Wet Spot Tropical Fish

I was considering buying some fish online at AquaBid, and that’s when I found out about Wet Spot. WOW! I’m in love with this fish store. Ultra knowledgable staff. All the fish look super healthy and vibrant, and any fish that may have fallen sick they don’t sell until they are better. Row after row of tanks (unfortunately I didn’t take any photos because they request for you not to) with what seems like a million options. A plethora of supplies and all sorts of goodies. The humidity of the shop is an added bonus :)
What more could you want from your LFS?

My larger Panda Garras arrived and they’re the perfect size! While reading this update, keep in mind, winter weather is upon us. Really cold temperatures and most tropical fish do not mix…
Along with the normal shipping labels I noted the one indicating, «Live Tropical Fish» with arrows pointing upwards. I’m assuming that meant, this side up… After I carefully sliced the packaging tape, I noticed how neatly packed the contents were. They used cut pieces of residential styrofoam w/​mylar film insulation to help keep the temperature stable in the box! Furthermore, they included a heat pack which was neatly attached to the mylar lining side of one of the inserts. There was also tissue paper draped over the Garras which were double bagged! That’s a whole lot of packaging care, peeps! I felt like I was unwrapping a Christmas present! LOL! Nice job ya’ll!
I bet my 4 Garras were like, «Mannn… I hope I don’t get eaten or get my ass kicked in this next aquarium. I’m more worried about cats, I hope our new owner doesn’t have one! Hey, at least they put a heat pack and insulation in this mug. High 5!» LOL…

a little spendy but the selection is unbeatable. Some weeks I just come to look at all of the different types of fish.

So I bought an aquarium heater from this place yesterday and it didn’t work. I returned it today and apparently their return policy is «store credit only». Nice.
Yes. I did buy the lower priced heater. Maybe I should have spent some more $. But if I had done that and it didn’t work, I’d be screwed out of more $ than I am today.
I really want to support local businesses. It’s really important. But why would I throw my money away. If I bought that same crappy heater on say… Amazon. I’d probably pay less and then be able to return it for a full refund.
Good bye Wet Spot. Hello Amazon

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and large selection of fish and aquarium supplies. I’ve visited the store 6 or 7 times already and each time I was happy with their service. A+ in my book.

Horrible experience here. The staff are not knowledgeable and when I spoke to the manager, he treated me poorly. I chose to bring my business down the street to Pets on Broadway instead – which was a great move. Don’t bother with The Wet Spot.

This place is absolutely fantastic. I almost didn’t check it out because of all the reviews about bad customer service, but I’ve been here like four times now and it’s been a great experience every single time.
I’m pretty new to this hobby, so I’m not always sure about what I need. A different employee has helped me each time and every single one has been friendly and knowledgeable. Yesterday, I decided I wanted to add CO2 to my tank; My google searches left me pretty overwhelmed, but the employee I talked to showed me everything I needed. He was really patient with me and now I understand exactly how it all works.
Their fish selection is definitely the best of all the local fish stores I’ve been to in the Portland area. The tanks are all clean and the fish all look healthy.
I do wish they had a larger live plant selection, but their selection is still the largest of any other store I’ve gone to.

A sales associate recommended a fairly expensive product that ended up being inappropriate for my need. I discovered this only after taking the item home with me. I returned to the store to request a refund, & I was told that I could only receive an exchange or store credit. I believe that if a store employee makes a mistake and encourages a customer to buy a product that doesn’t work, the customer should be refunded in full. Not to mention, the definition of customer service is doing what it takes to make sure that your customers are happy. It was a frustrating and disappointing experience — I will definitely not give my business to this store again.

All Fish selection is a 5 star. Best selection for Africans, South Americans, ALL CICHLIDS.
Employees are all great (except red haired girl RUDE and does not know anything about fish, should be packing grocerys hope not to run into that fake smile again) and very knowledgeable have helped me out greatly with my fish.
Happened to run into the owner one day and he was very nice as well I’m glad to give him my business. I’m always going to come to WETSPOT 1^st when I need something for my aquarium.

Many reviewers seem to have had problems with the customer service, but I’m not one of them. As someone relatively new to keeping fish, they are always extremely helpful.
They seem to take care of their fish; the first fish I purchased, I purchased from here, and it’s still kicking a year later. Can’t say the same for places like PetCo.

