Aquarium Adventure Superstore

I’m amazed that this place is still open, I’ve been to quite a few fish stores and this one is by far the most expensive store I’ve been to, and for no good reason. Low end Coral for above premium prices. Poor quality live rock for $ 10 a pound? They spend too much money on extravagant displays and then mark up their prices to an insulting level. Don’t get me wrong they have some nice tanks setup, but that’s as far as my compliment can go. Their staff is not very knowledgeable either. Mislabeled coral and sick fish, I’ll never recommend anyone one shop there. It’s a shame this place has great potential yet no business sense.

With all due respect to certain employees, who seem knowledgeable, and the incredibly impressive displays and selection of fish (Amazonian manta ray? Wow.), I cannot accept the manner in which I was treated by management.
As the sole day-​to-​day proprietor of a business, I closed shop to buy a filter and opted to go out of my way to solicit the expert advice of the Aquarium Adventure staff. I also bought a top to an aquarium, guessing as to its size (I guessed wrong). Because I completed the purchases separately, though on the same day, I returned the incorrect aquarium top only to find that I’d brought the wrong receipt – the one for the filter.
Everyone, from the manager on down, remembered me and remembered both purchases. We’d discussed them. The aquarium top had never been removed from its container. When I produced the wrong receipt, I apologized and explained I’d grabbed the wrong one and we had a little chuckle. No problem, says the employee, «what’s your fish rewards number?» (or whatever they call it.) I told him I don’t belong to the rewards thing. Manager comes over and tells me, «well there’s no way to track it. Sorry. Come back with the receipt.»
Things escalated a bit when I told him that there’s nothing to track. He’s got his inventory and all I want is a bigger aquarium top. Just let me pay the difference. Nope, no deal. Regulations. Sure. Pet Supplies Plus treats me like a king and I spend a ton of money there, so I’m done with this store, and it’s all on the manager. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees.
And Pet Supplies Plus knows their stuff, too. I highly recommend them. No need to buy an Amazonian manta ray in my case. Just want decent customer service. The ONLY thing I’ll miss is the live brine shrimp. I suspect I’ll find some other vendor for that.
P. S., I left the damn incorrect aquarium top and bought the correct one elsewhere. I don’t have time for these shenanigans. The manager was incensed. I mean, after all, how will he acccount for this? Probably extra paperwork.

Overall, good experience… staff was very helpful and attentive as soon as we walked in the door. The prices were high on some of the fish but others were right on point with other stores, same with décor, etc. I was able to get 25 good size ghost shrimp for under 5.00 which was a steal compared to other stores. If I’m ever in Columbus again, I’ll def stop back in.

I go back and forth about this business. The selection of fish here is almost always impressive. The staff, while usually friendly, is not always knowledgeable. My last visit it took over thirty minutes to track down an employee for service, while my four year old son grew restless. They’re generally very overpriced, so it’s in your best interest to sign up for their mailing list and wait for their 40 and 50% off fish sales. I do maintain a membership with them, which costs initially, but each time I’ve renewed it, it’s paid for itself the same day.
My biggest peeve is the temperature they maintain in the store. I understand they try to keep a warmer climate for the fish, but it gets downright uncomfortable in there if you browse for more than ten minutes.
The huge upside: their fish geek wall. I could spend all of my money on the fish they often stock on the geek wall, partly because I love cool, oddball fish, but in part because that wall, while excellent, is also grossly overpriced.
I’ve been to better fish retailers, but considering the scarcity of them in SW Ohio, Aquarium Adventures gets reasonably high marks from me because of the lack of other retailers here.

I have been a customer here for over a decade, and this last visit was like being in a twilight zone. I have been able to purchase many items at competitive prices for years, but the new manager doesn’t seem to understand the concept of capitalism.
For instance, I used to buy 10 empty shells for $ 1, in sizes from .5″-2″, for use by my hermit crabs. This was the price for YEARS. They are now attempting to sell these shells for $ 1.99 each! Hahahaha, seriously? I can buy a bag of 20 online for $ 2, with free shipping!
The manager tried to tell me the new price is due to the shells being polished, but the shells I picked out of the tank were dingy, UNPOLISHED, used shells they pulled from one of their fish tanks. I offered to buy a handful that had chipped edges for the original price of 10/​$ 1, but the rude manager talked over me in a monotone voice, with a dead face. He is delusional and those shells will sit in that tank indefinitely! No one will ever pay that price! Hahahaha.
If that’s the type of hassle they give for an inexpensive item, I can’t imagine the headache dealing with an issue about something substantial. I’ll spend my money somewhere else, where the proprietor understands the concept of competitive (read: REALISTIC) pricing!

