This guide is full of BadgeHungry’s best tips and tricks for Quinn’s Aquarium.
The tips in this guide are good for all of the puzzles in Quinn’s Aquarium, however it was written specifically for those of you who are stuck on a level or struggling with the game. In order to set yourself up for the easy way to complete badge challenges in Quinn’s Aquarium, you’ll want to progress through the game’s storyline enough to complete all three parts of the first tank in the game, the Tropical Tank.
Quinn’s Aquarium badge, use this quicklink to tell them where to get help:
badgehungry.com/qatips
Unfortunately, Quinn’s Aquarium can be tricky because you can only progress forward level-by-level until you’ve completed the first tank. However, once you complete all three parts of the Tropical Tank, you will forever have access to “bonus” puzzles in that tank. These are random puzzles that do not tie you to story progress. This means if you are completing a badge that requires you to find clear Lock Tiles, you can quit and restart the random bonus puzzle until you get one that has lock tiles instead of having to progress through the Quinn’s storyline in order to reach a puzzle that has the Lock Tiles you need.
Here are some general tips that will help you get through the first tank and might just make you a better mahjong player overall!
Know How Undo Works – Do Not Use Restart
You only get one undo per “attempt” at a level. An “attempt” is started at the tank menu. So, if you use an undo on a puzzle and you end up with no moves left, quit the level — do not use restart in the lower left corner. If you use restart the game will not give you another undo.
To quit:
- When you get the “No More Moves” pop-up, click the green “OK” button
- Click the orange gear icon in the upper right corner
- Choose Quit. This will return you to the tank menu where you can click the blue button at the bottom to start a new attempt at the puzzle again.
Tip: if you have used an undo, the only time you want to use restart instead of quit is if you use an extra slot power-up. If you use restart you get the extra slot back at the end of the puzzle, but if you use quit you do not.
Try Different Tiles
To change tiles, start a puzzle and then click on the gear in the upper right hand corner of the game. Choose “Tile Sets” and choose one you like. Many players like the Accessible tile set because it’s very easy to look for matches by color: green, black, red, blue.
When using the accessible tile set, it can be helpful to think in your head of the color/tile combination you’re looking to match. For example, if you are trying to match the highest tile at the top of the puzzle shown above, you would think “Green 7” as you scan the puzzle for green tiles, and then look for 7s. Other examples in the puzzle shown above would be “Blue 4” and “Red 5”.
Flatten It Out
When you first begin a puzzle, take a look at the board before making any matches and find the tallest stacks. Then, focus on those stacks first. As you progress through the puzzle, you want to look out at the board and see evenly-distributed stacks of tiles.
- Before you match any higher tiles with one sitting directly on the floor, look around to see if you can instead match something at the top of a taller stack.
- If you’re unsure what area of the puzzle to work on, head for the tallest stack you can find and see if you can remove tiles from it by finding tiles on other tall stacks.
- To easily see how tall each stack is, try to count the brown stripes at the bottom of the tiles: each tile has a brown base below its ivory top. In the screenshot below, the 3 and W that are outlined are the top in a stack of 4 tiles!
Lighten Up
It helps to have a good attitude about this game, so “Lighten up!” is a good mantra to repeat to yourself. However, this tip isn’t about your attitude, it’s about the shaded tiles!
Once you’ve flattened out the puzzle a little bit, focus on freeing up the tiles that are blocked in by other tiles horizontally. Blocked-in tiles are shaded/grayed out in Quinn’s Aquarium. Start at one side and make matches until there are no more shaded tiles. Most often, in the more traditional mahjong layouts, you’ll need to work on freeing up the left and right sides of the board as there are long spans of tiles arranged horizontally.
