Armand is very knowledgeable and helpful!! Location: right in Somerville, it's on the corner of a busy street and a one way street. Very easy to get to as long as you're not driving during Somerville rush hours Parking: street parking but it is very easy to find a spot nearby as long as you don't plan on spending 2+ hours there Selection: great selection in fish and aquatic plants as well as decorations and underwater pet needs! They even have axolotl! I don't know what they carry for small furry pets and the ones with feathers as that was in a separate room with birds and im highly afraid of them. Also I'm positive if they don't carry it and if feasibly they will help get it. Price: very reasonable prices! We got a little shrimp (crystal), trumpet snail and got the whole set up (glass bowl, two aquatic plants, a spider branch, net, water treatment, gravel) for a little under $100. Highly highly recommend this store than your chain pet stores *cougg*. I can't say enough how helpful Armand was and how patient he was with us! read more

Big Fish Little Fish - Pet Stores Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

This place has an old-school vibe with a great selection of fish. I spotted a female betta swimming in a tank with guppies, and I couldn't resist taking her home to add to my tank. read more

Big Fish Little Fish - Female Betta - Pet Stores Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

great place it has a wide variety of fish birds and small mammals Armand is very kind and knowledgeable once my son wanted a hermit crab shell to put in my son's nano tank and armand said not to do it because it was for hermit crabs and gave him a shiny clam shell for free my other son got his first fish here and the guppie gave birth in 2 weeks I recommend this business read more

We got a beautiful, healthy, and active koi plakat betta fish here. He is now in our 5.5 gallon tank at home thriving. The store has everything you need for keeping a fish and the owner is knowledgeable. I love how all of the bettas are kept humanely in sizeable, clean holding tanks -- not those horrible cups you see in Petco. I recommend buying your fish here and not at a chain store! read more

Big Fish Little Fish - Our fish when he was in the store. He was kept in a clean, heated and filtered tank. He was actively swimming around and happy. - Pet Stores Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Armand knows everything about the fish he has.i had a million questions when i first got my aquarium. He was always patient with me and told me exactly what to do. Now I just love going to visit all the fish and Armand. read more

I was considering visiting this business to get some supplies for my aquarium. After reading the reviews, I am utterly horrified and disgusted that this place is legally allowed to operate and sell animals. The conditions they live in are neglectful, stacked in tiny cages sitting in their own feces, and the owner has been seen for years smoking inside the store. PETA should be investigating this business. There needs to be an end to this store and the continuation of what seems to be over 20 years of documented customer experiences witnessing animal abuse and neglect. read more

It is a very nice store. The owner Armand is friendly and very helpful. I bought my fish tank system and 5 golden fish here. Everything works great. if I have some trouble: the water gets cloudy , the fish does not look happy etc. Armand always give a good advise and finds the cure for the problem. It is the best store to buy the birds, fish and other little creatures in Boston! Highly recommended! Olga read more

Big Fish Little Fish - Pet Stores Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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My experience here was great. I was going out of town and needed some chicken feed last minute, and although this isn't a larger pet store, the fact they had bird seeds seemed promising so I decided to give it a try (it's also very accessible by public transit). I ended up also purchasing a ceramic heat lamp, which worked very well (much better than the red light lamps). The shopkeeper was really nice and gave lots of good recommendations on which bird seed bag to get for temporary chicken feed. I didn't really think that the animals were sitting in feces like many reviews suggest, as I was not browsing the birds or fish. read more

Prices on fish are written on the tanks but only about 1/5 tanks have said prices written on them. Great selection of small shrimp but most of the other fish tanks w communal fish have dead ones floating around in there. Went there looking for fish and found them (guppies) though they were extremely manhandled when being retrieved from the tank and put into a bag for me. I read some reviews regarding the other animals there (in particular the rodents and birds) and was too frightened to see the conditions that they were living in, but my girlfriend confirmed that they were living in squalor. To all the people saying this place has an odor, it's a pet store w 15+ fish tanks and rodents living in squalor, yes it's going to smell. One of the guppies I purchased passed away a few days after I bought her, I was initially very sad but am slowly coming to terms w it; twas better to live a short life in my roomy tank than constantly avoiding the bludgeoning fishnet of death everyday in her previous environment. I cannot support this company as long as their animals keep living that way, melts away at my soul. read more

