Old Town Aquarium

Jenny Klein

2024-05

I spent a long time deciding what store to buy my aquarium from, and I am so beyond pleased with my choice to rely on Old Town Aquarium for all of my aquarium needs. If you’re looking to start a beautiful, lush and low-maintenance ecosystem in your home, I highly recommend working with Peter at Old Town Aquarium.I have worked with him in building my mini aquaponic tank and he has been so incredibly patient, informative, and helpful in helping me design a beautiful tank I am so happy with. By now, he has spent hours explaining the science and biology of a successful tank to me, and I am more knowledgeable for it. He has steered me away from poor plant and animal choices and supported me in making successful choices for my tank. I haven’t used a filter and the system is so healthy it’s allowing me to grow aquaponic strawberries. I love this place.

Alma Johnson

2024-03

Beautiful setup. Amazing fish. Pricey, but it's worth it. They have so many beautifully kept aquariums its nice to watch them.

Marc Desciscio

2024-02

I have been shopping at Old Town Aquarium for about a year now. They have a wonderful selection of fish plants supplies and pretty much everything you can need. They selection is well stocked and rotates frequently. Each time I come in they have new species of fish and plants and the quality is great. Everything I have purchased from them has been healthy and have had great luck with. The staff is always the same and very knowledgeable. This place is great. There is parking in the back off the alley which makes it very easy getting in and out. I highly recommend checking them out for any Aquarium needs you may have.

Griff Gourd

2024-04

Knowledgeable, clean, lots of driftwood and hardscape options. Maybe not the cheapest option but 11 times out of ten I'd rather my money go to these guys over a chain that doesn't care for their livestock. The sandboxes to try different driftwood/stone combos was a huge plus

Brent Baker

2022-06

Wow, well I wasn’t sure what to expect walking in as I’m new to aquariums but this place is great.I had a simple 10 gallon planted tank that has been freshly cycled with some snails and I received no judgement for having a “small” tank and plenty of help.I used to keep a few tanks as a kid but finally got back into the hobby and have a whole new level of appreciation for it. The staff was very helpful with the choice of fish and ideas around creating a good community that can possibly grow over time due to temperament and size. (I came in looking for a particular fish which they had but then honestly talked me out of it due to their aggression level and my tank size) they did recommend I could have the fish I was searching for, a type of gourami, after my tank is established due to their territorial behaviors and for that I was really appreciative.They have a 7 day guarantee but honestly as long as you have good specs on your tank (which they did ask plenty of questions to make sure you’re capable of handling your new friends) you shouldn’t need to worry. All the fish and plants there seemed happy and healthy and my goodness the saltwater/coral displays were worth the trip alone.I didn’t feel like a second class citizen because I just had a little 10 gallon starter tank, they made me feel right at home. I will absolutely be going back for anything I need in the future.I bought 3 beautiful fish for about 4.50 during their anniversary sale, the price and quality of the fish were better than any big box store and I couldn’t be happier. They have brought me great joy and relaxation. I expected to pay way more as I was being sold on these different fish but they really took to heart what I was trying to buy and accommodated me. Can’t believe the level of attention to detail they gave me based on my total transactions amount. 5 star service.

Foster Lehman

2024-04

Had a really nice chat with Peter and Kelli. Peter stayed and talked with us even past closing. Super excited to build a living fish tank using their services and expertise.

Tony Le

2024-04

Great place with friendly and knowledgeable staff. I stop by here pretty often now since finding them for my aquarium needs.

sam kennedy

2024-01

They keep their betas in cups.. any store that keeps something that should be in a 5 gallon tank minimum in a plastic cup screams volumes as to how abusive they are to their other fish and live stock.If they ever address their abusive behavior and BE BETTER I will update my review.DONT BE ABUSIVE TO ANIMALS EASY AS THAT!

Tariq Shihadah

2018-06

This is a gem--great stock and good variety despite being small. The tanks are very well taken care of, are beautifully designed, and the fish are healthy and looking great. The service here is also fantastic--im like staffed and even on busy days they are quick to be available and take care of you, and are very knowledgeable and insightful, which is crucial when purchasing new fish friends.

Alyssa Stephanie

2019-06

We came into this store many months ago while walking the neighborhood & decided to check it out and look at the cool fish. Now, a few months later, we have 3 tanks. Whoops. The staff of this store is incredible and very knowledgeable. They’re always willing to help with any problems or questions. We’ve purchased several fish (salt & fresh) from them and they’re all in perfect health. Not a huge selection (like petco, petsmart or other chain stores) of decor & tanks. But what they do have is carefully curated. They also always remember us, which is a nice touch! We love this store!

Daphne Mendoza

2023-06

Old Town aquarium is phenomenal. About a year ago my bf and I wanted to get into the tank life. We literally had 0 knowledge about anything and they have been extremely helpful throughout our journey as fish enthusiasts. We now have 3 tanks and get constant compliments on how informed me and him have become on the subject. This is all thanks to the amazing team at Old Town.They have been our shamans through this beautiful new hobby, they have become one out routine places to visit almost every week in search of more cool stuff for our tanks. We are in deep now in the best way possible and have Old Town to thank for all the serotonin we get from observing our tanks thrive 💜

Richard London

2019-06

Amazing! I am a retired "fish store" owner and within 10 seconds, I knew I had stepped into a decent shop. Selection, service and quality are second to none. In addition to the marine livestock, there is a nice selection of freshwater fish and plants. I will be coming back soon to add to my 55.

