Tetra (company)

Infobox_Company
company_name = Tetra Holding GmbH.
company_
company_type = affiliated entity of Spectrum Brands
foundation = Germany (1950)
location = Melle, Germany
key_people = Wolfgang Mollenhauer, Detlef Thoben General management
num_employees = 700(2006)
industry = Fishkeeping
products = Tetramin
Aquasafe
Tetratec
| homepage = [http://www.tetrafish.com/ www.tetrafish.com]
revenue = $181 million US (2001)
$154 million US (2000)
$152 million US (1999)

Tetra or the Tetra Werke (Company) is a fish food manufacturing company founded by a young German scientist, Dr. Ulrich Baensch. [ [http://www.tetra-fish.com/about.aspx Tetra Werke Company Profile (U.S. Website) Spectrum Brands, Inc., Blacksburg, VA, U.S.A., date retrieved: 28 May 2007] ]

History and profile

In the 1950s, there where only about 50,000 fish keepers in Germany and the hobby was, at the time, considered as traditionally very time-consuming, rare, difficult and complicated because it required routine collection of live food from streams and river beds, until the invention of dried flake food ("Tetramin") for tropical fish by Dr. Ulrich Baensch. Baensch's "Tetramin" fish food consisted of four different type of flakes and vitamins. The brand name "Tetramin" was derived from the Greek word "Tetra" (meaning "four") and the third syllable of the word, vitamin.

[http://uk.tetra.de/tetra/go/9AAEDF317E96C076A8C7190245AA5C76/?lang_id=2&action=ChangeLanguage Tetra Werke Company History and Profile, Tetra - Partner for Fishkeeping and Ponds, Tetra Germany Website, Tetra GmbH Herrenteich 7849324, Melle, Germany, date retrieved: 28 May 2007] ]

The invention of "Tetramin" flakes, in its trademark yellow tin and brown lid, dramatically changed the fishkeeping hobby from a minor aquatic specialty into a favorite of millions of enthusiasts all over the world, thus making "Tetramin" a notable brand of fish food and Tetra Werke as globally recognized company in the industry, earning international affiliate.

The Tetra group employs over 700 colleagues, has representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide and is the largest manufacturer of aquaristic and pond products in the world. Apart from pet food, Tetra supplies fish keepers and pond owners with a complete range of other products such as water conditioners, plant conditioners, technical equipments and medicinal products.

It was once a part of Warner-Lambert and was later acquired by Pfizer.In December 2002, Pfizer sold the Tetra aquaristic and pond business to the "Triton Fund", a private independent European investment fund. Investors in the Triton Fund include European insurances and banks as well as significant American institutions. The Triton Fund paid $238.5 million US for the Tetra business. Three years later, on April 29, 2005, Tetra Holding GmbH was acquired by Spectrum Brands, a global consumer products company. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3DC133CF935A25750C0A9639C8B63 "Company News; RAYOVAC to buy Tetra, German Maker of Pet Supplies", New York Times, March 16, 2005] ]

Tetra Company in the news

Criticisms

The Tetra Company was heavily criticized by the marine fishkeeping community after its appearance on Good Morning America in which it claimed that one of its kits, a 10g aquarium and filter, could support the fish from Finding Nemo (a Hippo Tang and Clownfish). Most hobbyists pointed out that the Tang alone needs a much larger aquarium (at least 4' in length) and that it would die in such conditions. [ [http://www.animalnetwork.com/wgn/detail.aspx?aid=22501&cid=4070&category= "Morning News (ABC's "Good Morning America") to Install Pond", Wet Garden News Magazine, June 24, 2005] ]

Competitors

* Eheim
* Sera
* JBL

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

# [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA061FFC3E5D0C738DDDAB0894DE494D81 "Stock Up on Rumors At Warner-Lambert", New York Times, February 10, 1996, Saturday, by REUTERS (NYT), Business/Financial Desk, Late Edition-Final, Section 2, Page 50, Column 3, 257 words]
# [http://www.animalnetwork.com/wgn/detail.aspx?aid=15462&cid=4070&category= "Tetra Plans Pond Support in 2005" and "TetraCare website feature" article from Water Garden News Magazine, August 5, 2004]
# [http://www.animalnetwork.com/wgn/detail.aspx?aid=23738&cid=4070&category= "Spectrum Brands Acquires Jungle Labs", Water Garden News Magazine, September 2, 2005]

ee also

*Fish food