Exotic Aquatics

Fantastic experience: The place is amazing. They have a great variety of feah water and salt water species. And all the necessary accessories. The staff are super friendly and really helpful. Have got a bunch of stuff from them and the quality is always great.

Negative experience: If I could give this place zero stars I would. I went in and bought some cardinal tetras. I got them home and into my quarantine tank. I tried to inspect them but they seemed stressed so I turned off my lights and let them settle in for a day. Turned the lights back on the second day and upon closer inspection noticed that one of the cardinal tetras has columnaris. I called the store and they wouldn’t take them back. They are a lot more expensive than other local fish stores. So their ridiculous 24 hour return policy is unacceptable. Especially when it’s clear their fish came with the disease. Stay clear from this place. They are money grabbers and don’t really care about the hobby. Horrible place! They should be ashamed!

Fantastic experience: Great selection of fresh and salt water fish and plants. Helpfull staff. You can even trade in fish for store credit

Fantastic experience: great place for Saltwater fish and equipment. They also sell UNS products which are, in my opinion, the BEST on the market for aquariums and accessories.

Fantastic experience: I visited on Monday evening and was impressed by the young Desi man with black hair. He was extremely polite, respectful, and knowledgeable. Even though he was busy helping other customers and moving water jugs, he still took the time to answer all of my questions. I wish I had caught his name!

Fantastic experience: The Exotic team is so good about ordering special life stock. On every request they have called/text and updated me as my livestock comes in. Major plus when you are going for a unique setup.

Fantastic experience: Great place for fish and live plants. Staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: Knowledgeable staff and great selection

Fantastic experience: One of the best in DFW! Staff, fish variety and products!

Fantastic experience: Good customer service awesome selection of saltwater fish and corals

Fantastic experience: Great fish selection. Cool options for people that are new to the hobby. Knowledgeable staff.

Fantastic experience: Always very efficient and helpful, love this place

Fantastic experience: I have never been so well taken care of as a customer than I was here. I was instantly greeted and introduced to staff and walked right back to the product (freshwater fish) I was requesting. Was given tons of great info over breeds, tank and set ups and just overall covered every base I needed to discuss. Walked out with all the fish and fish food I wanted and will definitely be returning soon! P.S.- THE MAJOR difference between this and the major department pet stores is the care put into these creatures. There were NO dead fish, no stressed out fish, and they all looked and seemed well fed and had clean tanks to show for it as well. Don't get those abused animals from Petco, these guys are amazing and take care of their fishes better than any place around. Keep up this awesome work!

Positive experience: Really love this place. The staff is really knowledgeable and the fish ate always healthy. I live in southeast Oklahoma and this place is about an hour away. It is definitely worth the little drive.

Fantastic experience: Really nice guy at the front. Prices are great compared to other spots and the plant selection is lush. Well maintained

Fantastic experience: Good community service I like everything that's in there

Fantastic experience: Excellent store! Always clean as profession and full of wonderful people that are knowledgeable and will to help teach you about the hobby. Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Just visited this place and the older gentleman with glasses was great. Very welcoming and super kind. This was my first time coming in and my first time by aquatic animals. I had done some research beforehand on what I wanted but there were definitely things that I didn’t know and the man who helped me was great and very nonjudgmental. Will be coming back when I’m ready to upgrade what I have. I got a couple of cherry shrimp to start my journey!

Fantastic experience: Great salt water collection, the fresh water fish collection is on par. The people are very knowledgeable, technical and informative. They do have a lot of coral and other salt water live rocks. There is a good collection of fresh water plants. Do take time to visit.

Fantastic experience: I absolutely love this place!! The staff is always so helpful and knowledgeable about every question you might have, and know just what to do to help your tank. They have a nice selection of freshwater fish and plants. If you love fish this is the store to go to! ☺️

Fantastic experience: Very nice store with great clean tanks. Very friendly knowledgeable staff.

Positive experience: I'm so torn because I've been here a few times set up account with them and genuinely enjoy this shop so much! Everyone here seem to care for the fishies. Their employees are knowledgeable nice and helpful! Except for one person. He has the most condescending tone. Still love the shop and recommended, but will avoid that specific employee.

