Aqua Forest Aquarium

Soup Gun

2024-03

11/10I want to start off saying that the workers were extremely kind and helpful with any questions I had about adding C02 to my tank, water quality and fish compatibility. Tanks are GORGEOUS. I spotted 0 dead fish in the tanks, they were all clean, and the fish were all very healthy. This place is sick.

Megan Taylor

2024-04

This place was recommended to me by a friend in the hobby and it held up and exceeded my expectations - up until an employee started referring to women as “females” in the store and droned on about having “females touch their elbows together” as a joke. It made me and friend extremely uncomfortable and we debated not purchasing anything, but the plants were excellently cared for and very reasonably priced. Ladies be aware in the store and hopefully management will a chat with said employee. Would have been 5 stars otherwise - fish were also excellently cared for.

Kate Whitcomb

2023-06

Wow. The most beautifully kept aquarium store in the entire Bay Area. All high end tanks and aqua scapes. Incredible plant collection, great fish selection but the plants are the main event. It was busy when I went even late on a Sunday which is awesome to see. I bought 4 lime rasboros and 2 white tetras and a bunch of plants- all happy at home and clearly high quality. Will be back again soon!

Andy Li

2023-07

Great customer service with clear communications for shipping updates, my products were shipped on time and delivered earlier than expected. Products were well packaged and protected. Will definitely order another ADA product through them again.

Jaybriel Akoi

2023-05

Awesome store. They had a great variety of fish I was impressed. They even had a fish I've been looking for for years. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly and it was clean.I don't think I saw a single dead fish floating around.

Jason Drew

2024-04

I was initially nervous about ordering a tank from AFA and having it shipped cross country. I called with tons of questions on accessories and to check if my concerns on tank shipment had any basis in reality. They quickly answered all my questions and assured me that they constantly ship tanks without issuses.I can now say that there is no reason to question their ability to get you a tank in one piece. My entire shipment arrived in perfect condition and probably the most securely packed of any package I have received. I would highly recommend AFA for all your aquarium needs.

Nick Jatoft

2023-05

Walked in here with my coworker on our lunch break and we both love the variety of fish they had here and how well preserved everything was. Also it was a very clean environment which I also really appreciate. Everyone seem pretty friendly there didn't really ask any questions but was impressed by the environment and presentation of business. I recommend coming here for any of your fish needs.

Frank Huang

2023-05

Decent selection of fish and plants. Price was reasonable for a specialty shop like this in the heart of SF. It is quite a hassle finding parking nearby so be aware before driving in.

Rachel Over

2024-02

These guys are not trustworthy. I drove 30 minutes to come to this store and bought 2 goldfish. Each was $20 (which is a major rip off in and of itself). One of them died within 10 minutes of being put in my tank. The other is still alive so it’s not my tank. I called and asked for a refund for my $20 goldfish and they refused - said there were no guarantees. I will NEVER go to this place again and cannot recommend anyone going here. I’d go to Petco over this place - at least goldfish are not $20 and they have a week money back guarantee.

Caleb Jared

2022-05

This is a serious Aquascaping store. This is not a run-of-the-mill pet store. Aquascaping is an art and began in Japan. This store is like visiting the fine art items in another country.

Roger Pierno

2024-02

Very helpful staff. A great selection of plants and fish. Probably the best tropical fish shop in the City.

Frank Garcia

2024-04

This is a nano and aqua scapers paradise the staff are very competent and the prices are very fair price range for all budgets really I love this place hands down the best in the city

Mike Zimmerer

2023-10

I’ve gotten plants here several times and they have always been healthy and nice specimens. George has emailed with me and is very helpful and nice. Love this place!

Vivek Sridharan

2023-10

They sell the most beautiful tanks and plants. They are more expensive than other stores but it is the best and cleanest store you will ever find, with knowledgeable staff. A rare find.

Guilherme Assumpcao

2020-05

Best storeFor ADA products and planted tanks in general..awesome staff with a lot of knowledge! Thank you for helping set up my tank!

James Anderson

2023-10

I love ordering products from their online store. I know there are many different places/sites to order from in this hobby, but this is always my go to first choice. Will def visit the retail store next time I’m in San Francisco!Thank you AFA

gandla nagaraviteja

2024-02

I enjoyed the selection of hard scape materials, plants for the planted aquarium. Parking is terrible both times when I visited this store

caitlin spaan

2023-05

Gorgeous and inspiring - worth a visit just to see the beautifully designed and maintained tanks. A must visit for folks equally interested in the flora to go with the fishes 🐟🐠 Deeply knowledgeable staff, willing to work with customers to bring a vision to life. Prices are commensurate with quality 😉 so save up.

Henry

2023-08

Having gotten plants from here for ages, I decided to buy some fish for the first time a few weeks back. Turns out the fancy decor and impressive tank setups don't do anything when disease prevention and monitoring is neglected. My entire tank has died thanks to a few rasboras with ich sold to me from AFA. The great presentation and staff support means nothing when your tank of 10+ years is decimated.

