Vallejo Aquarium

I have been going to this place approximately 2 years now and have purchased most of my saltwater fish and equipment for my tank. The staff and the owner are well knowledgeable and friendly. They have most of the equipment you will need for your aquarium. This is my go to place for aquarium.
However, when my protein skimmer died on me so I immediately contacted the owner and expressed my concern about my skimmer. He offered me a protein skimmer that is supposedly one of the best if not the best skimmer he ever used. Mind you, most of their supplies are old and just collecting dust. He claims that he uses it at home and at his store. Thus, I was excited and purchased the damn skimmer. He even offered 10% discount which he normally does. I asked few questions if it doesn’t work well for my tank and he affirmed that if it doesn’t meet my standards to return it «within a week». Again, he assures me that I will not be disappointed and I will love it. I installed the equipment and seems to be working just fine like what I expected. But then everyday I have to maintain the bubble level of the skimmer. We all know that the water evaporates every single day. The protein skimmer’s water pump is installed almost half way through the skimmer. Therefore, when the water evaporates the skimmer will not work as good as when you just installed. Had I known this in the beginning I would have never bought the skimmer. My old skimmer’s pump seats in bottom of the skimmer which you don’t have to worry about water evaporation and no need to adjust the bubble levels. After 5 days of purchase I immediately called and expressed myself and asked if I can return the item. The owner said he can’t accept it cuz it’s been used. I completely understand that but what we have agreed on prior to purchasing the item is I can return it within a week. Specially if I’m not satisfied. Well I’m not satisfied so therefore I should be allowed to return the item. Needless to say, I am very disappointed. A promise is a promise and as a owner of the store should always commit to what he offered to his loyal customers. I hate to say this but I will never be coming back to this place. I understand using the ability of sales talk but don’t commit to what was offered in the beginning and turned around refused what was agreed upon.

The workers are so knowledgable about fish keeping. Always willing to give advice and never urge you to purchase something you don’t need. And one of the perks is how they handle their stock they always do their best to keep their tanks clean and ich free! Unlike, well dont want to call them out but pet shoppe on springs rd who have murky orange water with algae filled tanks!

Amazing stock, store, and people. Can’t thank them enough for all the help they’ve given me! I always used to go to the local petco, but after converting to saltwater I wanted help from people with knowledge. Hung knows all that can be. They never force you to buy a fish or product or try to convince you. They always remind you patience is key when fish keeping! I’ve gotten a Yellow Tang and 2 Clownfish and they’re happy and healthy. I would truly recommend coming here just to look at the beauty of fish or if your an aquarist Freshwater or Saltwater the store does it all! They truly value customers.

By far my favorite fish store in the bay area. They have a wide variety of marine and tropical fish. The customer service they provide is excellent and they are all very knowledgeable. The white guy is extremely helpful

many times that me and my gf visited this place and they never fail to satisfy us with some warm greetings and very informative info’s about any questions regarding our fishes. They have pretty much reasonable prices and good looking healthy tropical and salt water fishes. We keep going back to this place tho!

GREAT place for beginners in this hobby! They aren’t here to rip you off! Great service and knowledgeable staff! Glad this gem is in my own backyard!

AWESOME! I just found this place online and in town today so I went down with questions about issues with my outdoor pond. Hung (owner?) was extremely helpful without pressuring. He was very forthcoming with his knowledge and suggestions. I am sure I will be back many many times as my little pond world expands.

Hidden gem! This place was sitting right under my nose all this time –who knew?! I stumbled upon this business while hunting for new fish for my sisters aquarium. When you walk on the staff is very welcoming, informative, and eager to assist. The fish stock is massive, healthy, and they have tons of rare hard to find freshwater fish. I love the younger generation vibe of this place. Also, they care large canister filters, and large lighting equipment that you’d otherwise have to buy online.
Wish I had known about this place while stocking my tanks, nonetheless this is my new favorite aquarium store!

Great aquarium store. Great customer service. Great selection. This is my new go to store even though I live in Oakley it’s worth the drive.

Great place and great prices! Please don’t dog this place because there are a few dead fish… Have you ever been to a fish store where there wasn’t at least ONE dead fish? Knowledgeable staff, friendly and fair. Shop here it’s awesome for all your fish needs!

Looking for a good reliable fish store? Look no further! Unlike other fish stores like petco and petsmart, the staff are much more knowledgable, professional, and on top of that, very kind. This shop has some good deals on fish that you would see being sold for double at a franchise store. Many different choices of fish from salt water to freshwater. Merchandise like drift wood, lights, filters, medications, etc. are all available at a really low cost. Definitely the only fish place I’ll be shopping at in Vallejo.