I used to go out of my way to patronize Big Fish Little Fish because I like to support small, local businesses; & I hate how small companies are being shut down because they can't compete with the low prices offered by big chains, & the convenience of online retailers. I will NEVER return to Big Fish Little Fish, however. The last time I shopped at this store, I bought a battery-operated pet food dispenser. The shop owner gave me at $10 discount, acting as if he were cutting me a deal. Unfortunately, I didn't test the gadget right away, as I had shopped at Big Fish Little Fish for years, & (foolishly) assumed the shop owner was honest. When I finally took the dispenser out of the box, I noticed that the cover to the battery holder was missing. Obviously a dissatisfied customer had returned the dispenser, & didn't even bother to put all the pieces back into the box first! When I used the machine, I found that operating ­the dispenser sucks all the power out of the batteries, & then the device doesn't work the next time I try to use it. By the time I learned that the product is a lemon, it was far too late for me to try to return the food dispenser to the store. Because the box had already been opened before I even bought the device ~ & the dispenser was obviously returned as defective ~ I assume the shop owner knew the product is a dud, & he sold it to me anyway. I am not going to shop at a store where the owner rips me off. So...bye bye, Big Fish Little Fish ~ Chewie, sign me up !! read more

Great place to grab some fish an accessories! Had an Awesome Experience!! Will go back to shop!!

Very knowledgeable and helpful with selecting, care and concerns about fish and aquarium. He has a good stock of fish and when ordered fish was quick. Thank you read more

My girlfriend and I got a beautiful betta fish here, the shop keeper was very helpful and knowledgeable. He helped us get our fish well set up. It is a smaller shop so the variety of some things is somewhat limited but overall they pack a lot into a little space! Animals seemed pretty well taken care of but the fish tanks were quite dirty. Of course its hard to keep up with them at times! read more

I live in California and needed a great housewarming gift for a dear niece. I spoke with friendly, helpful owner and decided on a gold fish starter aquarium set up. He was delight to work with and I highly recommend calling him - great service, a true pro. read more

People understandably have polarizing opinions on animal care. But I can't fathom trusting the internet over the staff here, that obviously care about each and every animal (while I was in the store he refused a sale to another customer because the animal was too young and he needed it to grow first). He's been right every time when it comes to my beta fish and the fish I bought were very healthy and are now very happy thanks to the advice I got here. read more

Honestly I don't know how this place is still even open. Though I'm almost sure after this many years it's a storefront for who knows what drugs/or money laundering. There literally no other reason after reading these reviews. There's a parrot in a completely empty cage in the window zero toys or stimulus and the cage is too small. The same bags of food sit in the window right in the sun for months. And judging by the reviews the animals on the inside are worse!! When I was a kid I got a rodent here, it was covered in mites. It died within a few days. This place has always been filthy & gross. Shame on you! read more

Big Fish Little Fish - Pet Stores Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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This store is a disgrace, animals were sitting in mounds of feces, fish tanks had more algae than you could imagine, the water and food provided for the animals looks like it hadn't been changed in weeks. We attempted to rescue a beta fish that looked very sickly and the owner of the store refused to sell it to us because he didn't want to be responsible if it died, we proceeded to tell him that I rehab fish and have medication for it he still refused the sale, we suggested he give him to us for free if he was so concerned (he still refused) he then told us to leave the store and not come back. Something needs to be done. read more

We come back every week for supplies. The owner is knowledgeable and a wonderful person. He's so honest!! I listen to him tell everyone what will and won't work. He cares and makes sure everyone is well informed. My kids are very interested in reptiles but I'm still so hesitant. He lets them get familiar with the snakes and even hold them. The selection is massive and always wonderful. The animals are healthy, happy, and well taken care of. I've gotten all my fish and aquatic plants from here as well and the pump, and decor and they're all doing great! read more

