The Staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about helping. They have a great selection of fish and plants for your tank.

Don't come here everything is so expensive. Tell me why I saw a small fish for $40 dollars it's outrageous .

After isolating my new loaches, two have died and 2 have spots of ich... pretty disappointed considering how excited I was after having a good experience here. read more

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The manager of the store was incredibly rude. Was about to purchase an animal from here but because of the rude behavior of the manager I walked out. Without purchasing anything. read more

I go to Toms Tropical for all my fish needs for years. The family is nice and they're always helpful. They helped me learn how to keep my fish living longer. read more

Knowledgeable about fish when I had questions. They have a very large variety of freshwater fish. My only complaint is that if the new fish dies after two days, you don't have a guarantee, meaning you'd have to purchase a new fish. For instance, Petsmart has a two week guarantee and Petco has a one month guarantee. Two days isn't long enough. Other than that, for a small pet store, staff is knowledgeable and there is a good amount of items to shop for read more

I've always loved this store. If you need knowledge and great service with an outstanding selection of fish, TOMS TROPICALS is your best bet

NEGATIVE STARS: Minus ONE MILLION I've been visiting Toms my whole life given I've always lived in this area.... Their conditions for the animals have never improved, if anything have gotten worse. I've never made a review about it because it not my top priority or my shop.... until I purchased a dozen feeder gold fish from them yesterday. They turned out to be infected with worms and I didn't come to this conclusion until after my turtle had already eaten 2. I called them concerned about my turtles well being and if it is safe to continue to feed him these fish. They responded rudely and abruptly cutting me off with IDK. All of there workers, with the exception of 1 older Caucasian lady, are uneducated about any of their animals information, requirements, and how to be polite to costumers. Not to even mention when I first got my turtle years ago he came from Toms. They sold us over $250 of INADEQUATE equipment! I then tried to exchange the equipment for the correct equipment since it could not be used for my turtle, they DID NOT allow me to exchange anything and they ABSOLUTELY DID NOT refund me. So I then had no choice but to go spend another $200 on suitable equipment. They keep all of their turtles either in small crates or a little kiddy pool for all water turtles, they also keep all their rabbits in a little box stand. So now with the fish infection, if it wasn't clear before, it is beyond clear now. Toms Tropicals should be investigated for animal cruelty and anyone should think twice before going to visit or acquire any pet or anything in general from their store. :| read more

Awful experience! There should be animal welfare checks in stores like this. I went in for live aquarium plants and rocks but had to leave after seeing the conditions the animals are kept in. Upwards of 20 red eared sliders in a single stock tub. Small animals are kept in cramped conditions. Betas in tiny bowls. FROGS IN PLASTIC CUPS WITH NO SUBSTRATE! This one got me. Like, why not keep them in a single terrarium?? Makes me think of cruel animal novelties like the live baby turtle keychain that went around the internet. To top it off, one tank of all dead fish where all the fish were stuck to the filter. if you care about animals, this is not the store for you. They should be shut down. read more

If i could leave 0 stars i would. this place genuinely sucks. They abuse animals (especially birds and reptiles). I have bought fish from here and they all died from having Ick. I bought a snake about 6 months ago and had to return it because it had mites. the owner refused to agree it was from them. I got a new snake from there and again, it had mites. I did. everythint in my power to get rid of the mites. (soaks, rubs, I took all of the extra stuff from the tank and also soaked it). I have been doing this for months to get rid of the mites and I woke up to a dead snake. He developed a disease from the mites. THIS PLACE SUCKS NEVER COME HERE TO BUY ANIMALS THEY ARE THE WORST!!!!! THE WORST PLACE IVE EVER BEEN TO. THEH DESERVE TO BE SHUT DOWN!!!! Tom's Tropicals you suck and deserve to be SHUT DOWN read more

I was very happy with the friendly service. I will go back again . The prices were comparable but the selection was above average.

