Please click the wholesale application link to get an account approved as a dealer. Online ordering is available 24/7, you can also order by phone during office hours.
Who We Are
Northstar Aquatics is a wholesale marine and freshwater livestock distributor based in Savage, Minnesota, supplying independent pet retailers across the Midwest. We focus on quality products and exceptional customer service. We focus on quality products and exceptional customer service. We focus on quality products and exceptional customer service. We focus on quality products and exceptional customer service. We focus on quality products and exceptional customer service.
We source coral, marine and freshwater fish, plants, live and packaged foods, and invertebrates from a global network of suppliers and deliver them to your door — healthy, accurately identified, and on time. Northstar Aquatics has been exclusively supplying independently owned pet stores since 2010. For more than fifteen years, founder Dave Liemohn built the company's reputation on quality livestock and close relationships with retailers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and beyond.Northstar Aquatics has been exclusively supplying independently owned pet stores since 2010. For more than fifteen years, founder Dave Liemohn built the company's reputation on quality livestock and close relationships with retailers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and beyond.Northstar Aquatics has been exclusively supplying independently owned pet stores since 2010. For more than fifteen years, founder Dave Liemohn built the company's reputation on quality livestock and close relationships with retailers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and beyond.
Northstar Aquatics has been exclusively supplying independently owned pet stores since 2010. For more than fifteen years, founder Dave Liemohn built the company's reputation on quality livestock and close relationships with retailers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and beyond.Northstar Aquatics has been exclusively supplying independently owned pet stores since 2010. For more than fifteen years, founder Dave Liemohn built the company's reputation on quality livestock and close relationships with retailers across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and beyond.
In early 2026, Dave passed the business to Justin LaMachia and Nathanael Stephens — two owners he had known personally for years and trusted to carry the company's legacy forward. The team retailers have worked with all along is still here. What's changed is a renewed focus on expanding the variety of livestock we carry, strengthening our operations, and giving every partner even more personalized service.
If you have any questions, please reach out. Something you need that you cant find, we are on it.
Our Commitment to Independent Retailers
Our Commitment to Independent Retailers
We built Northstar around independent, brick-and-mortar pet stores — not big-box chains or direct-to-hobbyist shipping. We believe a sustainable aquarium trade needs both ends of the chain: a wholesaler who knows livestock, and a retailer who knows their customers. Every decision we make, from sourcing to route scheduling, is built around making our retail partners more successful.
Our Sourcing Network
Our Sourcing Network
We source livestock through a mix of direct import relationships and trusted importer partners across the globe — from fish and coral suppliers in Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, to Caribbean and South American marine and freshwater sources. That combination gives our retail partners broader variety and steadier availability than a single-source or Importer can offer. We're also developing exclusive breeding partnerships both locally and around the world — including an in-progress guppy breeding line out of Sri Lanka — to bring retailers species they can't get anywhere else.
Dry Goods & Supplies
Alongside livestock, we carry top dry goods lines including Lee’s, Marco Rock, Instant Ocean, Reed Mariculture/Reef Nutrition, and Hikari just to name a few — so your restock order can be one call, not five.
If there is anything you are looking for don't hesitate to reach out. We are adding new products all the time.
Our Live Arrival Guarantee
Our Live Arrival Guarantee
We stand behind the health of everything we ship. Northstar offers a live arrival guarantee on our livestock — if something doesn't survive the trip, let us know and we'll make it right. Our goal is for every order to arrive in the same condition it left our facility.
Delivery & Logistics
Delivery & Logistics
We run several regional delivery routes covering our service area, with third-party carrier backup so your order still arrives even if a route is skipped for weather or volume. Everything moves through our central holding facility designed to keep livestock stable from arrival to delivery. We are centrally located in the Minneapolis metro area and we ship on all major airlines and overnight carriers nationwide. If you are in the Midwest, we may already deliver to your area.
Our Substitution Policy
Our Substitution Policy
We don't substitute livestock without your say-so. If an item on your order isn't available, we mark it as Out of Stock rather than swapping in something else — any substitution happens only with your store's explicit approval first. Your order should reflect what you asked for, not what was convenient for us to ship.