Richmond Aquarium LLC

Fantastic experience: Staff is friendly and have many products for your fish needs. Also large variety of unique fish

Negative experience: Update: Went back to see if any changes had been made, unfortunately nothing had improved. Same staff talking at the front, glass on aquariums was filthy and for the frag tanks, not viewable. Few fish to select from and clutter everywhere towards the back half. This store looks more like a place where a few bros rented out to hang than a viable business. If so disregard as they crushed the assignment however if having a viable business was the goal they may want to…keep a good stock of in-demand fish and CLEAN THE TANKS!!!! Previous Review: As a lifetime hobbyist I will first hit the positives; great location, big store, friendly staff. NOW for the constructive criticism; the tanks are DIRTY, DIRTY, DIRTY with so much algae you CANNOT clearly see the corals. I ended up having to look from the top down but with water moving it was hit or miss. I saw three employees talking and NO ONE cleaning the glass/tanks. COME ON GUYS, this should be done 1 hr BEFORE opening ESPECIALLY THE MAIN FRAG TANK. We left empty handed as we had little confidence that our home reef tanks would be safe if we made a purchase from this store. Recommend someone start REGULAR MAINTENANCE on the saltwater tanks, I don't care about freshwater :-)

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff good selection and healthy fish

Fantastic experience: I just love ❤️ this place! Everyone is so helpful and so friendly. They treat you right and are very knowledgeable about all the fish and coarls.They also have good prices and deals on so many different things. You can even go here everyday if you wanted and bring them a water sample and they will test it for you for free there isn't any limit!!! I always really enjoy and love coming here and so do my kids too! Richmond Aquarium is the best place for all your aquarium needs. Don't take my word for it tho stop on by and see for your self you won't be disappointed!!!

Fantastic experience: Both guys at the store could not have been more helpful! Knowledgeable in every aspect of reefing and helped me get my own setup with everything I needed! Definitely recommend and I’ll be returning for years to come.

Fantastic experience: These guys are top notch. The staff is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. Very happy I met these guys.

Fantastic experience: I live in Varina, which is a little bit far away from me. But in my first time visiting the store, I found everything I'm looking for, plus I like how the store has a great space for everything and organize it! People who are working in the place are super nice and well knowledge! Prices are very friendly!!! Nice place to buy everything you need for the hobby!

Positive experience: Well laid out and mostly everything is priced, so no chasing people down just to ask the price of something. Pretty good selection of fish and invertebrates

Fantastic experience: Beautiful pictures had to call to verify this was a supply shop and not a viewing aquarium lol. When I called the person who answered was lovely. Haven't visited because I don't have fish but will if I ever am in need.

Fantastic experience: My family and I love to go to Richmond Aquarium! Everyone is friendly and very knowledgeable. We have 3 tanks and they help us make the best decisions for our tanks.

Negative experience: I came to this place looking to test my water for a new tank set up. I was told my tank water was perfect and ready for fish. I chose two beautiful fish. Four days later, they had both died. I took them back to the store with a fresh water sample and was told the pH had tanked and the ammonia was way too high. The fish had been discovered immediately after their death and removed so I didn't understand how those changes occurred so quickly. I was told to purchase a bacteria product and treat the tank for seven days. I did so and brought them another sample. Same result. They told me to do another 14 days of the bacteria and another treatment. After that I came back with a water sample and was told the ammonia was still too high for fish to survive, and they wanted me to purchase water from them and another product. I took a water sample to a different store the same day for a second opinion and was told my water was fine and the ammonia level was well within normal. I have had fish in that tank for the last eight days and they are thriving. My experience here has been that these guys seem to have sold me sick fish and blamed it on my water and wanted to continue to sell products. I am disappointed.

Fantastic experience: Staff is knowledgeable, helpful and nice. I wanted to start a new planted tank and went in 2 months ago to start getting things for it. Pictured is wood, rocks, plants, a betta and snails I got from them. Everything has thrived and look forward to going back!

Fantastic experience: Staff knows what they are doing. Will test your water and determine if fish will thrive.

Negative experience: So we go to Tiki Corals but found out that Richmond Aquarium bought them out so we came to this one. The staff was nice but they really need to have their tanks cleaner. We were looking at the saltwater corals and fish and the tanks are just soooooo dirty. Please do better at cleaning and keeping your tanks clean and presentable.

Fantastic experience: Was very helpful and knowledgeable about the fish I wanted definitely will be going back

Fantastic experience: Highly knowledgeable staff of all fish and they service numerous restaurants and homes that have aquariums. When you enter the bldg. I have not ever seen any aquarium store set up like this. When you look to the right, you will see how they maintain and make salt water plus fresh water for fish to live in. Directly in front of you are salt water fish in reach for kids to possibly touch. It is not recommended to touch, though. Excellent place to shop for fish and aquariums. Also rent aquariums.....

