This is Clement Street--likely San Francisco's Inner Richmond, a gray, fog-choked corridor where the air smells faintly of roasted duck, diesel exhaust, and damp asphalt. Step inside this specific room, though, and the world pivots on its axis. It is the low, mechanical hum of the aerators that gets you first. A steady, rhythmic thrum--the heartbeat of a hundred tiny, artificial oceans packed into glass boxes. There is something deeply, almost subversively soothing about it. It's a sensory clean room, a brief reprieve from the exhausting, hyper-caffeinated hustle just outside the door. You stand there, bathed in that eerie, neon blue light, watching the neon tetras and the aggressive, territorial marine life dart back and forth. They aren't thinking about the rent or the rising tides of the city; they're just waiting for the next pinch of flakes, the next fresh catch. If you're lucky, you get the freaks and the anomalies--an octopus lurking in a PVC pipe, a restless eel, or today's prize, a lone turtle, gliding through its own miniature universe with a slow, stoic indifference that borders on Zen. This isn't a trendy pop-up or a sleek, minimalist boutique designed to part tech bros from their equity. This place is an anchor. It's been sitting right here, largely unchanged, for 40 years--an absolute eternity in a city that eats its own history for breakfast. It doesn't change, it doesn't apologize, and every time you walk through that door, it brings you straight back to an even keel. In a world where everything beautiful eventually gets paved over or corporate-approved, you look around at the salt-stained glass and the bubbling water, and you think: Thank God. I'm just glad they're still here. read more

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1 Star This place is straight up trash. Bought fish here and every single one died within 48 hours. They sold me garbage fish that were already on their way out. I got my money back at first, but these greedy fucks actually fought the chargeback and got my bank to take the money back. They literally stole my money after selling me dying fish. 6th Avenue Aquarium is a complete scam. They don't give a single fuck about the fish or their customers. Save your money and stay the hell away from this dumpster fire of a store. read more

Going to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco you end up seeing the different flowers and plants at the Conservatory of Flowers and feel like you would like to take some home. The Rose Garden at Golden Gate Park is an inspiration to have some roses planted somewhere in or outside the house. Then going to the California Academy of Sciences Aquarium you wish you could have some fish as a pet and not for sushi. There are few places in San Francisco where inside of the store feels like you entered a garden and aquarium.In the crowded streets of Clement between Cafe Bunn Mi and the Bitter End bar there is a place which feels like you stepped inside nature in the great outdoors and also by the water. This place is the place to create your own flower conservatory and your aquarium at home and it's called the 6th Avenue Aquarium. On a Spring stroll on Clement street walking past the soon to be opened Rose Pizzeria and past the recently gluten free pasta restaurant Clementia I landed at 6th Avenue Aquarium between 6th and 7th Avenue. Inside it feels like a place you can create your garden, sanctuary and spa. You will see plants outside and inside. You will also see lots of flowers of all kinds. The aquarium has lots of tanks with fish inside. You will also see cherry shrimps and crabs. You also will see amphibians like the ones you see all over in SF. This a good place to start that garden and aquarium. Go on a Spring stroll on Clement street to the 6th Ave Aquarium inside is a pleasant "surprise "see fish of all types and "size" in the tank you will see the fish float their tails and see the fishes "eyes" and they sell the fishes as pets along with fish "supplies" Without nature I "can't " live without having more than one "plant" because it gives life a positive vibe which does "enchant" like a painting with tulips by "Rembrandt" read more

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It's a well stocked aquarium with so many cool tropical and saltwater fish. The best part is that you can come and fish for your own fish. So overall a very fun time. They have tons of houseplants to buy as well. Their store is a bit dusty, but every single fish purchased from here has been doing great, even in my low maintenance tank. Their restock days are on Tuesdays so best time to come. read more

Varity of fresh water and salt water fish! It's a fun visit even if you don't plan on buying anything. A lot of the tropical fish have poor health due to mass inbreeding. Guppies rarely survive. If you want hardy tropical fish, purchase tetras. They finally created a plexi glass barrier so you can see Rosco, instead of just hearing him behind a wooden plank. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Black tuxedo cat named Rosco that occupies the second level! 08/21/26 - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Last night I visited 6th Ave. Aquarium after seeing mixed reviews online. I've always appreciated that they keep plants toward the front of the store, so I wanted to check it out for myself rather than rely solely on reviews. They do have a very large selection of fish, and that's honestly the biggest positive. Unfortunately, the conditions the fish were kept in were extremely concerning. I've only been in the aquarium hobby for a short time, but even so, I've seen my fair share of rough conditions at big box stores like Petco and PetSmart -- and this was noticeably worse. I was specifically looking for Celestial Pearl Danios (CPDs), and the fish were in such poor shape (severe fin tucking, washed-out coloration) that I barely recognized them as the species. What's frustrating is that the store clearly has the space and inventory to be great. With better husbandry practices and properly trained staff focused on fish health, this could easily be one of the best aquarium shops in San Francisco. I'm giving two stars, not because of selection -- which is solid -- but because the health and conditions of the fish just aren't acceptable. I really hope they improve, because the potential is absolutely there. read more

