Shipwreck Cove Tropical Fish and Custom Aquariums

Gil Haan

2024-05

Beautiful and healthy wrasse and bubble tip. All great thanks.

Douglas Baker

2024-02

Great service, fast shipping. Excellent communication. Hard to find good people in this business that back up their products. You will have no worries here.

Amanda Echevarria

2023-06

The anemone that I ordered was not only beautiful but a very good size for the price. Dan was very excellent at communicating and made the experience of ordering online very smoothly. The picture I took doesn't do justice but I'm extremely satisfied and will be ordering in the near future 😀

Logan Betz

2023-08

I love this shop for their customer service. Always friendly, always helpful. They provide practical usable advice. I drive past a number of shops to come here. Great local business. Great selection. They do salt and fresh water. I prefer live planted fresh water tanks and they have a great selection of healthy, clean plants.

Austin Heath

2023-10

Thank you so much to Dan and Shipwreck cove! Dan reached out immediately after our purchase. He stayed in communication with me during the duration of my anemones being shipped from California to Georgia! I really appreciated the customer service and attention to detail!

Hao La

2024-01

I bought an inferno anemone from them and it’s looking absolutely gorgeous and healthy. Really happy with my online purchase and great overall customer service.

Michelle Heilig

2023-11

Can’t say enough about Dan. He was working very hard packing orders for delivery but he still took the time to answer all my questions and even though he didn’t have the kind of fish I was looking for he was helpful in giving me a recommendation for fish stores that my be able to help. Thank you Dan your advice helped me make an educated decision for my my 75 gallon community tank.

Jae Espinoza

2023-10

This LFS in San Diego/Encinitas is an absolute gem! I've purchased 5 saltwater fish from them, and I couldn't be happier. Every fish I've brought home has been incredibly healthy, and what sets this place apart is their fantastic selection of unique and uncommon wrasse species. If you're an aquarium enthusiast like me, this store is a must-visit. The owner is friendly and knowledgeable, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommended!

Chris Taddei

2023-11

Limited in selection, grudgey not in a good way. Owners are sketch but nice. Kinda pricey but it's one of the last places left to find fish. Ehe...

Patricia Phillips

2024-01

Fresh water plants and fish are healthy and clean, and the staff is knowledgeable and spends time with customers. Hidden gem for aquarium addicts.

Bernie

2023-07

Excellent and fun aquarium shop! All the fish I looked at were healthy, and the gentleman running the place was very knowledgeable and helpful. He answered all the questions I had about starting my new planted tank. I will definitely be stopping by again.

Martin

2023-08

Owner (I think his name was Jared, if I remember correctly) was helpful, kind, and straightforward. He knows his stuff and was more than willing to chat with me. I have only been in the hobby for a few years and had some questions about adding shrimp to an existing tank, to which he had some realistic suggestions. He also threw in some plants for my new shrimpies. :)His tanks were also all pristine. I was only there for my freshwater tanks. The animals all looked healthy and well taken care of.I will definitely come back if I'm ever in the area. Thanks, Jared!

Taryn Duke

2023-05

I would not recommend this place to anyone. We spent $500 to purchase our first tank setup as a family and when we came back to purchase the fish the manager was aggressive, rude and completely inappropriate infront of my kids. We were then sold an expired product (with the price tag conveniently covering the date). He was complaining non stop about the other person who sold us the tank and said he knew nothing about fresh water fish (funny as it turns out that guy is the owner!).My kids literally cried all the way home. It was quite the ordeal, as we were trying to support a local business and thinking they could guide our family best versus a big pet store. What a shame. We will never shop here again.Added reply to shop owner: Appreciate the response, but arguing that my kids did not cry in the car on the way home is really not constructive. We are not looking for free fish or to come back to your store, just leaving a honest review that this was not a family friendly place or experience for us. Bad reviews are never nice to hear, but you should listen and learn from your customers.

Christopher Simmons

2023-08

Ive been buying corals from here for years. The owner loves the hobby and does whatever it takes to keep bringing nice corals to Encinitas. Like any coral store, it's fun to see what new stuff comes in but the neon specimens go fast

Marcelle McAfee

2023-10

Came here for fish, stayed for the comedy. Great shop. Will be back!

Jack Van Furche

2023-05

One of the worst aquarium stores I have ever been too. The owner refuses to refund my money from merchandise which does not work. I used his aquarium service to set up my aquarium with a new canister filter and the gentleman that he sent to do the work set the tank up. But the equipment failed. I returned the equipment to the store and they told me they were going to replace it or replace it or refunded and have done neither. In two months. The owner only lies right to your face that he will take care of things and then never does and never returns phone calls.

