This locally owned business is a gem for aquatic lovers, both beginner and pro! I have been going for about two years now and they have really fostered my love of the hobby. I was scared to start one tank, now I have nine lol. They have beautiful display tanks to inspire you in directions you may not have thought of. My first tank was inspired by one right by the register, and that's where it all began! The staff is always there to help and know what they are talking about. Everyone her is great, but I must highlight one in particular...ADAM! He is amazing and a huge asset to the company. He gives advice, knows his stuff and shares antics with you to help ease you into growing in this hobby. His knowledge of plants, fish, aquascaping, products and equipment is amazing. I want to personally thank him for how he has helped me grow from one tank to nine now including plants inside and half in/half out! Keep up the good work guys! Please support this amazing local business!! read more

I bought 5 neon blue tetras and 2 angels this week - $48. ALL 7 fish were dead within 3 days. I have other fish in this tank which are fine. And I've had these exact same species in this tank with these fish before - a tank I've kept now for 20+ years. And I've even bought fish before from AquaTek. I tried calling but there is either no answer or a message that simply states hours and ends with "good luck". Good luck? These were clearly not healthy fish. And the customer service is ridiculous. Buy elsewhere. read more

Great selection of fish but most importantly very knowledgeable staff which is so helpful when picking out which fish will get along with each other & other aquarium set-up questions. The fish we bought here have been happy & healthy for a few weeks now! read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Variety of plants, wood, botanicals, miscellaneous aquarium accessories, and fish. The employees actually know what they are doing, how to sex a fish, and don't make rookie mistakes such as selling a endli bichir as a delhezi/ other bichir with a vastly different max size. read more

I am getting back into the hobby and have a 20 gallon aquarium I needed to fill with fish. I went to petsmart first, and they were understaffed, so they weren't selling fish. This was close by and I saw it online and figured would stop in. I was immediately welcomed by the staff and as I looked they checked in a couple of times. When I was ready I was able to get help and recommendations as well as answers to any questions. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and isn't afraid to tell you no or if the idea you have may not work. That I can appreciate. They had a Black Friday sale going on as well. I will be back soon to get some live plants! read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Guppy Pair - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I can't recommend this place enough whether you are advanced or a beginner. I got all my fish supplies from here including food and both the snail and my beta fish. The workers here are super knowledgeable and they have prebuilt aquarium tanks here as well as freshwater & saltwater fishes + critters. They also sell natural plants you can keep in your tank and i'd highly recommend. read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

This use to be my fish store of choice, they have been up and down over the years, but for the most part staff seemed nice and knowledgeable. They are expensive and after having multiple batches of fish die from them, but the odd random fish from other places live for years I said enough and tried a new place in Round Rock. Not a single issue with the new batch of fish, not one. My only regret is not dumping this place long ago. I cannot recommend this place at all. If you do go I would recommend that you ask the price of the fish up front and what the policy is on dead fish. Also, the new place told me to not let light hit fish in transport, how is the basic concept not told to people other than it benefits the store by your fish dying. Truly abominable that Aquatek has not told me this once in the 5 years that I have been getting fish from them. read more

Outstanding selection of fish and plants, knowledgeable staff, and great location. I find myself here weekly just trying to find a reason to buy something. Their Facebook page is very helpful and consistently updated as well. read more

I've been to fish stores all over San Antonio and Austin. This one is my new favorite. They have the best selection of freshwater aquatic plants I've ever seen in an in-person store. Several several tanks. They have a large variety of shrimp and good amounts of them too. They have a lot of bettas, and all are kept in little tanks with a live plant and not just a cup. Lots of treated wood decor to look through. Can't recommend this store more. :) read more

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Very knowledgeable with their products, great customer service. Sometimes I come here to just look around.

I always come here for all of my aquarium needs! Very conveniently close to my house and a lot of locals recommend this place! Sometimes I feel like their corals and equipment are a bit overpriced but I love the variety of fish and livestock! The only complaints I have are: coral frags I get from here usually have Aptasia and pests, so I always have to dip them first! Also I have seen a few dead fish floating around in the tanks from time to time...but other than that I would recommend them to anyone interested in getting started in the aquarium hobby! read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Clownfish - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

I really like the selection at this store. We were starting a brand new clean tank setup, and decided we were finally ready to add fish after weeks of prepping. Our water was stable and tested perfectly. We came here and purchased a nice selection of fish. Sadly, they came with a ick outbreak and they are all dead a week later. We didn't quarantine because it was a new setup. After reading other reviews, this sounds like a pattern with this store selling sick fish. read more