Fantastic experience: Very experienced and knowledgeable staff helped me get my tank started and select some absolutely gorgeous fish! Highly recommend this store

Fantastic experience: Emma and the staff were a great help. They have a very well-maintained store.

Fantastic experience: Great salt water aquarium store good selection of fish and corals. Love to stop here. On my way home. The staff is great. Everyone is friendly and super helpful. I really like working with Julius and many of the others. The only problem I’ve ever had was with the manager, Preston, question my integrity on an item I bought the day before and it was faulty. The saltwater salinity checker did not work right out of the package and would not allow the settings to be changed due to a broken contact. Other than that, all of the other sales associates are wonderful. Definitely check them out for your saltwater and freshwater aquarium knees.

Fantastic experience: This is our favorite store to buy corals for our tank. Julius is always so helpful and pleasant! He’s our favorite employee there!

Negative experience: Don’t recommend this store if you are being attended by a guy named Julius he is rude and inpatient, I recommend guy named Christian.

Fantastic experience: First time here , I really enjoyed my time here , pretty good prices compared to other stores . Super friendly employees , very informative,

Fantastic experience: I I called exotic aquatics, wondering if they had a certain type of fish they didn’t have him in stock at the moment. The person who answered my call named Emma did it excellent job assisting me on other fish and the fish I wanted. I didn’t even have to pick up my phone. She told me the water parameters, what they need, food, etc.. Very kind and helpful. 5 stars easily for staff

Fantastic experience: The best staff works here, Thank you for answering all of our questions and guiding us to the correct purchase.

Fantastic experience: I have come to love this place, im new to the aquarium hobby but Emma and Julius have been extremely helpful answering all my crazy questions and have assisted me in getting my tanks set up with the right equipment, substrates, and fish. I have visited almost all the stores in north dallas and this one has become my go to for all my aquarium needs. Everyone here has been great to meet and the selection they offer i feel is a great price for what you get here. I cannot recommend this place enough; if i could give more than 5 stars I would!

Fantastic experience: I came here due to petco being to expensive so I searched up fish stores near me this store is by far the best fish store I have ever gone to Emma the worker knew so so much about fish it impressed me she knew everything and what to do she sold me the right stuff for an affordable price which I really liked if you want to do fish keeping for cheap and on a budget this is the place to go high end. Products filters plants and fish absolutely love this place

Fantastic experience: This is my favorite fish store by far. Preston and Gareth are so knowledgeable and every time I come into the store specially Christian and Julius always make me feel welcome happy and like I’ve known them forever great staff great place.

Fantastic experience: My son and I had an amazing experience here. Two of the gentlemen working there answered all my son’s questions and mine on their fish and aquarium. Hayden helped me decide which aquarium/extras to get and even gave me pointers on what was worth it and what was not. So so helpful. My 8 year old son now says he wants to work there when he is older. :)

Negative experience: I'm experienced with freshwater. I know it's different I sent email just to get estimate to start saving for saltwater Aquarium for the next year. I was told to ask them in January. An estimate is just a ballpark figure that could get me around what is needed. I know tank size I will be getting an even mentioned that. I will find a better company that willing to better at customer service an will probably have better quality as response I recieved was terrible saying ask next year as prices change. Sounds to me you don't want business appreciate the time spent on email hopefully others will read an see how they treat possible future customers.... look estimate are estimates ballpark figures u said they drastically change an total cost overall isn't drastically changed over a year per item. Yes I said april 2025. Doesn't mean I won't purchase some things ahead of time. You saying it's counterproductive to give estimate a year out. We'll its not, it gives the person an estimate to make sure they have an then some. You seemed how you responded as you didn't care an wanted to just push it off to the side an be done. I know some stuff needed not all an a nice explanation of how things ran an that wasn't even in the reply. You answered with out regard to customer like you didn't care you went to 1 thing I asked an told me to come back January. Maybe being thorough in responses saying he this now could cost say 4k an say next year it could be 5k. That's not drastic change. That's common sense. I also asked several other things that was left unanswered. So yeah you did respond the wrong way. Again do business how you like but if someone is asking for estimate an whats needed. I could purchase things ahead of time. Maybe your not thoroughly reading an replying as you may need again appreciate the time to respond but I will look for a better option for 1 customer service skills in responding to questions so I can get them answered. Estimate could have included wave maker, protein skimmer, not sure what all needed but for sure I know those are needed besides tank. An could have put estimated costs that would have been more efficient than saying it's counterproductive just saying

Fantastic experience: This place is awesome and the staff is super friendly! I came in for a simple tube and received fast and courteous service. Highly recommend!!

