Aquacultured by QM Labs For Sale

QM Labs is Quality Marine's aquaculture facility in Los Angeles, California. It is a working hatchery where marine fish are spawned, hatched, and raised through to the size you receive, all within the same building.

What sets the program apart:

A full-cycle hatchery – broodstock, larval rearing, grow-out and conditioning all happen in house.
More than 22 species raised to date – including several that had never been bred commercially before.
Domestic production – fish are raised in the United States and shipped from Los Angeles.
Decades of husbandry behind it – the program is built on a long history of holding and conditioning marine life.

Bottom line: every QM Labs animal in this category carries the QM Labs name directly in the product title, so you always know exactly where it was raised.

It means the fish was born in the hatchery and has spent its entire life in an aquarium. From egg to the day it ships, a QM Labs fish has never known anything but a managed system.

What that gives you on arrival:

Already eating prepared foods – these fish are trained on pellets, flake and frozen from the start, so there is no coaxing required.
Accustomed to aquarium life – tank walls, water movement, lighting and feeding schedules are all familiar.
A short, simple journey – hatchery to holding facility to you.
Consistent, known age and size – you know exactly what stage of life the animal is in.
Broodstock traceability – the parentage of a hatchery fish is documented rather than inferred.

Bottom line: captive bred describes origin. It tells you the animal was produced rather than gathered, and that it arrives already fluent in tank life.

The program spans designer clownfish, dottybacks, gobies, blennies, angelfish, tangs and jellyfish.

What you will find in this category:

Clownfish – by far the deepest group, including Storm, Snowflake, DaVinci, Picasso, Frostbite, Wyoming White, Mocha, Darwin and Wide Band lines.
Dottybacks – Orchid Fridmani, Indigo and Dutoiti Neon.
Gobies – Blue Neon and Yellowline.
Blennies – including the Gulf Blenny.
Dwarf Angelfish – the captive bred Lemonpeel.
Tangs – the Gem Tang and Purple Tang, two of the program's landmark achievements.
Jellyfish – Moon Jellyfish and Upside Down Jellyfish for dedicated display systems.

Bottom line: availability moves as each batch reaches size, so the selection here changes over time. If something you want is sold out, join the waiting list and we will email you when it returns.

Designer morphs are clownfish selectively bred for distinctive patterns. Ocellaris and Percula clownfish naturally carry three white bars. Over successive generations, breeders select for fish whose bars broaden, connect, break apart or fill in, and those traits are then fixed into recognized lines.

How to read the names:

Snowflake and Frostbite – broadened, irregular white bars that spread across the body.
Storm lines (Black, Mocha, Snow, Solar, Super, Orange, Ice) – heavy white coverage over varying base colors.
DaVinci – flowing, painterly bars with connected edges.
Picasso and Premium Picasso – dramatic, irregular bar breaks; Premium denotes the most striking expression.
Wyoming White – near-solid white body with dark fins.
Misbar – one or more bars naturally incomplete.
Longfin – extended, flowing finnage, available across several lines.
Grade A and Grade B – how closely an individual matches the ideal pattern for its line.

Bottom line: every fish is different, which is the appeal. Two Picassos from the same spawn will not carry identical markings.

They are two of the hardest marine fish to breed, and QM Labs is one of very few programs anywhere producing them.

Why they matter:

Gem Tang – QM Labs raised the world's first aquacultured Gem Tang. Zebrasoma gemmatum is a prized, deep-water species with a limited natural range, and captive production of it is a genuine milestone.
Purple Tang – Zebrasoma xanthurum is a long-standing centerpiece species, and QM Labs is among a small handful of programs raising it.
Surgeonfish are difficult to rear – tang larvae are tiny, fragile, and require an extended larval period, which is why so few species have ever been bred commercially.
Tank raised from day one – both arrive eating prepared foods and already settled into aquarium life.

Bottom line: these fish appear in limited numbers as each batch reaches size. When one is listed, it does not stay listed long.

Expect a fish that already knows how to live in an aquarium. A hatchery-raised animal arrives eating prepared foods and comfortable in a managed system, which makes the first days considerably easier.

Getting the most out of arrival day:

Acclimate slowly – drip acclimation over 45 to 60 minutes lets the fish adjust to your water chemistry gently.
Dim the lights – lower light for the first several hours reduces stress while the fish gets its bearings.
Offer food the same day – captive bred fish usually eat right away, and an early meal is a great sign.
Use familiar foods – quality pellets, flake or frozen are what these fish were raised on.
Give it cover – rockwork and hiding places help any new arrival settle in faster.

Bottom line: every order ships with our 8-Day Live Guarantee, so you are covered while your new arrival settles in. Browse the full Aquacultured by QM Labs selection, or see all of our Captive Bred Fish.