Biota fans, we appreciate your love, support, and enthusiasm. The most frequently asked question we get at Biota is "When will my favorite species be available as aquacultured?"

Though a small number marine ornamental fish species have been bred in the last few decades, making them commercially available comes with a new set of challenges for breeders. Commercial marine ornamental fish aquaculture is still in its infancy, and the technology to produce many of the fish species we carry is cutting-edge. It's why we are so proud of our partnership with Dr. Chad Callan and his team at the @Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University for helping us make 100% captive cultured Yellow Tang commercially available to countries around the globe! We also regularly stock hundreds of sustainably cultured fish, coral, clam, and invert products for your home aquarium.

There is still much to learn, and our world-class aquaculturists are eager to advance humanity's collective aquaculture knowledge. Starting new commercial aquaculture projects takes a considerable investment, and only with public support now for the aquacultured animals we have available today can we hope to expand our catalog to include YOUR favorite species!

You can make a difference. If you're considering a new pet for your aquarium, please consider an aquacultured pet. Since Biota ONLY stocks cultured animals, you can feel good about where your saltwater pets come from. As an added bonus, you know you're getting a pet that has been trained from a young age to eat readily available prepared foods, and is well-conditioned its entire life to captive conditions.

It is our dream that one day all marine species kept in aquariums will be available as aquacultured alternatives. Each of us at Biota was inspired at an early age by an aquarium, and we feel that aquariums are a great way to inspire people to love and care for our planet.

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught." (Baba Dioum, 1968.)

photo credit: Jocelyn Wilson - her pet Biota yellow tang named Lello

Mandarin fish are so fascinating!