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Public Aquaria

Tropical Marine Centre are uniquely positioned in being able to support Public Aquariums in many areas – from ethically sourced marine fish and invertebrates, to filtration systems and specialist lighting as well as monitoring & control equipment and ancillaries such as synthetic sea salt and foods. Indeed, over the last 50 years we have worked with most public aquaria across Europe and many across the globe. 

For us, livestock was where it all started. We have in stock, at any one time, more than 1800 species of fish and invertebrates across our 4 fish houses (London, Manchester, Bristol and Lisbon, Portugal) including many tank bred and cultured species. Our objective from the start was to be the leading wholesaler of ethically and sustainably sourced marine livestock. This approach has remained unchanged with suppliers in 26 different countries worldwide.

Tropical Marine Centre also supports many conservation organisations around the world to ensure the fishkeeping hobby is regulated and conducted according to best practice guidelines.

For more information on our livestock availability, please refer to the Livestock section of our website, or contact us directly to discuss your requirements. You are also welcome to visit us at one of our branches to hand select, or review your project needs with one of our expert livestock staff. 



Public aquarium filtration systems need to be designed to support the health and welfare of the animals in our care, as well as providing optimum conditions for public viewing. Maintaining ideal water parameters, as well as providing the correct lighting are paramount in achieving this.
Biosystems filtration systems are ideally suited to public aquarium displays, with our complete plug and play solutions being popular for smaller applications and quarantine facilities. These are supplied pre manufactured and can be assembled in a just a few hours. 


For larger applications we can design a customised solution, as well as supply filtration components to enhance existing systems, notably the RK2 range of protein skimmers, Waterco Pumps and Waterco Sand Filters, and Bio-UV sterilisers for larger flow applications.


Our Biolumen range of lights offer a comprehensive range of fixtures to fit all display biotopes and sizes, from the very smallest, to specialist displays such as Jellyfish, to large ocean tanks.


Lighting is an area that has been receiving a lot of attention of late, and it is only right that is seen as a primary component of any life support system. Light does not just provide the ability for an organism to see but is now well understood as being important in driving biological pathways such as hormone regulation. Historically, standard metal halide and fluorescent lights have been used, which were initially designed to meet our own spectral sensitivity range. However, our eyes and how we see is vastly different to that of aquatic organisms. Providing light that does not match the spectral sensitivity of the animal in our care can impair vision as well as negatively impact biological pathways…resulting in stress, reduced feeding and poor health. 

By looking into the optic biology and photic conditions of a species, we can understand more about its needs and design a lighting system that meets its requirements more closely. With the advent of the Light Emitting Diode (LED), we are now able to adjust the spectrum to suit the species visual sensitivity range, as well as control the intensity much more precisely. Coupling LEDs with a suitable controller, such as our Biolumen Biocontrol, enables us to create a natural photoperiod that supports the circadian rhythm and associated hormonal cycles. We are also able to mimic seasonal shifts over time (as well as track the seasonal variations for any point on the surface of the earth!) that can support broodstock maturation. 

Biolumen lighting systems have been designed and manufactured in the UK to operate in harsh environments, providing safe and reliable fixtures that offer energy savings, a reduction in your CO2 footprint and importantly a lighting system in tune with nature. 

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