The Ultimate Guide to Aquaculture 2 – Complete Beginner-to-End Tutorial (Minecraft 1.21.1+)
Aquaculture 2 is one of the most feature-rich fishing overhauls in modded Minecraft. It expands the fishing system with new fish, fishing rods, hooks, baits, tools, equipment, treasure loot, and even a new end-game material: Neptunium. Whether you just want better food, a full fishing progression system, or a powerful underwater armor set, Aquaculture 2 transforms the way you play.
This complete guide covers:
- Every fish and where to catch them
- Crafting fillet knives and using weights
- The Tackle Box system
- All hooks, baits, bobbers, and fishing lines
- Worm farming
- Fishing rods (iron → diamond → neptunium)
- Neptunium tools, weapons, and armor
- Extra loot, treasure, and special items
- Fish mounts, turtle spawning, and side mechanics
1. Aquaculture 2 Fish – Biome-Specific Catching
Aquaculture adds a huge collection of fish. You catch all of them using normal Minecraft fishing, but each species only appears in certain biomes.
Freshwater (Rivers, Lakes)
- Smallmouth Bass
- Bluegill
- Brown Trout
- Carp
- Catfish
- Gar
- Minnow
- Muskellunge
- Perch
Arid (Deserts, Badlands)
- Bolti
- Capiton
- Synodontis
Arctic Ocean
- Blackfish
- Pacific Halibut
- Atlantic Halibut
- Atlantic Herring
- Pink Salmon
- Pollock
- Rainbow Trout
- Arctic Cod
Saltwater
- Jellyfish
- Red Grouper
- Tuna
Jungle
- Arapaima
- Arrau Turtle
- Piranha
- Tambai
Swamps
- Frogs
- Leeches
- Box Turtles
Mushroom Island
- Brown Shrooma
- Red Shrooma
Twilight Forest (Optional Integration)
- Star Shell Turtle
Any Biome
- Goldfish
This biome-locked diversity makes Aquaculture a natural fit for exploration-heavy modpacks.
2. Fillet Knives – Turning Fish into Food
Once you catch fish, your next step is to process them using a Fillet Knife (wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond, or neptunium).
Higher tiers have:
- Better durability
- More damage (if used as a weapon)
Filleting fish yields Raw Fish Fillet, which can be:
- Smelted into Cooked Fish Fillet
- Combined with Seagrass to make Sushi
Each fish gives a different amount of fillet.
Example:
- Ballis → 1 fillet
- Red Grouper → 3 fillets
Optional: Enable Weight-Based Filleting
Aquaculture includes a config option that makes bigger (heavier) fish yield more fillet.
To enable:
- Open your modpack folder
- Go to:
config/aquaculture-common.toml - Change:
enableFishWeight = false → true
Larger fish (e.g., Atlantic Halibut) can give huge amounts of fillet — up to 14+.
3. The Tackle Box – Your Custom Fishing Loadout
Craft a Tackle Box, place it in the world, right-click to open, and shift-right-click to pick it back up.
It stores:
- Your fishing rod
- Hooks
- Bobbers
- Fishing line
- Bait (worms, minnows, leeches)
You can swap components instantly without crafting multiple rods.
4. Fishing Rods – From Iron to Neptunium
Aquaculture adds new rod tiers:
- Iron Rod – better durability
- Gold Rod – better durability than iron
- Diamond Rod – high durability
- Neptunium Rod – best durability and faster bite rate
Only Neptunium rods actually improve fishing performance.
The others are simply stronger versions of the vanilla rod.
5. Hooks – Customising Your Fishing Style
Hooks modify how your fishing rod behaves. Insert one into the hook slot of your Tackle Box.
Durable Hooks
- Iron Hook – 20% chance not to use durability
- Diamond Hook – 50% chance
Luck Hooks
- Gold Hook – Increases luck (better loot)
- Nether Star Hook – +luck and 50% durability retention
Cast Distance Hooks
- Light Hook – Cast further
- Heavy Hook – Cast shorter
Utility Hooks
- Double Hook – 10% chance to catch two items
- Redstone Hook – Larger bite window (easier fishing)
- Note Hook – Plays a sound when a fish approaches
Most players aim for the Nether Star Hook once they can afford it.
6. Bobbers & Fishing Lines – Cosmetic & Dyable
Both bobbers and fishing lines are:
- Craftable
- Insertable into the Tackle Box
- Fully dyable (craft with any dye)
They don’t change fishing mechanics — only appearance.
7. Baits – Worms, Leeches & Minnows
Bait dramatically increases your chance of catching fish.
Accepted Bait Types
- Worms
- Leeches
- Minnows
Minnows and leeches are obtained occasionally while fishing.
Worms, however, are renewable.
8. Worm Farming – Infinite Bait Production
Craft a Worm Farm, which functions similarly to a composter.
Insert anything compostable:
- Potatoes
- Seeds
- Leaves
- Rotten flesh (depending on other mods)
Right-click with an empty hand to harvest worms.
These go into the Tackle Box’s bait slot.
9. Neptunium – Rare Treasure & End-Game Gear
Neptunium is the ultimate reward in Aquaculture 2.
How to Obtain Neptunium
You must fish up:
Neptune’s Bounty (a rare treasure loot drop)
Luck of the Sea greatly increases your chances.
Open Neptune’s Bounty → receive Neptunium Ingots.
Neptunium Tools
All neptunium tools have underwater bonuses:
- Pickaxe – No mining speed penalty underwater
- Axe – Bonus underwater damage
- Hoe – Moist farmland never dries
- Sword – Extra damage to underwater mobs
- Bow – Arrows travel normally through water
Neptunium Armor
- Helmet – Improved underwater vision
- Chestplate – Full underwater breathing
- Leggings – Weightlessness (better mobility)
- Boots – Increased swim speed
Fully geared, you become an underwater powerhouse.
10. Additional Loot & Special Items
Aquaculture adds many extra fishing treasures:
- Driftwood
- Tin Cans
- Messages in a Bottle (random loot inside)
- Boxes / Lockboxes / Treasure Chests
- Algae
- Fish Bones
Turtle Spawning
Some regions let you catch turtles in fishing loot. These can be placed to spawn actual turtles in the world.
Fish Mounts
You can craft decorative fish mounts to display your catches on walls.
Turtle Soup
Crafted using turtles + bowls + water buckets.