Aqua Lab Aquaria

Steve Dibble

2024-01

My wife, son, and I stopped by just to check it out. We left very impressed. This is not your average big name store. This is a serious aquarium store. Fresh water fish,salt water fish, and live plants galore. The staff was helpful, yet not overbearing. They also sell tanks, stands, and everything else one would need to get started, or to just add to your current setup. If they don't have what you want, they will order it for you!

Kaiser Kim

2024-01

In-person shopping experience is good. Store is clean and the owner is helpful answering questions. However, communication is very, very, very poor.I purchased some items in-store on 11/25 including pre-ordering some plants. The owner told me the timeline for receiving those plants would be about a week... I follow up 12/8 and I receive a response via text "Eta next weekend"... okay... then I followed up and got a response on 12/13 that the owner was "ordering today... prob get them Friday"... What? I thought they would have placed the order with the vendor the day I placed the pre-order in store... and since writing this review on 12/22 I have not received any updates or my plants. Throughout this whole time I've been the one calling the store and texting myself and have never received a proactive update from them reaching out first. I am still waiting for an update.Getting through via the phone number is impossible (it always just rings and rings every time I try to call) and receiving responses via text message is very hit or miss.In short, it's been nearly a month since I placed some plants on pre-order and was told it would only take about a week to get them in. I've been patiently waiting to get these plants before filling and stocking my tank and it's just been a waste of time.

Elena

2023-05

Came here to purchase my first larger tank and overall my experience was very positive. The guy who helped me was really nice and patient answering my questions (I'm very new to the hobby). They also have some really cool tanks setup for inspiration!My 12g long tank turned out well and I’d definitely come back if I was building out another tank.

Jason Rahaman

2023-07

Purchased a fish tank online that was freight shipped to my home address. The fish tank was shattered upon arrival and after a week of emailing and numerous phone calls I finally got ahold of Kent. I was promised either a replacement that would ship out first thing the following week or a full refund including the $300.00 shipping fee. I opted for a replacement, but two weeks later I never received another fish tank nor a phone call or email with any updates. Another week passed and finally got ahold of customer service explaining the situation deciding to cancel the order and asked for a full refund. Another week passed and received an email for a gift card for canceling my purchase. Still waiting to hear back from Kent to fix my situation...

Rachel Wooster

2021-05

Aqua Lab is an amazing store for aquascaping supplies, tools, plants, and equipment. I went there with my 9 year old godson Alex and his father to aquascape Alex’s low tech tank, pictures attached in early February. The store gave us lots of inspiration with their display tanks, the staff was able to give us lots of information, and answer our questions. There was a large variety of plants for us to choose from that other stores just don’t have.We purchased 6 different plants, 2 Wabi-Sabi stones, Kakako wood, and Manzanita wood for the aquascape. We also purchased Ultum Nature System all in one plant food fertilizer, kH test, and a gH test. Two months later the tank is thriving after some initial algae outbreaks and one plant death, which is due more to my thumb then anything else. We didn’t change any equipment, and our tank is low tech, simple filter, heater, 10 gallons, Dwarf African Frogs, Neon Tetras, and snails. The frogs love the Nymphoides Hydrophylla ‘Taiwan’ which we haven’t seen available else where. My godson Alex could not be happier or more proud of his tank and the advice and information we got from Aqua Lab, let alone that everything was available in one place for us to purchase has made this tank possible.1st picture is of Alex’s tank before Aqua Lab2nd picture is Alex’s new tank right after Aqua Lab 2/63rd picture is Alex’s tank today, the Nymphoides Hydrophylla ‘Taiwan’ is doing so well we have clippings to go into the quarantine tank for when fish get sick.Final Note – regarding Covid-19 all employees were wearing masks correctly, so were customers, everyone was attempting to stay 6 feet apart, and taking turns in parts of the store were social distancing wasn’t possible. It was a wonderful experience in that aspect.