In the puzzle shown below, now that I’ve smoothed out the stacks that were 3 and 4 stacks tall, my next focus is to free up the six shaded tiles:
Match Different Tiles
For almost every tile in mahjong, you have to find its exact match to remove it. However, Flower tiles and Season tiles are different. These are sometimes referred to as “bonus” tiles, or jokers. Any flower tile will match with any other flower tile, and any season tile can be matched with any other season tile. For example, in the screenshot below, you can match the bamboo tile with either the cherry, orchid, or plum tile.
Match Stacked and Side-by-Side Tiles
If you have a tile sitting partially underneath its match, you can match them together as long as removing the top tile makes the second available to be matched. This also works with a tile directly underneath its match, but it can be risky to make a guess as to what may be stacked underneath any given tile.
You can also match tiles that are side-by-side when one is available to match and the other is not. Removing the first will make the second available to be matched.
In this screenshot, the stacked red 4s can be matched, as well as the side-by-side red 1s:
If You Are Stuck on a Level
Here are three things to try when you get stuck on a level:
• Remember: Some Levels are Just Going to SUCK
Not every game of mahjong can be won. This game was also designed to be challenging, so challenging that many players will purchase power-ups to get through the particularly hard levels. If this isn’t you, just remember: some levels are going to suck and you may have to repeat them many times to pass. But you can do this. Stick with it, because not every level will end as badly as this one did:
• Pay Attention When You Lose
When you lose a puzzle, pay attention to what went wrong. What areas weren’t flat enough or lightened? For the next attempt, try focusing on flattening and/or lightening those areas first. For most of the more traditional puzzle layouts, you’ll want to focus on both the tallest stacks of tiles as well as the left and right sides of the puzzle.
• Forget About the Shell Tiles for a Moment
Something to try if you’re really stuck on a level is to forget the Shell Tiles. If you just play trying to flatten and lighten the puzzle (as shown above) and not dig out the Shell Tiles you may have better luck.
Out of Moves? Don’t Quit or Restart Yet!
Download a guide & printable checklist of things to try when you think you’re out of moves on a puzzle.
This is the exact method I used to unlock the Tropical Tank… without using a single power-up!
The method is called SNUG and it might open up some more moves for you! Enter your email address here and then check your email to receive your guide:
You’ll also automatically be subscribed to the BadgeHungry Insider newsletter, which is full of tips for Club Pogo that you won’t want to miss!
Can you add anything?
Do you have anything else to add to this post? Share your Quinn’s Aquarium badge tips for other players in a comment below.
Other Guides in this Series:
How to Unlock Bonus Puzzles in Quinn’s Aquarium
Quinn’s Aquarium Badge Guide
Quinn’s Aquarium badge, use this quicklink to tell them where to get help:
badgehungry.com/qatips
Kirsten says
Lura very much appreciate this post it really spells everything out and is very helpful for anyone trying to advance. Don’t know where you found the time with everything you do for us in the blog, Thank you so much. So glad I was paying attention many moons ago in a chat room when your site was mentioned.
Have a good day and Happy New Year!
Renee Allen says
Boy, do I agree – these tips are wonderful! I had given up on this game but now I will keep these tips to refer back to, in fact I tried to “get over a hump” last night and still cannot conquer it, but after these tips, I’ll keep at it. Thanks so much !!!!
Curiouskas2 says
Great suggestions Laura. I would only add to this guide that you can match tiles that are one on top of the other. So, for example, if you have a one flower tile sitting directly underneath another flower tile; just select the top one and then the other one right beneath it. You can do this for any two identical tiles as well. It has saved me many times from being stuck on a puzzle, and it’s something that works differently from Mahjong Escape.
MomsBassetHound says
But that only works if it’s the last 2 tiles, or if you are a very good guesser.
Suz
ShrpDrssdMen says
Not quite, MomsBassettHound. Sometimes the tiles are not directly on top of one another so you can see what you will be making accessible before you click on a tile. And this also works when a tile is blocking in its neighbour horizontally. Great point, CuriousKas2!
MomsBassetHound says
That’s a totally difference scenario than what CuriousKas was talking about…
So, for example, if you have a one flower tile sitting directly underneath another flower tile; just select the top one and then the other one right beneath it.
