What Aqua Lab Aquaria does

Aqua Lab Aquaria is a San Jose, California-based retail, manufacturing, and service company founded in 2013 that designs, fabricates, and distributes reef and nature aquariums, related equipment, supplies, hardscape materials, and live livestock to aquarium hobbyists. The firm operates an omnichannel go-to-market combining a D2C e-commerce storefront, a brick-and-mortar retail location at 955 Lincoln Ave in San Jose, and field-based service delivery across the San Francisco Bay Area. Its catalog spans ADA rimless low-iron Cube Garden tanks, proprietary Somatic 60 modular sump skimmers, third-party equipment from Red Sea, Neptune Systems, Hydros, and Ecotech Marine, consumable supplies (substrate, filter media, food, additives, salt mix), hardscape (wood, stone, dry rock, botanicals), and live plants, freshwater and saltwater fish, invertebrates, and coral.

The company's revenue model blends one-time product sales, on-site professional services billed hourly, and a pre-paid subscription service contract offering 5-15% discounts on routine maintenance. Professional services include aquarium maintenance ($200 per basic freshwater visit up to 100 gallons; $250-$350 hourly for planted and saltwater), custom design and fabrication, repair, installation, consultation ($175 on-site / $150 itemized estimate), vacation tank sitting ($125 per visit), and 24/7 emergency services with a $500 surcharge. Shipping is free on orders $99+ within the contiguous US, with size-based fees ranging from $40 to $300 plus $200-$400 freight for oversized aquarium glass, and international shipping available.

The company is privately held with no external funding, parent organization, or institutional investor disclosed, and operates with 11-50 employees. It markets through educational content including Aquarium Basics Guides, Reef and Planted Testing Chemistry guides, an Aqua Lab Uncensored YouTube channel, and an email newsletter, supplemented by Yelp and Facebook reviews. The firm self-reports 100% customer satisfaction and 15+ years of collective technician experience supporting installations from 10-gallon nano tanks to 1000-gallon custom in-wall builds; no enterprise customers, named logos, or large commercial contracts are disclosed.

Name

Aqua Lab Aquaria

Legal name

Aqua Lab Aquaria

Website

https://aqualabaquaria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aqua Lab Aquaria is a San Jose, California-based aquarium retailer, manufacturer, and service provider founded in 2013, selling reef and nature aquariums, equipment, supplies, hardscape, and livestock via e-commerce, a brick-and-mortar store, and Bay Area field services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquarium Equipment & Services

SIC

Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)

Keywords

• Aquarium equipment retail
• Custom aquarium fabrication
• Reef aquarium maintenance
• Aquarium livestock supply
• Aquarium installation services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: E-commerce and retail sales of aquariums, equipment, supplies, hardscape materials, and livestock including aquatic plants, freshwater and saltwater fish, invertebrates, and coral.
2. Professional Services: Aquarium maintenance, repair, custom design, fabrication, installation, consultation, and vacation tank sitting services delivered by technicians throughout the Bay Area.
3. Service Contracts: Pre-paid regular service contracts offering 5-15% discounts on routine maintenance services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aqua Lab Aquaria designs, manufactures, and retails reef and nature aquariums and related equipment, including ADA rimless low-iron Cube Garden tanks and its proprietary Somatic 60 modular sump system. The company sells aquarium equipment, supplies, hardscape, and live livestock (plants, freshwater and saltwater fish, invertebrates, coral) through its e-commerce site and walk-in San Jose store, and provides on-site professional services including maintenance, repair, custom design, fabrication, and installation across the Bay Area.

Product overview

Aqua Lab Aquaria is an aquarium manufacturer, retailer, and service provider based in San Jose, California, founded in 2013. The company offers a comprehensive end-to-end aquarium ecosystem comprising: (1) Aquariums including ADA rimless low-iron Cube Garden aquariums and in-house branded Aquacosm systems; (2) Equipment and supplies for setup and maintenance including lighting, pumps, filtration, CO2 injection, and water quality testing; (3) Consumables including substrates (ADA Amazonia soil), hardscape materials, livestock, and nutrition products; (4) Professional services including maintenance, repair, and custom design/fabrication/installation. The Somatic 60 Sump Skimmer represents their proprietary modular sump innovation. They specialize in high-end reef and nature aquarium design with a naturalistic approach, serving both discerning hobbyists and beginners throughout the San Jose and SF Bay Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ADA Rimless Low-Iron Cube Garden Aquariums High-end rimless low-iron glass aquariums offering crystal-clear transparency, sold to freshwater planted and saltwater hobbyists seeking premium aesthetics.
• Somatic 60 Modular Sump and Skimmer System Proprietary modular sump and skimmer filtration system designed as an expandable starter unit for aquarium life support.
• Aquarium Kits (Nano / Planted) All-in-one starter kits bundling tank, equipment, and supplies for beginner nano or planted aquarium setups.
• Overflow & Sump Systems Complete reef-ready aquarium systems pairing rimless display tanks with matching sump-equipped cabinets for saltwater setups.
• Aquarium Equipment (Lighting, Pumps, Filtration, CO2, Automation) Retail catalog of aquarium equipment including LED fixtures, circulation and return pumps, filtration, heaters, chillers, CO2 injection systems, automation controllers, aeration, plumbing, electrical, water purification, and tools.
• Aquarium Supplies (Substrate, Filter Media, Food, Additives, Testing, Salt Mix) Consumable aquarium supplies including substrates, filter media, aquatic plant fertilizers, fish foods, additives, water testing kits, coral cultivation supplies, and marine salt mixes.
• Aquarium Hardscape (Wood, Stone, Dry Rock, Botanicals) Decorative natural materials for aquascaping including WYSIWYG coral and rock, aquarium woods (Tiger, Spider, Cholla, Pacific), stones (San Sui, Seiryu, Lava, Ohko/Dragon Stone), dry rock, and botanicals.
• Aquarium Livestock (Aquatic Plants, Freshwater, Saltwater) Live aquatic plants, freshwater and saltwater fish, invertebrates, and coral frags sold in-store and via special order to hobbyists.
• Aquarium Maintenance Services On-site routine maintenance for aquariums including cleaning, chemical testing, dosing, water changes, data logging, and independent water testing/laboratory analysis in the San Jose and SF Bay Area.
• Aquarium Repair Services On-site repair services including ecosystem remediation, renovation and retrofitting, disease treatment, glass and acrylic scratch repair, fire and water damage assistance, and troubleshooting.
• Custom Aquarium Design, Fabrication & Installation Custom aquarium design with CAD mock-ups, fabrication in glass, acrylic, cabinetry, and plastics, plus delivery and complete system installation for projects ranging from 10-gallon nano to 1,000-gallon in-wall custom builds.
• Specialized Natural Environments (Reef, Planted, Ponds, Terrariums, Paludariums) Specialized ecosystem design and build services for living coral reefs, nature aquariums, planted aquaria, natural ponds, carnivorous plant terrascapes, seahorse habitats, terrariums, ripariums, and paludariums.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% customer satisfaction rate