Variety yes, prices yes, but I don't think many people see what condition the animals are in. I am not a know it all by any means, but I do see animals that are lethargic, in habits way too small, and bored. There were up to ten rats in a ten gallon tank (that is too small for one), guinea pigs in a little pen with matted fur, it makes you want to save the animals but it would be supporting a business that obviously doesn't deserve it. I have gone there since I was a kid to look and I think it has changed it's animal Care standards. I'm not trying to ruin a business, but if you want to keep selling animals focus less on quantity and more on quality, and remember they are living things that need care. I'm sure anyone in the business would have to be an animal lover so I hope they start acting like it. I'm done my rant now read more

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So we were hesitant of visiting because of some of these reviews but 2 minutes after walking through the doors at Tom's Tropicals and I immediately recognized that the snowflake lefties were writing bad reviews simply based on their own hatred for taxidermy and feeder rats! All the reviews immediately made sense! We walked around and found ourselves checking on the things like rats being abused which turned out to be a complete lie! Toms is keeping pets EXACTLY as they are meant to be kept! Oh the irony of the Petsmart and Petco employees coming to Tom's to purchase rats to feed the snakes they have for sale, the hypocrisy of these snowflakes is stomach turning. In the end we purchased a deep water air pump for our 150 gallon tank and several fish. I went in again for a second time for a hammerhead catfish I saw on my first visit and to my delight they were actually on sale! Tom's also gives me a Veteran discount of 10% and I dealt with two folks on my first visit and two completely different people on my second visit and everyone seemed knowledgeable and helpful. We will certainly be going back to Tom's and giving them our money! p.s. I don't know what happened with my Yelp account thinking I was in CA so I am writing this corrected review! read more

Tom's Tropicals - Tom's Tropicals Hammerhead Catfish - Pet Stores Near Me - Nottingham, Maryland

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We spoke with the manager she said she had red belly piranha , we drove from Va 2 hrs and they had sold them! She said she will call when she more we were looking for a certain size. She called us two days later said she had them. We drove there again and they weren't the size we wanted because she lied and said someone else called. However we brought them anyway. I personally would not recommend them to anyone They are Liars read more

Nice clean looking store for freshwater tropical fish that appear to be quite overpriced. Fish tanks are all clean and colorfully decorated. The inventory of supplies, however, was quite limited and old looking. Appears to be the place for beginning pet owners who have never been to competing Baltimore area pet stores and are not aware of online internet pricing. read more

Never buying anything from this place again. The owner (Tommy) is rude and doesn't honor their own policies. I've been a customer here for several years now. Last Friday, April 14th, 2023, I went to get more fish for my 125-gallon tropical tank. I met the old lady that manages the place. She was nice and seemed knowledgeable at the time. I saw a beautiful fish, and I asked her if this fish would be appropriate for my tank, which is tropical with the temperature set to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. She said that this fish would do very well with what I have, and I was happy to hear that. So I bought two fish and returned home. On Saturday morning, I started my own research about this fish. This fish is called Chinese high fin banded shark. It's a cold water fish that lives in temperatures between 60 to 74 Fahrenheit, which is lower than what my tank is set to. They grow very large, 4' 6" and 88lb. They are listed by Chinese as an endangered species, and they can be pond fish and not small aquarium fish. I decided it would be best to return the fish. The sign on Tom's Tropical's wall says the fish refund is within 48 hr of purchase. I took the two fish back to the store Sunday morning, and I met two nice young workers, I explained the situation to the young man, and he said sure, then when he tried to finalize the transaction he had to call the owner (Tommy) who told him not to do it till he gets to the shop. The owner came and he was rude, he said that they don't refund fish even though the sign clearly said fish refund within 48 hrs. When I pointed to the sign, Tommy said that he didn't know about that and that he would remove this sign as soon as I leave. WOW. I told him they should've stated to me that these fish get huge and they are cold water fish. I decided to leave the place and leave the fish there. Finally, he said he would give me store credit instead of a refund. Even though I wasn't planning on coming back, to get it over with, I agreed. Was it worth the hassle? Was it worth losing a loyal customer? Maybe it was for them. But for me? That store credit would be the last money I spend there. I have also noticed that they are not taking good care of the animals as of late. They are severely overcrowding the fish and the reptiles. I hope they change and go back to the way they used to treat their customers and animals. read more

