Nice & clean, knowledgeable workers and healthy fish…read more No pressure, so it's great to browse and get info before stocking.

This is my go to place for quality fish and plants. The staff members are friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. I drive an hour, passing many big box pet stores to get there. They are the deal.

This store has always caught my eye, so I decided to stop by. The owners were immediately so…read morewelcoming and eager to help me with whatever I needed. They truly care about educating customers and showing you the fish they have to offer. I was so pleasantly surprised by Coastal Reef, and would encourage anyone to stop by-even if it's just to browse or meet the staff. You can see the dedication and passion for the aquariums from just a quick stop by. Highly encourage Coastal Reef for all your salt water needs!

Stopped in to take a look around and was greeted by the most friendly employees! Although I was…read morejust going to browse they were still super kind and informative. They seem to really love what they do, and the vibes are immaculate.

I have to say that my wife and I set about visiting every local fish store we could find over a…read moreyear ago and wasn't impressed by any store we found at the time or owner(s) as much as we were impressed by Bruce and his store Sea Critters Depot. At the time I was thinking and wanting to get a salt water tank and even a reef tank, but thought it was just going to be impossible and really hard to do on my own as I just hadn't found a store or someone to help until I met Bruce. Bruce was so nice and patiently answered all my questions even though he knew I wasn't going to buy a thing that day and I didn't. I came back for a couple more weekends answering questions and didn't buy a thing and Bruce was kind and took the time to answer any question I came up with. Another thing that impressed me about how Bruce does business is that all those really expensive salt water fish you don't want to take home and die are put through quarantine by Bruce in his store for two weeks before he will let you buy them. Bruce doesn't have to do this and so far to date after being in this hobby for over a year Bruce is the only store that I've found that does this. Bruce is even nice enough to let you write your name on the tank for the fish you want in quarantine so you can pick the fish up after the quarantine is over. That way he doesn't sell you a sick fish and you know that as long as you do the right thing your fish will live a long time after you take the fish home. And this has been my experience. Every fish I've gotten has thrived in my tank. Another thing that impressed me that no other store I've been in does is that Bruce puts cards out on the tanks that shows a picture of the fish, the name of the fish, the price, and most important of all to someone with a reef tank is he tells you if the fish is reef safe, reef safe with caution, or not reef safe. So you know up front before you get excited to get a fish that it is safe for your reef tank or not. And for those that are safe with caution Bruce will gladly explain what you have to look out for and his experience with the fish. Bruce will tell you based on his considerable experience with the fish in reef tanks exactly how he expects they will behave and it's up to you to listen to his advice as he will let you buy it if you want the animal, but he certainly warns you first about what problems you may experience. I know I've not purchased fish based on what he's told me. And I've bought fish based on what he's told me and I watched to make sure I wouldn't have a problem since I know ahead of time that the fish might not be the best fit. You really can't go wrong buying from Bruce.

The owner is so helpful. I just started my saltwater tank and he gave great advice. Without his…read moreadvice, I would have made major mistakes.

The go to store in the Triangle for serious hobbyists. I've never gotten bad advice from them, and…read morethey have great livestock and plants

Some of the folks there are great others meh. I get they are busy but no fish store should have…read moredead fish in their tanks. No excuses.

Excellent selection of very fresh fish. I bought a large piece of Grouper and grilled it at home…read more Fresh, never frozen. A delicious meal.

Port City Saltwater has been the only saltwater fish store in the area that has actually been able…read moreto get stuff in when I asked for it. Whether it be a special fish, salt, supplement, or odd piece of equipment they have hooked it up big time.

The BEST aquarium and reef store in the RDU area. Excellent prices, exceptional and knowledgeable…read morestaff that are truly passionate about the addiction.. I mean hobby. When we first started in this; we used to go to a couple other places in Wake Forest and in Raleigh and were taken for a ride by people that were just out to make a buck. These guys are not them. They are 100% into it and will never steer you wrong. We buy our frags from the Reef Farm a few miles from Wake Forest and our fish from Fintastic. Do yourselves a favor - save the time and money and don't waste time with anyone else in the area. I can't recommend them enough.

Used to be really nice. Since the owner got sick and his son took over, things have really fallen…read moreinto a bad place. He doesn't know anything about the hobby. They can't keep corals alive and don't stock dry goods. Not worth visiting unless you need inverts or (maybe) fish.

