Saltwater City

So for anyone with experience with aquariums it’s common knowledge that saltwater tanks are a whole different tier from freshwater from the pricing to the eco system and most importantly the beauty of the tanks. I’ve been driving past this store for years and recently started up my freshwater tanks. I’ve been aching to build up a reef system since saltwater tanks are breathtaking (not saying freshwater tanks aren’t). I have no experience with saltwater tanks and since most of my knowledge with freshwater doesn’t transfer over to saltwater because the Eco systems are a night and day difference, I decided to walk in to this store to get some information and see the tanks. Andy greeted me and happily gave me the rundown and basics on how saltwater tanks work. The place is small but amazing! Even though it was apparent that I wasn’t looking to buy right away Andy was still very friendly and very informative. He also enjoyed talking to me about the different breeds of fish. The staff here are awesome! I plan on getting most of my saltwater equipment here if not all of it.

Aquariums are chemistry experiments. At best, you’re hoping to duplicate a little piece of a reef ecosystem. If any part of the symphony is off, the entire tank will… tank. This is why I could not be happier to have found one of the most brilliant «chemists» and aquarium experts in Andy and his support at Saltwater City. From the correct way to cycle FOWLR tanks (ammonia, nitrate/​nitrites, alkalinity, PH, salinity, temp, etc.) they bring precise expertise to give you crystal clear water and happy, healthy animals. They quarantine all fish before they go out to sale. They bring in the most exotic corrals and invertebrates. What you get when you go to Saltwater City versus a warehouse supplier is a partner in your aquatic ecosystem. They’ve loaned us equipment… offered to help unload a lot of RO… they’ve loaned us books to pick out which fish and hand-​picked them for us. We’re so ingratiated, it would be impossible for us to even want to go anywhere else. 10 Stars from my family… and our heartfelt thanks for keeping our Sea Lovlies so vibrant.

I would give 5 stars for the owner for his friendliness but three star for the price of corals and some of the higher end fish.

Absolutely the best tropical pet store around.
I drive right past 2 or 3 other places to get here, and I’m never disappointed. The prices are always a little higher, but it’s because they only stock the best and healthiest critters. Many times I fell for low prices on something from a Petco or another chain place. I got really tired of the sick animals dying soon after I got them, or their dirty water bringing sickness into my perfect little Eco-​system.
The little bit more that I pay here isn’t just returned in quality stock, but I have also received TONS of information and advice from Andy and the rest of the crew. More than once I asked to purchase something, only to have Andy tell me that my anemone would immediately eat it, or that my tank isn’t big enough. He actually remembers my tank size, AND everything he has sold me! That’s impressive, but the real kicker is that he could have made a sale if he kept his mouth shut, but instead he turned down the money and told the truth about what would happen. That’s just good business, and it’s rare these days. I’m sold for life on this place.

The coral selection is limited, focusing primarily on LPS, very little SPS. They probably have the largest LPS collection around. Very expensive compared to their other local competition (ignoring internet mail order which is always cheaper than all of them). Good place to pick up must haves, like oyster feast or Mysis shrimp, when you’re short on time. Unfortunately, due to the prices and not being into LPS corals, I don’t buy much else there.

Loved the store and the staff! very helpful and knowledgable on reef and fowlr tanks.
While their live stock may indeed me a bit over priced compared to other stores.
I for one will shop there a great deal, as I am completely comfortable with knowing I am buying from good people.
Andy is the BEST! Friendly, kind, and very very helpful
Mark B.

I’m starting a new tank now, and the staff here have been so incredibly helpful. I know the prices are high, but I also know the quality makes up for it. Think about shopping at H&M or Nordstrom… Go with quality, you end up spending less in the long run.

