AquaBella Bio Enzyme eliminates water changes, chemical additives, and manual maintenance — sold as a $27.96/mo Subscribe & Save or $34.95 single bottle across Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.
Prepared by Spot Marketing — May 2026
Ammonia and nitrates build continuously in closed systems, requiring constant manual dilution through labor-intensive water changes.
Synthetic salt, RODI water, pH adjusters, clarifiers, and chemical treatments. Reef owners spend significantly more.
The pet retail industry is optimized around selling recurring chemical fixes. A permanent biological solution threatens their model.
The paradox: AquaBella Bio Enzyme was too effective for retail — it eliminated the need for everything else. Retailers stopped stocking it. The DTC pivot bypasses them entirely.
AquaBella Bio Enzyme is the only consumer product that completes the full nitrogen cycle — aerobic nitrification and anaerobic denitrification — plus phosphate removal and organic sludge breakdown.
50% → 20%
Mortality rate reduction in commercial shrimp aquaculture.
18 years of field deployment across commercial aquaculture, vineyard wastewater management, and agricultural lagoons. Organically certified formulation.
US fish-owning households[1]. Millennials dominant cohort — digitally native, subscription-ready.
US households[1]. $80–$100/gallon setup. Highest willingness to pay for prevention.
US households (est.). $5K–$80K installations. $1K–$2K annual maintenance spend.
21.7M US households rely on septic systems (EPA / US Census)[4]. AquaBella Bio Enzyme's anaerobic digestion and sludge liquefaction capabilities directly apply to residential septic maintenance — a component of the $8.1B septic services market[5].
| Product | Format | Price | Full Denitrification | Phosphate Removal | Duration | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AquaBella Bio Enzyme | 30 ml | $27.96 sub / $34.95 | Yes | Yes | Monthly | New to DTC |
| Seachem Stability | 500 ml | $20.99[6] | Partial[7] | No | Weekly | Partial cycle only |
| API Quick Start | 473 ml | $22.36[8] | No | No | Per change | Depletes fast |
| Microbe-Lift PL | 3,785 ml | $56–63 | Partial | No | Weekly | Sulfur odor |
| Dr. Tim's One & Only | 60–120 ml | $17–34[9] | No | No | One-time | Nitrification only |
No competitor delivers the complete nitrogen cycle + phosphate removal in a single consumer product.
Seachem Stability (per their own product documentation) manages nitrates as part of the cycle but does not eliminate them[7]. AquaBella Bio Enzyme converts nitrate to harmless N₂ gas.
Cost structure per investor request: $6 true COGS separated as standalone line. Management (12.5%) and Marketing Commission (5%) apply to gross revenue. Operations (8%) covers Shopify and fulfillment, plus $6/order carrier shipping on every shipment.
| Product price | $34.95 |
| Shipping (customer pays) | $7.95 |
| Gross Revenue | $42.90 |
| COGS (bottle, cap, label, fill, box) | −$6.00 |
| Management (12.5% of revenue) | −$5.36 |
| Operations (8% Shopify + fulfillment) | −$3.43 |
| Shipping cost (carrier, $6/order) | −$6.00 |
| Marketing Commission (5% of revenue) | −$2.15 |
| Order Contribution | $19.96 |
Effective contribution margin: 46.5% on $42.90 customer payment.
| Subscription price | $27.96 |
| Shipping (free to customer) | $0.00 |
| Gross Revenue | $27.96 |
| COGS (bottle, cap, label, fill, box) | −$6.00 |
| Management (12.5% of revenue) | −$3.50 |
| Operations (8% Shopify + fulfillment) | −$2.24 |
| Shipping cost ($6/order — we absorb) | −$6.00 |
| Marketing Commission (5% of revenue) | −$1.40 |
| Bottle Contribution | $8.83 |
Compounded by ~33 month avg lifespan → sub LTV = $294.
