Albany Aquarium

Pretty top notch service from Evan, and everyone else here. I started a 30G freshwater tank from scratch, and went into Albany Aquarium to not only learn about the process, but purchase what was required.
I briefly told Evan the kind of tank I wanted (heavily planted, freshwater) and he was pulling out all kinds of products, substrate, and plants. We discussed layout, as well as what kind of fish I would eventually be putting in. I anxiously went home to put everything together, and start cycling the tank.
Fast forward a couple weeks, I want more plants and have read up on how to cycle a tank. I purchase ~$ 75 in plants, all of which are explained thoroughly. I chose to get some carpeting, a few background plants, as well as a few products to help them all grow. Everything came with the highest regards, but were tailored to my relatively new abilities for starting a fish tank.
They have a really solid selection of plants, tanks, features, you name it! The staff is quite knowledgeable, and they have a nice selection of fish for both fresh and saltwater environments.
If you are unsure about something, or plan on setting up a tank of your own, I absolutely recommend swinging by Albany Aquarium.

Fantastic, friendly with outstanding inventory of fish and plants. Set up my first planted aquarium with plants and fish and advice from this store and I couldn’t be happier.

I have a 10 gallon low tech planted tank and this is my go to place to get freshwater plants. They have a great selection and the owner/​manager is very knowledgeable. The staff there are all friendly and helpful. When you are ready to be helped, just remember to sign in up front and someone will come find you. The fish here are pricier than its competitors but its worth the premium because they have healthy fish that are properly cared for.

I went here this weekend to get my VERY first planet aquarium tank. Hector was awesome. Explained things even though there were a hundred people around asking a million questions. He was patient with us, I did not feel rushed or pushed into buying more than I needed. He said I could always come back for things that I want to change or upgrade. I went with a kit by Fluval and when I got it home planting the plants THEMSELVES were difficult for me but I will keep with it and as I do I will be coming here again and again. The knowledge he shared and the patience was worth it. I did not think their prices were outrageous. I am a firm believer you get what you pay for. He made a customer for life.

I came here some four years ago because I wanted a small 20 gallon fish tank with a few tetras. Now I have an over four foot long saltwater show tank, a smaller saltwater secondary tank, and the freshwater tank I bought over four years ago. I still come here often for supplies, new fish, and helpful advice. Overall, I would especially recommend for beginners, but this store is helpful for everyone that has gotten into the hobby of fish keeping.
Shoutout to Evan for helping me since I first got into the hobby. My angler fish is now eating frozen!

If you are looking to do a little aquascaping and are not as much concerned with beautiful fish but instead setting up a beautiful tank then this is the place. They have a huge assortment of aquatic plants that trumps their fish assortment. They have a pretty simple assortment of fresh water fish and shrimp, but I absolutely love there plants. Trust me when I say a planted aquarium is the way to go and they are experts in that regard.
I can’t speak on there salt water assortment but it seems pretty robust.

Super helpful and patient explaining carefully all that was involved so that I could walk out with my two girls and be able to take good care of our new fish. The quality of the fish is great, super healthy and strong. Best place with extremely knowledgeable.

Looks can be deceiving. This store is not impressive the first time you walk in.
It has it’s quirks. But, the customer service is outstanding and that is something few local
fish stores (LFS) can claim.
The interior is a mess. It is is in dire need of a remodel.
If you want service the best thing to do is sign in on the list at the counter. Otherwise you might be ignored for a while. It took me a few visits to figure this out.
Before I set up my saltwater aquarium I visited almost every LFS in the bay area. Yep, 14 stores. This hobby like many others has been dramatically impacted by the internet. You can buy anything for an aquarium online. Including fish, corals etc. The average hobbyist goes to the LFS when they need help or customer service. Someone to «hold their hand». Before I set up my saltwater aquarium I visited almost every LFS in the bay area. Yep, 14 stores. Some are huge and impressive but the employees can be high school kids that might (?) know something or just ignore you while they are on their iphone. Others are knowledgeable but will try to sell you equipment or fish you do not need.
Albany Aquarium does not do this. I have seen them help people with a sick fish or bad water parameters. I have seen Evan explain every single detail a beginner needs to get started. I have even seen him explain SW fish care to a child in a very clear simple manner.
He did not have to do it. He could of just let the girl’s father do it but he took the time because he cared about her and the fish. Another thing that sets these guys apart is their care for their livestock. Someone is always cleaning, feeding and maintaining the tanks. Not all LFS are diligent about this. Their speciality is fresh water fish and plants. But I have bought all of my
SW fish from them because I know they quarantine all their fish.
Check them out sometime. Just look past the interior and give their staff a chance.

Awesome and inviting shop! Recently relocated my nano reef to the area and this is my new LFS.
Shop employees were helpful and friendly — I was not brushed off when asking basic questions.
Picked up healthy livestock at a fair price.
Shout out to Patrick for taking the time to ask me about my personal tank setup (from filtration to coral types) as I was browsing. Tons of insightful recommendations and even names of other shops to check out around the Bay.

This is the best place to buy live fish for your aquarium! They are also great for knowledge and variety of live aquatic plants. They have a great knowledge and variety of fresh water fish, I have had fresh water fish tanks for over fifteen years and have never had any problems with the fish I got from Albany Aquarium. I can’t say much about the salt water because I don’t have a salt water tank but talking to them about it they are only buying fish from breeders that sounds sensible.