Jack Li

2024-04

Nice place to shop for your aquatic pets. I have bought fishes/snails from chain store like petsmart but those were much much much easier to die compared to those bought from this store, which were much stronger and healthier (even though more expensive but the quality covers the higher price tag)

Morgan Blakely

2022-05

I love this aquarium shop. The owner, Kent, helped me pick out all the things I need to get started on my first salt water reef tank. Every time I come back they are very helpful and expand my knowledge of the hobby. They have tons of choices to stock my tank top from coral to fish.

Guy Peled

2019-05

Nice selection of plants. I was disappointed when looking for pond plants and they had some that were just on display, and some that they didn't know much about and had to google. Seem a bit pricey but I might be back if at some point start an aquarium again.

Albert Li

2018-05

Great local shop for all your aquascaping needs. I found the rocks, plants, shrimps, and branches I needed for my tank here. Kyle is very friendly and look forward to coming back again.

Alexis Bartlett

2023-10

Haven’t been for a few months (although currently on way back now. 🤪). Kent (I guess I got his name from previous reviews) is super knowledgeable and patient even when you or your kid/s ask “stupid” questions. 😆 I haven’t bought online (I live 10 mins away), but his products in store are 👌🏼

Moises Resuello

2023-10

I ordered a tank stand online in 2021 and I have not received it yet. Its been very difficult to reach this business over the phone. Im starting to wonder if this business is a SCAM. For the business owner who reads this, please give me a call. Ive been patient for almost 3 years but now its ridiculous no staff has the courtesy to even call me and tell me what has happened with my online order.

Lawrence Banks

2020-05

Knowledgable staff and a good selection of products, aquascaping materials and tools aswell as an increasing range of tanks, saltwater and freshwater. Multiple well done display tanks with riparium style aquariums as well as a paludarium. No signs of illness on any of the fish I saw which is a refreshing contrast to the box stores. Talented aquascapers and good array of products makes it a must for aquascapers and saltwater hobbyists.

Chee Yong Lim

2022-05

Nice little shop with beautiful marine tanks. They also do fresh water tanks.

Ali Haririan

2023-05

Worse experience in this hobby and just in one word about the owner(Kent) is " SHAMELESS"I am not trying to convince anyone to spend their money and time in this store or not. Just hear my story and judge it yourself. I am ready to answer any questions or judgments.Yesterday I was there with my wife and 8 years old daughter to shop a Blue tang as a father's day gift for me. My daughter was so excited to do this shopping for me and chose one at the end. Unexpectedly the owner came to me and refused to sell it to us because we did not buy our tank from him!!!Long story short, about 6 months ago I gave him an offer to match the price with an out of state store but was rejected by him. His email is available if any one concerns to have it. I'd rather to spend my money on local stores as a support. That was the only reason I came back to his store to buy a fish for $130 which we ended it up to buy the exact same size fish from an awesome store called "Violent Aquarium" for $69.99!!!You can't believe how hard was to answer my upset daughter's questions about this experience.I wish I was able to submit this review without any ⭐️ at all.

AEN

2022-05

I have a very good experience shopping online at their website. I have ordered a Hanna brand colorimeter and it's consumables online for pickup (there was no markup on the price like other retailers are doing nowadays). I sent an email after a couple of days and asked when the order will be ready and Kent replied back to me a day later that the checker is ready for pickup but they are waiting for the consumable for the meter. So I went to pick up the meter and said I'll be back when the other item arrives. To my surprise they instead shipped the rest of my order after they received it although it was a pick up order, I am very happy with my experience on my order and will shop from them again if I ever need supplies they offer.I don't normally post reviews but their overall responsiveness and nice gesture of shipping rest of my order prompted me to post this review of my own volition especially after reading some of the negative reviews (as opposed to my positive experience)

Ruby G

2023-06

Bought a 30 gal rimless aquarium and received some of the best customer service I have seen in a long time. Not only was he super patient with all my questions but he went above and beyond to make sure I left with the aquarium I wanted.