Fantastic experience: Great staff, always a good selection. Recommend them highly.

Fantastic experience: Great staff, prices are fair, any problems you have are addressed, and answers are provided.

Fantastic experience: I LOVE this place. The staff are so welcoming from the moment you step inside the door. They are helpful and knowledgeable without being sale-sy, and clearly care a great deal about the welfare of the fish, plants, and coral in their care. I am a beginner to aquariums and was floored (in a good way) when I was told NO in regard to purchasing a fish - because my tank was too small. That's A+ in my book. I had no idea that my setup wasn't right, and they weren't afraid to tell me, the customer, that I was wrong. I really appreciated it and was happy to purchase a different fish that WAS suited for my tank size. If you're new like me and want to do what's best for the creatures in your care, go to Exotic Aquatics and let their staff help you.

Fantastic experience: Really friendly staff who checked on me and were knowledgable when I had questions :) All kinds of things for freshwater and saltwater here

Fantastic experience: I can’t remember his name but the shorter guy with long hair is super knowledgeable and friendly. Every time we walk into the store we’re always greeted with smiles by him and the others. Customer service is phenomenal. He’s helped us out with our tanks and is more than happy to sit and troubleshoot until we get it right. We solely return for long hair and a few others on staff.

Fantastic experience: I’m not sure his name but the short gentleman was really long hair has been an absolute blast every time I come in. Has helped me love this hobby all over again. He Helped me set up numerous tanks and always helped me make an informed decision 10 out of five stars would recommend coming in, and visiting with this young gentleman. The manager Gareth has also been a pleasure to do business with. He is definitely the top dog in the store. He knows everything about this hobby, He will always let you know the truth when it comes to Making a decision on what To do with a problem or what to do when putting something new in your tank. I’m at the store literally four days a week and over the years it’s become like a small family!

Fantastic experience: Short guy with long hair was friendly and professional. Staff knowledgeable and helpful.

Negative experience: Came in and left. Short dude in long hair was cursing and talking about his private area to the young lady working in the front. Avoid. No one asked me if I need help.

Fantastic experience: 7/7/24: First time visiting. Was greeted upon entering and met Christian. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. I brought a small container of my aquarium water for testing. He noted that I had high nitrates and provided an option to bring down those levels. He explained the different types of cichlids and I learned that I have Mbuna cichlids. We picked out four of them and they are doing well at home. The store is very clean, a lot of variety, and a great selection for fresh and saltwater aquariums. Plenty of parking available and easy to get to. Would definitely visit again!

Fantastic experience: They had what I needed for my axolotl. The have more rare items than regular pet stores.

Fantastic experience: Friendly and knowledgeable team, Great selection of salt and freshwater species. Great tips and advice.

Fantastic experience: Call this place from Florida cause the stores here were closed at the time Christian was able to help answer all my questions to help me fix my problems with setting up a feeder tank. He was able to tell me over the phone and fix my problems absolutely recommended this place very knowledgeable

Negative experience: Cool place, but there’s an annoying employee that literally follows you around the store saying “that’s for sale, it’s all yours” pressuring you to buy something, maybe they’re commission based idk but it’s annoying. I heard it atleast 20 times while I was there for 30 mins

Fantastic experience: Great place! Got some ghost shrimps and plants for my axolotls . They were very knowledgeable about everything. Scott was super kind and caring

Fantastic experience: My favorite local store! Great service, healthy fish, honest people.

Fantastic experience: I have been to exotic aquatics through the years for fish, but today I had an experience worth writing a review over. I went in just to buy a fish tank, but I got much more. Every employee there helped me extensively with building, designing, and getting my tank up and running. Specifically, Julius took a significant amount of time personally glueing rocks, separating plant life, educating me, and helping me get a tank I could be proud of. More than just this one visit I feel confident that Exotic Aquatics will be there for the long run with maintaining my aquarium and a healthy biodiversity in it. Oh, and they are fair on prices. They price matched my tank and were fair on any additional equipment. I’ll definitely be back.

