Aquarium Concepts

I’m new to the area, so I’ve only been coming here for a few months. I love this place. Aside from occasionally feeders, this place has everything you could want or need for your tank, weather it be salt, or fresh water.
Being a freshwater enthusiast can be tough sometimes, as most places specialize in saltwater. And that’s where Ed comes in. He is incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and eager to help.
Problem is, he is only in on Thursdays, so if you’re looking to enhance your freshwater tank, GO ON THURSDAYS.

#1 Fish store in the bay area! Ive been coming here for two years now. I am into large oddball aggressive fish and this place has them all. They can also order fish for you! Great place!

They have amano shrimp for $ 3 here. Came here during black friday and bought a bunch. Sydney was very knowledgeable and excellent at fishing the little guys out.

I’ve just recently gotten back into reef aquariums, and Aquarium Concepts has become my go to place. They are always helpful and knowledgeable. Last time I was there a gentleman by the name of Nate helped me out. I was surprised to find someone with insight on cultivating copepods and phytoplankton to help my Mandarin Dragonet and pipefish. I’ve purchased 90% of my current settups from them, and will continue to go here for info, dry goods and an amazing selection of both marine and freshwater animals.

Visit this store for years now, even when they were in Hayward. My review is based off saltwater fish and corals only. New owner took over, not much have changed. They have a huge selection of saltwater fishes with okay quality health. It is a good place to come and check out all the variety and the big layout of displays. However, on the pricing side, they are still overpriced with fishes and corals. They do have some decent sales once in a while and have stocked a lot of designer clownfish. Not a bad place to check out saltwater stuff since good reef stores are rare to find in the bay area. Happy reefing!

My boyfriend and I have become avid fish enthusiasts over the past few years and always come to Aquarium Concepts for everything — new fish, supplies, food, tank décor, or just an afternoon stroll when we’re in the area. The staff is helpful and very knowledgeable, and always answer our questions with genuine interest.
Most recently we bought a freshwater anglerfish here, complete in the Biocube setup she came in. Neither of us had ever heard of this type of fish before and had been stalking her for weeks, surprised that every time we came back she was still there. When the staff offered us an awesome deal, we took at as a sign she was meant to be ours and brought her home that day.
We also have a 34 gallon tank that we’ve populated with corys, tetras and peacock gudgeons from Aquarium Concepts. The staff educated us on the compatibility of the fish when we were purchasing, and over 2 months later they are still a happy family!
I definitely recommend Aquarium Concepts! The fish are healthy and thriving, and there is always a great selection for both fresh and salt water aquariums. We love coming back frequently to see what their latest selection is like!

This is a pretty awesome place for fish and fish accessories. My husband and I recently started the hobby of having a fish tank, and we go here pretty often. I have to say Sidney K. Is one reason I enjoy going in as much as we do. Since the first time we went there she is super super helpful, knowledgeable, and overall friendly. She’s a superstar where customer service is concerned, and if you find yourself there and need some excellent help I recommend you find her. Hopefully her bosses realize how wonderful of an employee she really is.

Matt Noble was awesome helping me out getting some frogs today. He answered all my questions and was VERY professional throughout the process.

Nate was freaking awesome. Super helpful and knowledgeable about every part of your tank, from what livestock to keep to alternative lighting sources you can use. I have a small pico reef which makes picking equipment and livestock really hard but Nate really took his time to help.

Holy cow, what a place. My husband and I just wandered in on a whim and ended up buying two beautiful koi from them.
Sidney helped us for quite a while and knew SO much about seemingly everything. She answered all of our questions, and we had a lot! Ask for her, she’s practically a guru.
They actually take care of their fish. Shocking, I know. I saw not one aquarium overcrowded, and not one fish that looked sick or stressed.
They’re knowledgeable about ALL their fish, salt and fresh water. The way that certain fish interact with others, and how certain fish interact with coral. Sidney also let us know what conditions coral needs to survive, even fish breeding!
This place completely raised the bar on aquarium and fish products. I don’t think I could ever walk into another Petsmart or Petco again. Even if you just need advice on your tank, GO!

Went here for the first time today and wow! Can I give a place 6 stars?
First of all, the animals are very, very well taken care of. Healthy, non stressed animals in compatible tanks. Employees know what they’re doing and they care.
Selection of fish is excellent. I purchased 4 fancy guppies with color variations that I have not seen in a store before. They also had a koi betta fish, which is very uncommon to see in a store and normally something you would have to purchase online at a much higher price. Bettas were also brightly colored, active, and free of stress stripes.
Interesting selection of tanks. Wide selection of filters and heaters. Décor galore.
The only way I can initially think of to improve this place would be if they did not sell bowls (don’t keep your fish in a bowl, people!) but I consider it a forgivable issue in the face of everything else, so long as they point people more towards tanks instead.
I’m very impressed with this store. I will most certainly be a regular.
Also, Sydney in particular is VERY helpful and knowledgable! I really appreciate her help.