Subscribers pay $6.99 less and skip the $7.95 shipping — a $14.94/order value gap that retains them for 33 months of recurring purchase.
AquaBella sells across Shopify, Amazon, and eBay in Year 1. Each channel carries its own cost structure — broken out in full on the next three pages. Consolidated, the business is profitable in Year 1 at the Base Case.
| Channel | Revenue | % Mix | Bottles | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | $707K | 73% | 21,909 | $47,757 | 6.8% |
| Amazon | $207K | 21% | 5,185 | $20,412 | 9.9% |
| eBay | $55K | 6% | 1,376 | $2,147 | 3.9% |
| Consolidated | $969K | 100% | 28,470 | $70,316 | 7.3% |
Shopify drives 73% of revenue and carries the subscription engine. Amazon and eBay add reach at one-time-purchase economics.
| Case | Revenue | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $969K | $70,316 | 7.3% |
| Bull | $1.17M | $134,910 | 11.5% |
Both scenarios are Year-1 profitable. Even the Base Case clears break-even on $70,316 of net profit — the downside is thin margin, not cash burn.
Total Year-1 marketing investment across all channels: $271K ($216K Shopify + $42K Amazon + $13K eBay).
Every cost line for the Shopify channel at the Base Case, separated per investor request. True COGS of $6.00/bottle stands alone; all percentage fees apply to gross revenue.
| Gross Revenue (21,909 orders · 21,909 bottles) | $706,927 |
| COGS ($6.00/bottle) | −$131,452 |
| Gross Profit | $575,475 |
| Management Fee (12.5%) | −$88,366 |
| Operations — Fulfillment (5%) | −$35,346 |
| Operations — Shipping ($6/order carrier) | −$131,452 |
| Operations — Shopify Selling Fees (3%) | −$21,208 |
| Marketing ($45K setup + $171K ad spend) | −$216,000 |
| Marketing Commission (5%) | −$35,346 |
| Net Profit / (Loss) | $47,757 |
Net margin: 6.8% of gross revenue.
| Case | Revenue | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $707K | $47,757 | 6.8% |
| Bull | $836K | $89,698 | 10.7% |
Shopify carries the subscription engine: a $6/order free-ship absorption on subscribers funds the recurring revenue that compounds across all five years.
Every cost line for the Amazon channel at the Base Case, separated per investor request. True COGS of $6.50/bottle stands alone; all percentage fees apply to gross revenue.
| Gross Revenue (5,185 orders · 5,185 bottles) | $207,144 |
| COGS ($6.50/bottle) | −$33,703 |
| Gross Profit | $173,441 |
| Management Fee (12.5%) | −$25,893 |
| Operations — Fulfillment (5%) | −$10,357 |
| Operations — Amazon FBA, Selling & Storage (31.1%) | −$64,422 |
| Marketing ($6K setup + $36K ad spend) | −$42,000 |
| Marketing Commission (5%) | −$10,357 |
| Net Profit / (Loss) | $20,412 |
Net margin: 9.9% of gross revenue.
| Case | Revenue | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $207K | $20,412 | 9.9% |
| Bull | $273K | $40,341 | 14.8% |
Amazon's 31.1% FBA, selling, and storage fee replaces the separate shipping line — fulfillment is handled by Amazon. Highest net margin of the three channels.
Every cost line for the eBay channel at the Base Case, separated per investor request. True COGS of $6.00/bottle stands alone; all percentage fees apply to gross revenue.
| Gross Revenue (1,376 orders · 1,376 bottles) | $54,955 |
| COGS ($6.00/bottle) | −$8,254 |
| Gross Profit | $46,702 |
| Management Fee (12.5%) | −$6,869 |
| Operations — Fulfillment (5%) | −$2,748 |
| Operations — Shipping ($6/order carrier) | −$8,254 |
| Operations — eBay Selling Fees (19.9%) | −$10,936 |
| Marketing ($1K setup + $12K ad spend) | −$13,000 |
| Marketing Commission (5%) | −$2,748 |
| Net Profit / (Loss) | $2,147 |
Net margin: 3.9% of gross revenue.
| Case | Revenue | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $55K | $2,147 | 3.9% |
| Bull | $65K | $4,871 | 7.5% |
eBay's 19.9% selling fee plus $6/order shipping makes it the thinnest channel, but it adds incremental reach with no setup overhead beyond $1K.
