Search for an aquarium app and you will find three different kinds of thing under one word. Some aquarium wallpaper apps put a fish on your Lock Screen. Some turn your phone into a glowing fish tank that plays while it sits on a stand. Others are games where you build a reef. They are all good at something, and each will disappoint you if you were expecting one of the others.
A declaration of interest: we make Aquarium 3D: Live Wallpapers, which is on this list. Ratings and update dates below come from the US App Store on 3 November 2026.
Three kinds of aquarium app
Live wallpapers sit on your Lock Screen and move briefly when you wake the phone. They cost you no attention, and the phone behaves normally.
Full-screen video apps play a long aquarium film while the app is open. They are lovely on a stand or an old iPad, but they stop being a phone while they run. Our guide to using an old iPhone as an aquarium display shows how to get the most from this.
Simulation games let you build and decorate a tank, feed it and return to it. They are fun, but they ask for your time and are not meant to be a calm background.
Fish Aquarium Live Wallpapers: free with no subscription
4.5 from 10,706 ratings. Last updated September 2026.
This has the most ratings of the wallpaper apps here. Its listing is refreshingly direct: free, no subscription, no trial and no paywall. It offers Live Photo wallpapers of tropical fish, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, coral reefs and open water, sorted into New, Popular and All. If you just want a good set of underwater wallpapers at no cost, this is a strong first choice.
One caution for any wallpaper listing: press and hold to animate describes older versions of iOS, as the callout below explains.
Follow along in Aquarium 3D: Live Wallpapers
Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
App Store
Aquarium Live and Aquarium Live HD+: the full-screen option
Aquarium Live: 4.6 from 9,574 ratings, last updated September 2025. Aquarium Live HD+: 4.7 from 847 ratings, $3.99, last updated September 2023.
From the same developer as Fish Aquarium Live Wallpapers, these turn an iPhone or iPad into a fish tank by playing long HD videos such as a busy coral reef or a shark scene, with music if you want it. Both listings describe an iPhone and iPad version of a popular Mac app. Neither has been updated this year, but a video player does not need much upkeep. They are the right choice for a bedside table, a waiting room or a desk.
Paradise – Fish Aquarium: the game
4.6 from 3,563 ratings. Last updated July 2026.
This one is a simulation. You decorate underwater reefs with fish, sea creatures and corals, and it has social features such as chat and gifting. It needs an internet connection. It is a game first, so pick it for building something rather than for having something calm to look at.
How live wallpapers really move on iPhone
On current versions of iOS, a live wallpaper moves on the Lock Screen when you wake or unlock the phone, and sometimes when you tilt it, for a second or two. It does not loop continuously, it never moves on the Home Screen, and pressing and holding it does nothing, because that was removed with iOS 16. So a fish will not swim for you all day. If you want constant motion, you want a full-screen app instead. See why a live wallpaper may not move if yours seems stuck.
Aquarium 3D: Live Wallpapers: ours
4.5 from 943 ratings. Last updated September 2026.
This is our app, so weigh this accordingly. It has far fewer ratings than Fish Aquarium Live Wallpapers. It focuses on 3D-style fish and ocean scenes, including colourful tanks, coral reefs, jellyfish, koi and the deep sea, and you can preview a wallpaper on your Lock Screen before saving it. It is a wallpaper app, not a full-screen player or a game.
It suits someone who cares more about the look of the animation than about the size of the collection. Our guides to jellyfish wallpapers and coral reef wallpapers show the kinds of scene that work best. And if you are worried about the battery, live wallpapers use very little, since they move so briefly.
Which one to pick
- Free Lock Screen wallpapers with no subscription: Fish Aquarium Live Wallpapers.
- A glowing fish tank on a stand or old iPad: Aquarium Live, or Aquarium Live HD+ if you prefer to pay once.
- Something to build and come back to: Paradise – Fish Aquarium.
- 3D-style fish and ocean scenes for your Lock Screen: Aquarium 3D: Live Wallpapers.
If you are mainly after calm, it is worth reading our piece on calming wallpapers for focus, because a still underwater image can be restful too, and it asks nothing of the phone.
Quick answers
What is the best aquarium app for iPhone?
It depends on the kind you want. Fish Aquarium Live Wallpapers leads the wallpaper apps on ratings, Aquarium Live is the established full-screen choice, and Paradise is the game.
Can I have fish swimming on my iPhone all the time?
Not as a wallpaper. Lock Screen wallpapers move only briefly, and the Home Screen stays still. For constant motion, keep a full-screen aquarium app open.
Do aquarium wallpapers drain the battery?
Live wallpapers use very little, since they only move for a moment. A full-screen video app uses much more, so keep the phone plugged in if you leave one running.
Where to get it
If 3D-style fish and ocean scenes on your Lock Screen sound right, Aquarium 3D: Live Wallpapers is free to download on iPhone.
Decide whether you want to glance at it, watch it or play it, and the right app becomes obvious.