This review comes after 3-4 visits to this awesome fish store around the corner from our home-- ALL visits exceeded any expectation I could have had before going in. Armen set us up with Four Fish for my fiancé's Bday last year, from his range of fish selection that includes basic (& very healthy) "starter Fish" & super cool-exotic Fish that clearly Armen knows a great deal about. He was warm, patient & generous as we excitedly picked out our fish-- and gave us great tips on starting our home aquarium (even threw in a dose of water enhancer!). Then, after almost a full year, one of our Fish fell ill & seemed to be dead then when realized he was still alive, definitely dying. We went straight to Armen for help & he knew exactly what to do, our fish was being bullied by one of the others & he instructed us & offered his help/expertise & our Fish recovered! We were so thankful & overjoyed :) Lastly, when I've been in the store, I have witnessed how fair & helpful Armen is with other customers. Whether someone has brought an aquarium light in that wasn't working properly, or needed advice, he always sought to take care of everyone's needs surrounding their animals/reptiles/fishies & their "homes." Cheers to Armen, you won't be disappointed with his service & the fine array of fishies/reptiles/supplies & knowledge he offers. *ps- I had a ball python for many years when I was younger, and was impressed with the reptiles in his store, too. *pps- I swear I am just a happy customer & had no knowledge of Armen & his store before having our great experience there! Just an honest great review :) read more

This was my go to pet supply store many moons ago, but I moved and hadn't been in a while. I was really interested to check it out again, but was nervous because of the horrid reviews. Having been back, I now agree with those who are a little confused by those reviews. I'm not going to comment too much on the bird or reptile husbandry since I've never kept them myself, but the cages did not have "mounds of feces." Everybody had water, bedding, and enrichment toys. The macaw was not chained (there is a chain toy) and appeared to be psychologically healthy (no feather pulling, non-aggressive, socially interested, and outside his habitat). The mammals were interactive with both me and each other (particularly the ferrets). Yes, their cages have droppings in them. That happens in cages. Yes, it smells. That's what happens in contained environments with lots of animals. The only thing that really bothered me was the goldfish/feeder tank just to the right as you go up to the fish room. It's significantly dirtier than the others and there were 3 dead fish in it. I'm taking 1 star off for that. The rest of the tanks were clean, the fish were active, and most of the tanks have live plants in them. There is no unusual algae buildup. He does catch and bag fish brusquely, which I don't like, but at least he puts the bag upside down so they don't get squished in the corners, and the fish have settled in nicely at home. The prices being legible on the tank or not is irrelevant - it's wax crayon, it wipes off with regular tank care, and prices are a simple question to ask of the owner. The fish are comparatively priced with other LFS IME. He will order stuff for you mondays and thursdays for arrival the following day in most cases. He will tell you his care regimen for when they come in (what they've been eating, any issues), and since the shop isn't high turnover most of the specimens you see are more likely to be over shipping shock, but you can always ask. The price for aquarium and fish supplies is very fair. Frozen fish food is half the price as petco, he gave me a bag of coral for $1 and some 5mm airline tubing was $2. The owner is helpful and knowledgeable. He was getting a tarantula shed ready for a middle school class when I was there. Particularly as a LFS I like it a lot. I understand it's a pet store and that is an ethically fraught concept to begin with, but the owner clearly does care about his animals. I should also note he's the only person who has ever been working when I've been there (his name is Armand) so maybe he had a string of questionable employees that gave it a bad rap? read more