Dmitry Dimov

2023-05

For all the people who gave this store a bad rating, y’all gave the lousiest reasons. I mean, if you’re not communicating properly, they won’t communicate back. It’s a store for hobbyist and aquascapers, not people who give bad ratings just because they only have small fish and that the prices are huge. Might as well just go to Petco. The people there are kind and helpful, and they have the largest variety of things to help you get started with aquariums 👍

Liliia Tuttle

2023-05

When me and my BF walked in here. The place looks clean and we'll organized. So I saw one employee and nicely asked. Where the cold water fishes are located. The guy pointed with finger to me directions. So we went there and there were just a few fishes here, there. So I asked again the same guy. Is this all you guys have or maybe somewhere else there is more? He said well depending how cold water u are talking about. And walked away. Without saying anything else or showing more. He seemed irritated for me to ask him questions again. My BF saw all of that and he said to me. We are not buying anything from the rude place where people are not happy to see us or help us to sell fish. So we walked out. No one even said "thank you , have a good day " or something. It just seems very unfriendly and terrible in customer service workers there. And generally, all I saw is small fishes there. Nothing like a bigger size for a big aquarium. Or even if there is something in a bigger size it is barely 1 or 2 fish . Not recording this place at all. -REP

Cheryl Fong

2023-05

As others have made comment, customer service needs to be worked on. There's a good selection of brands, livestock, and plants. But quite frankly, I used to come here by default since they're the only aquascape-focused store in San Francisco near me.Most reviews are of the products themselves. They carry premium brands, and as it should, these products ought to be high quality.I've been a multiple repeat customer for about a year, but this business does not care about customer retention. And offer as little interaction as possible.In fact, I get better and consistent service when buying elsewhere online. It is no surprise my questions get acknowledged and answered promptly by other businesses.It disheartens me when I see fellow hobbyists discouraged at this store. I've stepped in a number of times to help offer suggestions/advice. As someone who was once in their position, I would have greatly appreciated the help.I make a point to support local businesses. Unfortunately, my recent experience was the final straw.Am bringing my business where it is valued i.e. I won't be back.

Rebecca Hassinger

2022-05

Great selection of plants and good selection of fish, but some of the tanks are too high up to see into and the ones with plants are absolutely ridiculous with snails.The main thing, though, is that the service here absolutely sucks. I have been here three times. I've never seen more than two people working the store at a time. I struggled to get the attention of an employee when I was the only customer in the shop and when I did get their attention, they scoffed at me when I asked for clarification on a plant species.On two of three visits, there were multiple customers all milling about, waiting to be helped or trying to politely get an employee's attention with little success, the employees either busying themselves with something else or hanging with one customer who obviously didn't have a specific question and wasn't ready to check out.Greet your customers when they enter and ask if they'd like help. Check in on them. Do not stand around with the same one person as they browse and make up their mind for 20 - 30 mins. Tell them you'll check back with them and move on! If somebody has an honest question, be stoic and answer it! Be professional, for goodness sake and don't discourage people away from the hobby by ignoring them or laughing at them!

Jorge quezada

2021-05

Great family owned aquarium shop! The employees and the owners are really helpful and will help you get the perfect set-up.

ken phuong

2020-05

Don't let the fact that they sell high end products fool you into thinking everything is over-priced. Not everything is marked up. Admittedly there are some things in the store that makes you think "what?! you can't be serious". But for most items the prices are fair (some things like plants are even cheaper than online), and the quality is above average. I have been to almost all of the available fish stores on the peninsula, and no one else has come close to the number of cool stuff this store offers. I have always been a pragmatic person when it comes to tools. My philosophy is that if the tool does the job, then there's really no need to buy the brand name ones. But I will admit that while eBay/Amazon aquarium tools will work just fine, the quality and feel of using a set of high end aquarium tools is definitely worth the extra money. But most of all the pride of ownership in owning high end tools, a well made aquarium, and stocking it with the best plants makes it worthwhile. Do it once, do it right, and enjoy the process. If you are remotely serious about this hobby, you should do yourself a favor and pay them a visit.

J

2022-05

They care about what they do, and they're willing to help you by giving thorough advice on starting a tank. Fish are incredibly healthy, and they sell fresh, in vitro plants. When it comes to planted tanks, if you want to talk to / buy from someone who has seen it all, this is your best bet in the Bay Area.If there's a better aquarium store stateside, I haven't seen it.I used to go here and just soak in the beauty...

Nicholas Royer

2021-05

Good selection of small, beautiful fish. Their fish prices are slightly above reasonable, but their driftwood etc is astronomically high! They wanted like $30 for a 1" diameter forked branch about 13" long!The store is clean and nice, but the decor is NOT cheap. Their fish ARE healthy and I still have 2 clown loaches from last year.

Cullen Haselby

2016-05

Bottom Line: High quality products, considerate customer service. Had a fairly large order from this store on their online site. Excellent quality tank, light fixture and other supplies for planted aquariums all packaged carefully. There was a minor mistake with my order, but they responded immediately and got back to me and then quickly shipped the item to remedy the situation. I hope they keep stocking quality aquarium products and maintain their good customer service. Will shop here again.

Michael Slugocki

2023-05

San Francisco is deserving of such an amazingly quirky aquascaping store. The store front is nestled in the lower level of an older (by appearance) residential building. Unassuming at first. Then you step through the door not only to see ADA gear in every direction, but some very nice display tanks, plenty of fish and plant stock, and more aquascaping gear (i.e., branches, stones) near the back. What else can you ask for?

Ki'Re Raynor

2020-05

I really love this place. As a first time aquarium owner it felt so good to go to a nice, clean, healthy environment and not feel shy and made to feel ashamed for newbie questions. They taught me how to keep my tank safe and keep my fish, live plants and african dwarf frogs alive. I love that they will not sell you companions that they have not assured is healthy just to make a buck. I love just spending an hour looking around and learning from the customer interactions.