I bought a betta fish that died in less than a week. It had a disease that spread to my other fish and wiped out half of my tank. While it's partly my fault for not taking the extra precautions (quarantining, medicating, etc.), people should be receiving healthy fish to be set up for success, especially for new aquarists. The conditions fish here are kept in are horrid, just like if they were being kept in a live seafood supermarket. read more

Very cool long (length), width a little smaller Aquarium filled with all types of sea creatures ranging from: - crabs - frogs - shrimps (blue, cherry, ghost, etc) - fishes (salt and fresh) - plants - coral (very unique and cool ones too!!) And more! We're definitely coming back for some shrimp! read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Crab - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

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really sad and depressing place, lots of dead floating fish, fish in tiny tanks with no plants or enrichment, etc. There is also about 8 red eared slider turtles in a super small tank with no plants or place to come out of the water or heat source- they are just smushed together and it's very disturbing. definitely avoid this place and don't contribute to the exploitation of fish. read more

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡DO NOT BUY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! I returned three fish my young son had bought. It only took an hour for the fish to die. My son was crying after seeing his dead fish, and the owner was RUDE to us, claiming they were just fish, but if his product is "quality," no fish should die. Avoid the headache and heartbreak. It's not just about the money; it's about the owner of the place lying to us and playing with our time and money. In the end, after I told him I wanted my money back, he told me he'd post my photo as if I'd stolen something. What the hell?! He's a disgusting person. This place is horribly inhuman!!!!!! I live in the same neighborhood, and it's a place I used to frequent with my son. I NEVER COME BACK. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

Good selection, good prices a little hectic when busy but generally worth it. Definitely wish they had more variety of amphibians. read more

The prices for what they sell are nice. You definitely need to know what you're doing if you're buying fish here, as they have many oddball species you don't always see at other aquarium fish stores. Sometimes it's a hit or miss with the fish you bring home, but if you're an experienced fish keeper, you'll be fine. Whenever I get fish from here, I always put them in my quarantine tank to observe them before adding them to my main tank--not everyone has the space for a second tank, which is why I mention the hit-or-miss aspect. read more

Great store lots of variety and rare stuff and great terrestrial plant options as well just Quarantine your fish after you get them

Poor treatment of fish, bad husbandry and no concern at all for the health of the fish.

Amazing shop! I imagine it is very difficult to run a fully stocked pet shop these days - this shop exceeded expectations in terms of how much they kept in variety. And loved that they let me pick up my own...although I'm sure they suffer some losses running it this way. Very pleased with the new additions to our aquarium! Hope to find excuses to build out our aquarium more. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Cherry shrimp and Thai microcrab - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Usually never write a review about business today I went to buy a fish at this aquarium and I ask the guy for help for the water tank he was very rude to us and he said if you don't like it go another place it so sad how people can have a business with this kind of employee or owner like that I will never go there again. read more

ABSOLUTELY NO! DO NOT BUY FISH HERE. As an avid saltwater aquarist this place truly doesn't care about their fish. JUST MONEY. Their fish are poorly kept it truly is disheartening. They are keeping fish in such crowded small spaces and containers. They don't not quarantine their fish at all. Please go take your business elsewhere. Owner isn't friendly at all no greeting or "hello" completely rude as a first this visiting customer. read more

Fun shop. Quality of animals can sometimes be iffy. The selection is fun. The space is funky, especially going up the narrow janky stairs. They're close by so it's convenient for me to pick up aquarium plants and equipment in a jiffy. read more

If you are looking for a lot of selection and good prices, come check it out. But must really check everything and quarantine. Bought some plants, dry food and a crab on this trip. Have previously bought bumble bee goby which did well. Didn't have much time today but will come back. Parking can be challenging. read more

Cool fish aquarium! Lot of different type of fish and flowers they have! Would recommend!