Edward Pina

2024-05

I love getting my hair cut with the older gentleman

Michael Frelas

2023-06

One of the best shops, let alone aquarium shops I have ever been to. Great prices, huge selection, healthy fish, helpful knowledgeable and friendly staff. I can’t rave about these guys enough. Alex helped me out tremendously setting up my first tank and giving advice and recommendations. Definitely my go to for stocking and aquarium needs. Blown away.

james jones

2023-06

Picked up an awesome copper banded butterfly there yesterday. What a great place! It was my son's birthday so they gave us a great deal on some coral. High quality staff, and stock! Been going there for years and they rarely disappoint.

Christian W

2018-06

Superb selection of saltwater fish. Would have like more of a freshwater variety, but it was still great.Great deals on display tanks. Would have liked to see more aquascapes on display to show possibilities of the tanks. Great store though and worth the visit.

Joseph Varikooty

2020-06

Awesome staff. Great prices. Healthy livestock. Love the new location

Dane Holmes

2017-06

Best freshwater aquarium store in the city. Everything is just priced a bit higher then online and else where, but the quality makes up for it. Cool and rare fish you can't find else where. As well as a good selection of rocks and supplies.

Dan Dunham

2023-06

I decided to get back into the hobby after about 10 years. Went to plenty of the other Chicago reefing shops, and they were fine, but the staff at Old Town Aquarium made the difference for me. Naturally, after being out of the space for so long, things had changed. I had plenty of questions, and they were happy to answer all of them when some of the other stores seemed bothered. Great shop and great staff.

Robert Arundale V

2024-01

Couldn't be more helpful. They really care about your fish tank. They don't try to sell you things you don't need. This is the only place I go

Abby Stayart

2022-06

These folks are great! Healthy fish, good advice, friendly people, very knowledgeable. Prices aren't much higher than the big box stores so it's definitely worth waiting until their Friday/Saturday/Sunday business hours if you can. So glad that I found them and will definitely continue to shop there for all of my fishtank needs!

Steve Sonderegger

2023-06

A different business model than the old, Old Town, store. No longer the place to find an excellent selection of the highest quality aquatic life (at premium prices!). Appears to be mostly focussed custom aquarium setups and a beautiful selection of corals.

Jenny Garcia

2020-06

Beautiful, clean, and we'll maintained shop. The fish are always very healthy and well cared for. Well worth the price. What really makes them stand out is the friendliness and knowledge of the staff. I was very surprised that Alex remembered us from our first time shopping there, a few months ago. He's always happy to help and is extremely knowledgeable. He advised us on what is good to add to our tank but also informed us if there was anything he didn't recommend us purchasing. Well worth the 45 minute drive.

Baramee Chindavong

2019-06

Awesome store. Great vibes. Amazing staff. Huge variety of exotic fishes. If you don't have a tank already, you'll want one by the time you're done walking through. If you already have one, you'll want more fish for your tank. The staff is chalk full of useful and helpful knowledge. Definitely worth the visit.

A

2023-09

Very healthy fauna, great sized stock tanks, with a diverse selection of flora and supplies! I'll be visiting this place again for sure, and free parking in back

Kristoffer Dayrit

2021-06

Great fish store, staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. They took their time and made great suggestions. Peter was amazing, we purchased drift wood, substrate and rocks. We plan on visiting again for plants and shrimps. Support local Chicago businesses!

Vladislav Gichev

2023-06

I've read a lot of positive reviews about this shop, some stated that it's the best fish store in Chicago, so I drove an hour to visit this place and had high expectations.The store is compact, and has a lot to offer for being both marine and freshwater store, they have many option on equipment, that's probably the best variety that I've seen in a store. There's also aquascaping hardware, pretty decent volume and options for both types of aquariums. Unfortunately, the only disappointing thing for me there was the fish supply, they literally have 25 tanks and 60% of them we're about saltwater fish. The good thing is that even though they have limited options, the selection was interesting, but you shouldn't expect to see 100 types of fish there. Overall it's a good shop for this hobby, much better than any chain store (like Petco, Walmart, or Mayer), but I don't see how this small store could be the best in Chicago, so if you have to come from far to find something that you haven't seen before you might be disappointed.

Joe Rogers

2017-06

Really the only place to get quality coral and equipment on the north side of Chicago. The prices are higher than what you would pay online or at some suburban stores, but that should be expected for the quality of the product. Employees always seem to be willing to help with questions (yes, even the stupid questions). You don't have to worry about them trying to up sell you with unnecessary products in order to make money, expect honest answers and recommendations. Huge variety of coral/fish/equipment (not quite as much variety of inverts). Overall highly recommended!Edit: I am reading some old reviews from people who complain about not being approached by customer service in this place. I can tell when I am in there that there are a lot of people who are only stopping by to check out the tanks. I would guess that is why they don't approach every person coming in. Just go up to the employees and start asking questions.... I've never had an issue. Even was able to get detailed answers on questions about plumbing in my sump.

Connor Kincaid

2023-11

Nice employees and big selection of rocks and wood. My scorpion is very content with his slate

Ronald Ralon

2021-06

Workers are extremely nice and helpful. Store looks great, and their display tanks are awesome. Stores not that big and there's not too much variety but what they have is good quality. Definitely worth a visit.