I got a 20-gallon aquarium for my birthday in June, got the tank set up, and waited 2 weeks before…read moreadding fish. I bought 7 fish from Petco. All but 3 died. I went to Taylor's Aquarium, and they tested my water and gave me some bacteria to add to my tank since it was new. Petco told me my water was fine. I have since purchased 5 fish from Taylor's, and they have been doing well for over a month now. I'm planning to get to Taylor's today for a couple more fish. This is a family business, and they are really knowledgeable about aquariums. I think the owner has been in business for 30 yrs. Great service, healthy, fish, and really nice people.

This place may in the country, but it's well worth the ride to get quality! Since it is a family…read moreowned and smaller business, you may want to call for in stock availability!

The Treasure Cove Gift Shop inside the Fort Fisher Aquarium is a great gift shop with a wide…read morevariety of products from tv shirts to books to toys to knick knacks. The staff are friendly and helpful. It is a great way to end your visit at the aquarium.

This review is for the aquarium during Covid (March 2021). We were a family of 6 (4 adults and 2…read morechildren). We purchased our tickets online ahead of time since you cannot purchase at the door. The process was pretty easy and when I arrived at the front kiosk window I asked Amy if we could have our tickets printed since the email said so. She was not the most welcoming and curtly told me to hold up my phone to the glass to scan each ticket from the generated PDF. We were then instructed to wear our masks and stay 6 feet apart from other guests. The welcome could have been a bit more courteous since this is the first touch point of the aquarium. The exhibits are clustered by type - freshwater fish, otter (not on display), albino alligator and snakes in the first area, then we saw horseshoe crabs, stingrays, turtles and a touch area where you could reach in and touch the stingray and sea urchins and other animals. The big fish aquarium was cylindrical and all the sharks and big fish swam in circles over two levels. You can get a group photo taken as well and purchase a framed photo for $30 plus on the way out. There is a bald eagle named Maverick from Wisconsin that was injured and cannot fly. The displays are nicely done and dark with a variety of fish. There are signs to show high touch areas. I don't know how much is cleaned or disinfected so bring your own wipes or sanitizer or don't touch the glass. All in all it was a nice visit for the family. I don't know what other aquariums North Carolina offers yet Fort Fisher has a nice variety of fish, turtles, and other sea life.

They've definitely gone down hill within the last 2 years or so. I've gotten loads of platys from…read morethem. Sometimes I am in need of a restock but refuse to buy from them at all. Some tanks definitely seem diseased and not cleared of deceased fish . I've seen fish act a bit erratic and ill. But their products have a wide variety and when the tanks seem okay, they have a really nice stock of fish and always seem to have what I need. Salt water tanks seem pretty great, plants have always been clean and safe of traveling snails. I still come here quite a lot. I enjoy it!

I think it's a nice little shop. Loved to see the different sea creatures they had . Got koi fish…read morefor 10$ from there , not a bad price at all.

For context, we got our dog from the Puppy Place in Wilmington. We got a Goldendoodle and…read moreabsolutely love him, and overall we had a great experience there. We've even gone back to visit, and the Wilmington location has always been very welcoming. People who came back to visit, brought their previous puppies and even told us, we are coming back to get a second dog because we had a good experience. Recently, I stopped by the Jacksonville location to look at another Goldendoodle. I asked a few questions about the puppy, including the weight of the parents, whether the dog was F1 or F1B, and where the puppy was bred. One of the girls helping us was friendly and answered the questions. After finding out the puppy would likely be smaller than what we were hoping for, I told her that it probably wasn't the right fit for us. Because of that, I asked if we could look at a Labrador instead. At that point, another employee responded rather abruptly and said, "You have to be serious, if you're just here to play, you can only look at one." The comment felt unnecessary and a bit rude. I had asked detailed questions about the first dog because I was genuinely interested, but once I realized the expected adult weight didn't meet what we were looking for, I simply wanted to look at another option. I think it would have been much more appropriate for her to ask whether we were seriously looking to adopt a dog rather than immediately insinuating that we were just there to play with the puppies. The way it was said felt more like a jab than a policy explanation. It was disappointing because we had such a positive experience with the Wilmington location, I've also been to the Jacksonville location before, and they were very friendly and I expected a similar level of professionalism and friendliness. On top of visiting, we've gotten a dog already there and that shows that we are not only visitors, but we could've been second time customers.

AVOID THIS PLACE: In January, we purchased a "Cavapoo" for $2,550. Today, we received the results…read morefrom the vet's Wisdom Panel DNA test, confirming that our puppy has the genetics of at least three different breeds--none of which include King Charles Cavalier. The DNA test did, however, identify 43% Poodle and 35% Yorkshire Terrier. Be cautious and do your research before purchasing a pet from here. Attached is a photo of the "Cavapoo" we adopted, alongside a Google image of a Yorkie Poo. I would give negative stars if possible.