Sera (company)

sera
Company typeLimited Liability Company/Family Owned
IndustryFishkeeping
FoundedGermany (1970)
HeadquartersHeinsberg, Germany
Key people
Josef Ravnak, General manager, Anny Ravnak, Commercial management
ProductsVipan
Aqutan
Costapur
Number of employees
  • 200 (2023)
Websitewww.sera.de

Sera (stylized as sera) is a German company that produces and sells home aquaculture, aquarium products and food for pet fish.[1] The company is based in Heinsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany.[1]

History

The company was founded in 1970 by fish food salesman Josef Ravna.k[2] The company name “Sera” came from the combination of Ravnak's first name: Sepp (nickname for Josef), and his family name: Ravnak.[citation needed]

Shortly after its founding, the company began to specialize in lyophilization, a freeze-dry process that preserves food animals with optimal retention of their nutrients and vitamins.[3]

In 1972, Sera Vipan flakes became the flagship product of the company, marking a shift in focus towards the broader aquarium hobby. Throughout the 1970s, Sera expanded its product range to include water conditioners such as Sera Aqutan and Sera Morena, aquatic plant fertilizers like Sera Florena, and aquarium fish medications including Sera Costapur and Sera Baktopur. The company also developed a series of water testing kits during this period.

By the late 1970s, Sera introduced garden pond care products as well as products for turtles and other reptiles.[citation needed]

During the 1980s, Sera continued to broaden its offering with new lines of foods, vitamins, and technological products. Notably, the era featured the launch of the Sera Bio-Denitrator, the first device designed to biologically reduce nitrate levels in aquariums.[4]

Sera products are sold in more than 80 countries.[citation needed][5]

Products

Sera's Nature brand of fish and reptile food products include insect meal-based products (Sera Insect and Pond Insect), natural colored staple foods (Vipan and Vipagran), Spirulina-enriched tablets (Spirulina Tabs and Plankton Tabs), green-matter rich algae crisps (Catfish chips), and treat mixes with freeze-dried organisms (GVG Mix).[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Sera". Aricol. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  2. ^ "Sera Aquarium Products". tulipaqua. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  3. ^ Fellows, P. (2017). Food processing technology: principles and practice. Woodhead Publishing series in food science, technology and nutrition (Fourth ed.). Amsterdam ; Cambridge, MA: Woodhead Publishing. pp. 929–940. ISBN 978-0-08-101907-8.
  4. ^ "Buy Sera Biotop LED Cube Aquarium, About Biotop LEF Cube 130 XXL Freshwater Aquarium and more". www.fishnet.org.
  5. ^ "Sera". Aricol. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  6. ^ "Gear Guide: Used and Abused. Sera Fish Foods. Ziss Aqua ZH-2000 Artemia Blender". Practical Fishkeeping. August 25, 2021.