Every time I go in here I always have a great experience. The staff is always nice, helpful, and never minds when I ask stupid questions.
They have a great selection of fish and good prices. I make the 25 min drive and bridge toll to get all my fish stuff here because of the reasons stated above.

I visited Vallejo Aquarium today. The first time. The owner Hung (I hope I spelled that right) was emptying boxes of fish from his morning shipmemt. He let me in to look around before he actually opened.
I was there as some of my Cichlids have Sunken belly and he was very helpful in picking out the right medications.
Two words, «Wow & «Wow». An absolute amazing selection of fish, some I’ve never seen or even heard of. He specializes in African Cichlids. The place is clean, fish tanks immaculate, and the fish looked very healthy.
He had received a shipment that morning of some amazing Africans, Haps & Peacocks, and I wanted to buy a few. He told me to wait a few days, make sure everyone is ok, no ich, no other issues and then he’d sell me the fish. Blew me away. None of his fish are juiced. Some had great color, some did not,.most likely do to stress and shipping. However, one of the most friendly shops I’ve every visited. I will be back. soon, very soon.
Thank you. If you have not been there it’s a must for any hobbiest and worth the drive.

Place is not the Steinhart by any means… but has a good selection of fishes and knowledgable staff to help.

Been going here for years, always great customer service from all the employees, prices are the best in the area, they have a large selection for your salt or freshwater fish needs. They have a lot of equipment brands in stock and can easily order what ever you need.
The owner is very knowledgable and goes out of his way to help take care of you.

This is the only place that I get my fish from. Thuy have excellent customer service. The owner is a really nice and friendly guy. The selection of fish is incredible. Always has healthy fish. Has rare species that you can’t find at Petco. The cichlid selection is huge. From small rams, to dovii there is always an abundance of cichlids. The workers have good knowledge of fish. They also have a very impressive collection of wood for sale. Thier driftwood is very nice. There is also a very good selection of plants. And in the back, there are tanks for sale ranging in sizes from 5 to 180 gallons. Their is a good selection if food that the employees will inform you about. They have a good selection of aquarium hardware (filters, heaters, air pumps, etc). The store has a nice collection of show tanks with two huge tanks that I would estimate are 800 gallons each. They also have a planted tank near the entrance with very nice fish, and a 180 gallon African cichlid tank near the back. I will conclude by saying this is the best place to by fish in the northeast bay. Whether you are starting up a new tank or adding fish to an established tabk, I highly recommend you come pay a visit to the Vallejo aquarium!

I saw some really good reviews of this store so I decided to pay a visit. As soon as I walked in the door i was welcomed with friendliness, but that quickly turned to disappointment. As I browsed the saltwater fish, the 3 employees seemed more interested in goofing off than taking care of their aquariums. In one tank a beautiful blue tang was laying lifeless at the bottom of the tank. As i continued to browse, two clownfish also lay at the bottom of the tank, and one of them was being devoured by other fish. Another tank had a decaying cardinal fish stuck to the filtration while a tank was floating upside down and breathing heavily. The tank below it had brown gunk, and was very grotesque.
Not sure I can go back when Albany Aquarium and Tropical Fish Store (both in El Cerrito) have well kept healthy fish in their tanks and the owners are concerned about keeping the fish healthy!

I love this aquarium… probably one of the best in the bay area! They definitely specialize in cichlids but overall have a great selection of fresh and salt water fish! The prices are pretty fair and the tanks are pretty clean! One of the workers told me they get new shipment of fish on Wednesdays so that is probably a good day to see a new selection. Their «deals» are usually a purchase of 2 or more for the discount. Highly recommended!

For all you african cichlids lovers this is by far the best location with the most variety I have found so far. My 100 gal truvu is looking awesome with all my haps/​peacocks and so fourth. I’ve traveled to many shops but I don’t want to name them. way out towards Daly City, Antioch, Concord and Pinole but nothing comes close to this aquarium.

I wanted to take the time to complement the Vallejo Aquarium for its Friendly and knowledgeable staff.
I’ve personally have spent well over $ 3-​$ 4000 in the past three years of being with them. From 210 gallon fish tanks to the basic 20 gallon, 75 gallon tanks, canister, filters, heaters etc. They carrie some of the top products in the aquarium hobbyist world at affordable prices. As well a great fish selection & healthy fish foods.
I personally traveled all across the bay area in search of a honest Aquarium store. With good product and fish selection. After three years I can honestly say from my personal opinion and experience that Vallejo Aquarium will continue having my business.
For those taking the time to Unilocal and in search of an honest aquarium store I would most definitely recommend Vallejo Aquarium.
It takes a lot of time and money as well as research to establish a healthy fish tank with the great selection of fish. Vallejo Aquarium has made that happen for me.
Special thanks to the owner Hung and his friendly knowledgeable staff.
Thank you