My daughter and I walked in to toms not realising it was closed. Their open sign was still on and flashing. We were welcomed in with open arms. I even bought 5 fish when I wasn't expecting to be able to make a purchase. But there was a blonde lady and a younger guy who helped me and welcomed the purchase even though they were clearly closed. I didn't feel rushed or unwanted and I truly appreciate that. My experience at Toms is excellent. I don't really care for the taxidermy but who am I to tell you what to have in your store? Overall this is a great mom and pop style business and I'm going back today. Btw I purchased two ottocinclus and three kulli loaches and all of them are doing great it my tank. read more

7 out of 11 fish died within two weeks from Toms tropical. 3 of the fish died by the next morning. When I called to inquire about the dead fish, they gave me a hard time about an refund, implying that I had done something wrong. They questioned me with an annoyed attitude. We have had the tanks set up for a while and it had nothing to do with anything we did. We also noticed immediately that most of the fish we purchased had white spots or like a fuzzy film on their scales. We started treating with fungus treatment. The fish don't look any better and are still dying today, with two more bead when we woke up this am. Super dissatisfied and disappointed. We've gotten fish from Petco as well, and they are all alive and healthy Looking healthy and growing strong. I recommend you look else where to your fish. The variety is cool at toms but clearly they aren't taking good care of their animals and the customer service needs to be checked. Needless to say, I don't recommend and will not be shopping from there anymore. read more

First off I want to state that, there is no good local ma and pop pet store within Maryland. At least ethically good. Most of the fishes are put in appropriate tank size. About dead fishes in the store, it is very common for pet store to buy imports from other countries. To arrive not acclimating to the country or state's water. As they're not used to the minerals and chemicals. Due to each regions' different regulation. They may die on the first day, or over time. This shouldn't be a factor in a negative review, at all. Their fishes are NOT QUARANTINED. It's a risk but no reviewers have yet to complains about it. Buying fish from here is a risk. Feeder goldfish are overstocks, gets dirty often. If you buy feeder goldfish later in the week, you're risking the health of your animals. As they like to suggest feeder goldfish for reptiles. Gold fish contain high amount of THIAMINASE, which will breakdown Vitamin B1 leading to illness or death. They like to use the stunted growth tactic of fish as a way to sell to customers. Fish do not grow to the size of your tank. Stunting their growth causes them to die earlier. Betta Fish lives in the same volume as a coffee mug... They cohab many snakes within the store to save space. This is something you should not do, as it could leads to aggression. Their tanks is big enough (except for kingsnake and corns) where their ball python can fully stretch from the length and width of the glass. Something lot of local store don't do. Their snakes are shredding, they're on the fine line of keeping them alive. All their snakes have no enrichment, or hides and UVBs. All snakes are eating live mouse. As live prey animal will bite, and transmit diseases to snake. This isn't about being humane. It's about the safety of YOUR OWN PET. Avoid, unless your snake only eat live. Most of their customers from what it seems are uneducated about this fact, and basic setup for a snake. As they've set an example in the store. Other Reptiles- Housing same species together to save space. Enclosure are TOO SMALL with NO ENRICHMENT. Depending on the week they may have a safe substrate bottom of paper or those dangerous bacteria growing green reptile carpet, they rarely cleans on weekdays. Leopard geckos & beardie sometimes have their nails stuck to the carpet. And if you ever feed crickets, you'd see your reptile have their head stuck in the carpet. If they were somehow to ingest, it could cause a trip to the vet. Majority of the time their reptiles does not have any UVBs at all. They seems to use compact coils UVBs recently, but tanks have to share the coil. And coils are very bad at emitting UVBs. Cresties's food have mold and they have no hides. Tanks are small but it will help them be less stress. When ask for enclosure recommendation, they will sell you the smallest, not even the bare minimum for the reptile. This way they'll able to sell the reptile. I ask what currently the Leopard Geckos are eating. Turns out not enough. They're only fed crickets to save money. And dust with calcium once a week. Crickets do not have enough proteins for these animals to be healthy. Some looks very underweighted for their size. All their surrendered reptiles are to be sold immediately and are not check by vet. I think its by the same customers who have bought the animal from the store years earlier (can be wrong). You can see newly surrendered animals being skinny and poorly taken care for by the previous owner. Small Pets - Their temporarily enclosure is fine (except hamsters). Except the ones on the floor. The enclosure they sell are too small enclosure. Can causes depression, stress, and obesity. Pet Sitting - If you come to the back, they place animals that they're sitting behind the beyond employees only sign. Temporarily small enclosure that's fine. But the animal being sit there have no UVBs. Often are not cleans for several days. Seems to be their least priority. You can't blame the employees here. It's the owner and manager. Whenever an employee say factual information, manager corrects them with myths. read more

