The Team
Meet the Team
Richard Barnfield
Richard, the founder and owner of Aqua Empire started the adventure of fish keeping at the age of 12. The love for his hobby landed him his first job in the industry at age 15. His love and passion for fish keeping continued to grow until he ultimately opened his own store in Clearwater Mall in 2007. In 2013, Richard expanded and opened his second store in Cresta Shopping Centre. The publics’ interest in specialist aquarist products and fish at the two stores prompted him to open Aqua Empire, creating a niche in the field. Aqua Empire aspires to source exotic, healthy and unique livestock at affordable prices. Richard and his team strive to provide unbeatable knowledge in all areas of the field.
Ethyn
Ethyn is the General Manager of Aqua Empire, overseeing both the operational and strategic direction of the business. With over a decade of experience in the aquarium industry, he has developed a deep, practical understanding of everything from freshwater aquascaping to advanced reef systems.
His expertise lies particularly in high-end aquarium equipment, system optimisation, and creating balanced, high-performance setups tailored to both hobbyists and professionals. Ethyn plays a key role in sourcing, product selection, and ensuring that Aqua Empire delivers reliable, high-quality solutions to its customers.
Beyond the technical side, he is an active aquascaper with a strong focus on layout composition and long-term system stability, continuously refining his craft within the competitive aquascaping space.
If you’re looking for guidance on equipment, system design, or pushing your setup to the next level, Ethyn is the person to speak to.
Darren Parsons "Colour Master"
Darren has been competing in planted aquarium competitions for a number of years now and has earned his name as colour master. He manages to get the most vibrant reds out of his plants that it even looks photo shopped. Ask him to see a picture when you come in.
He also breeds a variety of shrimp from neos to caridina. He does this out of 45p aquariums and the volumes he produces is outstanding.
Jono
Zubs
Zubair’s journey into the world of aquascaping began around 10 years ago like many others – with a passion for nature and an insatiable curiosity about the aquatic world. Zubair Ebrahim is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and experience with aspiring aquascapers. He placed 1st in the South African Aquascaping Contest in 2022 and ranked 201 in the IAPLC. He is also an ADA ambassador for South Africa, an admin on the Jhb Tanked group since inception, and is knowledgeable in both, planted aquariums as well as Bettas and Betta breeding, and is the founder of The South African Betta Association.
