Tropical Haven

This store would get a lot more business if they let go of the rude employees. The fish guy was simply awful. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was put out by having to help me. I hope the owner reads this. There are plenty of nice fish experts out there who need a job

What a fantastic fish store. They carried tons and TONS of supplies and fish. There must have been 100+ tanks there. They had everything from African Cichlids, Marine (albeit a small section of corals and marine animals), south american cichlids (discus, angelfish), tetras of all sorts, the largest plecostomus’s I’ve ever seen, koi and goldfish. Anything you can want.
Terrific prices on aquariums also, they had 75 gallon’s for $ 99. Can’t beat that anywhere. I picked up an absolute boat load of drift wood for 100 that would have cost over 3 – 400 at my local fish store in Concord.
Fantastic first experience.

This place is nasty. The fish and the birds are living in gross conditions. A friend of mine and I went in there today to look at the fish. The fish tanks were not very clean, some were really bad. The sea horse tank had a dead seahorse in it, the birds cages really needed to be clean and the customer service was obviously forced. Meaning they clearly forced themselves to be professional. I asked the lady why there was a dead Sea horse in the sea horse tank and she tried very hard to hide her annoyance but it was clearly visible she did not like me for asking that. 10 long seconds later she responds «that happens sometimes». I never seen such a horrible pet store.

Ok folks, I have been in this store twice now. I don’t care if the place looks old, the store looks dark. The staff has been very helpful and I will continue to be a customer. May be there are reasons that you can’t bring your dog to the store, maybe the dog wasn’t trained. You are going to get better supplies from a person that has been in the business for 30yrs than a kid
that works in a store chain. There fish look very healthy, and the staff is worth the wait.

Been there twice since last review and experience has been excellent! Lots of help, happy to help me with questions, even prevented me from buying an invert that would terrorize my coral. I drive 1 and half hours to get here and Will continue business surely

Great store for aquarium stuff. This is what my review is based upon.
They have the biggest selection of fish anywhere around here. The fish tanks are healthy looking and you hardly ever see a dead one. They also have the largest selection of aquarium supplies from filters, equipment and decorations aswell. They are definitely my go to spot for my aquarium. The staff are friendly and helpful.
My only gripe is that they are not as good as they used to be when it comes to live plants. Maybe they just weren’t selling much plants before? They generally over ever java ferns, some anubias and one or two other types. They also lack freshwater shrimp species so if you’re looking to plant your tank or get some cool cherry or flower shrimp you’re out of luck!
Otherwise this is the BEST aquarium store anywhere around modesto.

First off I was greeted upon entering the store. Sure the aisles are a little dusty but the live fish side was very nice. The tanks were clean and the fish were lively. Not like the big pet stores where you seem to see a couple of dead fish in almost every other tank. Prices were reasonable and in some cases cheaper than the big box stores. A little tricky to figure out prices for fish since some of the tanks were mislabeled. Customer service is hit or miss. No one is in the aquarium area and the employees don’t always seem to get when customers need help. Not the biggest fan of their return policy for fish. I believe it’s like 14d and only 50% of retail and no returns for tanks less than 50d old (not that mine qualifies with that) and some other sticklers. I’ll probably be back because of their low prices for some fish and plants

I truly like this place but sometimes I wonder if there is only one employee who really cares. I wanted to buy rock yesterday and I walked out with empty hands. The gentleman that works the tank are is always helpful but I lost site of him when I found what I wanted and after that he was helping a newbie. Lol I remember them days. This place is great for information and they are very helpful. I’ll have to go back and see if they sell me what I had my eye on. Thanks

I like visiting family-​owned stores, but Tropical Haven isn’t one of them. This place is always filthy. It hasn’t changed. As for the pricing? I’ve found better online. The customer service here has never gotten better. I go here for the aquariums products and I’m never helped even after asking for help. I also say «Thank you have a good day» when I leave and the two blonde ladies (one older and one younger) just looked at me. There’s a brunette guy who helps with fish and the 5x I’ve been here he only approaches white people. I kid you not.
Yes they have a large selection of fish, but with competitive online prices and sites like
, forget it. The only thing this place would have going for them is their customer service and they don’t even have that.