I have mixed feelings about Aquarium Adventure. I’ve bought several things from them, fish included. I’ll start with my positive feelings.
Pros:
Huge selection of, well, everything. Best selection you’ll find in Columbus, hands down.
Staff are, in general, knowledgable
Fish are well taken care of, healthy.
Cons:
Fish and other aquarium dwellers are way too expensive. Last time I was there assassin snails were $ 10 each! I went to Jack’s Pets and got 4 assassin snails for about the same price. I’ve seen single neon tetras going for $ 6 each. Unless you’re looking for something a bit more exotic I’d go elsewhere.
Some staff members aren’t very personable.

Absolutely love this place! They have a beautiful supply of fish and the tasks are always so clan in there. The customer service that I have encountered has always been very knowledgeable and kind. My most recent purchase from them was a beautiful betta fish and two small frogs (that I want planning on buying). It’s a nice stop if your in the area and your wanting to check things out and window shop. Highly recommend

We bought an aquarium and the sales guy sold us what we later discovered was the wrong sized filter. When my husband went to change the filter about 6 weeks later, he realized he had been sold the wrong size. He grabbed what he thought was the correct receipt on the way out the door. Turns out it was a receipt for rocks and plants that we bought later on, after the initial purchase. The sales people at the store told my husband the store policy is no returns of any kind without a receipt. My husband suggested they give him a store credit instead of a refund, but they would not. My husband asked for the manager but he wouldn’t budge on this. As my husband said «you are choosing to not help a customer out?» And the manager just kept saying «I can’t». My husband tried writing corporate but did not get a response. We will never go back.

The employees were all standing around bored to death… A group of male employees were all huddled around ‘cleaning’ in one area and didn’t bother to move for me when they were very clearly not doing anything. 1 added star for the ONE guy who asked me if I needed any help. So many poor fish looked ill… Also didn’t like the fact that they were advertising betta/​Siamese fighting fish in tiny bowls for sale *as a kit*, promoting the cruelty of keeping these poor fish in such sad conditions… Even petsmart and petco let you know their little plastic cups are temporary housing! Not surprised they are owned by Petland… ugh… Support a small company that knows about, and *loves* fish!

Was in the store last week with my son and although they have a lot of products their customer service is really lacking. We were in the store for over 20 minutes and not one person asked if they could help even though one made eye contact with us several times. As they say a store has 10 seconds when a customer walks in to make an impression. Our impression is that we won’t be buying from them and will go elsewhere.

Very nice displays and great selection.
The prices are WAAAAYYYYY to high. I’m not one to come down on businesses about prices, but it’s ridiculous. The only time I shop there is when a 40% or more sale goes on which brings their prices to normal!
Also, I have been steered wrong several times. I got two ocellaris clownfish and asked what anemone they would host, I was steered towards a bubble tip… After months of them not having anything to do with it I researched and found it’s the carpet anemone that they’ll host and they’ll rarely host a bubble tip!
The worst misguidance I received was a while back when I got a large hermit crab. I specifically asked if it would harm my feather dusters and the employee said «no»…well…it ate my feather dusters within days!!! I took him back and told the manager who said that there was no way one of his employees would have said that the crab wouldn’t harm my dusters… so the guy pretty much called me a liar… hasn’t he heard the phrase «the customer is always right»? He did exchange the crab for something else, but my feather dusters were a loss. I guess thats better than nothing…
So, inexperienced staff & high prices are my complaints.

Make sure you don’t ever have to take anything back because it will be a nightmare if you do:). Also do not buy water from them, I bought 25 gallons from them 10 of the gallons the salinity measured high off the scale and the other 15 was low out of the safe zone. It also had a bunch of black stuff in the bottom of every bucket.
They did replace the water when I brought it back for free however said I could not get a refund until I came back another day when the manager was there. when I came back to speak with the manager he said he can do nothing without a receipt. After much discussion he said that he would give me a discount on the rock that I was purchasing. The manager may be a nerd and know some good stuff about fish however not a good businessman! Also about a year ago I purchased a heater for my tank, but the heater does not work when I took it back they would not refund me the money because the manager wasn’t there and I had to come back I came back three other times never finding the manager there. I still have the faulty heater:)
I’m going to give them a two star because they have a dang good selection of stuff in the store.