Per investor request: total customers separated from total subscribers. The subscription engine lives on Shopify — shown here for the Base Case ($216K Y1 Shopify marketing, $24.25 blended CAC).
Funds paid acquisition across FB/IG, Google, TikTok, and YouTube plus the Spot agency engagement.
Acquired on Shopify at $24.25 blended CAC (Y1; improves 5%/yr).
30% of customers convert to Subscribe & Save. Remaining 70% (6,234) are one-time buyers.
Monthly cohort acquisition + 3% monthly churn = ~77% of new subs active at year-end.
| Buyer Type | % of Customers | Bottles | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-Time & Returning | 70% | 6,316 | $271K |
| Subscribers | 30% | 15,593 | $436K |
| Total | 100% | 21,909 | $707K |
Blended AOV: $32.27 — driven by the 20% subscription discount.
One-time buyers deliver $19.96 contribution per order from the $42.90 all-in price. They're a profitable low-CAC discovery channel.
Subscribers deliver $8.83/mo contribution for ~33 months — after absorbing the $6 free-shipping cost. That's a $294 LTV — 14.7× the one-time customer.
The $64 subscriber CAC pays back in 7.2 months of subscriber revenue. Every subsequent month is pure margin.
12 bottles × $27.96
3% monthly churn[10]
LTV per subscriber
$294 sub LTV vs $64 subscriber CAC. 53% above the 3× VC benchmark[12].
$64 CAC ÷ $8.83/mo subscriber contribution. 40% below the 12-month DTC threshold[12].
LTV formula: Subscriber contribution/bottle ($8.83 after free-ship absorption) × Avg lifespan (33.3 months at 3% monthly churn) = $294.34 per subscriber. Industry-standard formula used by Recurly, ChartMogul, ProfitWell.
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Revenue (73%) | $707K | $1.41M | $2.00M | $2.51M | $2.98M |
| Amazon Revenue (21%) | $207K | $229K | $253K | $280K | $309K |
| eBay Revenue (6%) | $55K | $61K | $67K | $74K | $82K |
| Total Gross Revenue | $969K | $1.70M | $2.32M | $2.86M | $3.37M |
| Total Bottles Sold | 28,470 | 53,962 | 75,249 | 94,000 | 111,408 |
| EOY Active Subscribers | 2,050 | 4,088 | 5,613 | 6,962 | 8,222 |
| Blended AOV | $34.04 | $31.50 | $30.77 | $30.45 | $30.28 |
| COGS ($6–$6.50/bottle by channel) | $173K | $327K | $455K | $567K | $672K |
| Gross Profit | $796K | $1.37M | $1.86M | $2.29M | $2.70M |
| Management (12.5% of Revenue) | $121K | $212K | $289K | $358K | $422K |
| Operations (fulfillment + shipping + platform fees) | $285K | $500K | $681K | $842K | $993K |
| Marketing Commission (5% of Revenue) | $48K | $85K | $116K | $143K | $169K |
| Marketing (setup $52K/yr + ad spend +5%/yr) | $271K | $282K | $293K | $306K | $318K |
| Total Profit | $70K | $294K | $481K | $646K | $800K |
Year 1 pinned to channel sales actuals[11] | $24.25 Y1 Shopify blended CAC (decreasing 5%/yr) | 3% monthly sub churn[10] | 30% one-time→sub conversion | per-channel platform fees (Shopify 3% / Amazon 31.1% / eBay 19.9%) | $52K platform/setup recurs each year + 5% YoY ad-spend growth | Spot 5% per-bottle commission
Subscriber base compounds. Subscribers acquired in Y1 continue generating revenue through Y5 and beyond. The business is profitable from Year 1 across all three channels; cumulative 5-yr revenue reaches $11.22M at base case.
