Discus Madness

What Discus Madness does

Discus Madness Inc. is a privately held specialty aquatic retailer headquartered in Union, New Jersey, operating since 2005. The company runs two integrated sales channels: a 4,000 sq.ft. brick-and-mortar showroom containing more than 400 aquariums stocked with freshwater fish, invertebrates, and live plants, and a nationwide e-commerce storefront that ships live livestock and supplies via UPS, also extending fulfillment to Canadian customers. The product catalog is the company's central differentiator, anchored by 63+ Discus strains, 79+ Plecostomus (L-number) varieties including rare specimens such as L042, L066, and L128, over 100 live plant varieties, and a complementary assortment of aquarium equipment, fish foods, CO2 systems, reverse osmosis units, heaters, biofilters, and medications, all marketed under a "Grade A, hormone-free, properly quarantined" quality standard.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer retail model with per-unit transactional pricing; live fish are listed between approximately $5 and $99+, plants between $8 and $15, and supplies vary by category. Distribution combines the company-owned e-commerce site, the physical showroom, and telephone ordering, with a 50% shipping discount offered on fish orders above $500. Marketing is executed organically across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, an email newsletter, and customer review platforms (Google, Facebook, Trustpilot), where the company maintains 400+ authentic five-star reviews. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, no parent company, and no enterprise customer base — consistent with a founder/owner-operated niche lifestyle business rather than a venture-backed or institutionally scaled retailer.

The customer base is composed primarily of U.S. aquarium hobbyists ranging from beginners to advanced keepers, with particular concentration in the Discus and specialty pleco segments, plus planted-tank enthusiasts and small-scale breeders seeking rare or properly quarantined livestock. The company has no stated AI, software platform, or proprietary technology component beyond a standard WordPress e-commerce site; competitive positioning rests on livestock curation depth, quarantine protocols, and 20 years of reputational capital in a hobbyist niche that general pet retailers cannot economically serve at comparable breadth.

Name

Discus Madness

Legal name

Discus Madness Inc.

Website

https://discusmadness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Discus Madness Inc. is a privately held, specialty freshwater-fish and aquarium-supply retailer based in Union, New Jersey, operating a 4,000 sq.ft. showroom with 400+ aquariums and a nationwide e-commerce storefront. The company serves U.S. and Canadian aquarium hobbyists with rare Discus strains, specialty Plecostomus, live plants, and aquarium equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty aquarium retail (freshwater tropical fish and supplies)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)

Keywords

• Freshwater fish retail
• Aquarium supplies
• Discus fish sales
• Tropical fish store
• Live aquarium plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Union

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Discus Madness generates revenue through the sale of freshwater fish (including Discus, Angelfish, Tetras, Plecostomus, and many other species), live aquatic plants, aquarium equipment, fish food, and aquarium supplies. The company operates both an online store and physical showroom with over 400 aquariums.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Discus Madness is a specialty aquarium retailer that sells freshwater tropical fish (notably 63+ Discus strains and 79+ Plecostomus varieties), live aquatic plants, and a full range of aquarium supplies and equipment. The company operates a 4,000 sq.ft. showroom with 400+ aquariums in Union, NJ, plus a nationwide e-commerce site shipping live fish and supplies via UPS and accepting Canadian customers.