Brandon Hsieh

2021-05

Update below. Placed an online order on 3/9. They stated it will take 3-6 business days to process the order. It has been 11 business days with no communication beside a copy and pasted email stating “they have so much business and not enough time”. I have sent multiple emails with no reply. I understand this is a small operation but 11+ days with no foreseeable change is no excuse. UPDATE (3/31/21): I was able to get me refund after 15 business days. Refund process was quick. Took my business elsewhere. I’m sure their brick and mortar store is great but their customer service presence is nonexistent and it seems they are not capable of fulfilling online orders at this moment.

Emilie Storer

2022-05

Do not order online from this store! I wish I had checked the google reviews before doing so. Like many others it seems, I placed an order online, got some automated email saying they are busy so it may take 3-6 days to complete my order, and then nothing. No updates for 3 weeks. I tried inquiring about my order via email and no reply. Finally I just cancelled my order. So frustrating!! I understand they are a small business that grew faster than expected. In that case, either update your website to reflect the fact that the delay may be more like 3-6 months, or just temporarily suspend all online orders. Don't mess around with customers like this! Such a waste of time.

Bill Olivieri

2021-05

I wish I read the reviews before ordering. I made a large online purchase on March 10th. Two days later I received a UPS tracking number. Unfortunately the tracker says it still hasn’t been picked up by UPS. It’s now March 21st with no change and multiple attempts to get through to the store went unanswered. I think I’m going to have to report a fraudulent charge to my bank.Update: I did eventually receive my order 21 days after I placed the order. They did contact me 10 days after I sent them an email. Since I did receive my items, and they technically did reach out to me, I bumped the review up to two stars. Hopefully it’s just growing pains and they work out their issues.

Sebastian Lopez

2021-05

Purchased an aquarium stand that was in stock back mid February and it is now mid March with no update. 20 days - 14 business days.I have called multiple times a day at different times and different days and I cannot get a hold of anyone. If you press the option for Online Orders it immediately hangs up. The only time I got threw to someone was when I clicked Service and even he transferred me to a closed line.I emailed multiple times as well and still have not heard back from anyone.Horrible experience. Luckily I paid with a good merchant and they cancelled the transaction and that's the only reason I haven't lost my mind trying to get a refund.I instead ordered with Aqua Forest Aquarium and the experience could not have been more perfect. Same stand at a cheaper price. Ordered Thursday night, shipped Friday morning, received Saturday afternoon; San Francisco to Orange County.

Joey Correia

2023-10

The owner is great gives a lot of knowledge when asked a question very helpful clean fish look great and can get or has what u want all around great place to shop

Ale Palma

2021-05

Workers are nice, prices are okay, and the place is clean. Picking up my order was fast and easy2 stars for the bottle of vibrant I picked up. The seal had already been removed and it's missing quite a bit of vibrant. Should I have checked it before getting home? Yeah, and it was dumb of me not to, but its still disappointing to be given this bottle

Kevin W

2023-05

Bought this anubias from y'all 7 years ago when I was living in SJ. Just wanted let you know it's doing great.

Stephen Blakely

2022-05

I order online from AquaLab at least twice a month. Everything comes in a timely manner. They did have some supply issues related to covid a while back but I always got what I ordered. All my current orders have been fulfilled and delivered to the East Coast in a week or Less. Kent and his team do a great job!

KC

2018-05

Love this place.Initially, I was hesitant to buy plants from Aqua Lab Aquaria since I was so used to the usual places around the Bay Area that I frequent. On first glance the prices were OK, some well-priced, but some items didn't seem the cheapest out there. However, I can say it's well worth it after experiencing their outstanding customer support.For my order, I tried their ground shipping as it's a bit of a drive for me to reach them. My order came in fast - within 48 hours of ordering. Big plus and that tells me they're on top of their order processing.Unfortunately, my heart sank when I opened the package. The plant culture that I was really excited about came in all messed up. It was all slimy, sloshed around and indistinguishable. It was definitely well-packaged and even had multiple stickers saying "This side up". Whether it was because of that brand's quality in particular, sloppy USPS delivery, or whatever - it was completely different than the pictures on their website. I sent over an e-mail with pictures to show my dissatisfaction with little hopes of reaching a good resolution, as I've experienced with other stores in the Bay Area. This may even have to go through the Paypal resolutions team, I thought.The next morning, I received two e-mails from ALA and what I read shocked me. In the first e-mail, ALA actually sided with me and apologized for having sent the poor plant culture. They assured me that this was unacceptable to them and that they would send out another culture right away. The second e-mail was the shipping confirmation and tracking info of the culture already ready for USPS pickup. The new plant culture was subsequently received next day at 9AM in the morning and is in perfect condition.From total frustration to complete satisfaction, I am really surprised by the outstanding customer service from ALA as it's difficult to find these days. I'm also really glad that such a place exists locally. I've been too used to below par service from some local fish stores, who have outright ignored my e-mails when issues arise, that I didn't expect this kind of customer care. Hope management continues this trend and I look forward to being a long-time customer of ALA.

