Aquariums from the country on the Atlantic

The company that calls itself Europe's biggest supplier of aquariums is based in Portugal. Currently Aquatlantis offers a range of around 100 aqua-rium and terrarium models. Every day the 173 employees produce up to 700 units. The product programme also includes accessories for both aquariums and pets.Aquatlantis was founded in 1996 by José Pereira, who had recourse to several decades of experience in the production of aquariums even at that time. Since then the company has achieved average growth rates in double digits year on year. It is currently managed by David and Cristina Pereira, children of the company's founder. The strong growth-rate experienced by the business made it necessary to move to a bigger production facility in 2004.In addition to the Aquatlantis aquarium brand, the manufacturer also has other brands on the market: Terratlantis for terrariums, Tecatlantis for technical equipment and Aquatlantis Shopfittings for setting up sales outlets in the pet trade.

The supplier lives mainly from exports, which make up around 95 per cent of production. These products are distributed throughout Europe, even as far as Russia; countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates and China are also on the list of importers. The most important export country is France, which represents 35 per cent of sales. However, the company reports that sales are also seeing strong development in the home market, in Spain, Italy and the Benelux states. At present there is a push towards expansion in the German market.Among the most widely distributed aquarium models is the Elegance Plus range. The latest range is called Ultra Clear, which is avant-garde in design and available for both freshwater and marine uses.Aquariums are the main product, but alongside them in the range are lighting systems, including the T5 and T8 lines. All Aqualantis aquariums are equipped with LED technology. The supplier claims that Easy LED, its own development, is characterised by economy, environmental compatibility and durability.A new addition is the Easy LED Universal lighting system. It can be installed in any aquarium of any brand represented on the market, and is available in seven different sizes. The new-generation LEDs result in a high level of luminous efficiency…