Fantastic experience: Huge selection of both fresh and salt water fish. Knowledgeable staff, very honest and very helpful.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful selection of healthy fish. The associate who helped me (unfortunately didn’t get his name, he had long hair) was super helpful and informative. I purchased 6 Cory cats and they are all happy and thriving in my 55gal. Will definitely be returning for more fish and supplies!

Fantastic experience: I frequent this store and the entire staff is always so helpful and knowledgeable, they help make the right decisions when it comes to fish selection, corals, and other products. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience! They know their fish, way better than your typical pet store. Nice selection of items & knowledgeable

Fantastic experience: When we arrived in this store (1/6/24) we were greeted with the most genuine smile and enthusiasm!! The store was beautiful. The selection of live rock, corals, fish, and supplies was quite impressive. Meredith answered every question my husband and I had and gave us some of the best expert knowledge. We know that we’ll be in good hands as we start our saltwater journey!! Everyone in the store was so nice and helpful. We felt appreciated as customers and can’t wait to return!!

Fantastic experience: I love this place. They have always had quality fish. They have also been super helpful when it came to any questions or concerns I had with my tank and what to do. And when I moved long distance and I didn't want to jeopardize my fish's lives they kindly took them in so they could be re-homed. I'll be forever thankful to them

Fantastic experience: I love this store ,and the variety of fish, and crustaceans they have. I got a female crawfish there, and she was very healthy. I would recommend this place 1000%

Fantastic experience: Best aquatic store in the metroplex! Their fish looked so healthy and happy, their tanks were immaculately clean, and the plant and fish selection is really broad. They have cool fish like paradise gouramis in stock and they’re gorgeous. The store really impressed me. The man helping me was really knowledgeable and kind. He answered a lot of questions and helped me care for my aquarium better.

Fantastic experience: Honestly this is a fantastic fish store. They really understand how to run a fish shop. Healthiest fish in the area.

Fantastic experience: I would rate it 10 stars if I could. Great store, clean and unique selection on fish and coral. Staff is awesome and super knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: Great place to buy fish and learn about aquariums. Team has knowledge and great fish

Fantastic experience: I purchased a new tank stand along with a sump. I am beyond satisfied with the installation process. Ryan showed up ready to take action to get the tank up and running. He was well organized, punctual and his consultative approach was impeccable.

Positive experience: Not as many different kinds of fish as I would have thought. They do have a lot of coral and equipment including used equipment so that's nice. The aquariums seemed pretty expensive.

Fantastic experience: Great behavior and customer service. On top of that they have a pretty big place and friendly staff. Got a few Platys from these folks and will definitely get some more.

Fantastic experience: Decent prices and a fairly good selection. Definitely felt that the staff were attentive and extremely knowledgeable..

Fantastic experience: Very helpful and knowledgeable. Keep in mind they can get very busy on the weekends and you may have to (gasp) wait for someone to help you. Once you are being helped, they will give you their full attention and help you with any questions from noobs to seasoned aquarium enthusiasts.

Fantastic experience: They had what I wanted. Kind service and knowledgeable team. Will definitely visit again

Fantastic experience: Awesome store. Knowledgeable employees and so many beautiful fish. Definitely a place to visit:)

Fantastic experience: I bought this blue pleco from them and I am so happy with their service. They held the fish for me for 3 days after purchasing it and let me pick it up 30 minutes before they opened. Very flexible and I'm so grateful since I live down in Houston!

Fantastic experience: My go-to for salt water supplies and advice ( Plenty of fresh water as well). Huge selection of treated live rocks ... I almost always end up with a hitchhiker wich is (for me) half the fun.

Positive experience: It's okay store. Not friendly, decent service for new customers I feel. They don't really have coral flags, but there were bigger ones. There was a tank just for Anemone which was cool and easy to pick for customers to check.