Nope nope nope. I used to go to Tom's years ago. I have had many tanks and fish in my life. Decided to get back into it for my kids and bought 4 fish to go along with a gold fish we have had for over 2 years. I bought a couple of plecos and Cory cats. It's been 2 weeks and my goldfish had gotten fin rot the plecos have died and the Cory cats are dying now. My tank is in perfect condition. No ammonia no nitrates and 7.2 ph level. I should have quarantined the fish before I introduced them into the tank that's on me. Have not called and probably will not. I should have listened to my gut when walking around the place seeing dead fish in the tanks. Since I had good luck in the past I thought I would give it a try. My mistake read more

The outside of this store does not do justice to the incredible adventure you'll discover once you walk inside. They sell so many varieties of fish, adorable little bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, snakes, birds, parakeets, turtles and all the accessories you need for your pet. Come here and you'll get impeccable customer service! They're eager to help, patient and knowledgeable. The staff will answer all your questions with a smile and good cheer. Best of all, you can call with any questions or concerns even after you leave with your new purchase. Also, the owner has a passion for taxidermy so you'll also get to discover a huge array of animals that have been preserved in original form. It's like a museum and pet shop in one! read more

They take okay care of their fish. But they should not be allowed to care for other animals. The gross negligence was painful to look at. It was worse that Petco. Tarantulas with no bedding or hiding spots. Snakes and lizards stuffed into tiny aquariums without heat, hides, or proper bedding. Animals with terrible metabolic bone disease. Guinea pigs with matted fur. Dead crickets in water bowls, or terrorising the lizards. I understand the need to have animals on display, but this is on a different level. Just because they aren't cute dogs or cats doesn't give you the excuse to neglect and inadvertently kill your animals. read more

Went in here to buy some random stuff for my Tarantula's enclosure. Decent prices; picked up a skull hide and some fake plants for my spider. Browsed the store and was surprised to find a like 30gal aquarium filled with white rats. I mean filled. These rats were climbing on top of each other. It was definitely not adequate housing for any creature. I did end up still buying my stuff as I had had been having a hard time finding what i was looking for anywhere else. There was an older blonde woman and a teenager. I think the teenager was in training-- he handled the transaction with the older blonde woman overseeing. She was pretty condescending to the teenager who was doing a good job as far as i could see... After the transaction finished the older woman decided that the teenager had not completed the sale correctly and began berating him and insisting that my payment did not complete. Due to the conflict, i had to show her that the charge had posted on my checking account with my phone to not only make her leave the young man alone but also allow me to leave with my paid-for items. This place is weird. They treat animals, food or not, like trash. They are rude to their staff in front of customers. They are rude to customers. read more

I really don't want to give it one star but that was the lowest option available. they should not be allowed to sell anything other than fish- even that's questionable . the poor rabbits there are suffering - it's heartbreaking to see the condition they are in. the Guinea pigs are in the same disgusting condition. they should be shut down !!! read more

Been going there for years; the fish are healthy and the staff very helpful. No idea on return policy but their tanks like all pet stores have a large number of fish (as they should.) These tanks are continious flow so high density is fine (unlike a home aquarium.) read more