Are you kidding — I found this shop to be extreemly over priced! As I shop around for the best prices, I found Blue Sierra in Issaquah, Barrier Reef Aquariums in Renton and Denny’s Pet store in Kirkland to be almost half price for live coral and fish

I have mixed feelings about Saltwater City.
The good:
–Well maintained, clean storefront
–clean, well cared for tanks with livestock that looks healthy
–Friendly, helpful staff who seem knowledgable.
–decent selection of dry goods, foods, etc.
The bad:
–The clown fish I bought from them 7 months ago had ich. It was my first, and at the time only fish, so I am sure it came from their store. Spots appeared within a couple of days of purchase. Granted, this can happen at any store, and this is why I now quarantine all new fish. Unfortunately, the tank the infected fish came from shares a sump/​system with all the tanks on that wall, and that system houses corals and anemones as well as fish, so I can only assume that there is still ich present in that system, since they can’t have treated that system with coral and anemones in it. So I personally won’t buy anything out of that system anymore. It would bother me less if that were a fish-​only system, since then the tank may have been treated.
–PRICES: their corals are WAY overpriced. I spend time in all the local saltwater stores, as well as looking at corals online, and believe that Saltwater City asks about double what other shops charge for corals. Fish also seem about 25% more expensive than other places. Prices for dry good seem about right, though.
Neither here nor there:
They advocate a bare bottom system. I prefer the look of a sand bottom and I like the larger selection of fish and life that can live with a sand bottom system. But bare bottom is easier. Just good to know their bias when you go in. Strangely, they do sell some critters that need sand (like pistol shrimp.)

Stopped by the store yesterday passing through Bellevue area. I have visited other saltwater stores not far from Saltwater City and I and my son were dissapointed. The store seemed a little disorganized,. Selection of fish seem limited but that could be just a they were awainting inventory, but the prices were not at all reasonable. Probably 30% higher than others. Staff not pushy at all but not real eager to help either.
With the sticker shock of the fish and corals will be hesitant to return.

Lots of selection and Andy is very knowledgeable. However they are so very overpriced that it was a huge turnoff to me.
Also they are a bit opinionated on how to run a system. I don’t want a bare-​bottom tank and don’t want to be treated like an idiot because I want to have an inch or so of sand on the bottom of the tank. Different roads to rome and all that.

Read some positive reviews on Unilocal so I had to go check it out. I went with my husband, who is really the one doing the tank but I am the one obsessed with Unilocal.So this review is sort of on his behalf.
The staff here was really nice and knowledgable. They had a lot of variety.
None of the coral was under $ 50. Some corals are and should be that expensive but for the size and quality all the coral seemed to be overpriced by at least 20−30%. They have a big selection of coral but the prices were a turn off. The fish and dry goods were reasonably priced.

I love this store. Simply put its one of two places in seattle to buy saltwater fish and corals.

The people of SALTWATER CITY are absolutely BRILLIANT. They actually could have saved our lives. My husband recently purchased a 75 gal aquarium, and then found a guy on Craigslist that was selling his live rock, anemone’s, fish, etc., due to the fact that his doctor told him he was «allergic» to his fishtank. Everytime the guy stuck his hand in the water, he would get «sick.» We thought that was odd, but purchased all his stuff, which included about 90 pounds of live rock. That night we brought it home, and without gloves, my husband transferred all the sand, live rock, sea anemone’s, etc. We really didn’t know anything about the type of creatures we had on the rock, which happened to include poisonous Palythoa Polyps. That night our whole family became dreadfully ill. We were all sick for 4 days, and my husband, who’s immune system had already been compromised, had a fever for three days which peaked at 103.5. We all had difficulty breathing, terrible body aches, nausua, diarreah, headaches and we were coughing up green flem. After 4 days, we recovered, but that next weekend, my husband put his hand in the tank and got another fever of 101.7. This was repeated 5 times. I researched on-​line and thought he had Salmonella Paratyphi B, but I called Andy at Saltwater City, and he said my husband either had Vibrio, or that we had Palythoa Polyps growing in our tank. My husband went to the doctor which determined my husband did not have Salmonella or Vibrio. It was the Palythoa Polyps, just as Andy had suggested. We brought a water sample into the store, and they discovered how toxic our water was. We have quickly removed these deadly polyps and thanks to SALTWATER CITY, we are on our way to enjoying a healthy happy tank. We called the previous owner, and asked what his «allergy symptoms» were. They were identical to ours. He was not allergic. These rare Polyps have been used by islanders to make poison arrows. One gram of Playtoxin from these polyps can kill up to 600 mice. You must wear gloves and goggles whenever handling these dangerous polyps. Scratching your eyes after handling without protection may result in permanent blindness. My son and I had symtoms from just «breathing» the fumes from the tank! We had 4 large clusters in our 75 gallon tank. If you ever have a Reef Tank question you need answered, please contact these guys at 425−644−7050.