Fantastic experience: The staff are great. They are knowledgeable and the prices are fair. By far the better tropical fish store in the area.

Positive experience: It is a little beat up but plenty of selection to choose from. Locally owned place

Positive experience: I came here looking to be educated on purchasing a fish & tank & the staff member working did just that. He was nice and explained everything to me and also recommended other places that might have what I was looking for. I am truly a beginner in this space so his willingness to help was much appreciated. The inside seemed a bit cluttered but I didn’t expect much. Overall I would return when I am ready to purchase.

Fantastic experience: The employees are very knowledgeable and friendly. They want to help you succeed in you tank lifestyle.

Fantastic experience: Love these guys. They brought my crashed aquarium back after another store gave bad recommendations

Fantastic experience: The staff makes all the difference. They take the time to talk with you and generally have what we need. I love looking at the variety of fish and coral. They sell duckweed too!

Fantastic experience: The staff are very informative and patient for customers that's just starting out!!

Fantastic experience: Extremely resourceful and helpful everytime!

Positive experience: People are very friendly and make sure that you are taken care of, and have a fairly good selection of aquarium supplies, and fish.

Positive experience: The guy in the front was extremely helpful with teaching me about not only the difference between fish and the waters they go in but as well as he taught me a lot about the tanks in which to hold them in.

Fantastic experience: Great fish and people. Lots of products on hand.

Positive experience: So this place is really knowledgeable so I like calling them for advice. They know a lot. This is nothing about the workers, but I was very disturbed to hear that their suppliers advocate for euthanizing a fish by freezing it. Please stop doing this, this is not humane. Freezing is considered inhumane by the American Vetinary Medical Association. Fish are cold-blooded - they don't "fall asleep" like we do, they stay awake the entire time. This is is one of the cruelest methods of euthanizing a fish. Extreme cold water can cause their blood to become crystalline snd is extremely painful. This is actually very cruel. I hope that this place can learn about humane euthanasia, like the use of clove oil in the water before freezing. Clove oil puts the fish in a deep sleep, so they don’t feel any pain. I hope this review will make them take humane euthanasia seriously. Thank you.

Fantastic experience: We love coming here for all of our tank supplies. Sometimes the selection is low, but come on Wednesday or Thursday for the best selection. We’ve also trusted them to come to our home to work on our tank and they did a fabulous job!

Negative experience: First I’d like to say the staff is very friendly, now I went there to get Reverse Osmosis water and started to notice when I got home that the PPMs were kind of high . I spoke to them about and one employee told me it’s just minerals jacking up lol . I went in again And the PPMs were reading over 266 an I also noticed they had algae built up in the clear tubing which that type of tubing for that is a no no. . Then I called and they told me they hand all there filters swapped for new ones and I went there and tested the water and it was reading at 96 over a week after having new filters . That tells me they don’t clean there tanks regularly or ever at that . Not a good place for water at all .

Negative experience: I have been in the hobby for 20 years and purchased in all Richmond stores and online. Of the three saltwater aquatics stores in the Richmond area, this one is my least favorite. If you are experienced, this place is ok. You must be able to spot if something is healthy, identify stress, and know your species. If you are able to do so, you can find some gems here, as items are often mislabeled. I have found some rare coral that was labeled as something else. On the flip side, you must be careful. The staff is very nice, but they will say anything to make a sale. It may not be intentional, it may be lack of knowledge, but purchase with caution and do your research. In addition, they have the worst return policy of any of the other stores in the Richmond area and online. Coincidence? Finally, I have found RA livestock to have the worst survivability rate in my tanks. When investing time and money this is crucial. I have had a greater success rate, by a substantial amount with the other stores and online. My advice, spend the extra money elsewhere, you’ll end up saving in the end. I will not advertise other businesses in this review, but I will encourage you to make the extra drive. Again, if you are experienced, you can find some great livestock here, but your purchase comes with a risk.

Fantastic experience: Plenty of salt and freshwater fish. Was really happy to see peacock cichlids here.

Negative experience: People are friendly enough but freshwater stock is below poor , unless you are shopping for cichlids , live rock , coral , or saltwater check it out ! For freshwater fish , live plants , Bettas or Betta needs go elsewhere ! Wasted trip !

Fantastic experience: Very knowledgeable and friendly staff! Definitely worth checking out!

Positive experience: Excellent quality, though could have used a bit more variety. The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful, would definitely recommend visiting this store.

