A 16,000-square-foot dream home complete with a huge custom aquarium has been put up for sale in Rumson, New Jersey. Owned by real estate developer Sal Cannizzaro, the 15,000-gallon tank was custom-built in the house’s recreation room and stocked with Native Fish that the owner caught himself off the Jersey Coast. He says he built the aquarium because of his passion for fish.
The tank’s acrylic panels are 4” thick and had to be lowered in by crane, with one panel alone weighing 2700 lbs. The display tank holds 15,000 gallons, with another 5000 gallons given to filtration. It’s home to some massive sea bass and a turtle, and somehow the shoal of Striped Bass manages to dwarf even this aquarium, although Cannizzaro says it is unsuitable for sharks because of the decor obstructions.
Hotel Atlantis
The tank is inspired by the aquariums in the Hotel Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The rest of the recreation room is decked out with a fishy theme including a sea turtle ceiling mural, marble, koi design table, and a huge single-piece wooden nautical sculpture from Indonesia.
At first glance of the house, we thought it was Andrew Sandler’s Polo Reef aquarium on Long Island, but although the two mega tanks are similar in volume and surrounding opulent decor, Cannizaro’s creation is stocked with fish from the cool Atlantic Coast, versus the tropical reef species of fish and corals in Andrew Sandler’s.
Salvatore F. Cannizzaro began his career as a printer, starting the Innovative Folding Carton Co. which he grew to a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with 270 staff, before selling it. It’s still in operation today. In 1998 he founded SFC Enterprises, Inc., a real-estate development company, and holds the title of President and Founder. In 2012 he founded the Immediate Care Medical Walk-In Centers which were purchased in 2022, although Cannizzaro is still active as CEO.
When his aquarium was featured on YouTube he said “People have dogs, people have cats, I like fish. It’s cool and really different.” We would change the fish and decor if it was ours but apart from that, we would agree. We don’t have the details on why the entrepreneur is selling up but you can watch the full video tour of the house on the video below or make an offer on the property!