So I'm new to the hobby and was recommended by MANY to get come to Aquatek for help with my water parameters. The staff was AMAZING, patient and knowledgeable. They didn't rush me along but spent time explaining what I needed to do and how to maintain my tank! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It's a place you can truly trust because they care and they know what they are talking about. Not to mention very thorough water testing, and if you need good water to add to tank you can get it from them ( bring a jug) they also have jugs there you can buy. read more

We have 4 aquariums and are always needing something. I needed a rubber lip pleco and a long fin bushy nose to handle algae duty in one of my tanks. What I like most about shopping here is the wonderful assortment of freshwater fish and aquatic plants. Their Anubis plants are gorgeous and one of my favorites. They have beautiful discus, Rams, angels, Cory's--you name it, they pretty much have it. Their selection of wood ornaments come in a variety of neat shapes and sizes. They also carry equipment, supplies, saltwater fish, etc. read more

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I've been to Aquatek several times over the years for my aquarium needs. I came by again recently and was surprised to see that the betta fish are no longer in planted aquariums with gravel and so many of the fish looked to be on the verge of dying or stressed out being that they can see other bettas. My betta passed awhile back and I thought for sure I would get another from Aquatek since they have taken such good care of their bettas in the past. Now, I feel less inclined to shop here after seeing the stark difference in how the bettas are cared for. And please, someone save that beautiful fully grown albino oscar fish in that teeny tiny tank. Sad to say that I'm so disappointed with the place I used to love to visit! Please do better. read more

I like this store. But I bought a fish that got sick the next day and I ended up with 11 dead fish because of their sick fish (I now quarantine new fish). Last week I went to buy some snails and they had parasites. I'm thankful they saw the worms hanging from the snail I wanted it before selling it. I've seen multiple dying fish in a tank. I no longer trust them to have healthy, non parasitic fish. read more

Amazing fish store with a beautiful set up. The staff are friendly and extremely knowledgeable and the selection is exceptional. The display tanks are epic as well! I love stopping by here and highly recommend a visit. read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

Adam helped us pick out the cutest goldfish. He was enthusiastic and helpful and very kind. He talked us through a complete care routine and made the entire experience very enjoyable. read more

UPDATE: this store is amazing for aquascaping. If your looking to do a planted or natural looking tank they have everything you could ever imagine. Half the stuff I'd never seen before it was brazy. The stuff is also super helpful and helped me pick out some great plants. Definitely check it out if you want to give your tank that extra pizzazz it needs. read more

This store treats their fish really well. If you want a betta this is the best place in Austin to buy from. Staff is knowledgeable, patient and helpful. I went around to fish stores in Austin this one by far treats their fish the best. Bought my betta from here! read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Betta we brought home! - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

Been here a few times before but recently came here to purchase a few fishes. One of the gentleman there was super nice, he was very helpful and friendly. He gave us a lot of information regarding the fishes were looking to get. We spotted the ones in the tank at the end of the aisle. We weren't informed until we were about to make a purchase that those in the tanks at the end are not for sale. Those have been there much longer and are mature. They are very beautiful, I guess that's why it's not for sale. It took us quite a while to get someone to actually get the fishes from the tank for us. We got some food and other items for the tank as well. We stood at the counter to check out for quite some time. The person checking out wasn't very friendly. He didn't even seem to care that we were standing there waiting to check out. He was about to check out another patron, when those people realized that we had been waiting and offered for us to go first. He seemed very annoyed that we were checking out and not those other people. He was very unfriendly. I wouldn't really recommend going here for the help. I would go here if you must. read more

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Even though we provided the bodies of the fish that last two days, as well as a sample of the water AND a receipt. They denied us store credit or replacement fish. Thry even told us there was nothing wrong with the water of our tank. I do not recommend getting your live stock here. Shop elsewhere. The manager is very uncooperative and spekaing with him is very uncomfortable. read more

Beautiful store and amazing staff that know their stuff. This is the only place I buy my fish