Never will and never have gone back there. This was a while ago bit the lady at the front desk was EXTREMELY rude and told me I couldn’t HAVE my dog in there. I take my dog a lot of places and while she is nervous is very good on leash and has been to ALL other pet related stores in the area. I just started going to couldrons pets choice which has very nice staff, a better looking store and take my dog with me every single time and have had not ONE problem.

It’s an okay store. Lots of fish — HUGE selection as far as fish go. Not much for reptiles, but they do have other stuff for more common pets — cats/​dogs, as well as food ect for reptiles. As far as live pets go, fish seem to be their main deal!

I love going to this place. It is the first pet store I usually go to when I need food for my critters. Also, their assortment of fish is amazing. They last longer than any other fish from other pet stores.

I give this place 3 stars because they have good variety, healthy and hearty fish, and good prices on supplies and feed. However, customer service is downhill!!! People at the register are friendly but the staff in the aquarium area are curt, sarcastic, and down right rude!
The aquarium area is also very disorganized.
We are new to aquarium hobby and the tanks rarely have correct labels. We got confused about the fish species and were treated rudely. The place should be more organized. Then we would not have to ask so much because we could google it on our phone to weed out simple questions. They also appear to be understaffed which may contribute to employees rude, abrupt behavior.

Always very happy with the «Mom and Pop» atmosphere of this place. Definitely different than the chain pet stores. Staff has always been helpful (when not swamped with customers) and knowledgeable in regards to my fish questions. The livestock can at times be hit and miss, but I have never left unhappy with my selections.
Yesterday, I picked up a Blue Tang and the gentleman took $ 10 off the price because they had a few too many, this has never happened to me at any other pet store but it’s the small things like this that keep me coming back (and the fact that it’s an awesome store). I have never been up-​sold unnecessary products, and have always left feeling more confident in my hobby than before.
I have been coming here for years with my father, some of my best memories with him (even coming back after the fire), and will continue to do so with my son!

Well if you want discount prices on some things I would suggest going
is dirty and staff people aren’t the best out there. But I think the fast moving items are pretty cheap and make up for the lack of upkeep in store. This place gets 3 stars from me. ive been there 6 or 7 times for saltwater fish supplies and fish. hit and miss with the livestock and they do not offer guarantee on live saltwater fish. the more on salt is 19.99 to 69.99 for huge buckets. price is a little negotiable if you talk to the right person. AKA the owner. if you spend a good amount. 10% off for first time customers. tell that and they will honor it

Bought a 30lb bag of blue buffalo puppy food and the nice lady at the register signed me up to get a free 30lb bag after my 10^th purchase of blue buffalo:)

We have never gone back to this establishment after the horrible service we received here on two separate occasions. The women who work here are not knowledgeable about the saltwater fish and neither is the male «fish expert» they have. He told us all this information about our fishes and when we researched it thoroughly, he turned out to be completely wrong. He wasn’t helpful at all. He was very rude and pushy. He didn’t seem to care to help us much at all.
We have since then started going to Caldron’s Pet Choice off of Tully Rd. in Modesto.

I love this place! Everyone there is so helpful and knowledged in their pet specialties. I ask a lot of questions and they are all willing to help me out and make sure my fish are in the right environment. I have some black calvus cichlids from there and they are beautiful. I took all their recommendations on caring for them and they are growing up nicely. The owner actually made a special order for me to have these fish.
The fishtanks are real good quality and reasonably priced. I bought the 20 gallon set w/​stand and it looks great in my livingroom. I’ll be getting the 55 gallon setup soon when we move to another home. The stands are made from a hard black plastic and it is very durable. Better than wood as it won’t warp when you get water on it. 7 months later and my setup still looks brand new. This is a great place for fish and talking fish. Definitely give this pet shop a try!
–Happy Customer

