Congressional Aquarium

Ivan Maertens Aramayo

2024-02

This place is so old! But that's OK! They have the knowledge and experience to answer your questions and find what you're looking for. The tanks could use a little more TLC. The staff, at least the 2 I spoke with, knew what they were talking about. There's even a guy that has a cool whistle lol!

Nathaniel Kelly

2024-01

Great place for all things aquatic. Best selection of fish, especially larger fish, in the area. Super helpful staff, tons of spare parts for pumps and filters. Definitely worth the Pike traffic 😉

Yiran Liu

2024-03

Great selection of fish and other products. We are new to raising fish, so it was great to be assisted by the very knowledgeable and helpful staff who helped us pick out which plants to buy for our aquarium. After a number of months, happy to report that the plants are growing very well!

Obdulio Moronta

2024-04

I appreciate the care and attentiveness I received from Ana (I hope I am spelling your name right) in the form on customer service. I'll be honest, I stopped coming to this location years ago because I received bad service from one of the workers (he could have just had a bad day). I decided to give them a second chance as I was looking to gift my 7 year old her first tank. I couldn't have had a better experience. Ana was so thoughtful and the level of patience she demonstrated really showed me that she takes extreme pride in her job. Thank you so much Ana. Your kind hearted spirit and great advice to this beginner aquarist has me coming back for more at Congressional Aquarium. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful customer service. You are a great addition to the Congressional Aquarium team.

Annie Thoopsamoot

2023-05

I was looking for another feeding goldfish so they can be playmate to the one I have almost a month now. I had bad experience with both Petco and Pet Smart so I went to Congressional Aquarium. I was impressed with varieties of fishes and accessories etc. I can easily spend hours looking at the fishes, shrimps, snails in this place. No one bothered you and when I knew what I wanted, I just went to an employee at the desk. Ethan was friendly, kind and very helpful. He picked 2 beautiful feeding fishes for me. They cost only a dollar but the customer service he has giving me, it goes a long way. What's a great place to visit. Thanks for a great service from Ethan, I will be back for more fishes, shrimps etc. in the near future.

Lemmy

2024-01

Very good store with good employees and most importantly a wide variety of fish which always seemed to be in good health (although i haven't really looked at the saltwater section which is where most of the poor reviews talk about). My one problem is the prices are very high, prices of fish and other items are quite a bit higher than other places ive seen. I understand local shops need to charge a bit more but I feel they overdo it. Still overall a nice place

Tony W

2019-05

This place is so cool. It's like a small aquarium with all kinds of fish, small ones of course. My kids love to visit it. You can also get lizards, turtles, frogs, even snakes if you like. They also have large selections of tanks, other supplies and decorations. I would give it a five stars but their fish price is a little high. It's understandable because of the location and higher than normal maintenance cost. I think it's deserve a 4.5 stars overall. If you are a fish lover, you won't be disappointed.

Tom Olin

2024-05

Experienced and helpful staff. Good fish selection. They also have a selection of pond plants and koi.

David Fahs

2023-12

Super pricey with very average saltwater selection. I would definitely quarantine any fish from here! Going to pay above market price for almost anything here that can be found at other stores for much cheaper and of the same if not better quality elsewhere.

Michael F

2022-05

I won't speak on the freshwater side, but the saltwater section is a disaster. There is no excuse to not have a treated system or hospital tank for sick fish. I know fish shipments can come in with sick fish, but after many repeat trips to this store it looks like they just sit in the display without treatment.. the Petco across the street has healthier fish which says a lot. The coral section is pitiful, the small coral display tank has dying coral everywhere and the selection in the frag tank is horrible. There are plenty of stores within an hour drive that I would rather drive to. I'll continue to occasionally visit as its close, but until they seriously revamp the saltwater side I won't spend a penny there.