I have two very well established fresh water tanks. I have not lost a fish in over a year. I purchases 3 mollies from here. By the next morning one had already died. I am not new to adding fish to new tanks I do not believe this was something I did. I have added fish to this tank multiple times over the years with no issues. While I know things happen and the cause could have been a number of things. But with that being said it is now Sunday evening and the two other fish are very lifeless. I have also had no signs of Ich in my tank prior to adding these fish and now 2 of my fish are showing signs (one being the new). I would not recommend buying fish from here as they seem to be very unhealthy. Many of the fish in the tanks in the store seemed the same way. I am now worried about my once completely healthy fish and wishing I had never purchased here. Giving my 1 star to the young man who checked us out, he was very attentive as there was a customer on the phone he was speaking too while helping two other customers in the store. The older women barely said hello when we walked in, it was not a very welcoming feel, once people started to come in she disappeared. Felt as though I was a bother for wanting to give them my money, will not be back. read more

First going in it looks clean and organized. But when you get up close most of the animals are extremely crammed and crowded in the tanks and housing that they're in. 5 to 6 crested geckos in one 10 gallon tank is completely unacceptable, unhealthy, and causes a huge risk. And there's also two female leopard geckos in a 10 gallon which should never be acceptable. This kinda of care for the animals is ridiculous. They only good thing is the people behind the counter are friendly. read more

Tom's Tropicals - Five crested geckos in a single 10 gallon tank. - Pet Stores Near Me - Nottingham, Maryland

My "go to" place when I need a specific size frozen feeder for the various snakes I keep and breed. The staff has always been friendly to me, whether it was busy or not. read more

I love it! I love the pets and someday hope to get a pet bird from there!! I do already have 2 leopard geckos from there. Their names are Rex and Ringo. Rex is older and little Ringo is younger. I recommend it! read more

Toms is just what any community needs. A family owned store. They have a great selection of cool fish and supplies. Friendly staff too. Thanks Toms for being a important part of Perry Hall !!!!!! . read more

Was in the market for a Leopard Gecko and all the needed supplies to start reptile husbandry. Toms Tropicals was the closest local business that sold pets as well as supplies. They have almost every pet you can think of in the store. The girl who helped me pick out supplies and my gecko was very nice and you could tell she really cared about the animals. Passion for your line of work doesn't go unnoticed. Will definitely be returning. Highly recommend a visit even if you aren't purchasing! The one concern I have is the cages for some of the pets, as this isn't their permanent home I understand the need to house multiple animals in one cage. It would be appreciated if the store were to ever get an expansion, that the animals could also get an expansion to their living space and house less animals per cage while having more cages. Overall I had an amazing experience and the young lady that assisted me was very helpful! read more

Tom's Tropicals - The baby leopard gecko I purchased from the location. - Pet Stores Near Me - Nottingham, Maryland

So we were hesitant of visiting because of some of these reviews but 2 minutes after walking through the doors at Tom's Tropicals and I immediately recognized that the snowflake lefties were writing bad reviews simply based on their own hatred for taxidermy and feeder rats! All the reviews immediately made sense! We walked around and found ourselves checking on the things like rats being abused which turned out to be a complete lie! Toms is keeping pets EXACTLY as they are meant to be kept! Oh the irony of the Petsmart and Petco employees coming to Tom's to purchase rats to feed the snakes they have for sale, the hypocrisy of these snowflakes is stomach turning. In the end we purchased a deep water air pump for our 150 gallon tank and several fish. I went in again for a second time for a hammerhead catfish I saw on my first visit and to my delight they were actually on sale! Tom's also gives me a Veteran discount of 10% and I dealt with two folks on my first visit and two completely different people on my second visit and everyone seemed knowledgeable and helpful. We will certainly be going back to Tom's and giving them our money! read more

Absolutely the best customer service of any pet store in the area. Super knowledgeable employees and so friendly. Great variety of reptiles fish and habitat and food. Love every time we visit they treat the kids so well. read more