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aqua Design Amano (ADA)coreOthersMajor brand partner offering premium rimless low-iron aquariums and aquarium supplies including Amazonia soil, CO2 systems, and accessories. Aqua Lab Aquaria specializes in ADA products and sells the full line of ADA aquarium products.
• Red SeacoreOthersPremier brand partner for reef aquarium systems including Reefer series aquariums, sump systems, and coral care products. Major supplier of complete reef-ready aquarium setups.
• Ultum Nature Systems (UNS)coreOthersBrand partner for rimless aquariums, reef-ready systems, CO2 injection kits, and aquarium equipment including filters and accessories.
• Current USAminorOthersBrand partner for aquarium lighting products and equipment.
• KessilminorOthersBrand partner for aquarium lighting equipment.
• EcoTech MarineminorOthersBrand partner for marine aquarium equipment including pumps and reef-keeping technology.
• MaxspectminorOthersBrand partner for aquarium equipment products.
• Innovative MarineminorOthersBrand partner for aquarium supplies and equipment.
• Mr. AquaminorOthersBrand partner for glass aquariums.
• Aqua IlluminationminorOthersBrand partner for LED aquarium lighting systems.
• HydorminorOthersBrand partner for aquarium pumps and equipment.
• CADE AquariumsminorOthersBrand partner for Pro Reef S2 aquarium systems.
• Waterbox AquariumsminorOthersBrand partner for Infinia and Marine X rimless overflow aquarium systems.
• NyosminorOthersBrand partner for Opus G2 aquarium systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Petco: National big-box pet retailer carrying aquarium equipment, livestock, and supplies across hundreds of stores. Competes with ALA on commodity SKUs but does not match its premium/customer-service positioning.
• PetSmart: Largest North American specialty pet retailer with broad aquarium assortment and in-store livestock. Overlaps with ALA on retail but lacks ALA's premium brand curation and field-services capability.
• Chewy: Dominant online pet supplies retailer carrying aquarium equipment, supplies, and some livestock. Puts structural price pressure on ALA's e-commerce SKU lines.

Direct peers

• LiveAquaria: Specialty online retailer selling freshwater fish, saltwater fish, live plants, corals, and aquarium supplies with a strong livestock focus. Comparable to ALA's livestock + equipment mix.
• Aquarium Co-Op: Aquarium retailer with significant YouTube content presence selling fish, plants, and supplies, plus a physical store. Comparable content-driven and community-oriented GTM similar to ALA's blog and Aqua Lab Uncensored approach.
• Bulk Reef Supply: Online specialty retailer focused on saltwater reef-keeping equipment, supplies, and livestock with strong educational video content. Highly comparable to ALA's reef-oriented assortment and content-driven GTM.
• Premium Aquatics: Online retailer of premium freshwater and saltwater aquarium equipment, plants, and livestock with curated brand assortment. Comparable to ALA's premium positioning and D2C focus.
• Marine Depot: Long-established online aquarium supplies retailer carrying equipment, filtration, lighting, and livestock across freshwater and saltwater. Direct competitor in e-commerce aquarium retail.

Emerging players

• Glass Reefs: Custom aquarium design and installation specialist focused on high-end reef builds. Comparable to ALA's custom fabrication and installation services for premium customers.

Regional players

• Aqua Forest Aquarium: Bay Area-based aquarium retailer and service provider offering livestock, equipment, and custom design/installation. Direct regional competitor to ALA in the SF Bay Area market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCT9ZROV6JBGzML2AnyDrzbA
• Facebookfacebook.com/aqualabaquaria/reviews
• Xx.com/AquaLabAquaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aqua Lab Aquaria