I don’t use Unilocal often. I actually ended up here accidentally. Went online to see hours for Tropical Haven because I need to run by & grab food for my English Bulldog. After finding the hrs I started reading awful reviews about staff & dirty house keeping and felt compelled to add my 2 cents.
This pet store is out of the way for me. PetSmart is literally around the corner from my home. TH is the only store in Modesto that carries the brand of dog food that my Bulldog eats. Having a breed with special needs I was surprised that a pet store who specialized more in the «fish and water pets» would have a better selection of top quality & holistic dog food. So I make the 20 min. drive every 2 – 3 wks.
My experience has been different & the same. Yes, the store can be unkept. Could they have better housekeeping — certainly. This is specifically speaking to the furry friend section as I have no experience to the back aquarium section. Fish do not like me.. Anyway, yes, it’s dusty, products aren’t always organized the best, sometimes you will find product that’s just been received in the isle that hasn’t been shelved. BUT, I have always found my food stocked and available, NOT EXPIRED. Treats, grooming products & toys are 25%-50% less than PetSmart and PetCo (you want to talk about unhelpful lazy customer srv — I will never purchase any thing from PetCo — it’s the Walmarts of Pet Stores w/​out the discounted prices!).
On to the terrible customer srv you all are speaking of; I have never been treated rudely-​EVER. In the 1.5 yrs I have been going there. I’m always greeted when I come in. Sometimes I am in a rush & feel like maybe I should have extended more pleasantries but was too rushed. I know right where I am going but am always asked if I need help finding something. When they see me hauling the huge bag of dog food up to the counter because I don’t feel it’s necessary to grab a cart, I am always asked if they can please carry that up front for me. At the end of the sales transaction I am asked if I need help getting it to my car! Always. Sometimes there is a wait at check out. Usually I’ve noticed it’s because they are signing off on a delivery just made or asking the many ?‘s fish owners have. It’s not a problem for me as everyone should get their questions answered & receive quality care. With that said, the associate will always look over and acknowledge me and let me know they will be right with me. If there is another person available to help, they will call them up to shorten my wait, & they ALWAYS apologize to me for the wait if there is one. I’m always asked if I found what I was looking for. If I have a question about simple pet things like the best brush for my dogs coat, is a specific type of treat safe for my dog, etc., they always give me an informative answer, never attempt to push a sale on me & educate me. I appreciate that. I always get a thank you & again asked if I need help getting my items to the car. I’m not a elderly individual. I’m a 43 year old woman in decent shape and always decline their kind offer. But they DO offer.
I am not saying the previous reviews are incorrect or that these people just have bad attitudes. I just have NEVER had an experience that matched what I have read here. It is a small Mom & Pop Shop & they are a dying breed. When I can help those types of businesses by frequenting them I try to. It would be easier to walk around the corner to PetSmart, & sometimes I do when I need a quick new toy or a few snacks in a hurry, but I am paying much more when I do, hands down. I also don’t appreciate associates following me around trying to sell me training and vet packages I’m not interested in. I don’t appreciate Dog Food Vendors following me around asking me what I feed my bulldog & telling me why their dog food is better. Are they ENGLISH BULLDOG BREED EXPERTS? No, they aren’t…I’ve asked. And that is not what a pet store should allow vendors to do. The overall mission should be pet health. Some of the vendors who try and push their food on me have no idea about what the dietary needs are of a special breed but yet spout off why their food is better. Better… if it makes my dog sick how could it be better?
So, I will be heading there this morning and getting my dog food. I am sorry & surprised others haven’t received the same customer care I have. It sounds like some people prefer having associates follow them around and be their personal shopper. I don’t like that. I know what I need, get it, ask any questions if I do have them, and get out.
Fish along with their tanks require expert advice. I know this as my grandmother has 2 salt water tanks, and 2 koi ponds my entire life & worked at Lyngs for 25 yrs long ago. Advice, ?‘s, problems require much more attention. I get it. I just haven’t experienced the negative attitudes from the staff there and felt compelled to share.

The place can be a mess sometimes (items on the floor, miss matched shelves, dirty floors, etc). However they have a wide variety of products that meet all of my pets needs (3 dogs and 2 tanks of fish). Staff are helpful and very knowledgable if you have any questions, though they might not be the friendliest. Prices are reasonable, not too bad. Overall it’s a good mom and pop shop, you won’t be getting Petsmart customer service however you ll be getting way more variety in terms of products and fish.
The fish I do buy here are healthy and do well in my aquariums compared to the ones I get at Petsmart which seem sickly and weak.