Coast Tropicals vs Quality Marine vs Sea Dwelling Critters

[LBC]

Which importer is the largest supplier?

I'm doing a paper on the saltwater livestock trade for my marine ecology concentration at CSULB, and am having a hard time connecting the dots between the fish's path from overseas/florida? collectors to the importers a la the 'Walt Smith' originating model.

 

[pmoneyt]

Quality Marine in my opinion

 

[LBC]

Thanks for the input!

Heres Sea Dwelling Critters claims:

Located just 300 feet from LAX airport, Sea Dwelling Creatures, Inc. is the Nation's largest Marine Wholesaler with over 120,000 gallons of holding tanks.

Unlike other Los Angeles based wholesalers, SDC focuses on ?SHIP OUT? customers across the country and around the world, which ensures that our "ship out customers" get the first pick at the largest weekly variety available from one location. SDC is proud to be part of a select few Wholesale facilities that are certified by the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC).

Quality Marine focuses more on local buyers and obviously give the store owners that pick up livestock 1st choice, and the mailorder fulfillment like for liveaquaria, petsolutions, petco, etc retail customers seem to get the leftovers.

Coast Tropical in my impression is the smallest in terms of size and customers but I think they are the mostly widely spread, since they do not limit themselves to Marine, but instead supply freshwater fish, inverts and plants, too! They're family run and seem to package their fish plants & inverts with more individual packing/care <3

UWWE I need to look into closer; they have a 75,000 total system between salt/fresh and do import directly.

 

[skene]

Both SDC and QM are large facilities. SDC has IMO a slightly larger facility in terms of volume over QM, being that I visited both facilities.
But with all vendors they will give priority to their more local stores as they purchase on a more frequent schedule. However that is not to say that everyone else gets leftovers, just that someone else over the internet or through the phone can beat anyone else to the punch of some of their more unique collections.

 

[LBC]

Tanks, Skene

Yep i've narrow it down to SDC & QM being the largest importer/wholesalers in the country (??)

 

[skene]

I'm really not sure what your basis is on, but unless you are able to dive into the books of wholesalers around the country... You cannot base what a company can be considered as "largest wholesaler". If you are speaking of water volume, I am sure there are many other wholesalers that have just as large a title. If you are speaking in regards to net worth and sales in general, then you would need to look into their books which I highly doubt you would be able to do.
QM and SDC are however relatively known wholesalers around the country, and the same could be said by man more as well. So you would really need to find out what you are basing information on.