Fantastic experience: This is one of the best aquarium places in Chesterfield. They have such beautiful coral here! I'm new to fish aquariums but went along with my bf who has a 65 gallon tank with salt water fish. He has been searching for alot of things to fill his tank and found a couple things here no one else had. The guy at the counter was super knowledgeable and explained things to me so I understood everything. We went to 4 aquariums today and quickly realized not all fish aquarium stores are the same this place and one other place were very clean, with well kept tanks. The other two were poorly cared for. One thing that blew me away here besides the very friendly and knowledgeable staff was the clear water in all the tanks. I had to double take because it literally looked like the fish were swimming on air..that's how clean and clear this water was in the tank. I look forward to coming back again.

Fantastic experience: Love this place! Staff is always friendly and very helpful.

Negative experience: This is the fish I got. In the store I was not able to see details. I asked to the manager and his words were: "This fish is healthy, this is because it is changing the color"! Velvet and Ich!!!

Fantastic experience: Everyone here is so nice. Helpful employees and nice products.we drive from Fredericksburg to Richmond just to go here because of the customer service

Positive experience: Nice place. Mainly saltwater. Limited cichlid selection.

Positive experience: New location. Very helpful staff! He could've easily sold me anything, but my problem with cloudy water was answered in detail and he didn't try to trick me into purchasing something I didn't need. Love the salt water tanks and selections of fresh and salt fish.

Fantastic experience: Best fish store in town

Positive experience: I really want to like this place as it is the closest independent fish store to me. The new location is nice. They have a decent selection of dry goods, but the fish selection always seems to be lacking compared to the other independent stores in RVA.

Fantastic experience: Knowledgeable employees and super friendly and helpful! Can't wait to get my tank set up with these guys. Highly recommend for fish newbies and experienced owners alike.

Negative experience: One of the workers was soooooo rude. I wanted to come back and purchase a fish tank that another worker told me about(he was great) but when I came in, and asked about a fish, the way they guy talked to me, I decided to leave and just purchase the tank elsewhere. He should be retrained in the customer service department. Customers won't return with that type of service!!

Negative experience: Bought 1 fish and destroyed my whole tank with ick. Dont do it

Negative experience: Items were mislabeled and almost all saltwater AND freshwater fish had ICK. I wouldn't recommend at all.

Fantastic experience: Answered all my questions and was a great help!

Fantastic experience: great atmosphere great people and a lot of fish aquariums to look at

Fantastic experience: Always pleasant and on point. Stop in and see them.

Fantastic experience: Love the customer service

Positive experience: Great selection, but the tank presentation could be better. Prices are somewhat competitive.

Fantastic experience: These guys know their stuff! May want to call first to make sure they have had a delivery recently. They were out of a lot of fish and while you are on phone ask for directions if you are a first timer.. they are hard to find and google maps is zero help this time!

Fantastic experience: Great selection of fish and the staff is ver helpful. The only complaint I could make is that I wish there was more aquarium accessories (filters, lights, etc) available.

Fantastic experience: Jeff is the man David is cool and Richard is the best love this place

Positive experience: Place is cool. Great prices. Only issue is hard to find.

Fantastic experience: Very impressed with this store. Tons of salt water fish and supplies and for a change plenty of fresh water fish and plants. Everything you could want to decorate a tank. Experienced workers there who are super helpful.

Positive experience: Very well stocked fair prices lots to see and enjoy all worth waiting for help

Fantastic experience: Richard and David know their stuff!!

Fantastic experience: Everyone was extremely helpful and informative! The aquariums are beautiful and all the fish seem very well taken care of. I enjoyed my visit and intend on taking all my business to them from now on!

Fantastic experience: Very helpful! Will return in the future.

Positive experience: Very nice store very helpful and lots of fish to see

Fantastic experience: I never knew a wonderful shop like this was back there

Fantastic experience: I am in love with this store. Their fish are well taken care of and the staff is very knowledgeable. I definitely recommend this store!

Fantastic experience: Great place to get all your Aquarium needs

Fantastic experience: Was in town for the birth of grandbaby #7. I brought my granddaughter age two here and she loved it. Especially touching the sting Ray's and the other touch displays.

Negative experience: They can not do custom well. Here is what I ended up with and then the owner screamed at me on the phone when I requested this to be torn out. They can not follow a set of architectural drawings and details, nor do they work well with maintenance agreements with a commercial business. I was shocked at how rude and crude he was on the phone when I was trying to work with him on this issue. The nice photo below is another project and what we asked for on this project in Richmond.. they were given the photo with the drawings and still could not make it work.

Fantastic experience: Very cool shop with lots of well cared for salt water and fresh water specimens.

Positive experience: Very knowledgeable. Not pushy. Didn't hawk us. Let us just roam around. Fish selection was good. Can't wait to see what the next shipment brings. Definitely will be my go-to aquarium store

Positive experience: Staff make the experience a little better

Fantastic experience: I love it there great salt water fish

Positive experience: Nice selection of saltwater fish.

