Aquatic Arts
Aquatic Arts is a US direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer founded in 2013, selling live freshwater fish, invertebrates, amphibians, plants, and aquarium supplies to hobbyists via its Shopify storefront, with in-house breeding and a Live Arrival Guarantee.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersIndianapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aquatic Arts does
Aquatic Arts is a privately held, direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of live freshwater aquarium livestock, plants, and supplies, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company operates a single Shopify-based storefront (aquaticarts.com) selling freshwater fish (angelfish, bettas, cichlids, tetras, catfish, loaches, and others), invertebrates (crabs, crayfish, shrimp, snails, springtails/isopods), amphibians (axolotls in multiple morphs, dwarf African frogs), and aquatic plants, alongside aquarium supplies, foods, and botanicals. Beyond retail, it runs in-house breeding programs marketed as 'Bred by Aquatic Arts' and owns the AquaZen house brand of aquarium equipment, while also reselling third-party brands such as Repashy, JBJ Aquarium, Kats Aquatics, Shrimp Envy, Ultra Fresh, Nutramar, and Pleco Caves.
The business runs on a pure DTC motion with US-only shipping, offering next-day delivery, temperature-controlled logistics, a 100% Live Arrival Guarantee, and free shipping on orders over $250. Pricing is unit-based at the SKU level, ranging from roughly $2.54 (snails on promotion) to $375.99 (premium axolotl-related items), supplemented by weekly specials, a 10%-off newsletter acquisition offer, a rewards/loyalty program, and gift cards. Marketing is primarily organic, leveraging Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and detailed product content. The company has 1-10 employees, has not disclosed any external funding, and shows no M&A, leadership, or geographic expansion activity, characterizing it as a bootstrapped niche retailer with a defensible specialty focus rather than a venture-backed growth story.
Aquatic Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aquatic Arts
- Website
- https://aquaticarts.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aquatic Arts is a US direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer founded in 2013, selling live freshwater fish, invertebrates, amphibians, plants, and aquarium supplies to hobbyists via its Shopify storefront, with in-house breeding and a Live Arrival Guarantee.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aquatic Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aquarium Livestock and Supplies Retail
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (11251), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ornamental & Aquarium Fish Farming (AFAEAAAJ), Fish & Aquatic Feed (ornamental) (CRADAFAL)
Keywords
Where Aquatic Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Indianapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Aquatic Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: Online retail revenue from selling freshwater fish, invertebrates, amphibians, plants, and aquarium supplies directly to consumers through their e-commerce platform.
- Brand Product Sales: Revenue from selling third-party aquarium brands including foods, equipment, and supplies alongside their own Aquatic Arts branded products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing with volume discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Aquatic Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aquatic Arts is an online retailer selling live freshwater fish, invertebrates (crabs, crayfish, shrimp, snails), amphibians (axolotls, dwarf frogs), and aquatic plants directly to home aquarium hobbyists. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store with next-day US delivery, temperature-controlled shipping, and a 100% Live Arrival Guarantee. They also retail aquarium supplies and foods from third-party brands alongside their own Aquatic Arts and AquaZen house brands, with select livestock bred in-house.
Product overview
Aquatic Arts is an e-commerce freshwater aquarium store selling live aquatic animals, plants, and supplies. The business operates as a single unified e-commerce platform built on Shopify, offering amphibians (axolotls, dwarf frogs), invertebrates (crabs, crayfish, shrimp, snails), freshwater fish (tetras, bettas, cichlids, catfish, and more), and aquatic plants. The company also sells supplies including foods, botanicals, and equipment, featuring both third-party brands (Kats Aquatics, Repashy, Shrimp Envy, Ultra Fresh) and its own house brands (AquaZen, Aquatic Arts Bred livestock). The platform is a standard Shopify e-commerce site without additional platform modules or developer-facing products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aquatic Arts Brand: Aquatic Arts' own brand of freshwater fish, invertebrates, and aquarium supplies
- AquaZen
Products and services
- Freshwater Fish Live freshwater fish including angelfish, barbs, bettas, catfish, cichlids, danios, goldfish, gourami, killifish, loaches, tetras, nano fish, and other species sold to home aquarium hobbyists.
- Invertebrates Freshwater invertebrates including freshwater crabs (vampire, pom pom, Thai micro), crayfish (dwarf and full-size), freshwater shrimp (amano, neocaridina, caridina), and snails (mystery, nerite, assassin, ramshorn) sold to aquarium hobbyists.
- Freshwater Plants Aquatic plants including anubias, bucephalandra, cryptocoryne, java fern, moss, stem plants, carpeting plants, floaters, pond plants, and tissue culture plants sold to freshwater aquarium hobbyists.
- Freshwater Amphibians Freshwater amphibians including axolotls in various morphs (wild type, melanoid, axanthic, copper, lucy) and dwarf African frogs sold to hobbyists.
