Tropical Marine Centre (TMC) Supplies retail aquarium shops with the highest quality and widest selection of tank-raised and sustainable caught marine fish, corals and invertebrates. His vision was to ensure that the livestock reaching the UK did so ethically, safely and with zero losses, both during collection and transit, with all fish being in the best of health when finally available for sale in a local fish shop. Since day one TMC has had this zero-loss philosophy and instils this in suppliers, shippers and TMC staff. Importing livestock is an expensive and risky business. In the 1970s, TMC started researching transportation methods as well as collection and packing techniques, with the key objective of ensuring that the livestock is properly cared for and has the best chance of survival, rather than for any commercial gain. We firmly believe that the animals we are transporting deserve respect and should never have to suffer as result of our desire to keep them in our homes. It is for this reason that TMC livestock is collected by hand and net only and has been since the company began operating. We also researched the best methods for holding livestock during and after collection, finally perfecting acclimation procedures and then designing recirculation systems which would service the holding tanks. It may be hard to believe, but these things never really existed in the 1970s! Feeding practices came after, as did advances in filtration. We started manufacturing our own UVs in 1983, purely for the purpose of improving water quality at our premises, backing up our zero loss philosophy. We were the first company in the world to make UVs designed for aquariums and this was the first product in a long line of dry goods which we have subsequently brought to the consumer market. With regards to fish collecting, we only catch what we need and try to work with suppliers based as close to the reefs as possible to minimise the length of transport time. Our animals are often collected in the morning and, by the afternoon, they will be back in the catching station in properly filtered systems - we provide many of our suppliers with filtration systems and equipment so the animals they are holding are kept in the best conditions whilst in their care, something which is unique to TMC. This is in sharp contrast to many other companies who may work with suppliers that keep fish for days on a boat without any decent filtration or in a substation waiting to be moved to a larger station, then moved somewhere else, and so on, until sold. This reduced travel time means less stress, faster recovery and therefore healthier, stronger fish able to withstand onwards shipping to the UK. Ultimately these healthier, well cared for fish help the hobbyist to maintain a successful home aquarium!
