Nestled between a convenience store and a pub is this amazing stockist of aquatics. You would not…read moreknow it was here unless you have seen the website or it has been recommended (hence the heads up here) - as it is in the middle of a housing estate and in the most unlikely location possible. These guys really know what they are talking about in here and spend time asking about your current set up and the inhabitants of your tank before they sell you ANYTHING. I have found that they are really helpful, will give you honest advice(even if it means losing a sale) and they will order for you things they have not got in stock as long as viable. They are Marine specialists which appeals to me as most places seem to specialise in tropical and only dabble in marine on the side. They do however stock some tropicals and cold water also. The main show tank in the centre of the store is overwhelming - with some outstanding clowns and Tangs of an impressive size. The main focus of this tank though is the coral - a really strong collection and sizeable specimens - not the weedy little offcuts you get in some of the non-specialists. They have a good variation of 'cleaning crew' to offer including snails, crabs and various shrimp. The prices here are not the cheapest I have seen - but the tanks are all clear and well maintained and the stock look healthy and colourful. I have never seen a diseased or dead fish here on any occasion. They will also advise you on feeding if needs be. I give the staff at Deep blue all the respect in the world for not only their depth of knowledge but their friendly and painstaking level of customer service. These guys proved invaluable when I started out with my Nano reef last year - and saved me some costly mistakes. Deep Blue do stock some tanks and accessories but due to the limited size of the premises compared to the garden centres etc,, they have decided to concentrate on livestock mainly. A decision which upholds itself as a wise one when you see what they have achieved there.

From the owner: At Deep Blue Aquatics Hinckley we provide a rare and specialised access to a wide selection of…read morebeautiful marine fish, corals and invertebrates as well as a wide range of dry stock and equipment. We have been here since 2010 and have established ourselves as specialists in the industry. We pride ourselves on our customer centred approach and whole solution service to all of your aquarium needs. With weekly trips to TMC we are proud to have a wide and ranging selection of livestock handpicked by us. We are experts in sourcing that show fish for your aquarium. If we don't have anything in stock you would like then please get in touch and we will strive to get you your dream fish. We also stock a wide range of dry goods, equipment and specialist items for your aquarium. If you can't find something you're after then please feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to assist you. Here at Deep Blue Aquatics we pride ourselves on offering aquatic services beyond just fish, corals and dry stock. We specialise in: Tank Maintenance - one off or ongoing Tank Sitting while you're away Tank Installation Equipment Setup and optimisation Tank Moves and Swap Overs Please call us on 01455 445595 to arrange a quote.

I can thoroughly recommend Shirley Aquatics and I would like to say a huge thank you to Paul and…read moreCelia who went above and beyond to help me when my aquarium filter failed. Paul took time to measure the filter I wanted so I know it would fit into the housing and he spoke to Celia who so kindly offered to drop the filter off to me as I didn't have transport to collect and I needed the filter the same day. You can't beat that for service. The new filter is now fitted and working perfectly.

!!!DO NOT BUY FROZEN FOOD FROM THIS... !!!DO NOT BUY FROZEN…read moreFOOD FROM THIS COMPANY!!! Received my order yesterday (07-02-23)which was sent on (06-02-23) which consisted of 1kg of frozen river shrimp 2 x 500g whitebait and 3 bags of large bloodworm and when i opened the package the frozen river shrimp had defrosted, the whitebait had defrosted and the live bloodworm were dead , i emailed yesterday explaining what has happened and then was asked the send proof which i did , then got a phone call today from a lovely lady who was trying to resolve this issue and her manager basically said the food is gamma radiated and therefore can be refrozen . But im not risking re freezing food that i would be feeding to very expensive and long lived fish which im sure a lot of other people would feel the same about and although they agreed to refund the dead bloodworm , they refused to refund or replace the so called "frozen" food which wasnt very frozen at all , its safe to say i will never be ordering from them again!!!

Very helpful staff. The birds are very well looked after in the store. The only complaint is not…read moreallot of birds in the store. Bit it's nitpicking realy.

My daughter was told that flea treatment for cats cannot be sold unless you take the cat to the…read morestore! My daughter has 2 cats. Why on earth would you want to take your cats in the car in this heat? Myself and several members of my family have cats and we have been buying flea treatment from this store in Swadlincote since it opened. We also buy catfood and other products from that store. Needless to say, we will now shop elsewhere.

Great company to work with contacted them to move our Koi from Hertfordshire to Lincolnshire and…read morethey did a great job turned up on time decanted Koi from their existing pond & transported them to their new pond all in one day I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them

From the owner: Our business specialises in pond cleaning and building and maintenance of ponds and natural stone…read morewaterfalls. We supply, install and maintain filtration systems and specialise in moving pond and aquarium fish when moving house. We also specialise in removing fish from waterways using electrofishing equipment, along with silt removal and all other services associated with ponds, lakes and rivers.

For a theme park aquarium that is NOT a theme park based on aquariums it's a pretty sharp one…read more The displays are well done, they are staggered at different heights and levels. There are interactive stations and so much to do and look at. This was probably my 3rd favorite portion of the park, the new coaster and the actual summer house being my favorites.

Alton Towers is a behemoth of a place... I remember when I had my first visit (Circa 1995, maybe?)…read morewhere all you would find is rides and queues (and lots of ways to spend your pocket money). Fast forward to 2015 and there has been many changes, additions and new ways to spend your (now earned with a job) money. I have been attending Pirate weekend over the last few years at Alton Towers Splash Landings Hotel. This entails a waterpark day entry, overnight stay in the hotel, breakfast, pirate entertainment and entry into the small (bur perfectly formed) Sharkbait Reef within the park. All this for a princely sum of around £25? Bargain. These weekends are held when the main park isn't open and we sauntered up from Birmingham at 1pm on a Friday afternoon to get our Pirate on and have a good time. Now, we don't always get to Sharkbait Reef as part of our visit. Firstly, the opening times are normally geared towards Saturday stayers (rather than Friday adventurers) and secondly, it can be affected by the weather. It seems as though we chose the right weekend to go this time as the Reef opened at 10am, giving us plenty of time to get down there before the minigolf tournament was due to kick off at 10:30am. The reef is situated in the park in the pirate section. This can mean quite a walk from the hotel or a two minute drive. There is a dedicated parking section for this, but this section (Express parking) is rammed during actual park opening days. This little Sea Life centre isn't the biggest of the bunch, but it is well put together. From entering in via the "photo opportunity" (a giant statue of octopus tentacles), there are sharks, lots of varieties of beautiful shimmering tropical fish, jelly fish and rock pools (where you can stroke a starfish or meet some cute little shrimp). The walls are jam packed with information about the ocean and it's inhabitants and the staff are friendly and ready to answer your questions. The real stand out for us was the fact it was feeding time in the big tank. Have you ever seen a Ray eat broccoli before? I did for the first time ever on Saturday. It was fascinating (see photos). The walkthrough area is great for seeing the lovely creatures of the sea swimming about and interacting with each other. You end your visit (it takes maybe... about 20/30 minutes to walk around and you (predictably) end up in the gift shop. There are numerous "budget" gifts (starting from £1) in this shop, so if your little ones are desperate for a souvenir - you could do worse than checking out the cool stuff in this shop over the other more expensive options in the park. Whether you're a seasoned ocean expert or a small fry looking to get up close and personal with some of the inhabitants of the sea, a quick trip around Sharkbait reef is definitely worth your while during your trip to Alton Towers.