I've been a customer of this place for years and I've put up with the shortcomings of the place all this time since there isn't much available locally but I've finally had enough. Bought a light there for a new tank I was setting up. I normally don't buy that sort of thing at the store but I wanted something right away and like supporting locally whenever I can. Won't be making that mistake again anytime soon. I bought the light they recommended and it was the worse design piece of junk light I've ever seen. Should have known not to put it anywhere near my tank. It's designed to just sit on brackets that don't faster to anything, the light or the tank. Wasn't even on the tank for 5 minutes before it literally fell apart and took a bath. Of course they refuse to stand behind it and I'm out of $60 and way too much time dealing with this. They better hope that they end up being the only place to buy fish supplies because that is the only way I'm ever going back. read more

I would give this place zero stars if possible, But I guess they get one star for their selection of supplies and dry goods Now the problems, let me start by saying that I owned a saltwater fish store in Orlando for two years before moving north, so I understand the difficulty involved Their fish are all in very poor health and in tanks that are dirty and filled with bad algae. Several of the tanks have dead fish or fish with obvious signs of disease. Now the coral, the coral is placed in no apparent order in tanks that make it difficult to view. Corals are placed to close to each other which in some cases leads to them attacking each other. Lights over the tanks are all different and it shows that the staff does not understand the delicate nature of these creatures, many of which are bleached due to too much light. It's truly sad, if these were puppies or kittens being treated this way this place would be shut down for good, maybe if they hired people that understand these magnificent creatures instead of high schoolers making minimum wage this wouldn't be the case DO NOT BUY LIVESTOCK FROM THIS PLACE read more

I'm reviewing "The Hidden Reef" based on their products only, not the livestock. The product selection and the prices on most of them rival many other stores, even online ones. The staff could be more knowledgeable but if I want knowledge I'll go to the ...factory... I mean seriously, most of us who are in the hobby will learn much more by browsing online forums than basing our decisions on a bored 20 y.o. I read a lot of reviews about their livestock but as many times as I've been there, I've never seen severe problems with the fish. Yes, they have cases of ich but it usually comes from the breeders and it's up to the store to not sell them until they are all healthy. I will keep on buying my supplies from them and as long as my cichlids breed in my home I won't need to know how good their livestock is. read more

I felt totally disappointed for the attitude of the staff and the manager when I reported some contagious diseases of some fish bought from them. Lack professionalism. Definitely some problems with those salt-water fish in the stock! read more

We come in about once a week to buy crickets for our anoles (lizards). They are a massive store and they stock a large variety of items all the way from backyard ponds to small 5 gallon hobby tanks. They also offer a large selection of terrarium equipment and even have a couple aisles for furry pets. In a nutshell, their selection is unbeatable. They will also test your aquarium water for you so that you can diagnose any issues with your tank which is an awesome feature. My only complaint is that the crickets that we buy don't seem to last. We used to buy 25 at a time but they would start dying within a day or so. We tried everything, housing them in an aquarium, giving them paces to hide, providing food, nothing seems to work. Now we just buy 10 at a time and make more frequent trips. Overall, awesome selection and quality products. Great store and love that they're five minutes away! read more

Love this place! I come here probably every couple weeks. I had an issue today and the customer service is top notch! They respond with answers quickly and their staff is very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend coming here if you are looking for advice and are into Saltwater fish. I have a fresh water tank as well and they never let me down. 2 thumbs up! read more

Need a tank for a turtle not your everyday 90 gal but a shallow but wide type. They informed me that the company that made them stopped and that If I want one they have a used one in the back I Could buy. Not only did he give me the tank and stand for less than what the tank would be new but they held it for me for 2 days wail I procured a van and helped load it. I have also bought fish from them. I got feeder roses, goldfish, and guppies from them they all have lived a long time I know the roses and goldfish are going on over 3 years guppies keep breading and keep getting feed to the turtle so I happy with that. This is where things get a dicey. The one clark told me that putting a young fancy tail with my common goldfish would be fine and it was mislabeled as another type of fish. The prices for things also seem to be all over the place lots of good deals but also a lot of overpriced stuff. read more

The cashier was friendly and helped me out more than the people working the floors. The floor staff should assist a bit more.

