TLDR: Robert “Robbie Redneck” Christlieb is thriving in Las Vegas as a featured designer for Ocean Gallery USA, where he creates custom dream aquariums for high-end clients. The former Tanked star has evolved from shop manager to celebrity aquarium designer, leveraging his decade of reality TV fame into a successful post-show career in the booming luxury aquarium market.
Aside from the amazingly breathtaking fish tanks, one reason Animal Planet’s Tanked was such an awesome show was that everyone played an important role, making each episode of the reality TV series something to look forward to. Robert Christlieb, also known as Robbie Redneck, was the manager at Acrylic Tank Manufacturing and brought such great charm to our screens.
So if you are curious and wondering what is Redneck from Tanked doing now since the show ended in 2018, you’ve come to the right place!
Read on for the low down on what really happened to this reality television star and how he’s built an even bigger career in 2026.
Who is Redneck From Tanked?
Robert “Robbie Redneck” Christlieb was not only the manager at the fish tank-making company, Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM). Most importantly, he was the company’s chief plumber and marine technician, bringing a unique combination of technical skill and on-screen personality that made him a fan favorite.
His role involved overseeing the fish tank-making process, ensuring that quality control was at its best for small, medium, or gigantic tanks. As the Lead Marine Technician and Shop Manager, Christlieb was responsible for translating the wild concepts dreamed up by the sales team into actual functioning aquatic ecosystems.
This required expertise in advanced plumbing, acrylic fabrication, and life support engineering for sensitive marine animals.
Not much is known about Robbie Redneck’s background. The reality star seems to prefer a private personal life and has never referred to his family, whether that’s a wife or kids. We also know very little about Redneck’s upbringing, including where he was born, his parents and siblings, and his professional background.
That said, one thing that’s clear is that Redneck loved his job at ATM and did it to the fullest, a big reason fans love the TV star. As a technician, for example, he showed us that he was excellent with the laser cutter and therefore was in a position to supervise fish tank designers and artists.
His hands-on work with high-profile clients like Shaquille O’Neal and Ty Dolla $ign demonstrated his ability to handle the pressure of celebrity builds while maintaining the technical precision required for tanks holding thousands of gallons of water.
Robbie Redneck Was a Target of Pranks at ATM
Acrylic Tank Manufacturing owners Brett Raymer and Wayde King made Tanked more interesting with their practical jokes and pranks. Poor Robbie Redneck became the butt of jokes as Raymer and King performed all kinds of pranks on him, but he never seemed to learn his lessons.
One time the business partners drove Robbie’s trailer home to the middle of the desert while he slept in it. As you can imagine, Redneck was incredibly surprised when he woke up in his trailer home and found himself in the middle of nowhere!
There was also the memorable episode where a soda-drinking contest resulted in Redneck losing a tooth, a moment that became part of his reality TV legend.
But to be fair, Robbie was also in on the practical jokes and pranks Brett and King played on each other and usually helped either of the guys get back at each other. These moments of levity balanced the serious technical work happening in the shop and made the show’s “family atmosphere” feel genuine to viewers.
He Ensured Clients Got Value For Money
A lot goes on in an acrylic tank company to ensure the end product is high quality and meets the client’s needs. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially if you are dealing with larger-than-life tanks ordered by celebrities such as Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy Morgan and many others.
Robbie played a key role in supervising newly made aquariums, working with designers, artists and the management, and ensuring that clients got the best exotic fish tanks their money could buy.
His expertise in the chemical bonding of acrylic panels, where even a single air bubble could compromise structural integrity, made him invaluable for the massive installations that defined the show.
Keep in mind that many celebrities came to ATM for custom fish tanks. So quality control was particularly important because one bad word by a celebrity could potentially ruin the entire company. This is why Robbie was big on quality control and value for money.
His technical knowledge meant he could spot potential failure points before they became disasters, protecting both the company’s reputation and clients’ homes from catastrophic water damage.
Where is Redneck from Tanked Now?
The news from Animal Planet that the hit reality television series Tanked would be cancelled was shocking and unfortunate, catching fans by surprise. The show officially ended in 2018 after 15 seasons, largely due to internal turmoil at ATM. In March 2019, Wayde King’s wife Heather King (Brett Raymer’s sister) was arrested for domestic violence following an altercation, and the family business dynamic that had fueled the show completely fractured.
As is usual when a show ends, the cast members move on to do other things. In the case of Robbie, he found a job with another aquarium company, and as of 2026, that’s what Redneck from Tanked is doing right now. But he’s not just building tanks anymore, he’s evolved into something much bigger.
In a Facebook post dated September 16, 2022, Christlieb shared a link to a website for Ocean Gallery USA, aquatic fish-tank makers quite similar to ATM. According to Ocean Gallery, they build custom water items and cabinetry at their El Paso, Texas and Las Vegas, Nevada facilities.
If this company sounds too similar to ATM, it’s because Wayde King actually trained the founder, Miguel Mercado. “I strived to learn how to build aquariums, and I did with the friendship and help of Wayde King, star of the hit TV show Tanked. He taught us how to build custom acrylic aquariums and all that’s involved in acrylic fabrication,” Mercado explained.
Reacting to the Facebook post, a fan asked Robbie Redneck whether this meant he had found a new job and was moving to Texas. The reality TV star responded that he does work for Ocean Gallery USA but hasn’t moved to Texas. This response means Redneck still lives and works in Sin City.
From Shop Manager to Celebrity Designer
What’s particularly interesting about Robbie’s current role at Ocean Gallery USA is how his position has evolved. The company’s promotional materials prominently feature him as “Redneck Robert Christlieb from Animal Planet’s hit show Tanked, here to design your dream custom aquarium for your home.” This represents a significant vertical move in the industry.
