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Think back to the first time you saw a reef tank in person. For a lot of us, it happened at a local fish store.
Biota only offers wholesale accounts to traditional brick and mortar aquarium stores with regular walk in retail business hours. We get questions about this often, and we completely understand why, so we wanted to share our reasoning behind our policy.
This policy isn't about shutting anyone out. It's about showing up for the stores that show up for all of us.
Cardinal Aquariums
Your local fish store is where so much of this hobby actually happens. It's where kids press their faces against the glass and fall in love with the ocean for the first time and grow up dedicated to protecting it. It's where a nervous beginner gets their water tested for the 4th time, hoping this time it "passes" and they can add their first fish. It's where your local aquarium club has meetings and meet-ups. It's where you run to at 8 p.m. on a Saturday when you remember you ran out of frozen fish food. 
Discover Aquatics Shop
Stores also give our animals the best possible first impression. Customers get to see a fish swimming, eating, and settled in before they bring it home. You just can't replace that.
All of that takes a serious investment. Store owners have put their own money, time, and heart into a physical space with rent, utilities to run dozens (sometimes hundreds) of tanks around the clock, staff, insurance, and the everyday cost of caring for live animals. They've bet everything on this industry and this hobby, and we think that deserves to be recognized and supported.
The Crimson Reef
There was a time when a local fish store could count on being the go-to for fish, corals, and products. Over the past decade, most of that exclusivity has disappeared. Stores now share the market with retailers like Amazon who are allowed to sell a lot of products for less than the LFS owner can buy it wholesale. Amazon can't test your water, help you set your light timer, or help you save your ailing fish. But that competition still makes it harder and harder to keep the doors open.
We can't fix that on our own, but we can make sure that when a store carries Biota animals, it's carrying something special that it doesn't have to compete with every other seller for. Keeping our wholesale accounts focused on brick and mortar stores is our way of giving back a little of what they've lost.
Many wholesalers are happy to open an account for anyone with a resale certificate and a website, and that works for them. We've simply chosen a different path, and we apply it the same way across the board. That means we don't open wholesale accounts for online only vendors or aquarium maintenance companies, and we don't open them for the biggest online retailers in the hobby, either.
So if we aren't able to offer you an account, please know it isn't personal. It's the same answer we give everyone, and staying consistent is what makes it meaningful to the stores who count on us.
Austin Aquadome
To open a Biota wholesale account, your business needs to be a brick and mortar aquarium store with regular walk in retail business hours, meaning a physical storefront that's open to the public on a set schedule.
That means home based businesses, coral farms, and aquarium maintenance businesses aren't eligible unless they also operate a qualifying storefront. Plenty of these folks are doing wonderful work, and many of them care about aquacultured animals every bit as much as we do. This policy isn't a judgment on anyone's passion or skill.
There's also a practical reason. Our website has a store locator map that sends hobbyists to the addresses of shops carrying our animals. We want customers and our partner stores to have a safe, easy experience, and that's something a public storefront with set hours can offer in a way that a private residence can not.
Ellis Aquatics
If you don't qualify for a wholesale account, you can still get our fish and corals. Our retail website is open to everyone, so you can shop for the same captive bred animals for your own tanks or your customers' tanks. The only difference is that wholesale pricing is reserved for stores reselling to the public.
And if you ever open a brick and mortar store that meets requirements, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out once you're in your new space and we'll be happy to talk about an account.
Aquatics Galore
We raise our animals with a lot of care, and it means so much to us when they end up in stores that care for them just as well (Check out Discover Aquatics Shop's Yellow Tang tank). These stores on our map have built something special in their communities, and they're a huge reason we and this entire hobby keeps growing.
So next time you're nearby, stop in. Say hi, check out what's new in the tanks or on the shelf, and pick up your essentials rather than buying them online. Every visit helps keep these stores thriving, and a thriving local fish store is good news for every hobbyist in town.
Minnesota Aquatics