Ugh! Sooo much potential and it appears they don't have a clue that the customer is their lifeblood. I have been coming here since this establishment opened and I have to say they have an exceptional salt water inventory as well as a fair fresh water area. Large showroom and most of the time that is all it is, a showroom! The customer service to purchase fish is easily the worst I've ever experienced in 36 years of fish keeping. This isn't a new development either, I have left this place off kilter because of being ignored more than not. My most successful trip to the store was buying food and supplies where the cashier was always nice and efficient. A damn shame, best that could happen here is new management that realizes people looking at the fish want to buy fish! All this being said, maybe they are making their way in the aquariums and merchandise and don't really care to move the fish out the door. Sorry but today was when the last straw was! read more

There's no place anywhere around like this. Worth a visit just to walk around and gaze at the beautiful tanks and fish. If you have tanks and are looking to buy fish, this is the place. Especially if you get the right service person. It's a 30 minute drive from my house, but I wouldn't buy fish anywhere else. read more

Prices ok , but one of their employees (short guy) picks up cigarettes from the ground and out of ashtrays out side to smoke on his breaks . I know I shouldn't care but its gross and classless read more

Been a great place for years but over the past year has gone steadily down hill. Service is lacking and quality of fish have gone down. Used to rarely have an issue but lately fish have been dieing a day or two after getting them home and my partner and I are very experienced with fish keeping have had tanks for years now ranging from fresh, to brackish to salt. Very disappointed and will not be buying from them for awhile till things change. read more

This place is awesome only complaint is irs hard to get help cause it seems to be understaffed.

I have been shopping the Hidden Reef for a few years and I LOVE the store! The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. The store is clean and well stocked. I travel 40 minutes to get there. But it is well worth the trip! They have a huge selection of both fresh and salt water fish. I highly recommend this place! read more

Never a good experience. Customer service always sucks and good luck finding one to actually help you. Go somewhere else.

After reading all the wonderful reviews, I was a litter underwhelmed by the selection of freshwater fish. Apparently, they get their deliveries on Mondays and I came on a Saturday. There were no cory cats in the store. Half of the store is freshwater fish and half of the store is saltwater fish. They have an excellent selection of freshwater plants. The three balloon mollies I bought here showed up ick. Two of the harlequin rasboras I bought died soon after I got them. The other fish in my tank are still healthy. There is no guarantee/warranty on the fish sold here. This store was not worth the 30-minute drive from Princeton, NJ. read more

The best place to get your fish. The staff really know what they are talking about and they are helpful and friendly they go the distance to get you answers and make sure you feel welcome in there store. The stock is so huge that you could probably take your kids here and tell them it's a zoo lol ( they have an actuall shark by the way you have to see it) read more

Awesome place!!! Love the people there know ponds!! Wayne is very nice and knowledgeable. I had a heater that went . He replaced it free of charge. read more

I hate that there is a $10 min to use a debit card when no one carries cash anymore! I only get crickets there and I have never had an issue with them before because I was always there with someone else. I'm not gonna buy $10 worth of crickets!! I love coming here but I don't think that I will anymore. read more

This place is great due to it's size. It's like the walmart of fish stores. They have every thing here and mean every thing. My only complaint is about the prices. They are not competitive enough so I have to keep searching from store to store to get the best price on live stock and so on. That aside they do still have the best selection and end up getting most of my business every week. read more

Things continue to evolve here. Went in today looking for a Greek Tortoise but only had a very healthly Russian Tortoise. The price was par with others in area. Their salt water fish looked very well but some fresh water tanks needed attention. However we did find a Blue Oranga goldfish that was very healthy. I watched it for over 10 minutes to make sure no odd behaviors and it was fine so we bought it(rare goldfish). Most of the other goldfish looked sicky except the large pond and Koi fish which looked good. The store's inventory had been reduced but there was still a wide selection non the less. Just be aware that you will spend more here. read more

I can't believe how few reviews mention how ill cared for the animals are here. The place is huge, with plenty of spare, unused space, unnecessarily wide aisles, but their animals are severely neglected. The sparse plastic plants in the tiny lizard tanks are pathetic, especially considering their access to wholesale pricing of live plants. Their red eared slider tank is overpopulated and too shallow. Their Russian tortoise was scratching gouges into its plexiglass prison until I asked a salesgirl if she would let it out for a walk. To be fair it looks like the place is staffed by well meaning children who don't have the means to fix it up but it was clearly set up in the first place by someone who does not care about animals at all. Two larger tortoises crowded into a makeshift pen in an unused cashier station are suffering pyramiding and look like they were raised with rubber bands around their shells. One lizard tank had dried up lettuce and no dark corners to hide from the heat lamp. None of the tortoises have burrowing space and they all look dehydrated. The fish tanks are on the dingy side but at least most everything looked alive in them. I was hoping to find a good local store to source from but this place is worse than any large corporate pet store I've ever seen. read more