Marissa Boland

2023-11

I believe you truly come to this store not only for a selection of items petsmart and chain stores cannot provide, but for the wonderful knowledgable staff. Their advice has saved my beloved betta fish after I came in distraught about his swim bladder. They had the products I needed, which chain stores did not, but also took the time to walk me through products and formulate a plan for his recovery. Their expertise shows and they are all so kind. My only point for improvement is the amount of sick bettas I have seen at this store. I wish they would move away from the cup system and implement micro tanks or similar, and do better in that way than petsmart does. I know the staff cares for each fish and tries to help them, but there is only so much you can do from a cup with no heat/filter/etc. I would like to see the store owner implement a better betta housing system but otherwise this store is perfect. By far the best place to go in the area if you own a fish!

meTimetraveler

2023-12

I am getting back into Tropical fish. I worked at Congressional Aquarium back in 70's when in HS. Back then Congressional Aquarium was on the other side of the steps. Earl Reed was the owner. no internet. he use to tell me about where different tropical fish came country wise. I learned a lot about how the precure , transport and catch the fish

Kawaii Kittle

2022-05

Lots of choice, friendly staff, tanks clean. We've gotten quiet a few fish from here (love the dwarf cories). They have a ton of fish/plants/snails/decor/tanks/accessories and more for your aquarium needs. Most of the staff seem very knowledgeable and willing to help. They also sell other critters like bearded dragons, hermit crabs, and leopard geckos.Update 2021: Again, customer service is awesome. I was having trouble with the pH in my tank as well as figuring out what I can stock my 10gal with. I was given a buffer for my tank and they helped me pick out fish for my tank as well! The buffer worked great and I love my fish. Two dwarf powder blue gouramis and 6 white cloud tetra.

Nikki Banner

2021-05

Decent selection here. We get Symphysodon, colloquially known as discus fish from this store. The staff is knowledgeable about their fish. They last a couple years so they seem to be healthy. Parking is always tough here. But you’ll eventually find it. Closes at 6 pm so get off work and get your fish!

Rich Schoengold

2021-05

They have it all. Hard to find a real tropical fish store other than the big brand stores. Those big brand stores lack the selection and knowledge.Went there with a issue with my fish . I would've bought the wrong meds. Did what they said and pooof problem cured.Thanks guys

Eugene Brown

2023-05

The store has a great selection of fish. I have never seen a dead fish in any of the tanks. The employees are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. What I love the most is you don’t know you’re in a fish store because it’s not humid and stinky. I had my daughter to make an alert to stop me from buying anything when I go within 100 feet of them. 10/10 I recommend

Areen

2023-07

Incompetent, rude staff that are not trained on neither fish or equipment. I was flying out of town and needed an automatic fish feeder. I could have easily orders from Amazon but wanted to give the business to a local company. I drove 45 min to them to buy the feeder since I needed to make sure our fish were fed for the 5 days while I was gone. I asked the gentleman who helped me (long dark hair maybe mid 20s Ethan was his name I believe) and I said to him I want the unit that is the easiest to set up. He sells me a feeder and says it’s super easy and connects to your phone. I paid $70 for the device (normally these sell for $30 on Amazon). I drove home and began the unpacking to set it up. After spending 30 min confused at the instructions regarding this device and calling the manufacturer, I realized that the unit is not built to work as a standalone device. This unit needs another $200 module in order for it to work. Basically I was baited into buying something from a careless sales associate who clearly was incompetent and didn’t care to understand what he was selling to me. When I called back to express my frustration I relished Ethan was the one who answered. I asked to speak to the manager and his response was everyone here is a Manager (interesting management structure). After I explained to him that he sold me a unit that is effectively useless, he became defensive and very dismissive and said “just bring it back” as if driving 40 min there and back 2 times in a day due to a clear mistake by the associate made me even more upset. No Apology, no empathy, no care. Ina world where retailers are getting smashed by Amazon and e-commerce there’s no room for totally unacceptable service. After asked to speak to another manager, I was handled and refunded but no fish feeder and was told the fish can live with no food for up to 10 days. Somehow I feel like that’s not at all the truth, but judging by how they handled my concern it’s quite obvious they just want to sell you stuff without knowing a damn thing about their merchandise. After spending $700+ on a tank and accessories just last week, I’ll never do business with this establishment again.

Nick Sussman

2023-05

Have been getting my fish & plants from this store for about 4 years now. Ran into an issue with a recent purchase but management was extremely helpful, walked me through the issues, and offered me a credit. They care about you as a customer and understand the struggles of the hobby. Very knowledgeable staff.