We have been here numerous times. We consider it basically self-​service. You won’t get help. Or you will get reluctant help. Or you will have to beg for help. Or all of the above. This is the first time we’ve ever bought fish from them. All the other times it was medications or supplies.
While we found the fish we were looking for on our own, we were curious about a like species they had listed online but couldn’t find in-​store. After begging for assistance at the front, we waited about five minutes for a competent employee to offer to help after I asked a newbie at the front. Then another ten minutes looking around the store for them. We found them, decided on which one we wanted, got those netted to go home.
In the dozen times we have been here, this was the FIRST time someone had helped us. We’ve walked out of there and set our path to other fish stores more often then not. If they didn’t have the selection we were looking for, I don’t think we’d ever opt to shop here.

I’ve been in here a few times, and overall have been pleased with the experience during each visit. I ask a lot of stupid questions, as there are many things that I still don’t know about fish, and I appreciate not being talked down to when I do ask these questions. The non-​intimidating environment of the place helps. I’ve been given a lot of advice concerning tank upkeep and cleaning over the years, and it has helped me out a lot. The staff is plenty funny and personable (I’m a bit of a regular), and I appreciate that the fish experts are there to answer my nerdier fish questions. Not a bad place — it has definitely enabled my fish habit. I’m glad it has a unique, old-​school Portland feel to it. This sort of place is getting harder to find. I hope it stays around for a while.

Great supply of tropical fish — best in the area. And, I can certainly understand why there is a no return policy on fish, although many places allow a return within 15 days on dead or diseased fish.
However I recently bought some accessories and when I got them home I realized I needed to return one as I purchased the wrong one. Then I read my receipt they handed me as I walked out the door. It says «All Sales are Final». It also says 10% re-​stocking fee. It also says a receipt must be accompanied with all exchanges and within 30 days. It’s a very ambiguous written return policy and there’s nothing in the store posted with this information on it, at least that I noticed when I was there. What’s pre-​printed on these receipts is unclear and as far as I’m concerned, unprofessional.
If you’re going to have a no-​return policy you need to make it clear, straightforward and fair and you need to make sure your customers know about it before you ring up the purchase.

So the goth girl that works the counter is super rude and annoying and not helpful at all. If you can bypass her and get to the people who work the tanks and actually KNOW ABOUT FISH then you will have a great time. Seriously every time I go that girl at the counter is obnoxiously rude to me. She seems really out of place there. If they let her go it would easily be a 5 star establishment.

These people are jokers. I sent this email about six weeks ago. No response whatsoever. I cannot step foot in this shop again.
To whom it may concern,
I generally love your store. The fish are beautiful, and I feel you have one of, if not the, best selection in town. I stop in on a fairly regular basis and a lot of my fish and equipment have been purchased from you.
Unfortunately, I’m sincerely questioning and doubting I can continue being a patron of your store. You have shown me numerous times that nickel and dimeing your customers comes first and your actual customers last.
It started a few months ago. I was purchasing a pleco and your salesperson couldn’t get the fish out of his ceramic hut. After watching him terrorize the poor fish for 5 minutes to try to get him out, and after the salesperson suggested he break the house open to get the fish, I asked how much the house was. I figured that was preferable to the poor fish getting torn up in shards of ceramic. I expected the salesman to offer me the hut since *he couldn’t get the fish out* and *he was going to break it anyway*. That is customer service. He offered us a «deal» for it. I said fine just to keep the fish safe. When we were rang up, the price for the hut the cashier had been given was about 3 dollars more than I had been told it would be.
Yesterday, I went in looking for red plecos and geophaguses. I checked your online stock and it said the you had them. The plecos I wanted were listed at $ 15/​fish and the geophaguses were $ ⁴²⁄₆ fish. The price for the plecos listed on the tank in the store was $ 20. I wanted 4. The price for the geophaguses was $ 7.99/fish (no discount for groups of fish). I wanted 6 – 7 (I purchased 7). I asked if the online price for the plecos could be honored, again in the spirit of *customer service*, and was told no. I was given a plethora of reasons why buying fish online and *having them mailed* to me was cheaper and easier for you, none of which made any sense whatsoever. I was told explicitly that in-​store pickup for online orders was *not* an option.
I came home and checked your website. It specifically states that in store pickup is possible. I could have left, ordered my fish, and picked them up in your store today. I would have saved $ 26.
I have worked a lot of customer service jobs and I would have never treated customers the way I have been treated in your store. Yesterday, as in previous visits, your staff has shown either a disinclination or inability to do the right thing for your customers. I paid an extra $ 26 for reasons that amounted to condescending lip service to get me to feel okay about being gouged for money. At best, it was incompetence on behalf of your staff. At worse, a systematic business climate within your store where the staff is outright lying to your customers to get them to pay as much money as they can get. I’m writing to ask that you convince me it’s the former by refunding me the extra $ 26 I paid because I dared to walk into your store.
I look forward to your response. I am attaching screenshots from your website that illustrate all relevant information, as well as a photo of my receipt from yesterday.
Sincerely,
T. R.
p. s. in case you were wondering, the pleco your staff member was manhandling on the first visit I described is doing just fine and is big, fat, and happy. He’s too big for the hut now, so I gave it to the plecos I brought home yesterday.