- Aquarium Supplies and Food Aquarium supplies including fish and invertebrate foods, botanicals (catappa leaves, cholla wood, coconut products), algae wafers, equipment, and accessories. Features third-party brands such as Kats Aquatics, Repashy, Shrimp Envy, Ultra Fresh, JBJ Aquarium, and AquaZen.
- Tank-Bred Livestock (Aquatic Arts In-House) Aquatic livestock bred in-house by Aquatic Arts, including shrimp, fish, axolotls, and snails marked as 'Bred by: Aquatic Arts' or 'AA Bred', emphasizing captive-bred and locally raised stock.
- AquaZen Equipment Brand Aquatic Arts' house brand of aquarium equipment, including nano corner filters and related hardware products for freshwater aquariums.
Companies that use Aquatic Arts
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Aquatic Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aquatic Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- AquaZenminorBrand of aquarium equipment and supplies sold through Aquatic Arts e-commerce platform. AquaZen nano corner filters and related products available in their product lineup.
- JBJ AquariumminorJBJ Aquarium equipment brand sold through Aquatic Arts. Products include JBJ Nano Arctica Chillers designed for axolotls, shrimp tanks, and nano aquariums.
- Kats AquaticsminorCalcium and protein foods for invertebrates sold through Aquatic Arts. Kats Aquatics products include Calcium + Protein and Sweet & Savory formulations.
- RepashyminorPremium aquarium and invertebrate food brand available through Aquatic Arts product catalog.
- Shrimp EnvyminorSpecialty shrimp food and accessories brand sold through Aquatic Arts, including Growth Envy Protein Shrimp Food and Monti Clay products.
- Ultra FreshminorFreshwater shrimp food brand available through Aquatic Arts product offerings.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aquatic Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Flip Aquatics: US-based online retailer focused on high-grade freshwater shrimp, snails, and rare invertebrates. Comparable niche specialization on captive-bred inverts with direct-to-consumer shipping.
- The Wet Spot Tropical Fish: Independent online retailer specializing in freshwater tropical fish and aquatic livestock with nationwide shipping. Closely comparable DTC model serving aquarium hobbyists in the US market.
- Imperial Tropicals: Long-running US wholesaler and online seller of freshwater fish and invertebrates. Comparable assortment breadth and live-livestock shipping capability.
- Pet Zone Pets: Independent online retailer of freshwater fish, invertebrates, and aquarium supplies with live-arrival guarantees. Direct DTC competitor in the US hobbyist market.
- Aqua Imports: Online seller of freshwater fish, plants, and invertebrates with a focus on rare and unusual species. Comparable specialty positioning and DTC shipping model to Aquatic Arts.
- LiveAquaria: Online retailer of freshwater fish, invertebrates, plants, and aquarium supplies with a live-arrival guarantee. Direct competitor in the same DTC live-livestock category, now owned by PetSmart but operating as a separate specialty brand.
- Aquarium Plants Factory: Online retailer specializing in freshwater aquarium plants and livestock. Overlaps with Aquatic Arts in plants and live-animal categories with similar DTC fulfillment.
Broad incumbents
- Chewy: Large online pet supplies retailer carrying aquarium equipment, food, and some livestock. A broader incumbent whose growing aquarium category and logistics scale could pressure smaller specialty retailers like Aquatic Arts.
- PetSmart: National pet retail chain that owns LiveAquaria and offers freshwater fish and supplies both in-store and online. A much larger incumbent competing on convenience, price, and assortment breadth.
Emerging players
- Aquarium Co-Op: Content-led aquarium retailer with a strong YouTube following selling fish, plants, and supplies online. Comparable DTC aquatics focus with a differentiated content/community acquisition engine.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aquatic Arts social profiles
Digital presenceAquatic Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aquatic Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Aquatic Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aquatic Arts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aquatic Arts
What does Aquatic Arts do?
Aquatic Arts is an online retailer selling live freshwater fish, invertebrates (crabs, crayfish, shrimp, snails), amphibians (axolotls, dwarf frogs), and aquatic plants directly to home aquarium hobbyists. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store with next-day US delivery, temperature-controlled shipping, and a 100% Live Arrival Guarantee. They also retail aquarium supplies and foods from third-party brands alongside their own Aquatic Arts and AquaZen house brands, with select livestock bred in-house.
When was Aquatic Arts founded?
Aquatic Arts was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aquatic Arts based?
Aquatic Arts is headquartered in Indianapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aquatic Arts make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are brand Product Sales.
Who are Aquatic Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Flip Aquatics, The Wet Spot Tropical Fish, Imperial Tropicals, Pet Zone Pets, Aqua Imports, LiveAquaria and Aquarium Plants Factory. Broad incumbents are Chewy and PetSmart. Aquarium Co-Op is listed as an emerging player.
Does Aquatic Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aquatic Arts.
What industry is Aquatic Arts in?
Aquatic Arts's product category is Aquarium Livestock and Supplies Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAHAI, Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail, with a secondary code of AFAEAAAJ, Ornamental & Aquarium Fish Farming. Its NAICS code is 11251 and its SIC code is 5945.