Subscriber CAC: $64
Y5 Active Subs: 8,222
Y5 Revenue: $3.37M
Y5 Net Profit: $800K
5-Yr Net Profit: $2.29M
Sub LTV:CAC: 4.6×
5-Yr ROAS: 7.63×
Subscriber CAC: $50
Y5 Active Subs: 10,524
Y5 Revenue: $4.22M
Y5 Net Profit: $1.07M
5-Yr Net Profit: $3.15M
Sub LTV:CAC: 5.9×
5-Yr ROAS: 9.49×
The two scenarios correspond to the Base / Bull sales cases modeled per channel[11], driven by demand and subscriber-conversion strength. Subscriber CAC ranges from $64 (Base) to $50 (Bull). Both are Year-1 profitable. CAC improves 5%/yr in every scenario as channels mature.
Year 1 is locked to actual channel sales; the model projects Years 2–5 forward. Adjust the drivers to stress-test the trajectory. Per-channel cost structure ($6–$6.50 COGS + 12.5% mgmt + fulfillment, shipping & platform fees + 5% Spot). Outputs recalculate in real time.
| Year | Bottles | EOY Subs | Revenue | Net Profit | ROAS |
|---|
Year 1 pinned to consolidated channel actuals. Years 2–5: non-subscription revenue grows with Annual Customer Growth; subscription revenue compounds via a monthly cohort sim (new subs/month × growth, less monthly churn). Per-channel COGS ($6–$6.50), platform fees (Shopify 3% / Amazon 31.1% / eBay 19.9%), $6/order shipping (Shopify & eBay), 12.5% mgmt, 5% Spot commission. Sub LTV = $8.83 contribution ÷ monthly churn. Setup costs ($52K/yr) recur each year; ad spend grows with Marketing YoY Growth.
Capital deployment funds Year 1 marketing across all three channels at the recommended pace, plus initial inventory and a working-capital reserve. Because the business is profitable from Year 1, capital funds the acquisition ramp and inventory cycle rather than covering operating losses.
| Category | Amount | % of Raise |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Platform / Setup (3 channels) | $52,000 | 15% |
| Year 1 Marketing Ads (3 channels) | $219,000 | 62% |
| Initial Inventory | $50,000 | 14% |
| Working Capital / Reserve | $29,000 | 8% |
| Total Raise | $350,000 | 100% |
Setup + ads = $271K total Year-1 marketing. Y2 onward self-funded by profit + subscription revenue.
All three channels clear break-even in Year 1 (+$70K base). Capital funds the customer-acquisition ramp and inventory cycle, not operating losses — the subscriber base then compounds on top.
At $64 subscriber CAC and $8.83/mo subscriber contribution, each subscriber pays back acquisition cost in about 7 months — then generates margin for the ~33-month lifespan.
Bull case reaches $13.95M 5-yr revenue and $3.15M cumulative net profit on stronger demand and conversion. Even the Base case stays profitable every year.
A massive cultural shift is underway. Millions of aquarists are actively trying to build self-sustaining ecosystems.
Videos of aquariums running 500+ days without water changes accumulate millions of views on YouTube and TikTok.
30% of pet-owning households are Millennials — digitally native, subscription-ready, prefer eco-friendly solutions.
Crystal-clear water, zero effort. $27.96/mo replaces $500+/yr in chemicals.
Protect your $10K reef. Industrial-grade stability that eliminates coral-killing nitrates and phosphates.
Replace gallon jugs and the sulfur stench. 30ml replaces $2K/yr in maintenance.
18 years of industrial deployment across aquaculture, wastewater, and agricultural lagoons.