The only reason i gave the second star is because when my dwarf hamster had mites, he took him for about 3 days to treat him and now he is back home and healthy. However, when we realized our hamster had mites we were devastated and were going to return him because we thought our apartment had given it to him. This was until we went back and saw the hamsters at the store were covered in mites!!! While we were here getting our hamster back from being treated, we had to pick up some food because his old food was infested with them. The food we got was in a plastic container and seemed to be a food made by the store itself and he owner recommended it over the normal fiesta bag we buy. Today while I was refilling his food from the store for the second time I noticed it smelled a little bit strange. I shook the container and realized that some pieces were stuck together, and then I realized there were dead bugs on the side of the container!!! I kept looking and there were live ones crawling in it and then I saw MAGGOTS!!!!!! This is so incredibly disgusting and disappointing!! I am so sad to have fed this to my little hamster. I will not be returning to this pet shop for any reason! If the owner did not help our hamster become healthy again I would not even give the place 1 star. read more

My baby bird wasn't eating for a while and was dozing off. The gentleman at the counter not only fed it himself, but he also instructed me on how to feed, and sent us off with a togo bag of formula! Really appreciate the kindness and expertise of the gentleman. read more

The owner of this pet store is truly a fan of animals. He knows gobs and gobs about what they need and how to keep them happy and healthy. He's also more than willing to sit and chat with you to answer any questions you have. He was sooooo nice that he donated a huge fish tank for my class' pet turtle and he even DROPPED IT OFF AT MY HOUSE!! How's that for customer service?! Yes, the store is a bit smelly...but it's a pet store - it's bound to be. I say there is no other pet store owner out there w/ more heart and compassion for animals! read more

Hopping on the train of "Please Don't Go There" shoppers. Last (and only) time I went to Big Fish Little Fish (sometime in 2005), I had to feed a pair of hungry cats quickly, and had to find pet store that was within walking distance. 1. Prices were high (which is ok, if I were to support a good local store.) 2. Price was possibly higher for me, because the (gentle?)man behind the counter said, "How much is that? I don't know. It's not marked? Well 20 sounds good." 3. The poor animals. I saw what everyone else did, which means this has been going on for at least two years. That's just awful. 4. The man who arbitrarily named the price was smoking at the counter, and blowing smoke in my direction when I approached. Couldn't believe it. I don't know if it's legal or not to smoke in a store that is open to the public, but smoke + live animals + stuffy room cannot be a good combination. I'm not usually big on the PETA folks because my personal opinion is that they can get a bit ..extreme, but this store made me consider calling them. It's truly sad. read more

This is a small locally owned pet store. Don't expect it to be a petco. yes it smells like animals, because there are animals living there! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they have everything I need for my pet. The animals and fish in the cages seem happy and cared for, there are a good amount in some cages, but i wouldnt say they are over crowded. Overall this place is convenient and well stocked with friendly and helpful staff. read more

Offered to deliver my cat litter free of charge.

I've been a customer of this store since my son was born in 2001. The owner is very good with children. He treats kids as equals -- answers their questions, is patient, truly helps them understand the animals and what it takes to care for them. I've also found him to be very knowledgeable when it comes to questions about our pets. He's helped us through health problems with our guinea pig, water problems with our fish tank, and advice when our cat went missing in the Summer of 08. He clearly loves animals and is good with his customers. This is a small, family run business. He may fall behind in cleaning from time to time but in my opinion the animals are well-cared for. The insinuate otherwise--after being in the store once-- is hurtful and disrespectful. read more

I don't understand why people are so mean about this place. It is small and a bit dingy, but the owner is really nice and helpful and the prices aren't too bad for a small local business. The animals in general seemed healthy and their cages were clean. Most animals don't need huge, pristine cages, so I don't know what most people are talking about in terms of "the poor animals." I hate seeing parrots and other wild-caught animals in pet stores, but most of their stock is not wild-caught (canaries, mice, rats, goldfish, etc.), so that is good. I got a fish here and the owner gave me some good advice on how to take care of it, and because I didn't need very much gravel he let me split a bag rather than having to buy the whole bag. I would recommend this place, but only for people that aren't expecting an antiseptic big-box (i.e., Petco) type of environment. read more

I'm all for supporting small business, but this is not it. I judge a store by how it takes care of the animals they keep, and these animals are not being kept well. Yes, it's a pet store and it's going to have some odor. However, it REEKS. It's not okay. Smell of smoke (Around birds? Really?) Dust, beyond grossness. Not enough light for the animals. The animals are in general deplorable condition. Fish tanks not clean, small animal boxes not cleaned for god only knows how long. And the birds, no bird should be in such a condition... The only reason this store deserves one star, is because it seems to be in a good enough location to get emergency pet food. (Even then) read more

