Becoming a Customer
How can I become an Aquatropic customer? To become an Aquatropic customer we require that your store be listed in your local phone directory under the heading of “Pet Stores, Aquariums, Tropical Fish, etc”. If you are a new store and your Yellow page ad missed the print date we will also accept a signed lease agreement with a description of the type of business to be conducted from the location leased. We also require a copy of your valid business license.
Do you allow jobbers or the public to purchase from you? No, we are very strict in ensuring that the public and jobbers are unable to enter our facility, much less buy from us. We value the relationship we have with our customers and don’t want to do a disservice to them by selling to their customers.
General
What types of dry-goods products do you carry? We carry an expanding variety of dry goods products consisting of books, food, test kits, supplements, plumbing, pumps, filtration, lighting, aquariums, commercial products, and more. To see our full range of products please visit our dry goods section on this website.
Live Stock Information
Are you able to special order items?Yes, we can special order specific items that are not part of our typical inventory. For expensive and/or large items, a deposit may be required. Additionally, there is no guarantee on timeframe of shipment of specially ordered item. Many species are seasonal and unavailable at different times throughout the year.
Do you guarantee live arrival or offer any other mortality policy? We offer 100% live arrival on direct commercial airport-to-airport flights only. All other methods of transportation are evaluated on a case by case basis with a maximum of 50% credit. All mortality claims should be made by the next business day and are issued as a credit memo to be applied to the next Aquatropic purchase only. Credit memos must be applied within 30 days.
How often do you update your stock list? Unlike other wholesale companies, our stock list is dynamic and always up to date. Once an item is ordered and entered into our computer it is immediately removed from our stock list. This allows our customers to always have an accurate idea of what we carry at any time. To obtain an up to date list call or email your sales rep to fax or email a copy, or log in to your account on this website to download a printable copy.
Why are some of your fish more expensive than those same species of your competitors?At Aquatropic we strive to be the best value of any wholesaler. We go to great lengths to ensure that our fish are collected and transported with the utmost level of care. We pay our suppliers fair market value of fish, allowing our suppliers to be able to afford to pay good attention to the husbandry required while the animals are in their care. On our end, we are constantly improving our holding systems to provide the best water conditions possible and reduce the high amount of stress caused by the shipping process. Our belief is that by providing the healthiest fish and invertebrates available; our customers can obtain lower mortality rates and in turn reduce the need to have higher profit margins to make up for the loss.
Payment and purchase information
How do I place an order?Orders can be placed by phone, fax, or through our secure online ordering system. We recommend that if placing an order by phone you have a current stock list available to reference.
What are your minimum purchase requirements? For Aquatropic orders not combined with Quality Marine orders we require ship out and local customers to purchase a minimum of $150. If combining with a Quality Marine order, the Aquatropic order may be used in order to reach the minimum for Quality Marine orders.
Shipping and Acclimation
How are the fish packed to ensure healthy arrival?Conditioned fish are shipped in filtered and aerated freshwater. For many sensitive species we add Methylene blue to the shipping water. All of our fish are packed in heavy duty polyethylene bags custom made for each item to insure safe arrival. Each bag is filled with fresh water (not the water from the collection containers) and pure oxygen is added for fish respiration. Temperatures along shipping routes are determined each day and heat and ice packs are added to individual boxes as needed. We use Styrofoam inner boxes and corrugated outer cartons for all shipments. A box charge is made depending on the style of shipping container used.
How should we acclimate our fish and inverts upon arrival?We recommend that boxes should be opened and fish be acclimated in low light to reduce fish stress. For most species, bags should be floated for 20 -30 minutes in the tanks that will house them to compensate for water temperature differences. However, if there is any indication that the water has fouled, it is recommended that the bag is floated for no more than 15 minutes and the inhabitant should immediately be released to clean water. It is always recommended that you have an idea of the pH of the water used for shipping. This will allow you to adjust your system as necessary. Drastic changes in water quality greatly reduce survivability.