My fiancé and I traded about 12 fish for two small Oscars. During the trade, the owner didn't even look at us. No acknowledging our presence, no handshake, no nothing. Even after we gave him some fish that could be resold for top dollar! While the employee we dealt with was very nice, the owner had no sense of how to treat a customer. Needless to say, our business will be taken elsewhere. read more

If you're looking for fish, they have a lot of them... at least one variety I couldn't find in other stores. There were more than the average number and dead and dying fish in their tanks. I get the impression they deal in volume. The two staff members were cordial and helpful though stretched thin dealing with the crowd. HERE IS MY PROBLEM... I would never take my grandson to this store. The walls are lined with stuffed heads of animals, exotic and domestic, stuffed trophy kills. There was a giraffe, several bison, moose, etc. There were also "small pets" including reptiles, amphibians, and so forth. When walking in through the front door I was almost over-whelmed by the smell. All in all, as far as a good place to get fish? The four I got there are still alive an swimming. Overall, not a good experience. read more

I came into Tom's tropicals today after having a very bad experience with petco. I was looking to purchase a beta fish for a small glass vase that i had and have been interested in starting a salt water aquarium as well. I had a lot of questions that i needed answers to. I spoke with a nice lady ho was more than happy to explain to me the difference between owning a salt water tank and a fresh water tank. She gave me great deatails pertaining to the upkeep of the tanks and the types of fish and wild life i can and cant place into the tanks. I learned a great deal from her and have decided to take my time building the saltwater tank so that i will be an astonishing masterpiece when it is finished. ' I did purchase my beta fish from them, they had a wide range of beautiful and different breeds of the beta that i had never even heard of. I was very impressed with the selection. I ended up purchsing a beautiful shaded blue oscar beta. In the past my father has been a very good customer as well to the store. My dad is an exotic game hunter and has aught a large variety of animals from bears to elk to boars to turkeys. All of the game he has acquired over the years have been stuffed by taxidermy at this location as well. He still has all the animals to this day some of which are 25 plus years old and they still look fantastic. Honestly if you are looking to buy fish reptiles or small birds for yourself this is the place to go. They know their product, they have been around forever and they are not franchised and corporate like petco and petsmart. I truly enjoy coming into this store and will continue to build my salt water tank with them. read more

The store has a sign on the door limiting 10 people at a time and I counted over 25 people in the store. Many customers including the owner do not cover their noses with their mask. I will find a safer store to visit.... read more

Absolutely disgusting conditions for the birds. Filthy water, and overcrowded cage. I asked the woman at the desk about it, and she told me that they were only in there temporarily, and that they clean the cages. I was polite and said that I just thought it seemed a bit small. I was walking around with my boyfriend who has actually been a loyal customer for years, and she decided to come pick a fight with me in front of at least 7 other customers some 10 minutes later. She said "Yeah, I cleaned the water this morning." I said "There's no way. It was filthy." And she continued to argue with me over the conditions. She then told me to "take a look at the mice" ??? "and see that they had food." I told her that this was about the birds in terrible conditions. She just told me that she "knew what she was doing" and that I should leave it alone. She stormed away. I left right after that. Oh yeah, also when I first went in, I talked to one of the younger women and told her that the water needed to be changed and she said "Oh yeah, we've been meaning to do that" So clearly the other woman was lying and made a scene in front of all the other customers for no reason. Needless to say that my boyfriend and I will never be going back. I guess they see birds as nothing more than a money making tool. Extremely sad. read more

Tom's Tropicals - Disgusting water. apparently they "always keep it clean" - Pet Stores Near Me - Nottingham, Maryland

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Used to love this place but today I saw too many aquariums with dead or dying fish. The sick fish included a large Oscar, discus, and smaller fish. Only 2 teens at the register. Obviously no one is taking care of the livestock. Would never buy anything from here until they clean up their act. Check out go fish on rossville Blvd instead read more

Sweet girl was very helpful This used to be the spot for fish. Some idiot decided to sell bunnies, rats and foul smelling rodents. Can't get past the horrible smell to enjoy the fish read more