To begin with, I love this store, HUGE FAN. I shop here almost every week, even if I'm not looking for anything in particular for my 75 G planted aquarium. I'm a member of the Fish club, which offers discounts for members on equipment/stock! I generally just love to browse and check out the latest livestock and aquarium gadgets, which they always have plenty of, and brainstorm new ideas. They have been great with the covid-19 crisis staying open and implementing some quarantine guidelines to make things safer, while still providing support to the local aquarium hobbyist community. Thank you for all you do! HOWEVER, this past weekend, Saturday the 18th of April(around 11-1pm), I went in specifically looking for a canister filter to upgrade my tank, after weeks of research and planning, while still counting on some help at the store. I spent some time looking at the options on the shelf and decided on a nice mid-range priced filter (not the best, but better than I currently have). I brought the filter to the counter and waited for a clerk to help me out. When a clerk shortly after approached, I asked him what came with the box filter set(as there was little to no writing on the box and I wasn't sure if I need additional tubing for my tank). He opened it up and showed me the contents, all looked good. I was sure it was what I wanted, even if wasn't the best, I'm a beginner in the hobby and wanted to at least start somewhere and learn from there. HERE is where it got STRANGE, I have NEVER been unsold on an item by a SALESMAN so quickly, I assumed it was because he was trying to upsell me to the slightly more expensive filter they had in stock( which in all honestly I could have been convinced to purchase with a little nudging), but no. The clerk had nothing good to say about the product, he completely took away all my buying confidence, without offering reasons as to why it was an inferior product or any alternative products to purchase. Saying things like, "its okay" or "its a 'filter' for sure." I stepped away asking for time to rethink my choice ( with no new info to go on), really just to put the filter back and leave the store disappointed. I walked into the store ready to spend at least a few hundred and walked out spending nothing, feeling like the clerk was happy to send me away without a purchase. As a salesman myself, this guy is either sabotaging himself or the business. As business owner, I would be furious if I had an individual on my team that approached sale opportunities with this method. Even if they are not commission employees, shouldn't they still have a vested interest in seeing the store make more sales? Are they demotivated, because of lack of pay, or having to work during a pandemic? As a customer, I was disappointed not to be able to shop "locally," but I was able to purchase everything I needed/wanted + replacement filters/materials online for less and with more info provided. I guess bezos/amazon can have my $250. read more

I bought fish from AquaTech (that were not cheap) and they were dead the next day. I took in a water sample and everything was fine, and the young man that tested my water just told me "it happens, fish die for no reason and they aren't very hardy." He told me there was nothing he could do, that fish just die and that I was not able to get any kind of refund or credit. Then he charged me for the water test. I'm very disappointed and will not be going back. read more

Knowledgeable people with healthy vibrant aquariums in both salt and freshwater. These guys know what they're doing and are an excellent resource in the Hobby. read more

Never will I ever buy fish from Aquatek Tropical Fish again. I bought fish for Will for Christmas and on Christmas the fish died. The day after I went to East Texas and didn't get back to town to take them back to the store until today. Needless to say, I was told by Kelsey to bring the bodies in and they would work with me on what to do. I drove all the way over there with 2 dead fish just so Marcus (the guy that sold me the fish) to tell me to go home and bring in water from my tank so they can test my water. Mind you I have other fish in my tank in which I showed Marcus a video prior to purchase to make sure the bought fish would get along with the fish we already had. He assured me they would. Now if my water was bad then my other fish wouldn't still be alive, correct? I digress. Anywho, why do I have to go through all of this to be accommodated? read more

Fantastic store!! I've owned fish for over a decade and have only recently switched to getting my fish needs at local stores, not PetSmart or Petco. The store was mesmerizing- it's clear to see the fish they keep are happy! The tanks are well kept and well stocked with many many species of fish. I came in to buy aquatic plants and found an abundance- there were two or three whole aisles dedicated to plants! They were all kept in water and very healthy. The plants themselves were a bit expensive but still reasonable, and there were some fish in the plant tanks too- so cute! Aquatek is now my go-to for fish needs, and I will absolutely be going here when I will buy new fish! The staff are very educated about the fish and plants and were able to answer all the questions I had. We left the store with not only the plants we liked but also some fish treats! They have beautiful pre-made tanks you can buy as well that have fish and plants already in. They're a bit expensive but fun to look at and take inspiration from! EDIT: I really regret having to change my review, but we have recently discovered water mites and snails in our tank that could only have come from the plants we bought. We will have to do a full clean of our tank and hope that takes care of the problem.. :( read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - Got the three tall plants from here! Beautiful :) - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I went in today looking for some rocks for my aquarium and was assisted by a handsome and helpful man named Adam. He helped me pick out my rocks and told me all about his love for rocks. He was so friendly and full of fun rock facts! . Adam, as well as the other staff (but especially Adam) are very helpful when it comes to all your aquatic needs! read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - My beautiful fish - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is an awesome place for so many reasons, unlike petco or petsmart they're dedicated to fish, they ask you if you neee any help and I would also like to include that they recommend fish and will answer your questions. read more