Product overview

Discus Madness operates as a specialized aquarium retail business with both an e-commerce platform and a physical showroom. The company offers an extensive catalog of over 400 aquariums featuring more than 63 discus strains, 79 plecostomus varieties (including rare L-numbers like L066 King Tiger and L128 Blue Phantom), live plants, freshwater fish (tetras, angelfish, cichlids, barbs, rainbow fish, and more), and invertebrates (shrimp, snails, crayfish). The product portfolio also includes a comprehensive range of aquarium supplies encompassing fish food from brands like Discus Hobby Premium Daily Food, Hikari, New Life Spectrum, and Tetra; CO2 systems and equipment for planted tanks; breeding supplies; reverse osmosis water systems; filtration equipment; medications; and branded merchandise. Customers can purchase online with UPS nationwide delivery or visit the 4,000 sq.ft. Union, NJ showroom. The business emphasizes Grade A quality, hormone-free, properly quarantined fish with a 5-star review reputation across Google, Facebook, and Trustpilot.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discus Fish Collection (Discus Strains) 63 varieties of premium Discus fish, hormone-free and properly quarantined, Grade A quality, targeting serious freshwater aquarium hobbyists.
• Jumbo Discus Large-sized discus fish for serious hobbyists and breeders seeking mature, display-sized specimens.
• Discus Breeding Pairs Matched discus breeding pairs for hobbyists and small breeding operations seeking to breed discus.
• Plecostomus (Rare Plecos and Catfish) 79 varieties of rare plecostomus and catfish, including L042 True Zebra Pleco, L066 King Tiger Pleco, L128 Blue Phantom Pleco, and other rare L-number varieties for specialist hobbyists.
• Angelfish 63 angelfish varieties including Albino Dantum Angelfish, hormone-free and properly quarantined, for community tank hobbyists.
• Tetras and Rasboras 52 SKUs of Cardinal tetras and various rasbora species suitable for community freshwater tanks.
• Corydoras Catfish 38 varieties of Corydoras catfish, including Corydoras elegans, for use as bottom-dwelling cleanup crews in community aquariums.
• Rainbow Fish 24 SKUs of colorful rainbow fish species including Boesemani Rainbow for community aquariums.
• Rams and Dwarf Cichlids 19 SKUs of dwarf cichlids including German Blue Rams for community and species tanks.
• Geophagus Cichlids 10 SKUs of Geophagus cichlids including Geophagus Sveni, eartheaters for larger freshwater setups.
• Loaches and Sharks 18 SKUs of loach species and freshwater sharks including Tiger Loach Botia Striata for community aquariums.
• Synodontis and Other Catfish 16 SKUs of Synodontis catfish and other bottom-dwelling freshwater species.
• Large and Aggressive Fish 31 SKUs of large or aggressive freshwater species including Red Belly Piranha for advanced hobbyists.
• Barbs 15 SKUs of barb species including Rose Line Barb for community tanks.
• Severum and South American Cichlids 16 SKUs of South American cichlids including Red Severum for medium to large community and species tanks.
• Silver Dollar Fish 7 SKUs of Silver Dollar fish including Tiger Silver Dollar for community and planted tanks.
• What You See, What You Get (One-of-a-Kind Specimens) Unique, individually pictured specimen fish sold on a 'what you see is what you get' basis for collectors.
• Miscellaneous Freshwater Fish 27 SKUs of varied freshwater fish including KilliFish and other specialty species.
• Glo-Fish 6 SKUs of genetically modified fluorescent Glo-Fish for novelty and beginner aquariums.
• Live Aquatic Plants and Plant Care 104 varieties of live aquatic plants including Tiger Lotus (Nyphaea zenkeri) and complementary plant care products for planted tank hobbyists.
• Freshwater Shrimp and Crayfish 11 SKUs of freshwater invertebrates including Red Cherry Shrimp, Amano Shrimp, Vampire Shrimp, and Electric Orange Crayfish.
• Freshwater Snails 8 SKUs of freshwater snails including Assassin Snails, Black/Blue/Gold Mystery Snails, Zebra Nerite Snail, and Golden Rabbit Snail.
• Fish Food and Feeders 62 SKUs of dry food, frozen food, and feeder fish foods from Discus Hobby, Hikari, New Life Spectrum, Tetra, and other brands.
• CO2 Systems and Accessories 9 SKUs of CO2 regulators, inline diffusers, CO2 cylinders, reactors, and accessories from brands like Aquatop, Co2Art, and Hagen Fluval for planted aquariums.
• Water Pumps and Air Pumps 5 SKUs of water pumps and air pumps including Supreme Aqua Supreme models for water and air circulation in aquariums.
• Reverse Osmosis Systems 30 SKUs of reverse osmosis water purification systems including the Typhoon III Extreme 150 GPD unit for aquarium water preparation.
• Bio Filters and Accessories 18 SKUs of biological filtration equipment including the NuClear Filter for aquarium biological filtration.
• Aquarium Heaters 5 SKUs of aquarium heaters including Eheim Ebo Jager models for temperature control in tropical aquariums.
• Aquarium Lighting 10 SKUs of aquarium lighting solutions including Finnex PlantedPlus models for planted and tropical tanks.
• Aquarium Medications 11 SKUs of tropical fish medications including API General Cure for parasite and disease treatment.
• Accessories and Test Kits 20 SKUs of aquarium accessories and water test kits including API Master Test Kit for water quality monitoring.
• Breeding Items and Supplies 12 SKUs of breeding supplies including spawning caves for plecostomus in various sizes and shapes, spawning cones, spawning slates, and Hikari fry foods.
• DM Specials (Featured and Discounted Products) 11 SKUs of special discounted or featured fish, plants, and aquarium products.
• DM Gift Certificates Discus Madness gift certificates redeemable across the fish, plant, and supplies catalog.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Petco: National specialty pet retailer with significant aquatics category presence and ownership of LiveAquaria; represents both a competitor and a potential acquirer/strategic partner for specialty players like Discus Madness.
• Chewy: Dominant online pet supplies retailer with growing aquatics equipment and supply assortment; less of a live-fish threat but a significant competitor on consumables (food, filters, lighting) and equipment categories.
• PetSmart: Largest North American specialty pet retailer with national store footprint and growing live-fish and aquatics assortment; competes primarily on convenience and price at the entry level rather than on rare livestock or hobbyist expertise.
• LiveAquaria: Major online specialty aquatics retailer owned by Petco, offering broad freshwater and saltwater livestock plus equipment; competes in the same online channel with significantly larger assortment and brand budget, but less Discus specialization.

Emerging players

• Aquarium Co-Op: Online-first aquatics retailer and content brand with strong YouTube presence, selling fish, plants, and supplies; comparable in direct-to-consumer hobbyist focus and digital marketing approach, though broader in species and not Discus-specific.
• Bulk Reef Supply: Online aquatics retailer and content brand with a strong saltwater/reef focus but growing freshwater presence; comparable in content-driven, hobbyist-targeted e-commerce model and brand-building approach.

Direct peers

• Wet Spot Tropical Fish: Long-running specialty freshwater fish retailer (Portland, OR) with a strong reputation in the Discus and planted tank hobbyist community; directly comparable in business model, target customer, and rare-livestock specialization.
• Imperial Tropicals: Florida-based importer and retailer of freshwater fish and aquatic plants, serving both hobbyists and wholesale buyers; directly comparable in product mix (Discus, plecos, plants) and live-fish logistics expertise.
• Aqua Huna: Online specialty retailer focused on rare and high-end freshwater fish including Discus and plecos; directly comparable in niche specialization and national live-shipping model.
• That Pet Place (formerly That Fish Place): Lancaster, PA-based specialty pet retail destination with deep aquatics assortment, large showroom footprint, and national e-commerce reach; the closest direct competitor in scale, omnichannel structure, and aquarium hobbyist positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/discusmadness
• YouTubeyoutube.com/discusmadnessinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/DiscusMadnessInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/discusmadnessinc
• TikToktiktok.com/@discusmadness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/discus-madness-inc

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 Discus Madness