I started going to The Hidden Reef when they first opened the Levittown location. There was a few problems but they were forced to open a few months before they were ready. Overall it was a good place. When they resolved the few small problems, they turned into an awesome place and it was one of the few places I would buy my fish from. The people there knew what they were talking about and cared about their jobs and fish. That isn't the case anymore. I won't risk infecting any of my tank by buying any of their fish. The last time I was in there (2/27/12) there were freshwater tanks that had ich, fungus and other diseases and many tanks with dead fish in them. There were 2 dying triggers and 2 dying puffer. There was only one dying puffer when we left, in the 5 minutes that we were at the tank complaining, the other puffer died. We only made it down the first isle of salt water fish and were so disgusted that we didn't want to see any more. My wife complained to an employee, who obviously didn't care. I used to live 10 minutes from there and moved an hour away, I would still go back, I will not do that anymore. This is a sad state compared to when they first opened up. I left a comment about the triggers and the puffers on their facebook page and it was deleted, I was blocked and there was a comment about how new triggers and puffers like to play dead when they are new. He didn't explain how the puffer was pale with a blood spot on one eye and how he died while we were watching. I currently have 3 freshwater tanks running, a 29, a55 and a 75 and have been fish keeping for about 30 years. read more

Great prices on a wide array of livestock and corals. I have purchased fish, corals, and various shrimp from this establishment. They have all thrived in my tank. Only one occurrence where I purchased a harlequin shrimp for a great price ($14.99) that died the next day. The store manager Wayne handled it like a pro; he said he will take care of me offering a complete discount. He even ordered a mated pair of harlequin for me for $55 and gave me store credit for the one that died. The two shrimp; one pink and one blue are doing great in my tank now and I really respect Wayne for how he handled a situation that others (Aquarium Center) handle very poorly. Wayne is super knowledgeable and will do what is necessary to keep his customers coming back. Best prices on RO water and livestock! Leo read more

i think that's very funny how you mentioned the aisle size like that's a problem. If anything it's better that they are bigger so two shopping carts can fit down the aisle at once. also my turtle that is still alive after many years. also the "children" that work there have been very helpful and very informative. they have been wonderful to me and my family. i love this store. they have a wide variety and everything is clean and the people are wonderful. i've got to speak to the boss himself and is super knowledgeable about everything in his store. he is so polite and prices can't be beat. thanks much love the hidden reefs greatest fan!! read more

I have been a customer of this store for over 30. In all fairness I must say that I was wrong today when I netted a fish without permission. I did apologize but...to no avail. I did not take the fish out of the tank but I did indeed net a fish, here's why.... I was purchasing a few fish but wanted a specific sex, all females. The tank glass was dark brown with diatoms and had bad lighting so getting females was an issue. The young lady that was helping me was exceptionally nice but not experienced in this breed of fish and couldn't tell the males from the females. She went to get a light for better identification of the fish that she had already netted and while she was gone I saw a definite female and netted it. As I laid the net at the top of the tank, in the water, with the fish still in it, the assistant manager saw me with the net and started yelling at me in front of other customers. Telling me he doesn't care if I know the owner or not and continued to berate and belittle me to the point of making me cry in the store. One might have got the impression that I was stealing fish by putting them in my pockets! He was not only rude he was also arrogant and down right nasty. He has no business being in a position where he is free to treat customers in such a manner and get away with it even if the customer is wrong. The young lady that was helping me didn't know what to do or say and I really felt bad for her. I asked to have the owner come out so I could talk to him but he pulled his usual excuse of being "on the phone" to not have to deal with this. This is a common excuse that he uses as I've seen him do it to others when you could see him sitting in his office prior to putting dark coverings on his glass. I have lost any respect for this store that I had. It has been going down hill for a few years now. It has forever lost my business. I will travel on down to Rt.413 and shop at The Fish Factory where your always treated nice and they will match ANYONES lowest or sales price and order any fish that you are looking for. I am done with The Hidden Reef forever. As others have stated this store is worse than the big box stores. read more

great knowledgeable staff. Prices and selection are great! I shop exclusively here for my salt water fish. Sometimes I take my son just to check out the awesome fish. read more

I went there yesterday, bought an arowana, died this morning. I looked at the receipt and it has NO GUARANTEE ON LIVESTOCK. so there goes my 60 bucks down the drain. On the other note, the lady at the counter was really nice and helpful. they also has alot of great supplies. read more