Wooooowww I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start at the beginning! It all started about 6 years ago, when I got incredibly ill and was diagnosed with some chronic health issues that put my mental health into a rut. At the time, I lived around the corner from Aquatek's previous location. I knew little to nothing about fish; I had a Betta that I absolutely adored and knew about Bettas--but that was the full extent of my fishy knowledge. On a whim I decided to stop in, and so began a love. I was unprepared for how therapeutic watching fish would be for me. I wanted to come back, regularly. But I wasn't ready for any other fish and was uncomfortable with the idea of coming back regularly and not buying anything. I decided to just ask some iteration of "Hi do people ever just come regularly just to look? Is that okay? Can I do that?" to which I got an enthusiastic "yeah of course". I'm not being melodramatic when I say that this saved me. And I am forever thankful for the staff that never made me feel uncomfortable for wanting to periodically stop in and just look at fish being fish. I've gone sporadically over the years. But, in past 2 1/2 my partner and I have gotten much more into planted tanks and now I can appreciate not only the level of excitement the Aquatek staff has, but level of knowledge and experience they have as well. I absolutely adore the staff. I love how much they will tell you about the fish you're looking at; I love how they light up when they give interesting fish facts or explain fish personalities; I love how they wanna tell you about their own aquariums and their own fish. They are absolutely one of the best parts of this store. Rivaled only by the sweet sweet fish selection. Anyways, thanks Aquatek staff for being rad as hell. I appreciate y'all, and how much you've helped me, so much. read more

Stopped by for the first time today on 7/24/2022 at around 5 PM to pick up some supplies to set up a new tank for a foster fish and really needed some assistance since I've never cared for a fish before and wanted to make sure this fish was comfortable in his new tank. Was basically wandering around aimlessly for a good chunk of time and none of the staff even acknowledged that I was there. It was understandable since it seemed to be a bit busy but I eventually did go up to the front counter to directly ask for someone and the tall, long brown haired man working the cash register seemed to be extremely annoyed that I even asked for help at all. He told me that he was too busy and instead of trying to find someone else to assist me, stood there and told me that goldfish were stupid animals, and baited me into what essentially felt like a trap to rudely correct me on fish knowledge when I had literally just told him that I have very limited knowledge and just wanted some help. I ended up leaving the store and crying in my car. I was already having a horrible extremely stressful day and this was the final straw. This encounter ruined my day. I do not recommend this place by any means. read more

Awesome place, you'll get all the support and coaching to have great fish tank. Every salesman I spoke to is super competent, and passionate, and the owner is an encyclopedia of knowledge in fauna, flora, and foreign culture. If you want something they don't have in store that day, they can order it. Each time you will walk in you will find new mindblowing specimens. Do ask them for advice. There's a lot of things that are said on the internet, and they were ALWAYS more right. 5 stars no doubt. read more

I've come here a couple times now for a variety of nerite snails and an assassin for a different tank. This place is a fish keepers paradise! I love just walking the aisles to see all of the different fish. The plants are bright and healthy, and the fish are too. read more

Great variety of fish, plants, and products for sale. They were limiting capacity inside when I visited last which was nice. Fresh down stairs, salt up stairs. Staff is very helpful. Their reward program is a good deal definitely suggest joining if you keep fish and are buying supplies regularly or a stocking a new project. read more

The staff was super helpful and willing to answer all my questions. They set me up with everything I needed and offered free water testing. Such a great resource for anyone who owns a fish, exotic or otherwise. read more

Aquatek Tropical Fish - The lil guy and gravel, plants and decor they set me up with. Tank was a gift from elsewhere. - Local Fish Stores Near Me - Austin, Texas

While this store has a decent selection of fish, the prices are astronomical. The prices alone caused me to walk out because they are 2-3 times more expensive than their competitors. read more

