“Fish Tank Kings” premiere follows design of home-plate aquariums at Marlins Park

This Saturday, May 12, at 10pm ET/PT, Nat Geo Wild premieres the six-episode series Fish Tank Kings, which follows the Florida-based aquarium specialists at Living Color as they create the most extreme of these tanks, for demanding and often high-profile clients.

Mat Roy is president of Living Color; Francis Yupangco is head marine biologist, who oversees the construction and marine life of the custom tanks; Ben Alia is the senior project manager; Jose Blanco is production and safety manager; and John Manning is life support system manager, responsible for creating intricate systems in small spaces that keep the exotic creatures inside the tank healthy.

And speaking of exotic creatures, Fish Tank Kings also boasts a cast of thousands of fish and other marine life — from a giant Pacific octopus to blacktip reef sharks and lionfish.

The premiere episode on May 12 is called “7th Inning Catch,” and focuses on how the team built the bulletproof tanks that serve as the home plate backstop of the brand-new Miami Marlins baseball stadium. With Marlins president David Samson breathing down their necks, the Living Color gang comes up with a design that they hope will function as a backstop while keeping the fish, including a rare captive-bred porkfish, safe and healthy.

To test the solidity of the finished tank, Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez joins the gang and whips an 82-mile-an-hour fastball at the aquarium, with the team anxiously looking on and hoping that their work holds up:

Fish Tank Kings airs Saturdays at 10pm on Nat Geo Wild starting May 12.