I always stop here to get my girlfriend flowers when I'm here. The lady that works in the flower section is amazing. I always ask for her opinion and trust her flower wrapping work. She does a deal of dozen roses so I usually always get that or a variation off those. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Flowers - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

My dad and I went to this shop to get some new fish for our fish tank. My dad said the shops in Chinatown didn't sell that particular breed. It's on the "pricier" side of fish but my dad walked away smiling at his new fish read more

My son and I love coming to this store, they have the coolest fish and other little critters. And one year they gave out gold fish for Halloween, how amazing is that. My son absolutely loved it!! read more

This store is the WORST when it comes to how they treat the animals they sell. The frog I bought last night was dead this morning, and it really broke my heart. There were two very young men behind the register when I made the purchase. One of them was so new he was massively startled by the opening of the cash register drawer. And together they lacked enough experience that they actually thought it was OKAY to point out to me that every specimen in the tank was very stressed out. One even commented, "They're probably cold." They can't even keep the animals warm! And they were ematiated. I told myself I was rescuing the one I brought home, but it didn't make it. This store is absolutely awful. read more

Fish health. Each time I go I hope for the best but usually the fish I get here die of disease soon after. I buy from other shops ans no issues so the common denominator is water quality at this place. Prices are ok ... could be lower but I go because the staff is friendly and advice is spot on ... it's just the quality of water read more

So here's the thing. The workers there are friendly but their tanks are at over capacity and it's kind of depressing knowing you aren't able to help all of them and knowing that next week there will be an even more influx of species coming into the already full tanks. Due to the tanks being over capacity also you are more likely to purchase a fish, frog, snail, crab, or lobster that may die sooner than you expect. Their plant tanks are full of vibrant colored, 'healthy looking' plants but be warned that 9/10 of those plants will die within the first week or two. The pro is that they offer many different types of species that are reasonably priced and it is self serve so you don't have to wait for someone to catch them for you but with all things considered it really is 'a you get what you paid for' type of store. 1 star for the friendly employees and 1 star for variety. read more

Avoid. Bought a ranchu and Oranda and they died a few hours after acclimation. Not only that, my other ranchu that lived in there died as well. Tanks been cycled and maintained. Once these fish were introduced the entire ecosystem was obliterated. Called to get some help from the owner. He got defensive and asked me to bring read more

I got healthy clown fishes here but their snails, half are dead or sick. Bought some nassarius & turbo snails & within a few days infected my healthy clown fish with ich - white spot parasites. So be careful not to infect your tank. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Clown fish with ich - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm writing a review for the flower shop. There was a table with sheets of paper by the entrance. I didn't receive any assistance while looking and selecting a bouquet. On my way from the Sunday farmer's market, I had stopped by to purchase a $7 bouquet of spring flowers. With tax, the total for the bouquet came to $7.61. The cashier simply bagged up the bouquet with a small plastic bag, which somewhat ruins the aesthetic. I thought it was slightly unusual that there were staples securing the brown Kraft paper wrapped around the bouquet. I had assumed that it was simply wrapped with paper. Some of the flower stems, like the orange, were droopy and smooshed as I unraveled the bouquet. I trimmed the bouquet myself and placed the flowers in a vase facing a window at home. I suppose I had expected a fresher bouquet with a slightly better quality. The bouquet wasn't as fresh as the ones you would find from the Sunday Clement Street farmer's market or Trader Joe's. In my opinion, you could find fuller, fresher, and slightly cheaper bouquets from Trader Joe's. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Spring bouquet - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

We bought some plants that were sub par to say the least. When I phoned and asked if we could exchange them, the guy said no, and hung up. Hanging up on customers is poor form. read more

I've been coming to this place for years. All the negative reviews are bullshit you pay for what you get. By far the best place to get fish that wouldn't normally be available online or in store for good prices too. Anyone who cries about there fish dying probably didn't even bother to quarantine them or acclimate them properly like they are supposed to. read more

**WARNING*****DO NOT BUY HERE!!! I know you may read this and gloss over it but read my past reviews... I'm fair and only have 1 other really bad review for legitimate reasons, this isn't a random fake post. This owner is SHADY and unscrupulous. We came in to buy a Flowerhorn-they have big heads (nuchal hump) and are usually very interactive. When the owner came to bag him, we noticed he was leaning against the top edge of the tank and gasping a bit, I wish we knew beforehand that he was sick but when we asked about it, he says, "oh he's fine he just ate"... We had a tank ready; it was prepped. We treated the water, added nitrate eating bacteria, had the temp, ph., nitrates etc. tested and retested prior to bringing him home. After the acclimation process and he was fully released, he literally sank straight to the bottom. He was near paralyzed and dragging himself. They were already closed so we called them the next morning and explained EVERYTHING. The owner says, " Oh he's fine, we just got him days 2 ago so he's stressed out, give him 3 days and call us back if he's not better." So, we researched as much as we could, he wouldn't eat and started falling over late the 2nd night, and plus we noticed flaking on his scales. We tried an aquarium salt bath the 2nd night, but he was getting worse. He died the 3rd day in the morning, right before we were going to get meds. I called them immediately which happened to be the 3rd day and was told tough luck, the owner was off, call the next day. When I called back, I was told I wasn't talking to the person who sold him to me which was a lie(I recognized his voice), I was told I must not have had a proper tank setup even though I have literally every test kit possible and liquid tests too, he then hangs up on me pretending to have phone static like we live in 1996 on cordless phones. This place is terrible, I called immediately and not only that, in the store, before bagging the Flowerhorn, if the owner would have said, "Hey, you seem to be questioning his health, are you sure you want him"?, rather than give us excuse after excuse as to why he wasn't eating and gasping for air near the top, I would of have waited to find a healthier flowerhorn. Do yourself a favor, go somewhere else. Avoid the headache and heartbreak. I also read some other "iffy" posts on this place, talking about that if a fish dies then it must be the buyer's fault, that may be mostly true but not this time. It's not just about the money, it's about the principle and the lying. Those pics include his crawling and his flakey skin which we didn't notice until the 2nd night. read more