I didn't want to leave a 1 star review, as I actually really enjoy this store and a majority (keyword there) of the staff are actually helpful and rather knowledgeable. However, and that's a big however, it seems that the stores Quality Control has taken a steep decline in the last few months. With already inflated prices, the store boasts an above average price tag for general aquarium goods. The same items can be found at other stores for on average about $2-$10 cheaper (depending on the item)... Fish in some of the tanks had Ick, some had fungal issues. I noticed an entire tank of Mollies were covered in small white spots and not looking so great. These were for sale... some of the display tanks they have littering the store are filled with hair algae, biofilm, and in some, mold. The saltwater/tropical fish section seems to be doing much better, but the habitats for the fish they're selling are less than stellar, and reading through some of these reviews, a lot of fish bought from here seem to either die or contract an illness in the days following the purchase. I myself recently purchased about 6 bundles of live plants, after making several purchases there in the past, only to find they had sold me either dead or half-dead plants... They also have no return policy on live animals/plants. I was told that because the plants died after I had left the store, that it must be my fault, completely ignoring the fact that I have other plants in my tank that are flourishing... Do with that information what you will. Don't get me wrong, the staff are very knowledgeable in what they do, though I do tend to get different opinions from some of the staff on certain aspects of fish-keeping, some pushing products and others not so much, thought that was kinda interesting. I think all-in-all the store just needs a cleaning day... lazy staff and unmotivated management in a workplace revolved around maintaining and selling habitats for fish seems like a bad idea, but that's just me. Thanks for reading read more

Aquatek is selling diseased fish in unmarked tanks. Many customers will overlook this, but if you look closely many tanks are carriers of ich and display "flashing" behavior. (Rubbing on plants/gravel) If you see dead fish in the tank, even a new hobbiest can take this as a huge red flag. No other aquarium store just lets dying or dead fish hang around as much as aquatek does. Why are there so many dead fish in the first place? I was starting a new tank and decided my plants needed co2 from some small fish. These mollies were the only fish in the entire open tank. 5 days later, they are scratching/rubbing full of white spots. The ich had traveled with them and into my tank. Because I didn't want aquatek's ich parasites breeding in the sand and on the plants of my brand new tank I immediately called to ask how the other fish from the tank I bought from were doing. The apethetic employee said he check for me, but after a couple of minutes hung up on me instead of delivering the news. Worried about why he hung up, I carried my poor fish back to the store and showed the employee and the manager. They agreed the tank I had bought from was teeming with ich. On almost every fish. They agreed with my observation yet didn't feel the need to mark the tanks or claim responsibility for not being observant of their own fish. They reluctantly gave me store credit, claiming out loud this was a "favor" for me. Which was truly insulting as I've spent many hours here, a customer for years who did once truly enjoy the place. read more

The store looks good on the surface, but what lurks beneath the surface is pretty messed up. When I was setting up tanks initially, I was impressed by what seemed to be a friendly, knowledgeable staff. I bought some equipment and gravel, that kind of thing. Transaction went well. I bought 5 gallons of RO/DI water since I was setting up a shrimp tank. Started trying to cycle my tank, wouldn't cycle. Bought myself a chlorine tester. Huh, water had chlorine in it. Shouldn't have had, but it did. Got myself a TDS pen. 117 ppm total dissolved solids in their RO/DI water--means they don't change out their membranes. For comparison, I've never had more than a 6 ppm when I buy RO/DI water anywhere else. I was mad, but I gave it some time, figured it was a fluke and I went back. They'd started bringing in a bunch of fancy neocaridina shrimp and I was intrigued. A friend and I checked them out several times and were alarmed to see that they had shrimp infected with a green fungus/parasite well known in shrimp afficionado circles as being 100% deadly. It comes in on asian imports that are grown in open vats that get sunlight and it kills every shrimp that gets it. They were selling these infected shrimp as if they were healthy. I stopped going for a long time and today decided to give them another chance. I was looking for fish, not shrimp, but they often keep teeny tiny rasboras in with the shrimp so I went to look for those. A tank labeled for shrimp and the rasboras I was looking for was absolutely crawling with planaria, a type of parasite that kills shrimp. I brought it to the attention of an older man who has been working at the store as long as I've gone--I've seen him every single time I've been there. His response was that they put black worms in there and planaria just happen. I began examining the filtration to see if it was linked to other tanks to see if I could expect this infestation in all of them--when I say infestation I mean I counted no fewer than 8 full sized planaria on the front glass and there were many others crawling over the floor of the tank. He asked me what I was doing, I told him I didn't want planaria and I wanted to see if I could expect them in every tank they had because if the infestation was that bad everywhere, I wouldn't be buying fish from them. He told me 'then you shouldn't buy fish here' and walked off without another word. One of his tanks had the worst infestation of a parasite I've ever seen and he was going to just sell livestock out of that tank to unsuspecting newbies. I'm thoroughly disgusted. And yes, I know that overfeeding can cause planaria and that a certain amount of parasite load is to be expected in the aquatic hobby, but this wasn't just the odd one here and there that I'm accustomed to. This was RIDICULOUS. read more