During his Tanked days, Robbie was presented primarily as a fabricator and installer, the hands-on guy who made other people’s visions a reality. Now he’s marketing himself as a designer, meaning he’s selling his own creative vision to clients rather than just executing someone else’s ideas.
This is a natural progression for senior tradespeople who accumulate enough fame and expertise to transition into consultancy and design work.
Ocean Gallery USA positions itself as focusing on the “Art and Science” of custom aquariums, suggesting a move toward more refined, aesthetically driven designs compared to some of the wilder novelty builds that defined the Tanked era.
Christlieb’s deep technical knowledge combined with his decade of on-screen experience makes him the perfect face for this boutique approach to luxury aquarium design.
He Does More Than Make Fish Tanks
On his Facebook bio, one thing that stands out is Robert Christlieb’s assertion that he works with more than fish tanks. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given how smart and versatile he proved to be on Tanked.
In addition to acrylic tank-making, Robbie also makes excellent cabinetry and posts his creations on Facebook, much to his fans’ delight. In one post, he shared a beautiful, rich dressing mirror, which he captioned, “This is my latest creation; sorry, my fans, it is not a fish tank.”
Even though his followers knew him for making tanks, they were very happy with his piece of furniture, with many complimenting his skill and telling him how much they missed the show and him.
His work now also involves configuring smart technology for modern high-end aquariums. Today’s luxury tanks feature automated water changers, dosing pumps for calcium and alkalinity, and smartphone-connected monitoring systems.
Christlieb’s role has expanded from traditional plumbing to designing fail-safe systems with redundancy protocols that prevent flooding during power outages, a critical consideration for clients with six-figure installations in their homes.
The Booming Aquarium Industry
Robbie Redneck’s continued success isn’t just about his personal brand, it’s also about timing. The global aquarium market is experiencing significant growth, projected to increase from $3.79 billion in 2024 to $6.21 billion by 2032.
North America remains the largest consumer of ornamental fish and high-end tanks, with the culture of “mega-tanks” in private residences that Tanked helped popularize continuing to thrive.
The Las Vegas market in particular has rebounded strongly, with hotels, casinos, and restaurants continuing to invest in aquatic installations as architectural features that draw foot traffic. Many of the massive tanks ATM built during the boom years now require maintenance and refurbishment, providing a steady revenue stream for veteran fabricators like Christlieb who understand these complex systems.
Christlieb’s celebrity status from Tanked acts as perpetual free advertising. The show continues to air in reruns on streaming platforms like Max and Discovery+, meaning new audiences are constantly discovering it.
This syndication model provides a steady stream of leads to Ocean Gallery USA, who can convert “fans” into “clients” seeking the expertise of someone they’ve watched successfully build hundreds of tanks on television.
Clearing Up the Confusion
One important clarification for fans searching for information about Robbie Redneck: there’s been significant online confusion due to another person named Robert Christlieb who works in a completely different field.
This other Robert Christlieb is the Executive Director of Facilities, Operations, and Maintenance for Chicago Public Schools and has been involved in a controversy regarding a lead pipe mitigation system called the “Noah” device.
The Tanked star Robert “Robbie Redneck” Christlieb has absolutely no connection to Chicago Public Schools, the lead pipe scandal, or any municipal infrastructure work. The two men simply share the same name.
While the Chicago Robert Christlieb was managing school facilities in the Midwest, Robbie Redneck was filming weekly episodes of Tanked in Las Vegas. They are completely different people with entirely different career paths.
This kind of identity confusion is common when searching for reality TV personalities online, but it’s important to separate fact from digital noise. The real Robbie Redneck has stayed out of controversy and has kept a relatively low profile regarding personal matters, allowing his professional reputation to remain his primary asset.
How Much is Redneck from Tanked Worth?
Redneck’s net worth is estimated at about $1 million dollars. Most of his income can be attributed to his work at Acrylic Tank Manufacturing and now Ocean Gallery USA. But he also makes and sells custom furniture, so that is also a solid source of income that contributes to his net worth.
His appearance on Tanked, which lasted for fifteen seasons, definitely earned him a substantial amount as well.
However, his earning potential has likely increased significantly in his current role as a celebrity designer. As a featured talent marketing custom aquarium designs, Christlieb can command consultation fees well above the industry average.
While a typical shop manager at ATM might earn around $92,000 annually, a celebrity designer working on six-figure custom builds can charge percentage points on each project, making his post-Tanked career potentially even more lucrative than his reality TV days.
The Legacy of Robbie Redneck
What makes Robert Christlieb’s story particularly compelling is how he’s successfully navigated the often-difficult transition from reality TV personality to sustainable career professional. Many reality stars struggle when the cameras stop rolling, but Christlieb leveraged his on-screen time into genuine professional credibility.
The “Redneck” persona that started as a reality TV character has become a respected brand in the luxury aquarium world. For clients commissioning a 2,000-gallon shark tank in their living room, hiring someone they’ve watched successfully build hundreds of such tanks on television provides a verification of competence that no generic contractor can match.
That decade of televised proof-of-work has translated into real-world business value.
As long as wealthy individuals desire elaborate aquatic installations in their homes and businesses, Robert “Robbie Redneck” Christlieb will remain a central figure in the Las Vegas luxury fabrication scene.
His transition from the “Redneck” who lost a tooth in a soda contest to the designer creating six-figure aquatic ecosystems for high-net-worth clients is a testament to the enduring value of tangible skills in an increasingly digital world.
So there you have it! We hope with these details we’ve answered your curiosity about what happened to Redneck from Tanked and shown you how he’s built an even more successful career in the years since the show ended.
