We used to shop here a lot. I've been in the salt water hobby for around 6 years now and in the beginning, I came here a lot. I even introduced my mom to the hobby and this was her go to store. I would say 40% of my corals came from here and more than 75% of my fish were bought here. The store USED to be great. Chris Rua (sp?) has always been helpful, kind and friendly whenever we stopped in. -BUT- Over the past two years, we stopped making the rounds to this store because it wasn't worth the time or drive (they're the closest store to us). More specifically, the service these last two years has been nothing short of awful. Chris hasn't been there the times we've been in and we have stood around for more than 10-20 minutes trying to get helped. On most occasions, the store is nearly empty and we can't even get a greet or a smile. It seems like the place is run by teenagers. I only ever see people under the age of 20 in there... They're not knowledgeable, not helpful and very unfriendly. Just because some of the competition closed down, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Take your money to the places who treat you well, I know I will be from now on. read more

I enjoy Aquarium Arts. They have a great selection and everything is clean. I've bought a few fish from them and have been pretty happy. The employees sometimes seem a little stand offish but in general they are all pretty nice and helpful. read more

I have a great apreciation for Chris, Jaron and the staff. I have had a couple water issues and they have been very helpful...I also love the help and selection at their store read more

Aquarium Arts is a pretty good fish store, although they have an obvious preference for saltwater Aquarists. They have an amazing stock of tropical and saltwater fish, and it is a great way to while away an hour or two gazing at fish. There are a few cons, though, and they are a big ones. One, their knowledge of the proper care of Betta fish (aka Siamese Fighting Fish, aka Betta splendens) is negligible, and the care of their tiny stock of such fish is pretty awful. It's sad when the local Petco does better than a big aquarium store. Also, the complete lack of understanding of the Nitrogen cycle stretches belief. I'm sorry, but scientific fact is scientific fact - the Nitrogen cycle exists, and you shouldn't introduce delicate/rare fish to an uncycled tank. The people in this store point-blank tried to convince me that it was unnecessary, and that I should add all the fish I was planning to add on the day of setup. When I politely denied their advice that I buy all my fish right then, they treated me like I was dumb or naive. So this store is great, as long as you do your research before arriving. Just stick to your guns if they try to make a profit over the health of your tank. read more

Very nice folks at Aquarium Arts and nicely run store. Good variety of fish, corals, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We'll definitely be back for our aquarium needs. read more

Shopped here ever since Pets Inc closed for freshwater fish and been very happy with knowledge and diversity of fish. This week Candace helped us and checked our water quality as well. Would recommend to others. read more

My favorite aquarium store! The folks here are expert and super helpful when you need it (but will let you just browse if you don't!). Great selection of freshwater fish and plants, and saltwater too... and good prices. They really care about your tanks - and don't try to sell you anything that won't make a good tank mate for what you already have. Chris, Quinn, and Megan are fantastic!!! read more

They're a tad pricey but I will say they have a nice freshwater section, which can be hard to come by outside of Petco and Petsmart. They have a very nice selection of plants, and they don't skimp on bunch sizes. read more

I love this store! Best plant selection in the east valley, and the staff is really friendly and helpful. I feel like a lot of the time, local fish stores have this sort of elitist vibe that makes you feel uncomfortable with asking questions/make you feel dumb asking questions, and I've never felt that way at this store. I always feel comfortable asking questions, and the staff genuinely seems to care about helping me find an answer. Everyone I've ever spoken to at the store is super knowledgeable! They do a really good job with maintaining their tanks and fishes' health, and I don't recall ever seeing dead fish in their tanks. Super recommend. read more

Landed at this shop after searching several looking for a wide array of fish. This is the place for both fresh and salt water species. Friendly, helpful staff who make recommendations based on need and fish knowledge, not on the bottom line (money). Encouraged me to buy less fish than I was seeking and not to buy live plants for the health of the tank and the type fish sought. Purchased fish were healthy, are thriving and multiplying (a pleasant surprise). Maybe I'll be able to sell the babies back to them once they get of size. LOL! read more

Everyone here is super friendly and helpful. I was able to get to get everything I needed, well except the fish since they just ran out of the pea puffers. I wish the place was a bit bigger and had more of a selection of products for fish tanks. read more

We've been coming here for several years for our 55-gallon freshwater aquarium, and finding Aquarium Arts (after getting fish from a box store that died constantly!) was the beginning of our success with our tank. These guys are so knowledgeable, and we have had MUCH better success with their stock than the box store. The box store may have a guarantee, but only like 20% of the fish we got there survived so we were constantly going back and trading them in. It was awful! We love Aquarium Arts -- they have helped us as beginners start to have a LOT more success! read more

I have to say since starting my new hobby I have been to EVERY pet store in the valley and Chris and his store are by far the nicest! They have a great variety of fish and Chris has helped me personally every time I've come in. He also was helpful and not judgmental in a problem I was having with my tank. Unlike The Pet Shop which made me feel stupid and like I was purposefully hurting my fish. This store now has a loyal customer in me! read more

This place was nice clean and friendly. The staff is really educated about the fish. I purchased nice healthy fish who are swimming happily in my tank. I will be back for more fish. read more

I like this store a lot, my only problem is that they don't open until 11am and they are closed on Sunday I need 24/7 access to this place .. lol read more

Kingsley is a great guy and has owned this place since I can remember, one of my best friends was an employee when he was in high school. The staff know their fish but can a little green when it comes to customer service, mostly because they are so young. The quality of the fish has been great, don't think I have had any problems with dead fish. The store can get quite busy and this is where it may be a problem for the younger staff. I still go here all the time and find it to be one of my favorite places to buy fish. Another place is the Pet Shop but that's way out on the east end of the valley. read more