Best selection of cichlids I’ve seen in the Portland area. The fish are healthy and the staff is well equip to answer any questions.

So I decided to gift my sister pea puffers for Christmas this year. I didn’t want to go to the World of Wet Pets in Beaverton because of the long drive. Boy did I regret it.
I have been to the Wet Spot a couple of times just browsing and the sales associates never really bothered me. But today was different. The red haired girl who was suppose to help me refused to sell me fish! Not once but twice! I told her I wanted four pea puffers and my tank was good to go. BUT she told me I would have to bring in a water sample so she could test it! Screw that. I dont want to drive an hour round trip again. I went to the cashier and asked if I could get some assistance. She rang a bell and then that evil girl came walking towards me. She told me she needed a water sample because it would be so sad if the fish die. Why does she care if they die? The store policy is all sales are final. It is not like I am going to complain about dead fish. My family have raised plenty of fish and we know how to take care of them. I researched pea puffers for a while too! The girl was rude and condescending. Why would she turn away a potential customer? That is how you lose money.
I give the Wet Spot one star since I can’t give it a zero. The positive: I called ahead of time to make sure they had pea puffers and the woman was very friendly and helpful. The cashier was also nice. Also, they have a good selection of fish. Too bad I can’t buy any!

I went here with my boyfriend who is starting a new tank. Hes been doing tons of research while I know nothing about fish. But we came here ready to buy some fish and their selection is insane. Im pretty sure it was all fresh water fish. They had some really cool ones that I didnt even know that fresh water fish could look like! I assume they all look like salmon or something. But my Boyfriend knew exactly what he wanted but still we got lost looking at the intense selection. The place was really busy! A cute little girl was looking for some really specific fish while an employee happily helped the indecisive girl. There were tons of people just oohing and aahing and the tanks. So we finally got it together. Someone was able to help us right away. He was really helpful and was able to answer every question my boyfriend had for him. They bagged up the fish and we were on our way. They have some pretty cool little tank set ups that I thought were pretty cool too. Its a cool place to pick up fish.

I could (and did) just walk around here looking at all the different aquatic life. I will be back again, and again, and…

In all fairness I haven’t been to many other fish stores in Portland, but I can honestly say that this local fish supply shop has a huge selection of tropical fish, and all the accessories you need to house and take care of them (including tanks, plants, water filters, heaters, food, medication, etc), not to mention some beautiful display tanks with exotic, bedazzling fish!
I am a total novice when it comes to getting and maintaining a betta fish, so I went here and got all the stuff I needed at what seemed to be pretty fair prices, not to mention some basic information from some of the stuff.
The only problem I encountered was that I think I got some questionable advice when it came to selecting a tank. I was looking for something somewhat small/​portable, and the salesman said that ANY tank they have will work fine, so I selected what I thought was a reasonable 1 gallon tank and he said it was plenty big. It’s only after I got home and starting reading articles from non-​biased Internet resources that EVERYONE was saying that although bettas can survive in really small tanks, they thrive and live longer in bigger tanks of at least 3 – 5 gallons. Wish the salesman told me that earlier!
Since optimal tank size can be a fairly subjective thing, I won’t count this against them too much (though it is a little concerning that others have reported somewhat inconsistent advice from staff). I plan to return my 1gal bowl to get a larger one, and be sure to do my research a little bit more next time.
Ensure that the staff is well-​trained and giving accurate & consistent information, and this is definitely a 5-​star place!!!