The Wet Spot Tropical Fish

What The Wet Spot Tropical Fish does

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish is a privately held, independent freshwater aquarium retailer founded in October 1999 and headquartered at 4310 NE Hancock St. in Portland, Oregon's Hollywood District. The business operates a dual-channel model combining a brick-and-mortar retail store with over 400 individually filtered tanks and a dedicated holding/warehouse facility for online orders, shipping live fish to all 50 US states via UPS Next Day Air at a flat $49.99 rate with a live arrival guarantee. The company self-describes as the largest freshwater-only fish store on the West Coast, carrying approximately 3,839 SKUs spanning livestock (3,618 listings), live plants, dry goods, and branded merchandise.

The product platform runs on WooCommerce with PayPal and Pay-in-Four payment integrations, and the marketing stack includes Mailchimp-powered weekly newsletters, an educational blog ("The Spotlight"), and Google Analytics for site measurement. Revenue is generated through seven streams: live fish sales (one-time unit pricing from $1.99 to $449.99+), live aquarium plants ($6.99–$39.99), dry goods and supplies, online gift cards, and a suite of professional services including routine aquarium maintenance contracts (15% store-goods discount), tiered full-setup installation packages (10–125 gallon tanks), aquascaping/tank design consultations, tank sitting, and fish relocation for local Portland/Vancouver moves plus long-distance shipping.

The customer base is entirely individual aquarium hobbyists served through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, in-store retail, store pickup (Mon/Wed/Fri), and on-site field services in the Portland/Vancouver region. The company has no disclosed institutional ownership, no funding rounds, no parent company, and no management team listed publicly, consistent with a founder-operated small business.

Name

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish

Legal name

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish

Website

https://wetspottropicalfish.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish is a privately held Portland, Oregon-based freshwater aquarium retailer founded in 1999 that sells live fish, plants, and supplies online to all 50 US states and through a brick-and-mortar Hollywood District store, while also offering local aquarium maintenance, installation, and relocation services to hobbyist customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Pet Retail (Aquarium & Freshwater Fish)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)

Keywords

• Freshwater tropical fish
• Aquarium supplies
• Live aquarium plants
• Aquarium maintenance services
• Live fish shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Live Fish Sales: One-time purchase of live tropical freshwater fish, including rare and common species. Wide price range from $1.99 to $449.99+ depending on species and size. No order minimum required.
2. Aquarium Plants Sales: Sale of live aquarium plants including Anubias, Bucephalandra, Cryptocoryne, and tissue culture plants. Prices range from $6.99 to $39.99.
3. Dry Goods & Supplies: Sale of fish food, water treatments, medications, equipment, and aquarium accessories. Includes branded merchandise like apparel and gift cards.
4. Aquarium Maintenance Services: Professional maintenance services including routine tank cleaning, deep cleaning, water testing, water changes, and equipment maintenance. Contract clients receive 15% discount on store goods.
5. Tank Design & Installation: Tank design consultation, equipment installation, and full setup packages ranging from 10-gallon extra small to 125-gallon extra extra large tanks. Includes substrate/decor/plant credits.
6. Fish Relocation Services: Local tank teardown, transport, and setup services for Portland/Vancouver area. Long-distance fish shipping services for customers relocating out of Oregon.
7. Gift Cards: Online gift cards available in denominations from $10 to $400. Online-only purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish is a Portland, Oregon-based retailer that sells live freshwater tropical fish, live aquarium plants, dry goods (foods, medications, decor, treatments), and branded merchandise through a brick-and-mortar storefront in the Hollywood District and an online e-commerce store shipping to all 50 U.S. states. The company also provides on-site and remote aquarium services including routine tank maintenance, full tank installations, fish relocation/moving assistance, aquascaping design, and tank-sitting/fish-hotel services, primarily for the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Product overview

