Aqua Imports
Aqua Imports is a Boulder, Colorado-based specialty aquarium retailer selling rare tropical fish, marine livestock, aquatic plants, reptiles, and supplies to individual hobbyists through a single retail store and a nationwide e-commerce platform, shipping live animals under an Arrive Alive Guarantee.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aqua Imports does
Aqua Imports is a specialty aquarium and live livestock retailer founded in 1989 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The company sells freshwater fish, marine and reef livestock (including corals and invertebrates), freshwater plants, reptiles, amphibians, and dry goods to individual aquarium hobbyists across the United States. It operates a dual-channel model combining a single physical retail showroom at 2690 28th St with a nationwide e-commerce platform launched in 2017 that ships live animals overnight to the 48 continental states under an Arrive Alive Guarantee.
The business differentiates itself through direct sourcing relationships with exporters and collectors in more than 20 countries, enabling access to rare and wild-caught species with detailed provenance information (country and river of origin). A Special Orders service allows customers to request hard-to-find livestock not currently in stock. Volume discounts on select species and promotional bundles indicate some effort to capture bulk buyers, while gift cards in standard denominations up to $250 provide a minor add-on revenue stream.
Aqua Imports is privately held, founder-owned, and self-funded with no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. The company has 1-10 employees and relies on a standard e-commerce content platform (WordPress/WooCommerce) with no proprietary technology disclosed. Marketing is driven by website content, an active Facebook presence, email stock-update newsletters, and a strong Google review profile (4.7 stars across 925+ reviews).
Aqua Imports firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aqua Imports
- Legal name
- Aqua Imports
- Website
- https://aqua-imports.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aqua Imports is a Boulder, Colorado-based specialty aquarium retailer selling rare tropical fish, marine livestock, aquatic plants, reptiles, and supplies to individual hobbyists through a single retail store and a nationwide e-commerce platform, shipping live animals under an Arrive Alive Guarantee.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aqua Imports industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Pet Retail — Live Aquarium Livestock and Supplies
- NAICS
- Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (45991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)
Keywords
Where Aqua Imports is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aqua Imports business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Live Aquatic Livestock Sales: One-time product sales of freshwater fish, marine fish, corals, invertebrates, aquatic plants, and reptiles through both retail store and e-commerce channels.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, and $250, redeemable at Aqua Imports.
- Special Orders: Custom sourcing of specific rare or hard-to-find species upon customer request.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift cards available in standard denominations |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quantity-based volume discounts on Lake Turkana Senegal Bichir |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | promotional pricing on rare species |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Aqua Imports product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aqua Imports is a specialty aquarium retailer that sells live aquatic livestock — freshwater fish, marine fish, corals, invertebrates, aquatic plants, reptiles, and amphibians — together with aquarium dry goods and supplies. The business combines a physical retail store in Boulder, Colorado with a nationwide e-commerce platform that ships live animals overnight with an Arrive Alive Guarantee across the 48 continental United States.
Product overview
Aqua Imports is a specialty aquarium retailer offering a comprehensive catalog of aquatic livestock and supplies. The core product lines include freshwater fish (tetras, cichlids, catfish, plecos, bettas, goldfish, and rare oddballs), marine and reef livestock (saltwater fish, corals, and invertebrates), freshwater plants (bunch, bare root, floating, and potted varieties), freshwater invertebrates, and dry goods. The company operates a dual business model combining a physical retail store in Boulder, Colorado with a nationwide e-commerce platform. Additional services include special orders for hard-to-find species, gift cards, and a live arrival guarantee program backed by professional packing and overnight shipping.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Aqua Imports
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Aqua Imports technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aqua Imports partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aqua Imports competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Saltwaterfish.com: Saltwaterfish.com is a leading online-only retailer specializing in marine fish, corals, and invertebrates with a Live Arrival Guarantee. It directly competes with Aqua Imports in the marine/reef livestock segment and on nationwide shipping of live saltwater animals.
- LiveAquaria: LiveAquaria is one of the largest US online retailers of freshwater fish, marine fish, corals, and aquarium livestock with nationwide shipping. It directly competes with Aqua Imports in the online live aquatic livestock category, particularly in rare and wild-caught species.
- Reef2Land: Reef2Land is an online specialty retailer focused on corals, marine fish, and reef-keeping livestock. It competes in the same marine/reef segment as Aqua Imports and overlaps in saltwater hobbyist customers seeking online rare-species sourcing.
- AquaCave: AquaCave is an online retailer of freshwater fish, plants, and aquarium supplies with a focus on planted tank hobbyists. It overlaps with Aqua Imports in freshwater livestock, aquatic plants, and dry goods, and competes for the same nationwide online audience.
- That Pet Place: That Pet Place (That Fish Place) in Lancaster, PA is a large specialty pet and aquarium retailer with a strong online store for fish, reptiles, and aquarium supplies. It is a comparable specialty omni-channel retailer with a deep aquarium and exotic livestock assortment.
- House of Tropicals: House of Tropicals is a Maryland-based specialty aquarium retailer that ships freshwater fish, plants, and aquarium supplies. It is a comparable independent store specializing in tropical fish and aquascaping, directly competing in the hobbyist niche.
- Wet Spot Tropical Fish: Wet Spot Tropical Fish is a long-established, family-owned specialty aquarium retailer in Portland, OR that ships freshwater fish, plants, and invertebrates nationwide. Like Aqua Imports, it competes on rare tropical fish, expert curation, and a strong hobbyist community brand.
Broad incumbents
- PetSmart: PetSmart is the largest US specialty pet retailer, offering aquarium fish, supplies, and reptile merchandise across 1,000+ stores. While its assortment is shallower on rare species, it competes for entry-level and mid-tier aquarium hobbyists and exerts pricing pressure on commodity livestock and supplies.
- Petco: Petco is a major US pet retailer with a meaningful aquarium and reptile assortment across hundreds of stores and a strong e-commerce platform. It competes with Aqua Imports broadly on price, convenience, and supply, but lacks the deep rare-species offering.
Emerging players
- Dynasty Marine: Dynasty Marine is a Florida-based marine livestock wholesaler and online retailer specializing in aquarium fish, corals, and invertebrates. It is comparable as a vertically focused marine livestock supplier with direct international sourcing, though positioned at the wholesale/advanced hobbyist end of the market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aqua Imports social profiles
Digital presenceAqua Imports financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aqua Imports leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Aqua Imports funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aqua Imports 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 Aqua Imports
What does Aqua Imports do?
Aqua Imports is a specialty aquarium retailer that sells live aquatic livestock — freshwater fish, marine fish, corals, invertebrates, aquatic plants, reptiles, and amphibians — together with aquarium dry goods and supplies. The business combines a physical retail store in Boulder, Colorado with a nationwide e-commerce platform that ships live animals overnight with an Arrive Alive Guarantee across the 48 continental United States.
Is Aqua Imports a public or private company?
Aqua Imports is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Aqua Imports founded?
Aqua Imports was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aqua Imports based?
Aqua Imports is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aqua Imports make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Live Aquatic Livestock Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards and special Orders.
Who are Aqua Imports's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Saltwaterfish.com, LiveAquaria, Reef2Land, AquaCave, That Pet Place, House of Tropicals and Wet Spot Tropical Fish. Broad incumbents are PetSmart and Petco. Dynasty Marine is listed as an emerging player.
Does Aqua Imports have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aqua Imports.
What industry is Aqua Imports in?
Aqua Imports's product category is Specialty Pet Retail — Live Aquarium Livestock and Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAHAI, Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 45991.