This is one of the dirtiest pet shops I have seen and the owner is a cheat. Sells a 20 lb bag of birdseed as 25 lb. the reptiles and birds are in terrible condition. Check the quality and quantity of anything you buy from here. read more

My review? You mean.. aside from their Satan/devil-implicating phone number. (I can't believe they have the 444, too. You Asians may get the entire reference. I swear that's their real phone number. Try dialing it. Feels weird.) First off, it's more than just fish. It's close to a complete pet store. They have fish, various birds (1 parrot (Macaw) and a bunch of house birds), small furry animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, etc), reptiles and amphibians, and related products for stated animals and probably for dogs and cats, as well. Onto the review. Well, the place is small and crammed. That goes for the customer and the animals. I feel bad for the animals. As far as the products, they seem to have everything you would need a pet store to carry. If not, they seem like they can probably order it for you. Prices are what you'd expect a locally owned and operated pet store to be - a little higher. You can't expect them to compete with PetSmart or Petco. Animal selection seems adequate, but their quality/health may be questionable. I don't know what services they may offer. Lastly, IMO, I feel like their staff knowledge should be taken with a grain of salt. That was my impression. Use the Internet to cross-reference any suggestions they make. Post a comment if you also feel an air of "used-car dealer" to their demeanor. Bottom line: For the locals, it's convenient and it gets the job done, but it could be much better. Oh and if you need more information, you can always CALL and ask. *add freaky laugh* read more

Armand Ghioni is the guy who owns the place. He's a little quiet, but he's awesome. Old school Cambridge. I've been buying fish and supplies from him regularly for a year, and he's always been knowledgable, helpful, special-ordered things for me, has recommended animals, and gives discounts freely. Not Petco! ;) read more

Eh... I first went here because someone from a Petsmart recommended it when I shared my love for birds. She told me they had a macaw that is their mascot, and I would love it. When we got there the owner, I am assuming, sitting at the counter right by the door, didn't even greet us as we entered because he was too busy reading whatever magazine he had in his lap. We walked around the rather small store, and it turns out, the store had a very poor selection of fish, in very poorly maintained tanks. I did, however, go back because he told me that he had some discus that were going to be arriving, and when I got there to see the discus, they all had ich and the owner grabbed aquarium salt and just threw some in the tank (anybody that has kept even a small fish tank long enough should know that when you had salt to a tank, it should be dissolved prior in a glass or bucket of the water from the tank). As I was still interested in the discus, I asked him if I could give him my number and if he could call and let me know when the discus would be good to go. He gave me a dumbfounded look almost like he didn't know what a phone number was, and you can bet I never got a phone call from him. On top of the poor tanks, and the somewhat unprofessional staff, the rest of the store was poorly maintained and was quite dirty. I felt bad for the birds that looked stacked up wherever he had room for them, and the dirty looking rodent cages just shoved in the back corner only half way taken care of weren't very appealing either. I don't know... Maybe I am just too harsh... But I feel like a store this small, with it being the guys only line of work, should not be that difficult to keep clean and actually show some effort of care in the work he put so much work into getting started. And the photos on Yelp here are quite deceiving. They look as though the guy knew someone was coming in to take photos for Yelp and so he cleaned the place up a little... read more