Edwin H

2023-05

This store has an amazingly wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish available, during my last visit it took me over an hour to finish looking through just their freshwater fish aisles! And they also have an entire aisle dedicated to plants as well which they were selling in bundles when I was there. The employees are friendly and attentive and prices are very fair, so I would definitely recommend going here for any of your fish needs if you're in the DMV area!

Dan Ephraim

2023-07

The most knowledgeable aquarium store in the DC area....hands-down. While there is a great selection of fish, and the products needed to give them a healthy and long life, it is the friendly staff that makes a visit to the store special.

Leslie M

2023-05

Pricey location. Everything here is more than market price and the fish aren't always healthy. I do not recommend buying aquarium products because you will pay a lot more than other stores.The fish guarantee is 2 or 3 days. Some are very sickly, I recommend quarantining your new fish before adding them to your aquarium.The plants are extremely pricey and aren't that's great at all.The people here are helpful and you are able to request and see if they can get specific fish in for you.

Leslie Fischer

2022-05

I have been going here for almost a year after setting up a new aquarium. It's been the best experience. The staff is INCREDIBLY knowledgeable and the selection amazing. I won't argue with the reviews that say it's slightly more expensive than commercial pet stores but I've been to several of those which is what led me here. It's worth it and I highly recommend for your aquarium needs, especially if you have something to troubleshoot. You'll understand after giving them a try. Great place, can't recommend enough.

dusky stars

2023-05

only one good staff member so far. i have seen worm parasites in the snails. i dont know too much about having an aquarium yet, but there should definitely not be parasites in any aquarium. the tanks look slightly unkempt, especially the saltwater tanks. the saltwater tanks are in desperate need of care and other reviews says that they have diseases and die in 24 hours. they do make an effort with the decorations but i do not believe there is enough, the petco has a much bigger variety and for much cheaper. all the fish are EXTREMELY overpriced,,

Charli V

2022-05

Love going down to our local shop to pick up our turtle supplies! They've got what we need to keep our gal happy.

Gary Smith

2021-05

This store has been here forever, and has weathered all of the changes in the area. It has a location with almost no street presence and a terrible website and still survives. The reason is evident. It is a great store. The staff are always knowledgeable and pleasant. They are very helpful and make coming a great experience. The collection of animals is quite diverse. I have been known on more then one occasion to just bring my kids here instead of to the national aquarium for a small fish watching adventure. The store is deceptively large for the size of its store front. Beyond their extensive collection of animals, aquarium equipment, and aquariums they also offer services like water testing. A real gem and worth a visit whether you are shopping or just into browsing.

Ryan Douglas

2021-05

Excellent selection of fish (freshwater and saltwater). Aside from the feeder fish tank, all the fish looked to be in great health (September 2020). Decent selection of aquatic plants. The staff have generally been knowledgeable and have tried to gently probe to make sure I have a proper setup for anything I'm looking to purchase (which is appreciated). However, the fish prices tend to give me sticker shock.

Jeremy Musser

2022-05

This is an excellent little aquarium shop. Bit of a drive for me (50 min) but well worth it. Fish and plants are top quality as are the knowledgeable staff. You'll pay a few dollars more, but I'm happy to do it to support a local shop that offers the best customer service and fish.

stephanie wood

2023-05

So sad. Do not recommend. The entire saltwater system needs to be overhauled. The tanks are tiny and the fish are obviously stressed. Multiple fish with velvet or terrible cases of ich. Dead fish in several tanks. I’ve been several times over the years and it’s much of the same. I just cannot recommend under any circumstances. They should not be allowed to continue doing business until they provide humane systems to support their livestock.

Grey Flowers

2023-05

I’ve gone in twice to look around as I’m new to the neighborhood. I unfortunately wasn’t greeted or spoken to both times, but it’s nice to see the local fish store. There are fish I def want in my next aquarium build so I’m excited to have a spot to come by and get everything I need.

charlie contreras

2021-05

Awesome people, I arrived a little after they closed but the gentleman was nice enough to let me in and make a purchase. This is going above and beyond for the customer which is a rare thing to find these days. Highly recommend this place not just because of the service but also beautiful store and lots of selection of fish to pick from for both salt and fresh water tanks. All fish look nice and healthy also which is always a plus and shows the care that’s given to these animals.