Suz
Curiouskas2 says
Actually, I was talking about what ShrpDrssdMen was saying, but your point MomsBassetHound is also well taken. It works in both cases, and hopefully the tips are helpful to all who struggle or dislike this game to make it just a bit easier to handle during the upcoming challenge. I have been “lucky” when stuck near the end of a puzzle to often guess and get matching tiles with one right below the other, and it’s helped save me from having to restart a puzzle.
Happy New Year!
MomsBassetHound says
I’m not always the luckiest, but if I’m really out of matches I will take an educated guess. It’s worth trying before starting over. I will look at what tiles are 2 high and make sure that I don’t see a match half exposed somewhere on the board. Once I rule out those tiles then I’ll try one that’s left. I am probably 50/50 on finding the match directly under the top tile.
Suz
Lura says
Thanks for your comment! I had totally intended to mention both stacked and side-by-side tiles and it slipped my mind. It’s added now, complete with a screenshot showing both.
MomsBassetHound says
And if there is an “E” under the “E” shown on your screenshot it works also. But unless it’s the last 2 tiles or there are no other matches I wouldn’t test it. But it has worked for me many times.
Suz
Lura says
Yes, I’d definitely test that out when there are no other matches!
whitedoves7774 says
why can I not match the 6 shells, tries many times
Lura says
There are tips for that specific badge in the Badge Guide:
https://www.badgehungry.com/2018/12/27/quinns-aquarium-badge-guide/
Boo13Hiss says
Thank you SO much for this guide! This game is beastly sometimes and I was getting discouraged frequently enough that I started avoiding it 🙁 Thanks for giving me hope!
DeeVermont says
Excellent tips! The only thing I could think of is when I have a really difficult puzzle the first thing I do is analyze the tiles (especially if they are really connected with no breaks in-between) and if I can’t get the outer tiles to match I click Restart until I see matching tiles on the outer edges.
RyzandShyn says
Lura – Kudos to you for this guide! I don’t play, but if I did, I’d know everything there is to know from reading it…lol.
Saving Grace – Since the Marathon badges are delivered in album form, the upcoming Quinn badges can be ignored without them upsetting a M&M album completion or anything else. It can be just a lonely little album sitting closed on the shelf. 🙂
But really, my boycott notwithstanding, well done! Amazing work!
mookermom11 says
Lura,
You did an excellent job with these tips and tricks. I about fell off my chair when I read, “Some Levels are Just Going to SUCK! So true.
Good luck everyone.
Rhona
boxer3lady says
just wish they would sort gremlin out in this, you sometimes carefully click on a tile but instead it moves another close by and then you have lost your UNDO button, just wish they would sort it as I love the game
molly1824 says
This is one of my favorite games
HOCK9952 says
I have to admit that I do like this game too. I’ve played it so much & been stuck on different levels so many times, that now I’m inured to Quinn’s. (I give in LOL)
WCurry5990 says
Hi “All”;
First of all, thanks “Lura” fellow members for these Quinn Aquariums “tip” postings. I do do most of what’s been recommended but the “2” areas I have the most difficulty with are –
1.__Pogo constantly has an “odd” number of the same tile on the board and it really confuses me. Be advised I do try to reduce the highest columns, clear blocked tiles and I study the board to try and see which “2” tiles would be best to match. However for me, it often doesn’t help; and
2.__So often Pogo has the same tiles on top of each other and it confuses me because I didn’t anticipate it. I’m mainly talking about early in the game when it’s difficult for me to even think the same tiles are on top of each other.
Please, if anyone has any reccommendations, I would truly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
vikingcountess says
Thanks for the guide laura great work, me well am still trying to complete the 2nd part of the first tank and have been for ages, but hopefully this will help total beginners or those who just cant get to grips with the frustration of the endless rounds non completion of and restarts and feel like throwing the laptop in the bin like me lol lol