The Wet Spot Tropical Fish operates as a freshwater aquarium retail business with both a brick-and-mortar store in Portland, Oregon and a comprehensive e-commerce platform. Their product portfolio centers on three core offerings: (1) Livestock – live freshwater tropical fish with one of the largest online selections including rare and common species across categories like cichlids, tetras, catfish, barbs, and more; (2) Live Plants – aquarium plants including Anubias varieties, Bucephalandra, and tissue cultures; and (3) Dry Goods – aquarium supplies including fish food from multiple brands, medications, plant supplements, and decor. They also sell branded Wet Spot Merchandise. Beyond retail, the company offers an integrated suite of aquarium services including routine maintenance with contracted client discounts, tank installation and full setup packages in six size tiers, fish relocation services, aquascaping and tank design consultations, and tank sitting/fish hotel services. The business operates on a WooCommerce platform with PayPal payment integration, ships fish nationwide via UPS with live arrival guarantee, and serves local Portland customers with in-person services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Freshwater Tropical Fish (Livestock) Live freshwater tropical fish (cichlids, tetras, catfish, barbs, danios, rasboras, killifish, bettas, plecos, and other species) sold in-store and online with a live arrival guarantee and flat-rate $49.99 UPS Next Day Air shipping within the U.S.
• Live Aquarium Plants Live freshwater aquarium plants including Anubias, Bucephalandra, Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus, ferns, mosses, and tissue-culture plant varieties sold online and in-store.
• Dry Goods & Aquarium Supplies Aquarium supplies and consumables including fish food from Hikari, Sera, Fluval, Dr. Bassleer and other brands; medications; plant supplements; botanic vittles; leaves and caves; and water treatment products.
• Wet Spot Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and gift items including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, coasters, shot glasses, reusable shopping bags, beanies, keychain bottle openers, and a freshwater tank board game.
• Online Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations from $10 to $400, redeemable exclusively for online purchases (not valid at the Portland brick-and-mortar store).
• Aquarium Maintenance Services Professional recurring fish-tank maintenance (water testing, water changes, equipment cleaning, algae removal) and one-time deep cleaning for neglected tanks, offered 7 days a week in the Portland/Vancouver area. Contracted clients receive 15% off store goods.
• Tank Installation and Full Setup Packages Customizable full aquarium installation packages for tank sizes ranging from 10 gallons (Extra Small) to 125 gallons (Extra Extra Large), each including substrate, decor, and plant credits of $50 to $200 depending on tank size.
• Fish Relocation and Moving Assistance Full tear-down, transport, and re-setup of aquariums for local Portland/Vancouver moves, plus shipping coordination and hotel boarding services for fish during long-distance relocations.
• Aquascaping and Tank Design In-person tank design and product selection service for Portland/Vancouver customers, and remote aquascape design consultations by email or phone with personalized design images for out-of-area customers.
• Tank Sitting and Fish Hotel Vacation tank-sitting (ranging from basic feeding to full upkeep) and a "Fish Hotel" boarding service at the Portland storefront for tanks needing temporary housing during home remodeling, tank cycling, or other events.

Named customers10 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

Integration5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LiveAquaria: One of the largest online retailers of live freshwater and saltwater fish, plants, and aquarium supplies. Directly comparable to Wet Spot's e-commerce model with nationwide shipping and a similarly broad livestock catalog.
• That Fish Place / That Pet Place: Long-running brick-and-mortar aquarium superstore in Pennsylvania with a major online catalog of freshwater fish, plants, and supplies. The closest analog to Wet Spot's hybrid retail + e-commerce format at larger scale.
• Imperial Tropicals: Specialty importer and online retailer of rare and unusual freshwater fish and aquatic plants. Comparable to Wet Spot's curated, rare-species positioning and hobbyist-targeting assortment.
• Marine Depot: Online aquarium supplies and equipment retailer serving hobbyists. Overlaps with Wet Spot's dry goods, equipment, and plant business, though stronger in the saltwater segment.
• Aquarium Co-Op: Online-first retailer of freshwater fish, plants, and supplies with a strong content/blog engine and community focus. Mirrors Wet Spot's hobbyist positioning, education-led marketing, and DTC shipping model.
• Bluegrass Aquatics: Online retailer of freshwater fish, plants, and aquarium supplies with nationwide shipping. A smaller-scale direct peer sharing Wet Spot's e-commerce-only or e-commerce-led positioning in the freshwater niche.
• AquaBid: Online auction marketplace for live fish, plants, and aquarium livestock. Competes with Wet Spot for hobbyist dollars, particularly in the rare and wild-caught segment, though via marketplace rather than direct retail.

Broad incumbents

• Petco: National big-box pet retailer carrying freshwater fish alongside broader pet categories. Represents the mass-market alternative Wet Spot differentiates against on quality, rarity, and expertise.
• PetSmart: National big-box pet retailer with live fish and aquarium supplies. Comparable as a broad-line incumbent whose pricing and convenience Wet Spot must offset via specialty depth and service.

Others

• Kordon / Novalek (Mardel): Manufacturer of aquarium medications, water treatments, and fish care products (e.g., Methylene Blue, Quick Cure). Comparable as a supplier-brand in the aquarium supplies category Wet Spot retails.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thewetspotfish
• Facebookfacebook.com/wetspottropicalfish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wet-spot-tropical-fish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Wet Spot Tropical Fish