6th Ave Aquarium - Here's where we know this flaking on his skin late the second night, few hours later he died. - Aquarium Services Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place is beyond a childhood memory for me, its the very place that introduced me to fish keeping and I've gone ever since however I only go because there is no alternative nearby... Be warned. this place does NOT quarantine their fish properly and I've seen so so many tanks where there would be numerous dead fish mixed in a tiny box with living ones just an absolute breeding ground for disease and id never risk spending more than 15-20$ on a fish there. This place has charm, it has an amazing selection and its certainly a fun experience for someone who has never been. but once you start to see the issues they become very glaring and shady It should be noted they do have an amazing selection of shrimp & plants. I just cannot truthfully recommend them if you want to have a "good experience" buying healthy fish. I hope this place improves, they clearly have the customer base & location... read more

Had a fun day in SF with kids and decided to have lunch on Clement. While waiting for our table my husband decided to bring them to 6th Ave aquarium to get some new pets. The store is amazing. The variety of fish and supplies is astounding. Kids picked two beta fish and we had some happy campers. Fast forward: next day the kids are joking about my son's fish. It rarely moved and they said it was playing dead. Other fish is thriving and lively and happy. By day 5, it was confirmed. Second fish was dead. Bummer but it happens right? I call the shop just to let them know they sold a fish that died within 5 days (which probably should have been pulled from the shelf since they are in plastic containers). The guy I spoke to this AM was wondering why I had called. He said he didn't know what I wanted, and that they don't offer refunds because they sell "millions of fish". He had no concerns whatsoever about selling a bad product. My husband had wanted to go to a retailer like Petco but I said no let's support the small business owners. Would hate to see them not survive the current economic conditions. Not regretting my decision to support them, but wanted to give a heads up for future buyers. read more

This is one of the premier aquarium shops in all of San Francisco. They truly have a large selection of all types of fish. Plus, they also have a large selection of aquariums. I have personally bought several aquariums from the shop over the past two or three decades, and I have always been very happy with my purchase. More than just an aquarium shop, they also have a very nice floral department in the front section of the shop. There, you can get some great plants and plant orientated items. This being said, the primary focus of this business is for the aquarium enthusiast. They have all kinds of aquarium stuff and pretty much everything you could imagine that you would ever need to keep your aquarium healthy and your pumps, filters, lights, heaters, and everything else running well. The staff here is always very knowledgeable and helpful. So, you know you'll be guided in the right direction for anything you may wish to purchase. Overall, great shop. read more

DA GOATS OF THE FISHYS. don't go to an aquarium just hit up my asian brother over here. handsome, nice, hella fish, cheap prices, cute ahh fish read more

I have been a customer there on and off for 20 years...They have complete aquarium supplies etc BUT the terrible condition of the fish, especially the freshwater fish has become worse and worse over time. Just went in to see if I could get some stock for my tank and really every little tank was infected with finrot dropsy, etc. The fish are packed so tightly in most of the little tanks it's like canned sardines. Even the bigger tanks are cloudy and show no sign of regular maintenance...It's your business is no one able to do that? And sadly there are precious few tropical fish stores in the city now...Petco and Petsmart are quite limited and the rest are tiny with little choice. Guess I'll have to order fish online read more

Bought two orandas both fish were sick and died after a few hours. It got my other oranda that I've had for a while sick too and died the next day. read more

Avoid buying anything alive here!!! I've given these guys multiple try's and about 80-90% of the fish I buy from these guys dies. Tanks do not seem to get cleaned. You've been warned read more

Terrible store. I am twelve, and I came to the store with my nine year old sister to buy decorations for my fish. I walked in and immediately noticed that all the fish were in tiny, dirty, overcrowded tanks. There are dead fish everywhere. They have sharks in tanks so small they can barely turn around. We came here to buy decorations for my fish tank. We walked to the checkout, and while waiting to buy the decorations, two employees kicked me out. They said, "bye, you can go now" "Can we at least-" "No. There's the door." My little sister was really excited to get the decorations, and now she's in tears. read more