Fantastic experience: If you are into tropical fish, fresh and salt water this is the place to go for fish and supplies.

Fantastic experience: The place was full of fish and the young man running the place is very knowledgeable. I will definitely come back.

Fantastic experience: Helpful staff, beautiful fish and aquariums. Must go to if you are in the salt hobby.

Fantastic experience: Affordable prices, welcoming and friendly staff, many many years of experience and great healthy fish & coral.

Fantastic experience: Richmond Aquarium has been taking care of me and my fish for over four years. They have an extensive collection of fresh and saltwater fish, as well as a knowledgeable staff that is more than willing to help anyone from a beginner to a hardcore aquarist. Skip the chain stores and buy local, your aquatic friends will thank you.

Fantastic experience: Love this place!! I live in louisa va and I drive little over an hr to get there but always well worth it!! The fish sell themselves!! Great prices and friendly knowledgeable staff!!

Fantastic experience: Love this place staff very helpful

Fantastic experience: I have only been here twice. The first time was the "just checking it out because I'm tired of chain pet stores" visit. The second time was to show the wife and our 2 year old. I was helped by a different employee on each visit. I did not catch the first guys name. David I believe was the second guy. Both of them knew their stuff and were very great at the customer service they provided. David tested my water and provided an explanation and a solution to the findings. Both gentlemen also explained to me about fish that can and cannot be together in the same tank which is helpful, especially when my daughter wants the beautiful black tip shark and neon tetras. We settled for 4 fish that get along well and some water treatment. As I continue to grow my tropical community, this will be my stop. Thanks to everyone that helped us and keep up the good work! See ya soon.

Negative experience: Came in with the intentions to purchase a brand new full tank set up for our new reef aquarium. My husband and I were there for a out 10 minutes. I said hello to someone walking by the door to the back area with no response. We waited a few minutes more and then left. Highly disappointed. We were very excited to start our new tank. We will be going elsewhere

Positive experience: Hit or miss. They have a lot of tanks, but half the time I don't find anything that I really want. They don't have oxygen, which really messes me up since I don't live in Richmond. Then the next time they have some great stuff that I want. Even though the big tank is so huge, that black tip reef shark really needs a bigger home. This is why they should never be in the hobby, not even in stores. Their freshwater could use some attention though, lots of mostly empty tanks and okay selection at best. Overall not bad, but they have the potential to be so much more.

Fantastic experience: Great staff and wonderful selection.

Positive experience: Pretty big store with a interesting selection. Prices are good and staff was friendly.

Positive experience: Very good place, They have lots of coral and lots of saltwater fish to choose from. A lot better then your local pet store. I.E petco or petsmart

Fantastic experience: The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Despite being busy, the employee made sure to acknowledge me and got with me as soon as he was finished with his other customers. He was able to answer all of my questions and helped me find a medication for my clown fish. Would absolutely recommend this place if you need anything for your tank, for your fish or to stock your tank.

Fantastic experience: Got all the stuff I ever needed here, awesome fish

Positive experience: This place is awesome the staff is soooooo helpful and the selection and prices are great

Negative experience: First I have to say that for a selection, this place is not bad. Although the prices are not great, the selection is good. My problem is with their blatant disregard for the treatment of their sea life. They have a large tank that houses many fish including a black tip shark about 2 ft long. Even a tank that large is not enough for a shark this size. It takes it about 10-15 seconds to make a complete trip around the edge of the tank, which it does over, and over, and over..... However, that is not my major gripe. Unfortunately, there is also a trigger fish that should NOT EVER under any circumstances be in the same tank with this majestic creature. Every time the shark swims by, the trigger takes a big bite out of the shark, and it's fins are in bad shape and shredded.... The owner, manager of this store should be ashamed of himself, and in my opinion fined a great amount of money for the mistreatment of this poor shark.. I feel very sorry for it, and cannot stand being in the store with this stuff happening. I'll bet there is a animal rights organization that would love to know this. Shame on you RA, you should be closed down for this situation. You will NEVER get any of my business because of this. Do the right thing, and donate that poor shark to a real public aquarium before it's too late! There are several other shops in the Richmond area that much more deserve our business, like Chester Aquaria, Fish World, and Tiki Corals, and they do not mistreat their sea life..

Negative experience: Frag tank over priced and filled with dinoflagellates all the corals were smothered with it. $115 for a hippo tang 2 inches long

Fantastic experience: They have Joe and Cody from Petco. Enough said.

Fantastic experience: Good selection of fish antibiotics and helpful staff.

Positive experience: Great place, love the new freshwater fish they have been getting in as well as their plants