13M aquatic + 21.7M septic households. Less than 0.1% of SAM captured by Y5.
Only product delivering complete denitrification + phosphate removal in a 30ml format.
The product works. The market is real. The unit economics are disciplined and traceable.
$350K funds the customer acquisition runway. The subscription engine does the rest.
Prepared by Spot Marketing — May 2026
[1] APPA 2024 Fish & Reptile Owner Insight Report / 2024-2025 National Pet Owners Survey.
[2] Grand View Research — U.S. Ornamental Fish Market ($1.68B 2024 → $2.83B 2030, 9.1% CAGR).
[3] The Business Research Company — Global Koi Market Report ($2.89B 2025).
[4] EPA Report to Congress / US Census American Housing Survey (21.7M septic households).
[5] IBISWorld — US Septic, Drain & Sewer Cleaning Services (Industry 4710, 2025).
[6] Seachem Stability 500ml retail pricing — Walmart & Saltwater Aquarium.com, April 2026.
[7] Seachem Laboratories, Stability product documentation: bacterial supplement that helps establish biological filtration — not fully denitrification.
[8] API Quick Start 473ml retail pricing — Amazon, Walmart, April 2026.
[9] Dr. Tim's One & Only 60–120ml retail pricing — Amazon, Petco, Chewy, April 2026.
[10] Recurly 2024 Churn Benchmarks (Consumer Goods & Retail). 3% monthly = defensible midpoint between Recurly's all-industry median (2.5%) and Consumer Goods median (6.5%). Reconciles to meeting's 4,300-of-5,000 EOY active example.
[11] Scenario basis: the Base / Bull cases are the sales scenarios modeled per channel in the underlying Amazon, eBay, and Shopify Year-1 workbooks, driven by demand and subscriber-conversion strength. Implied Shopify subscriber CAC: $64 Base / $50 Bull (Year-1 ad spend ÷ new subscribers). CAC improves 5%/yr in all scenarios as channels mature. Year 1 is pinned to the workbook totals; Years 2–5 grow non-subscription volume at ~10.5%/yr (CAC −5%/yr, ad spend +5%/yr) with subscriptions compounding at 3% monthly churn.
[12] Andreessen Horowitz, "Why Do Investors Care So Much About LTV:CAC?" — 3× threshold, 12-month payback DTC subscription benchmarks.
Three-Channel Consolidation: Year-1 revenue, bottles, and every cost line are taken directly from the Amazon ($207K), eBay ($55K), and Shopify ($707K) sales workbooks and reconciled to the penny. The subscription engine runs on Shopify; Amazon and eBay are one-time-purchase channels.
Customer Funnel (Shopify): Ad spend ÷ CAC = total customers. 70% buy one-time/returning at $34.95 (customer pays $7.95 shipping). 30% convert to Subscribe & Save at $27.96/mo with free shipping (we absorb ~$6/bottle carrier cost).
Sub Cohort Model: Monthly resolution. New subs acquired evenly across 12 months. Active subs ship 1 bottle/month. Monthly churn applied end-of-month.
Cost Structure (per investor request): True COGS ($6/bottle Shopify & eBay, $6.50 Amazon) separated from operations. Management 12.5% + fulfillment 5% + per-channel platform fees (Shopify 3% / Amazon 31.1% FBA & selling / eBay 19.9%) + $6/order shipping (Shopify & eBay) + 5% Spot commission, all variable on gross revenue.
LTV Formula: Sub contribution/bottle ($8.83, net of free-ship absorption) ÷ monthly churn (3%) = $294.34.
Marketing Growth: Year-1 marketing $271K across three channels (setup $52K + ad spend $219K). The $52K platform/setup recurs each year; ad spend grows 5%/yr on top.
Prepared by Spot Marketing for AquaBella Organic Solutions / USA Ag Imports. Projections represent forward-looking estimates. Actual results vary based on execution, market conditions, and realized unit economics.