A unique store that is dedicated to the aquarium hobbyist. I have not found a local store that is solely dedicated to both fresh and saltwater aquarium needs. Ample parking available. Prices are competitive to a little above average. However, they offer a Fish Club membership, with either an annual or lifetime option. If you are a long-​time fish hobbyist, you really should consider the lifetime option. The lifetime option $ 24.99.
If there is such a thing as a full service Aquarium store, this would be the flagship. They offer both fresh and marine livestock as well as a good selection of aquarium supplies. They also offer pond supplies and professional aquarium services. You can find all things here a fish hobbyist would need.
I have been a fish hobbyist for most of my life. One learns to check out how healthy the livestock is before buying any new ones. Take a critical eye to any new fish you buy, including here. This will be true any where, but I have walked out of the store because their current stock was not always in top shape. Even though there are policies for returning fish, you are better off to walk away.
Service has been mixed. I always seem to be greeted at some point during a visit to see if I need assistance with any thing. For the most part, staff are normally pretty friendly and helpful. They do have folks who specialize in certain areas (i.e. fresh, marine, pond, etc.). Ask for that expertise, if you are unsure, (not all staff knowledge is equal).
If your neighborhood pet store does not have what you are looking for, you will want check out this store!

Knowledgeable a bout what you need and staff is helpful prior to your purchase. However once you buy good luck!
I purchased a new aquarium with all need accesoryies spent well over a grand. I got the system home set it up had a problem within 5 days with the protean skimmer and they told me I had to work with the manufacture to date I have recived any help from them or Aquatop (manufacture of the skimmer).
I found Gerbers in Dayton is far more helpful and just as knowlegeable and they sold me a new skimmer and helped me confirm it would work properly.

Here for 20 min. 10 + employees standing around. One of which seems to be a manager (he was the one talking angrily to the rest). We had one person come up to us right when we got here, but he got pulled away from us– mid sentence. Now we are in the situation we are in. Too bad for them, we were going to spend some money. Worst customer service I have had in a long, long time!!!

I have gone into this location several times and have had no luck getting help from anyone that works there (even during off peak times). Once I finally got someone to help me, the information provided to me was not accurate (1.71 watts per gallon is not enough for a heavily planted system with direct-​injection CO2 and freshwater plants do better under 6700K not 10,000K).
This place is a waste of time.

This is my first time coming here n its really amaze me on how many fresh n saltwater fish they have. the price is fair

I used to really like this business. They still have an amazing selection of products and fish to choose from. Actually, this is the largest fish and aquarium store i’ve ever been too. It’s great just to shop all the tanks — they have both fresh and salt water. They have many show tanks and many species that you may have never seen before. This store is also great for kids since there are soooo many tanks, it’s like a zoo.
Then why did I rate them so low? A 2 you ask??? Well my friends, they have jacked their prices up to stooooopid levels. I was looking for some water plants for my pond. They are selling for inch pots for $ 19.99? They are selling the nicer water lilies for $ 69.99??? What the hell talk about robbery! Even their fish prices are way way to high. I asked one of the team members and I was told the price is the price. When I told her that I was from Lancaster Ohio and we have a pond supply store there (Living Waters) and their prices are better by more than half of what they are selling their products for, she turned and walked away. I’m not impressed any more Aquarium Adventure — and VERY VERY disappointed.

This is the Best place in town to go! Staff are very friendly and very knowledgable!!! I’ve never had any problem with any of my fish! If you have a problem with your water or types of fish they are more than happy to help! This is the only place I get my fish from!

I’d shop for aquarium goods and fish here before any other pet store around, trust me. The prices for fish are more costly, but they’re well kept and the staff is superbly knowledgeable. As far as aquarium stores go, I’ve yet to find another that could even hold a flame. This place is awesome to visit even if you’re not into the hobby. Best selection of fresh and salt water fish, aquariums, aquatic plants, accessories, and everything else aquarium related. They really strive to be better than any other aquarium store and I think have met that expectation. My only gripe is sometimes the floors are being mopped while you’re in there. The membership is also definitely worth checking out if you’re an active aquarist.