This is by far the best saltwater only aquarium store in Puget Sound. They do not try to oversell, and in fact recommend you not buy something they stock more often than not to make sure you don’t waste your money and buy something you/​your tank are not up to keeping alive.
They are a bit pricey compared to the other Local fish stores, but they have the healthiest looking stock, so it’s extra money well spent. They do use Copper in their tanks though, which some people have a problem with. But again, their quality is hands down the best in the region.
The store itself is well maintained, has the best lighting, doesn’t smell, and isn’t soaked on the floor (hint hint Fish Store on Roosevelt)
Best of all, their customer service is top notch. I was in here last week and the owner spent a good 90 minutes going through what would and wouldn’t work with the new tank i am building. I wasn’t even buying anything that day and he still gave me the best service I’ve had out of any LFS in the state. They also are not snobby like some stores, when you ask a dumb question, they don’t brow beat you over it, they teach you… which is more than i can say for other LFS’s in town who treat people new to the hobby like second class citizens.
As for selection, they have the best coral and invert supply i’ve ever seen outside of Southern California LFS’s. And their fish are also well stocked with a wide variety for Reef tanks and Fish Only tanks. Lot’s of Tangs, Angels, Triggers, Clowns, Wrasses etc.
So, if you have a saltwater tank, plan on getting one, or just want to stare at the pretty display tanks, make sure to hit these guys up. You will not regret it.

I agree with everything in Kirsti H’s review … so won’t repeat most of it.
— Quality in this store (all around …) is excellent; none better.
— With a couple of exceptions, prices are often higher then others — but in terms of livestock, see «quality» above.
— Best ornamental live rock in town. Seriously. If you’re stocking from scratch, save room for show pieces from here. Always check the rubble been after that, really cool scraps from time to time.
— I LOVE the small coral frags. You can try things without breaking the bank. If it doesn’t work out — no big loss. If it does work — most of this spreads like made anyway.

These guys are fantastic. They know everything there is to know about salt-​water fish and tanks. They have guys that can build you custom tanks in your home or business. They have a cleaning service. They have a slew of live-​rock, a slew of fish, and a slew of invertebrates. They won’t let you buy things that don’t get along, and they will tell you exactly how to care for what you do go home with.
But hands down the coolest thing there? The micro-​tanks. Ever hear of a 20 gallon salt-​water tank work with reef plants? Yeah, me either till I went here. And they sell kits at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended for the salt lovers out there.

Saltwater City is one of the few fish stores in the greater Seattle area that has only what you want — saltwater fish and corals.
One thing I noticed firstly when entering this store, was that it was clean. Most fish stores have a dingy, stank feel about them. This place is brightly lit, decently cleaned and spacious.
FISH:
They have an entire wall featuring all the standard saltwater tank fodder, as well as some rare beauties. There are also several smaller fish scattered throughout the tanks housing corals.
CORALS & INVERTS:
There is always a wide variety of shrimp, clams, and other inverts available for purchase. They always have a unique array of clams at varying prices (baby clams as low as $ 40). There is also a small tank near the front of the store offering $ 15 and $ 25 corals and frags. This is a great way to try caring for new creatures without shelling out $ 100.
There selection of soft corals is amazing. They always have a dozen hammers, torches and frogspawn available. They also carry lots rare corals and other oddities.
SUPPLIES:
They have a decent selection of supplies; offering tanks, systems, saltwater supplies and even saltwater. The prices can sometimes be a little high on their dry goods.
STAFF/​HELPFULNESS:
The staff are always very helpful. Unlike most pet store fish departments, there is usually more than one person available to answer your questions. They are always eager to help you learn to care for something new, or help you troubleshoot issues you are having with your aquarium.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you want to start a saltwater tank, or just find something cool for the one you have, this is the best place to start.