I started going to the Hidden Reef when they were in a strip mall behind the Welsh Rd Mall , in Philly(where Burlington Coat Factory is). This place got condemend by the city of Phila. because of a fire that happend 2 doors down. If I were reviewing this place, I would give it 4 stars. However, I am reviewing The Hidden Reef that moved to Levittown. While the prices on dry goods(dechlorinator, food, etc) are very low, I would not recommend that anyone buy livestock from this place,EVER, & that has nothing to do w/ their policy of "no guarantees on livestock". Having worked in a pet store many moons ago, I understand this policy, as no one can control what a customer does when he gets his fish home. Anyway, I was in the area several weeks ago, & was walking around the store w/ my son, when I saw a tank full of silver dollars that obviously had ick (& 1/2 the tank was dead, stuck to the intake of the filter system). I had no intention of buying any, but I wanted to see what the staff would do when I acted like I wanted to purchase some. The staff member just grabbed his net w/ out a word & proceeded to catch a few of these seriously ill fish. I just turned around & walked out, & haven't been back since. Any aquarium store worth its salt wouldn't attempt to sell a customer obviously sick and/or dying fish, especially if they want repeat business. And I had to find a staff member to start this whole process, no one asked me if I needed any help, & it wasn't very busy. Go there for the dry goods, but DO NOT BUY LIVESTOCK. It was a great store when it was in Philly, but I guess this is a case of a store that got "too big for its britches". Really could be a gem of a store if the owners & staff gave a damn. read more

I've been buying my tropical fish from them for 4 years ...and I have a 40 minute ride home. Rarely do their fish die during that critical two-day period after purchasing. Usually have a very good selection and I have never experienced the staff problems that some reviewers claim to have. People are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Good selection of aquarium items that are reasonably priced. read more

This place sucks there's only 2 people working and they're in the fish room there's no one at the registers or anyone to help you. Plus they're way over priced read more

Beware of parasites on fish. I Spent $300.00 on four saltwater fish. Two were dead in my sterile quarantine tank the next morning. The next day the other 2 broke out in a full blown oodinium infection, a deadly parasite that will kill your fish within hours. I treated them with medication, but sadly died a couple of days later. I got a $50.00 credit for the first two, but they refused to help with the others. The manager blamed slightly elevated nitrates for the outbreak. I thought that spontaneous generation was disproved several hundred years ago. They claim that their fish are disease free, but admit to not using any copper in their system to combat parasites. I had the same thing happen two years ago after buying fish there which resulted in all of my fish dying of the same disease. I thought it was lack of experience the first time and my wife begged me not to buy fish there again. I insisted on giving them a second chance because they do have a nice variety and got burned again. Merry Christmas to me! I got $250.00 worth of dead fish and an angry wife! read more

Called store last night to find out time they open for annual sale and was told 9:00. Drove one and half hours to find the store does not open until 10:00. Additionally their website has been down for 3 weeks. Poor customer service as manager did not even apologize for the inconvenience. read more

Huge selection of salt water fish supplies and equipment; largest in the area by far. The part of the store that has gone down hill is the livestock department; especially the marine livestock. I visited the other day and counted numerous dead fish in display tanks and countless others that were in poor health. Almost all tanks had large algae outbreaks. This is sad because this use to be such a great place to buy marine livestock. Will not return. read more

Just sucks... It is a damn shame. This place used to be the way to go. The new manager is not personable and will not offer you any help. I used to visit all the time years ago and during Harvey's run as the manager. This alone was a god enough reason to come in and shop. He would have endless ideas and instill all sorts of inspiration! Even when the quality of the stock went downhill I came in to get advice. Now there is no reason to even consider coming into the store. I'd rather go to Fish Factory down the street and see healthy fish and talk to real aquarium guys. Apparently, from speaking to employees, they are treated horribly and paid wages close to the state minimum! This is a horrible way to treat the people who are selling your products... They also have stolen ads from other local stores for they're own use by photoshopping there name on it. I have boycotted for further notice. Avoid dealing with this store. read more

Just went in for some snails and waited over 20 minutes and no one helped us or anything. At this rate I'll just go to PetSmart. I thought you guys had excellent stuff but not worth waiting around for. read more

This place has the cheapest prices on dry goods. But i wouldnt take a fish from here if the were giving them away. Visible ick. Dead fish floating in tanks. Fish gasping for last breath all while being asked do you need any help. The one tank had so many flat worms stuck to the glass you could barely see in the tank. read more

The only person that works there worth a damn is Mark. the rest are worthless. Don't know what they are talking about. Don't help with questions. Get better prices online. Shop elsewhere. read more

The Hidden Reef is not hidden enough. Their Freshwater Fish are always sickly (especially the Fancy Goldfish, which are low grade carnival fish at best). It's a shame really,if they would just take as much pride, time and effort as they do for their Saltwater department in their Freshwater fish. They'll ship from all over the world for Live Rock, but can't import from China to get high grade (do they know what that means?) Fancy Goldfish. Hey Guys, how about a little more effort into the RIGHT side of the Fish Room? read more

You can't beat their prices for dry goods. Especially salt. They sell some of their salt mixes for a significantly lower price then even online prices. Not sure why people are saying their is issues with fish. For the most part they are usually healthy. I would have given a five star however I found that when I had to deal with one of the managers, the guy had the attitude like he had no time for me. read more