Fantastic experience: This is such a great fish store! Everyone is friendly & helpful, great selection of salt & fresh water fish. Meredith always has a smile & knows a TON about fish keeping. She & Garreth have a lot of fish knowledge & have given me lots of good advice & ideas. Highly recommend

Positive experience: I have saltwater tanks at my home and I'm always in the need for equipment, supplements etc. I've been to pretty much all the aquarium stores. EXOTIC AQUATICS has the best used equipment hands down. Don't get me wrong the new stuff is good to but if you're on a budget come here. I thunk they have great lighting and skimmer options in stock.

Fantastic experience: Visited this store to talk with them about putting in a tank in my new home. They were informative and helpful with all my questions. Will most definitely return when I'm ready.

Fantastic experience: A very engaged group of professionals. Been coming here for about 10years. They have always been able to overcome challenges and remain solution oriented.

Fantastic experience: Seems like good quality. I go there as a regular now, and the service is well, the fish excellent. Even the Bettas look nice. Definitely suggest them.

Fantastic experience: Friendly, genuinely care about their fish and their health!

Fantastic experience: I would highly recommend this fish store, I’ve been using it for years now for both my 250 gallon and my 90 gallon. They have gotten me to the point where I pretty much know what I am doing but anytime I have any questions or issues they never steer me wrong. If you’re looking for a good fish store this is the place

Fantastic experience: Great store, Shout out to Garrett, he absolutely fantastic and has a great sense of humor. His massive knowledge and warnings kept me and my friends from making multiple mistakes in our office tank and continues to do so every time we are back for more fish as it has now turned into an obsession lol. Highly recommend this store their amazing stock is clean, free from disease and none of the fish we got from them (40+) have died due to previous issue. Great place for a starting hobbyist.

Fantastic experience: Nano-planted Pea Puffer tank with the help of Gareth. Great store, great employee. He needs a raise!

Fantastic experience: This is my favorite fish store. Great selection of fish, the store and tanks are clean, and I find the staff to be very helpful. I also find the manager Preston to be super knowledgeable and very eager to help! I always enjoy stopping by, whether to buy or just visit while in the area.

Fantastic experience: I absolutely love this store! I’ve been shopping here for years and have never gotten a sick fish. They’re tanks are always in perfect conditions for saltwater fish and coral, and freshwater fish and plants. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Gem of an aquatic store that you must visit!

Fantastic experience: Rare and amazing marine life - fish, coral, invertebrates, and tank equipment. They also have a huge freshwater fish selection. Staff is awesome, helpful, super friendly, and sharp on knowledge.

Fantastic experience: It's one of my favorite stores and it's definitely worth stopping in and seeing what fish they have and they usually have a pretty good selection of used equipment for really good prices

Positive experience: Feel very middling of the road about this store. I don't want this to be nothing but negative so I will start with the positives. They have some amazing deals on used tanks. While those deals are hit and miss, when you find a hit, you feel like you robbed them blind. (On the other hand there are some deals they have that are misses and very overpriced especially when you look at how much work X tank might need so do some research before hand!) They have a pretty diverse range of livestock however I question some of their selling practices or at the very least their supplier. Bought a small school of fish only for them all to die within 24 hours. I'm aware they have a 24 hour return policy however upon research I learned that said fish are prone to death on acclimation due to stress. So I took the L to the luck of the draw, however, when I went back the gal while very knowledgeable said "oh yeah those just came in and yeah they are prone to dying especially ones that just come in we lose like 75% of them" So I kinda question why sell the fish at all until the healthy ones are established? Would save them and their customers some stress. Also just lost a clown (other fish are fine) with no discernable reason within 2 weeks (water perims are fine, no sign of the other fish attacking him, and no signs of illness though I know clowns are good at hiding it because of their mucus coating, was fine the day before and that morning, dead). Bit wary to buy more from them for now. Now lastly on to the staff, I am horrible with names. Three of the staff are wonderful, super friendly, and helpful, very encouraging especially considering this is my first salt water tank. However, two of their staff (two guys don't know their names) seem to just be there to collect a paycheck. Last time I was there despite several people being there, one of them I saw literally hiding in the back pretending to look busy. The other just had a I dont care vibe and didnt offer much in the way of help. Next I'm there unless one of the initial 3 are there, I'll just come back some other time for when they are. TLDR version: good shop, but take care to do due diligence before purchases and make sure to quarantine anything from them. The helpfulness/friendliness will largely depend on who is at the shop on a particular day.