Danielle

2022-05

Probably the worst online shopping experience I’ve ever had. Placed an order for items that were “in stock” on 5/13 that did not ship until 6/21. If your “in stock” items have lead times of over a month then be transparent and specify that on your website. I had to send 8 emails before any of my items shipped. Most of their responses were vague and gave me little to no information. It’s almost comical at this point and I wish I read these reviews before ordering. Thankfully I hadn’t ordered plants for my tank or I’d be screwed.Side note - I saw under Aqua Lab’s Facebook reviews that the owner and employees use their own personal FB accounts to reply to customers. I’d kindly suggest using the Aqua Labs account instead as it comes off a little more professional.

Angelina Gonzalez

2022-05

I placed an order for multiple items on April 29th. It has been over 2 months and I struggle to get any form of response. I thankfully purchased through paypal and plan to cancel my order for a full refund. They have been very non-responsive and similar to another review, I have been contacting them to check up on my order, which they only respond 1/4 of the time. DO NOT BUY ONLINE, they are horrible

Darren Caballero

2021-05

This company has horrible communication. I ordered an ATO container. For the first full two weeks I head absolutely nothing. No shipping confirmation, no notification of delays, no setting forward of expectations. Nothing.Two weeks in I took it upon myself to reach out to them. I tried calling. Absolutely no response. Their listed phone number doesn’t lead to anyone. Just an endless loop. Email? Nope. They did not respond to two separate inquiries I made. They still never have to this day.Finally after about a half hour of searching I came upon their Google listing. I messaged them though there. Only then did I get a response of any kind. Truly bad communication. They show a total lack of consideration and a forthcoming attitude. I believe that if I had not found this esoteric way of getting ahold of them, nothing would have ever happened.It took them 3 whole weeks for them to tell me that they refuse to sell it to me because they want more money and they don’t want to order anymore of them. Huge waste of my time.

Melissa Chang

2023-05

Placed an online order for a twinstar light, UNS tank, and heater in January 2021. It is now August and I have had no word - sent several emails and tried calling. All I got was an automated voice message immediately informing me that there was no one available to help with my order. I don't care if lead times are long, but being ghosted with no information feels awfully scammy. I don't know if I'm going to ever see my order, or my money. I'm moving in half a month the new residents in this apartment are going to be really confused if a fish tank shows up on their doorstep, because I couldn't even get in touch with someone to change my address. Happy to revise this review if I can get either a refund or the items sometime before New Year's.Edit October 2021: Someone finally replied to my email and I managed to get my address changed. Since this review was published I'm periodically receiving emails saying they can't get my items in stock, still waiting.Edit June 9th 2022: Received my order finally, minus the heater I had originally ordered. Added a star for the actual follow through, but the online ordering and customer service experience was very frustrating over these last 1.5ish years.

Aaron Monu

2021-05

Ordered on March 23rd and only 1 item is shipping out from the order - I've called and emailed multiple times with no response. There was a stated 4-6 day processing time but it is now day 11. Buce plant, Aqua Forest, and glass aqua area also small businesses but they respond quickly and give great service. I'd recommend shopping elsewhere until their shipping issues are figured out - it was otherwise a good company in the past.