My husband and I go in this store ALL the time! We are the ones who always have a billion questions. We went into the store wanting a small 5 gallon tank with a filter because our daughter won a goldfish at the fair. We walked out buying a 55 gallon tank. And now it has become my husbands «hobby».
Everyone is very nice in the store. The owner is AMAZING! And is very patient with all my husband’s questions. And even helped bring our tank home.
Another person that stands out tremendously is Sidney! This was her first time helping us and we plan to go see her every time from now on. She is VERY knowledgeable, funny, quick, and has a great personality.
Ed is also amazing but I don’t think he works there any more. Bummer!
Yes, we could go buy cheap fish at pet smart but those fish are usually sick. These fish are healthy and you can tell the employees care about their fish. This place tests our water for free and knows everything there is to know about fish and plants.
Highly recommend this place! Mostly because of the owner and SIDNEY!

The business has severely declined since my last review… This used to be my go to store… I visited at least twice a month if not more and I’m an hour drive away… one of the men working today (one that’s been around forever) sat and shot the shit with a buddy at the bagging station for 30min while I stood in the fish section 8ft away… Didn’t ask if I needed help… Didn’t even greet me… They were talking negatively about college girls (NOT VERY PROFESSIONAL) when I finally got his attention he sent the freshwater guy over and the poor guy didn’t even know what a «cleaner wrasse» was and I had to help him…

I called Aquarium Concepts because I moved my Betta to a 5 gallon tank from a 2 ½ gallon bowl. I have heard so any different theories on what type of container I should use. Even youtube said to use a 3 to 5 gallon tank. I already have a half moon Betta in a 5 gallon tank with heater and filter and is doing fabulous. So, I moved my veil tail into his new home. I did everything right but he was clearly dying and wouldn’t eat. I called and spoke to Sidney. She asked if I still had the old water on the old bowl? Yes I did. I put him back in the bowl and he is doing great!!! Thank you Sidney!!! She also told me if he didn’t perk up I could come in to purchase some type of good bacteria to add to his bowl. I will be calling Sidney ’ s manager to let him know he has a great employee.

One of the best fresh and salt water aquarium fish stores in the entire Bay Area! Many times I just go in for the entertainment of huge inventory of fish (when in the area).
Wanted to start keeping fish for the first time in years and came in to buy a 5 gal fresh water tank. Best selection of small tanks, accessories, etc.
Sabrina was awesome! Poor girl. I was there for hours asking questions and pondering the possibilities. She kept up with me the whole time. What a knowledgeable and patient representative. Thanks!

Good selection in fish however the price and health is up in the air. Coral selection is poor and overpriced.
Low rating due to lack of customer service. I’ve visited this store a total of 3 times and all (3) times my family and I had been ignored. This place does not offer me any reason to make a fourth trip.

Huge fish and supply selection, definitely the best fish selection out of every store in the bay area. They get a lot of premium clownfish morphs like snowflakes, black photons, etc as well as your standard tangs, damsels, firefish etc.
They carry a lot of mandarin gobies which is unfortunate considering their difficulty to care for and the propensity of people to buy them without any idea of how difficult they are — asked and was told they rarely eat frozen which is too bad since they are being sold to starve to death typically.
Coral selection is lacking in quality, lots of generic corals at fairly steep price — Neptune’s in Milpitas beats them handily in the coral selection. Really could use a better selection of fancy zoas, chalices, etc. If you want me to pay 30 $ for zoas get some cool rastas not just generic 5 $ frags at $ 15/​polyp prices.

Avoid this store at all cost!
They might sell sick /​injured fishes to you, so check very very carefully if you have to buy from them. Because if you do not, they will find all excuses not to take it back even though it is within 24 hours as they promised. Good luck if you purchase from them!

Came in again and purchased a frogspawn coral. Great costumer service! Great prices!
Always walk out with a smile!

I’m really impressed with Aquarium Concepts. We came in here with an idea of what we were looking for, and walked out with gained knowledge and exactly the products we were looking for.
To begin, we wanted to upgrade our cheap little 1 gallon fish aquarium (we rescued the aquarium and it’s resident) to a larger, more serene and modern looking tank. We have a small African Dwarf Frog, and after doing some reading online felt that he should have a much larger home and we grew excited to start the journey of having aquatic friends living in the house.
We had been in AC in the past just to look at the pretty fish, corals, décor, and everything in between, so we knew exactly where we wanted to go for our supplies. The staff, each time we have visited, have been more than helpful. They ask us questions to get an idea of what we are attempting to do with our set-​up, and they have been very informative and honest about their products. There is nothing better than feeling truly informed, and being able to trust a business. A kind gentleman assisted us with picking out the right aquarium for our home and that would best suit our frog. We walked out with a new aquarium, water conditioner, fresh water [live] plants, gravel, some driftwood, an aquarium heater, a thermometer, and some delicious food for our little friend– blood worms, mmm!
So far everything has been going very well. The tank is looking beautiful, and we have successfully transferred the frog, Cornelius, from his old home into this larger one and he must be so happy! I am happy that he made it through the transfer. Now, we have a beautiful aquarium as the center piece of our bedroom and it’s completely calming and lovely.