Sell plain Commons and Rares the moment they hit adult size. Their daily income is low enough that the slot is worth more than they are.
- A Painted fish is worth roughly double a plain one and Rainbow roughly 25 times, so a single Rainbow Common can out earn several plain Epics.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Chillquarium Guides
- Chillquarium Chillquarium Overview
- Chillquarium Best Builds
- Chillquarium Tier List
- Chillquarium Beginner's Guide
- Chillquarium Tips & Tricks
- Chillquarium Weapons Guide
- Chillquarium Combat Guide
- Chillquarium Boss Guide
- Chillquarium Maps & Locations
- Chillquarium Crafting Guide
- Chillquarium Classes & Characters
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