Jonathan Perkin

2023-05

Super impressed at the quality and price of the corals. They were shipped overnight and adapted immediately to our 25 gallon tank. Will be purchasing again from them. Highly recommended

GDD Ventures

2023-05

Wow what a great shop. Came in for some food left with a few corals and fish lol. The guys there where super nice and helpful highly recommend

David B. (mtux96)

2020-05

Small little fish store, but everything was excellent. Store and all the tanks looked extremely clean. I enjoyed the visit and enjoyed talking to there person running the store that day. Very personable and even took the time to explain how he set up the sand avalanche in one of the display tanks. You can tell her really loves the hobby rather than just someone who just wants to be there. I will definitely be recommending this shop as a place to check out and even buy fish from. I just wish I checked this place out earlier and would probably recommend dropping the custom Aquariums from the name, especially during search. I thought it was only a place to buy tanks from, but that have great looking stock of freshwater and salt water fish, though I'm not much into salt water.

DeAnna Greenhaw

2023-08

The best place in “The North” for safe clean live fish & plants. Great customer service, excellent quality live fish, products and live plants.

Kevin Harris

2023-05

This place is annoyed with anyone coming in to ask even simple questions such as “do you have small tanks?” This is the second time I’ve been here and will be the last. Go to San Diego and don’t waste your time with this failing store. (Update), the response below from the owner summarizes their disdain for customers and absolute lack of respect for anyone trying to add a nano tank. Take your money to the better saltwater fish stores who appreciate you. 👋

Gavin

2023-05

Found SCC corals on IG. I live In New York City. I saw on Instagram and their website how good their corals look and what a good variety they have. So I placed an order. A couple hours later the owner texted me and wanted to ask what a good day for shipping would be which is awesome because I was able to collect the corals right as they arrived. Everything came over night. The owner and their staff I talked to were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I have never ordered corals online so I wasn't sure how they would get to NYC. Everything came healthy and great. 12/10 experience/ 100 percent ordering from them again. Best prices and Corel in town.

63fahrenheit

2022-05

Awesome store :)! I thought they were only saltwater and was wrong! Finally stopped by after years of thinking that, hoping for aquascaping supplies, to be pleasantly surprised they sell driftwood, stones, and even some freshwater fish! They even cut the driftwood to fit into my tank for me! So glad I stopped by! Thank you!

Erick Simon

2023-05

Had a great experience with Shipwreck Cove ordered my corals delivered next day air. There was a coral that didn't make, They replaced it quickly and with a nicer peice thanks again I will be ordering again soon.

Danny Brinkley

2023-05

Filthy shop, tanks full of aptasia, not much stock, guy was on the phone the whole time badmouthing other shops in the area way too loudly. I was hoping for better quality in Encinitas. Not mad just disappointed. I’m in Oceanside and need a local fish spot.

Probably Pondering

2023-05

Best employees of any fish store in SD. Freshwater selection is not very good but this is a great place for saltwater and just to learn about the hobby.

jeff umansky

2016-05

I have been a big fan of Dan and Shipwreck Cove since before they moved to el Camino. The new store is amazing! He has so many awesome corals. When I first met Dan I was a novice. He's helped me become more knowledgeable and now I can finally appreciate how incredible his selection has become. What I like best is that he gives you an honest answer about compatibility of different species and not just trying to make a buck. Keep up the great work!!

Chris Richardson

2021-05

Great selection of corals and fish. Expert advice

Uchi Deshi

2019-05

Good source of fish, both fresh and salt water. Also excellent source for reef tank supplies. They will set up and maintain tanks for you and they also carry plants and, if course, fish food. Right across the street from Trader Joe's. Dan is very knowledgeable about fish and can provide good advice. Dan also provides great regular maintenance.

Cierra Pennington

2022-05

My husband and I went here to look into making a salt water tank and was looking around, who ever the guy was that was working there was very rude and not helpful at all, I was just trying to get some information and had asked him what fish are good swimming with clown fish he then proceeded to say well they are in the ocean arnt they, then after looking and decided that we would like to buy, my husband talked to him and he was nasty and rude and told my husband maybe you should do your research you can’t just throw fish in a tank without knowing what your doing. Needless to say I left in tears and we will not be coming because he didn’t even help or was informational and just very rude.