Beautiful, clean store. Awesome displays. Like that they cater to both salt and freshwater. I have very very simple needs and am a beginner. Despite that, I received excellent service and had all my questions answered thoroughly. Will be using them for all of my fish and aquarium needs. read more

This place is great! I went to petco earlier today to get some ghost catfish and they looked so sick, with one dead one stuck to the filter I left right away and found this place. They had a great looking tank full of these little fish and they were lively and very healthy. (and $1 less per fish than Petco) I understand they don't have a return policy for live fish, but seriously it's common sense. Look over the fish yourselves and as long as you see healthy, happy fish they do too. I was asked if I needed help right away and again while I was still browsing. I was even helped while the person helping me was hassled by some rude guy that brought in a bucket of fish he didn't want anymore. Very good customer service and I'm extremely happy with my fish. I definitely recommend this store. read more

The staff at AA are top notch. I recently experienced Velvet on my fish and even though I had devastating loss they were there to help. They went above and beyond trying to help save my stock. Can't thank them enough. read more

I have been going to AA for almost a year now, and I am amazed at the customer support and friendly staff. I love my marine aquarium and it was all due to the help of the staff on what I needed to do to change my fresh water 55 gal over to saltwater. Even though the saltwater fish are more expensive, they are also much more colorful then freshwater fish. I am planning to eventually purchase a much larger system. This is all because of the way the staff treats and answers customers questions and concerns. read more

I've been buying my fish supplies here for over three years. Really helpful and knowledgeable staff. Always stock with the things I need and if they don't have it they order it right the way. Fair prices. read more

Stopped in today passing through Mesa and saw this as we were on Baseline. Upon walking it, it did not have an unpleasant odor that other aquarium stores have had and the tanks in the front were all very clean and clear. They have a HUGE selection of saltwater and freshwater fish, of all sizes and genders. The sailfin mollies they had were beautiful and healthy looking, and the discus were absolutely breathtaking. We weren't really acknowledged by any employees until we had almost walked through the whole store (he was very polite) but it was fairly busy. My only complaint about this store (and why I gave it 2 stars) was because the way the betta fish were kept in RIDICULOUSLY tiny bowls, and some were only half filled with water. Also, where the employee was putting air into a bag for a customer purchasing a tang, I saw even SMALLER plastic containers that Bettas were in. Until that changes, I would recommend other aquarium stores in Mesa because there are others that don't carry Bettas to be put in that condition :( read more

This place is fantastic! If you are new to the hobby, this is the place to go, they will help you with anything and everything that you need. If you have been doing this for years, this is also the place to go, they can and will get you anything that you need and at the best prices that I have found. The one knock is that they are always busy in here answering questions for beginners so you will be waiting around for a bit. I'm more than fine to wait, they are helping bring more people to this hobby in a knowledgeable and responsible manner. read more

This store is amazing! The staff is even better. Every single employee is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. They will get anything you need for you within a day or so at a great price. If you're looking for a great saltwater store this is the place. Save yourself a trip from going to other places that are dark unfriendly and unknowledgeable like REEF MONSTERS. I have done it all and spent thousands at the Reef Monsters ($5500+) only to get a poor service and set up because of their cluelessness. The guys and girls at the Aquarium Arts will get you set up right. I can't say enough about Kandance, Chris, and Jaren and everything they've done for my tank. I am there weekly if not daily and they always have something new that you can learn from them. I love this place to say the least and you will too!!! read more

The atmosphere and workers here are patient and high spirited. Yesterday I came here and Ryan was back and forth with customers but very attentive when answering my questions and providing me with fish. He even stood at the large log tank trying to get the last Cardinal. Today I was just loving watching the interactions and bodies that I wondered what other stores had to offer so I went to tropical treasures and reef monsters both stores were disappointing in price and staff so I went back to aquarium arts where again I was greeted, this time by the store owner. He answered my questions and when most places would just get a fish and go he examined the tank and picked one he would take home he stated. He was asked questions while he was working with me and would let me know he would be right back and was, as of course my wandering eyes looked at others I wanted. He also let me know my fish needed a higher protein since I only have had Bettas, a Molly, and Glo eyes, who eat flakes. I will definitely be back. read more

I give aquarium arts 3 stars simply because they have not had the coral selection that they once had. The quality of the corals has also suffered. I do like that they have a great inverts section and there fish selection is great. There staff is helpful and they seem to have a good knowledge of the hobby. They also carry a good amount of filtration & equipment. I recommend that if your in the area it's worth the stop in. read more

Aquarium Arts is a great shop and one of the few aquarium stores I go to regularly. It's a pretty big shop, and they have a nice selection of both fresh and saltwater fish, inverts, and coral. They also have more aquariums and aquarium supplies than most local fish stores. The shop is well kept and the fish seem to be generally pretty healthy. I am usually helped pretty quickly, unless the shop is busy. But the staff generally do a good job of helping every customer that comes into the store. I have only had one bad experience and that was in regards to a particular employee being extremely rude, but he didn't seem to work there for very long. Every other staff member has been really friendly and helpful. The owner (Chris) and Jaren have been particularly awesome. Chris is extremely knowledgeable and has helped me with my reef tank countless times, from water perimeters, to a gnarly ich outbreak (not from an Aquarium Arts fish), to picking suitable tank inhabitants, and even how to plumb my new mixed reef tank. He has great advice and is really approachable. Jaren is equally helpful and is the coral expert. He knows the scientific name of every frag in their tanks and the care required by each specimen. It's impressive! When the store is out of a product I'm looking for, both Chris and Jaren have offered to order it for me and have called as soon as the next shipment arrives. I recommend visiting Aquarium Arts because of their great selection, but even more so because of their excellent customer service and friendly staff who genuinely care about their customers. read more