Fantastic experience: Meredith really took care of us at Exotic Aquatics. We have a new tank that we were trying to get established (that we had bought from another retailer) and it wasn’t going well at all as far as cloudiness of the water. We came into Exotic Aquatics begging for help and Meredith literally solved our problem with both her diagnosis and solution. She took a personal interest in solving our issue. She even went out of her way to invite my son back to the store to coach him on how to effectively vacuum out the gravel. Her attitude and attention to detail are what customer service should be modeled after. I would highly recommend Exotic Aquatics and their high level of customer service.

Fantastic experience: My VERY favorite fish store.  Unlike the big box stores, these guys are fish and tank experts.  Exotic Aquatics specializes in fresh and salt water fish and corals. I love that they sell a wide assortment of chemicals including SeaChem's whole range, plus tank accessories, RO water, food and aquariums. Meredith, Garreth and Preston (the manager) have helped me recently. They are all kind, helpful and very knowledgeable.  Preston hires the best associates who can help you with anything.

Fantastic experience: My favorite fish store around. The guys are always so nice and ready to answer my many questions. Great selection and best prices. My go-to fish store.

Positive experience: Very expensive on maintenance and livestock. Mostly friendly and helpful but their owner lives in Florida and over the years they have declined in both service and experience.

Positive experience: Not the store I remember from years ago. Floors need cleaning. Fresh water fish selection rather small, but salt water fish selection is pretty good. Prices seemed a bit high.

Negative experience: I bought $100+ worth of fish over the time of a few years. First bought 2 lf lemon blue eyed plecos and a pair of live bearers. Died. Nothing else in the tank died. Then last month bought 1 large pleco and 10 live bearers. Ich, shimmers, then died. Nothing have ever stayed alive from this store. I’ve bought from plenty stores

Fantastic experience: I love coming to this place. They have an amazing stock of plants most of the time I go. They also carry a variety of fresh and salt water fish. The shrimp tanks are amazing! The substrate really makes it easier to spot them. I got a 20g tank recently and it's perfect and no issues!

Fantastic experience: Didn't buy anything, just went there to check it out. This is an absolutely beautiful store with amazing deals on used tanks. And lots of beautiful fish in very clean tanks. Highly recommend this store!!

Fantastic experience: This is our go to place for fish, plants, and aquariums. All of the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and super helpful. Aaron, Yallin, and Charles were all amazing at helping us pick out all we needed for our new aquarium and setting it up for success. They answered all our question. This is an amazing place with amazing staff. We will continue to shop here for our aquatic needs.

Fantastic experience: A good store for beginners as opposed to pet retailers.Most of the staff is pretty knowledgable. I would definetly reccomend for freshwater chemicals and common fish. Once in a while they have some rarer fish at a decent price. Cant speak on their saltwater tank, but those tanks are always clean and they have a decent reef collection.

Negative experience: This place has EXTREMELY irresponsible employees. I’ve been buying water from them, and today they completely damaged my tank. They sold me 10g freshwater as salt. As I’ve always heard this store was reputable, I unfortunately didn’t check until I have already done a 5 full gallon WC in a 40 gallon tank. Luckily I had about 3.5 gallons of old salt water to add back in, but everything in the tank except potentially the clowns is done for. whole CUC, and the green star polyps I bought from them likely won’t last until they open in the morning now. I had already left a previous review of how the employees seemed rude and unwilling to help, but now I know that to be true. I already know they won’t be willing to help me replace their error but now I know not to recommend this store for water ever again Update:the owner called within 12 hours and he was very nice. I get mistakes happen l, especially by young kids, but hopefully the staff can be a little nicer and more attentive. Hate that I’ve lost my CUC and coral but glad the clowns look like they’ll pull through. The owner was nice though and now that I’ve cooled down from the situation I’m thankful he wanted to hear the situation out.

Fantastic experience: Great place to get everything you need for your aquarium. Beautiful selection of healthy fish. Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been going to exotic aquatics since 2017. They have been consistently fantastic. I love their aquatic plants and snails. They give good advice and they aren’t overpriced. Exotic Aquatics for life!