Just visited today and had such a great experience. I live in Marin and had a hard time deciding if I wanted to head over to the East Bay on the weekend; very glad we did.
My family had just purchased a 5 gallon Fluval tank and had nothing else for it. We went to get what we needed to start it up and, I believe it was the owner, was very patient with me while I made decisions on plants, gravel, etc. (while my two kids 6 ½ & 8) were roaming around too. Got helpful information on how to treat and maintain my water and we will be heading back to get our fish in a couple of days.
I read lots of reviews on the place and some mentioned pricing. Not sure yet about the fish, but everything else I got was very reasonable. I compared to Amazon when I got home. Even if I had found it be a tad higher, the trade off for me is having someone so knowledgeable providing advice and pointing me in the right direction.

Definitely one of my least favorite LFS.
I drove 30 mins on my day off to check out this store. Based on the reviews I thought ok cool it will be worth it.
Let’s start with staff. Walk in and I guess they must be color blind cause no acknowledgement. Even after I asked for help they claimed to be helping someone else (who came in 5 mins after me)
Second thing is selection … I think petsmart had a better selection. Basic freshwater fish for sale nothing special, I felt like petco has a better selection.
I can name a few more things but I don’t want to knit pick. Overall wasn’t impressed it was a waste of time for me. Only good thing was there is another LFS maybe a mile up that was really nice. Wouldn’t of found it if I didn’t visit this place first.

Very nice aquarium store, reminds me of being a kid. prices a little steep but worth it, but their fish are second to none. Never a sick one in their tanks and I’ve always has very good results when I listen to their solid advice. Will go again. KJ

My first Unilocal review, but I often rely on reviews… at least directionally (you can’t put all faith in reviews). But I hope to post more reviews in the future. A pseudo New Years resolution. But I should be contributing to the community.
Went to Albany Aquarium yesterday after visiting pretty much every other fish store in the immediate Bay Area and I have to say, the fish they had looked fantastic. Beautiful color, clean tanks, healthy behavior, etc. I think the initial impression throws you off b/​c it appears to be a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but when you actually start looking at specimens, they rival anything I’ve seen at many other well known shops. I’m a long time aquatic hobbyist but had to shut down my tanks a few years ago due to outside circumstances. That being said, I’m currently cycling a new 55 gallon freshwater tank and cant wait to get back to AA to get my fish. Great store, great selection and great quality (speaking strictly to the freshwater) and believe me, I’ve looked around. Shop with confidence!

I wanted a pet betta in my life, because they’re so smart and curious and I enjoy keeping aquariums, but I didn’t want to support any business that just sells animals without taking excellent care of them first or without educating their future home with care. It was very important to me that the animals be treated well and steps be taken to ensure that the pet’s future home was suitable. I almost just waited till I could adopt a discarded betta, but then I went here. The fella (Evan?) that helped me talked to me alot about the needs of my new friend and wrote me out a prescription for how much fertilizer stuff to use for my aquatic plants. Evan told me I could call with any problems and made sure to check that I understood what my fish needed. My new betta looked and acted super healthy, and when I got him home he built a bubble nest in the first 2 days. That’s a sign of a healthy and happy betta!

Full disclosure, I’m at Albany Aquarium almost every weekend. I started out as a newbie for my 5-​year-​old and really got into it as hobby for myself. The great healthy fish selection, plants, and tanks makes this place top notch. Best part is the knowledgeable and patient staff. I have purchased my main tank, base plants, and most of my fish here. At any level of your interest, you’ll be well taken cared of Albany Aquarium!

I love my aquarium! As a newbie I came in looking for equipment to finish kitting out my son’s tank that I’d ordered online for his Christmas present. I really didn’t know what I was doing.
I got excellent and swift advice on what I still needed and how to get it up and running. I started with three gorgeous sunset guppies and live plants. After my tank cycled I got a frog and the coolest looking loach. All the fish are awesome looking, strong and healthy. Our whole family loves our little tank!

We decided to buy our little fish from Albany Aquarium. We found that the fish from Petco wouldn’t last long in our tank and didn’t want to risk losing our other fish.
We bought quite a few little guppies and a frog. They are super active in the tank and quite happy. We’ve had these guys for a few months now and couldn’t be happier. Frankie the frog is one happy dude.
Sometimes you need to spend a little more to get fish that are not sick or don’t adjust well to your tank. I find that the smaller places have better practices and that helps with the health and longevity of your fishy friends.

Super nice staff great fish selection. They’re always available for questions about your tank and fish. They really care! They’ll even help you re-​home your fish if you’re moving out of town and ant take them with you. :)
It s always fun to just go in there and see what they have too.

For the aquascaping hobbiest, this is the place for you!!! So, honestly, this is for the plants and freshwater, not saltwater.
So, I meet the manager (probably owner), Evan. From the questions I had regarding my plants, this guy really knows his stuff. I’ve asked him certain things that are wrong with my own aquariums as well, and he seems to know the answer.
They carry various plants other than your strong and healthy anubius’, swords, and java ferns. They also carry the non-​petsmart ones like staurogyne repens, hydrophilias, various crypts (reds and tropica), lilaeopsis brasiliensis, japonicas, limnophilias, and crinum calamistratum.
Plant prices from about $ 2.99 — 29.99, depends on type. Some «3 for» deals. Can be kinda pricey, but it beats the drive to Aqua Forrest in J-​town.
Various community fish as well.