I wish I could give this place zero stars. I'm pretty damn sure anyone giving this place a high rating either 1) knows very little about proper animal care (protip: Science Diet is a terrible food full of fillers and very little real nutrition, and all animals absolutely do need clean and spacious enclosures), or 2) is somehow connected to this miserable place. Every time I've been in here over the years the animals have been in terrible conditions: filthy uncleaned fish tanks, mice and rats crowded into too-small, uncleaned cages, a cockatoo in a far, far too small cage with no toys and ONE perch (which had fallen, the bird was sitting on the floor in it's own poop). The animals look miserable, depressed, and sickly. The owner has been witnessed smoking inside the establishment on numerous occasions - this is a HUGELY bad idea anywhere near parrots, especially in an enclosed, poorly ventilated area. Parrots (and most birds) have very efficient and sensitive respiratory systems and are far more prone to health damage and even death due to air contaminants. That's basic parrot knowledge, and very indicative of how little this guy actually knows (or cares) about the animals in his care. I went so far as to call Animal Control and the local Humane Society; both told me that they receive constant complaints about this place but because this jackass operates barely within the minimum standards there's nothing they can do. Disgusting, and truly an example of valuing profit over animal welfare. Stay away, and do not give him your money. read more

This pet shop is great. This is only about the fish section and the owner. In times of Petco and pet smart setting a very poor example of what fish stores look like here you have a proper example of what a local fish store should look like. Healthy fish, a good selection of all experience levels of fish keeping and a very good selection of fishin General. The owner knows what he is talking about and is happy to share his knowledge. Somerville is blessed to have this shop and the community should respect and appreciate this shop for providing a much better alternative to the corporate fish stores. read more

Store has always been very helpful to my fishkeeping and freshwater-biology/limnology hobby and research (which started in earnest around 2012) and the way it looks appears fine. There are apparently 5 different institutions inspecting the place with surprise visits each year and they always give it a passing grade. Please see my photos - the photos don't lie. This pet store has always been clean and comfortable for the animals from all evidence I have seen (fish, birds and rodents). I feel like some people expect a totally sterile looking corporate environment like PetCo or PetSmart, or have some misconceptions about animal care (it is questionable whether the animals need a sterile looking environment vs actual and objective cleanness). I have always gotten good advice, and regularly come to this pet store to buy fish and aquarium supplies. ----- Note To Matthew W. about the photos: I took all of the photos of this store that are on yelp, they are not deceiving, I showed up completely randomly that day and took pictures to best show everything I could, and I all but completely ignored the owner of the store with respect to how I took the pictures. I think the quality of the pictures shows that Matthew W. is wrong about the quality of the store and the animal care, because what he says are subjective opinions. I strongly believe people like Matthew are biased by PetCo and PetSmart being bright and sterile looking which is not natural (most of the ocean is not like a bright pretty plastic Disney Movie looking tropical reef picture, either). Seeing a slight crust of salt or calcium carbonate on a tank doesn't make it "dirty" or badly maintained". And fish in PetCo and PetSmart regularly have ick/ich and other diseases (I don't mention it in my reviews of them because it's sadly a fact of life, like seeing an occasional dead fish in a tank in those stores or any other one). If this store has one fault, it is that it is not trying very hard to deal with subjective and flippant, misinformed impressions with a stronger public relations effort. This does not mean the store is bad, it means the issue is complicated. April 1, 2015 Update: I have added new daytime photos and photos of the outside of the store. As with the nighttime photos, the owner of the store is not to be seen because he was busy helping a customer. read more

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I've been here a few times to get fish, shrimp and snails and everything has been great. I even got otos here that are thriving amazingly. The store owner is knowledgeable and kind. He knows his stuff for sure. The place is clean despite other comments. A classic Somerville fixture. read more

Bought my first fish from here 20 years ago. Was happy to recently buy my son his first fish. Owner was very helpful with care tips. The guppies seem happy and healthy so far. read more

I'm quite a bit squicked out every time I walk into this joint. Small pet stores are going to be smelly, so I'll discount the odor, but the state that the animals live in is not attractive. The fish tanks all need to be cleaned, the birds are molting, and the cages a bit dirty. Though for some strange reason the rodent cages are always clean. The store itself is shabby and run down. The prices are on par with a local shop. BFLF is an ok place to go if you're in desperate need for pet supplies, but I'd recommend hoofing it to another store for everyday needs. read more

They have a decent little selection of items. The place gave me a wierd feeling and they had too many animals in very small cages which made me very sad. read more