The Ocean Floor

Great place with a huge selection of tanks, salt water fish and supplies… We hate the far drive but it’s always a great experience when we make the 25 mile trip to i17 and Thomas…

My wife has spent quite a bit of money at this establishment. She has a 75g tank and a 92g bow front that she bought from them. Their knowledge about aquatic life and how to care for your investment is only beat by their customer service. Ted and AJ have come to our home to help my wife set up her tank, and maintain them between cleanings. Since this is a new hobby for my wife, she is still learning the ins and outs of taking care of her tanks. Ted is always in «instructor» mode, teaching her what she needs to know to one day do it all by herself. I would recommend Ocean Floor to anyone who is just starting out with fish and equipment, or for the person who has established tanks and want to replenish their tank family. You will not be disappointed.

I am a long time keeper of both salt water, fresh water, and fresh water planted tanks. I spend a tremendous amount of money on supplies with my 5 large tanks.
I spent an hour shopping in the store with no customer service, with no hello or may I help you from anyone. I have come to this place a few different times over the years hoping for a better experience.
Previous times I have left because of their outrageous prices. One time I cancelled a $ 5000 tank delivery because I found out they sold it to me at a 97% interest rate.
I have a medical condition that forces me to have to pee about every hour. I drive down there today because I got an email about some interesting fish they had on sale and in stock. Their sale prices bring it down to the average cost for those fish. I was willing to spend the money tonight.
After an hour of creating a list worth at least $ 1000 I had to pee. I patiently wait in line at the check out counter to ask. When I finally get a chance to ask, the woman looks me up and down and with an unfriendly unemotional response said no. I understand that this place is in the ghetto, however, I would expect them to realize and make an exception for someone that hasn’t stumbled in from the street.
I drive a 2015 $ 45K Cadillac, my salary is in the high 6 figures and I have a passion for keeping fish. I am well dressed and a valuable customer to a company that is looking to make money. Especially with their very high margin.
But unfortunately I had to leave without buying anything to go across the street to use the restroom.
As I sit here in my car in the Arby’s parking lot. Thanks Arby’s, I will be back. I will not be back to the Ocean Floor ever. Now off on my 45 mile drive back home.
A good reminder to any owner is to teach your employees that you never know who someone is or how much money they are willing to spend.
Isn’t it also illegal not to have a restroom when you are open to the public in Arizona? I don’t know and don’t care. I won’t be back. Good luck on selling your overly priced products.

Very wide selection of fish and reptiles, but many of the tanks are dirty and 70% of my fish died. I had my water tested and it was fine and adjusted them properly when I got them home. Went to another store and none of those fish died so I know it wasn’t my tank.

The staff here is very knowledgeable friendly. I have been going there to get everything to set up my new 150 gallon freshwater aquarium and Neil and Aaron have been exceptionally helpful with every step. Everyone there is friendly and my two boys love going there because it is like a trip to the zoo.

PROS:
They have lots of inventory and hardware in store so you can find pretty much any mainstream pump, heater, fish net, chemical, food, lighting, refugium etc here in store. They cover saltwater fish/​reef/​freshwater/​reptile/​pond. Prices are a little heavy though with mark up so be ready to shell out some dough. They also carry new and used fish tanks and have lots to choose from. Anything else can be ordered. The staff is huge but hit or miss meaning some are just kinda wandering around avoiding people and some are there to truly help. When you consult, some will try to simply sell you a product while a few will inform you on how to proactively fix your issue, typically without the need the spend immediate money.
CONS:
Filth. The store is maintained a little towards the neglected side unfortunately. The tanks have major diatoms issues and some cyano as well. Occasionally you see a dead fish or two floating around which makes you second think your intended purchase and how long that fish has been there. The corals are average they don’t really pop and non jump out as exotic. IMO the coral displays can be better and should be better. Also, I don’t believe they quarantine the fish so I hope you do yourself a favor.
OVERALL:
I would recommend this store simply due to its diversity and easy to reach location. I feel that this store has the potential to really knock it out of the park but they aren’t doing that. It is the biggest store I know of in the state and I think I’ve been to all of them. What I believe they lack is mainly detail to cleanliness not only in the tanks (water chemistry) but also in the store in general. With a few tweaks here and there and some small investments this store would be killer.

Big store, cool to see, but makes for big prices. I stop in about once a year just to see if anything in Saltwater section is a good deal, most of the time I walk out empty handed. Many other shops in town offering the same items at better prices and same knowledge and better customer service.
In my years of attending the shop, I have only been ask if I need help twice.

«Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills… When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.»
Once upon a time, there was a little brat named Joyce W. She had many pets growing up. She owned gorgeous albino rabbits, a colorful parrot which made her very itchy [I think she was allergic to it], jumpy frogs, a cranky crab, and a variety of fishies. Mama W. was a saint and spent most of Joyce W.‘s childhood at home raising her and her two older brothers so they don’t become hooligans. Being that Baba W. was working to support the family of five on one income, Mama W. had to find innovative and cheap ways to entertain the little shits. Enter The Ocean Floor.
«42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.»
A lot of you Unilocalers may live in cool places like Australia and The Hawaiian Islands but here in Arizona, we have The Ocean Floor. The Ocean Floor is a cool little shop with tanks upon tanks of gorgeous fishes, reptiles, and frogs. They even have a neat little koi pond complete with bridge. Baba W. recently got back into fishies and to our surprise, this store is still around. This place has been here forever and I hope it never goes away.
Their fishes are definitely a prettier penny than say Petco but the quality is there. It sounds silly but you can really tell a difference! You won’t find battered fishes with torn fins and tails here. The staff here really care about their flippered friends!
As Squirt the Sea Turtle says, «You rock, dude.»

Omg where do I start. Okay so I’m what they call a regular lol. I’ll start with the staff. Donny is the most amazing superhuman reptile expert point blank period and he knows quite a bit about fish too. He makes my daughter and I feel like family (my daughter 4 years old is absolutely crazy over him) he let’s her pet/​see anything she asks for. He is definitely someone with lots of knowledge I learn something new from him every time I go there. He’s a perfect gentleman and a great friend his amazing personality makes you feel so comfortable with him like you’ve known him for a lifetime. Then we have Stephen, when I first seen him I thought he was so cute lol he’s funny and down to earth and very knowledgeable about reptiles too. Then we have Vince and he is so funny you’ll definitely share a couple of laughs with him, he’s knowledge about reptiles and he’s such a charming person. Then we have Rose she is usually at the reqister and she is such a beautiful person she’s sweet and caring and easy to talk to. And one of the managers Jason is pretty awesome too, he’s not the type of manager to walk around like he owns the place, he’s cool, nice, charming and a great manager. And Ted is like half human and half beard lol he’s usually in the fish expert section but you’ll see him in reptiles every now and then but definitely be prepared to laugh too cause he’s funny as hell. They’re all professional and get their jobs done while enjoying their jobs and being amazing to their customers… Oh and the store is amazing they have great reptiles I bought my male citrus Bearded Dragon Chomper from them. Oh and their aquarium sizes are out of this world amazing and they do customs as big as you’d like. Keep up the great work and thank you for having such amazing employees — Kori C

Ocean floor has taken very good care of me as a customer for years! I decided to fill in my pond and I was able to sell my pond pump and filters for a descent price! I am very pleased. Dan (one of the managers) is the man for your aquatic needs

Best fish store to visit in the valley. Helpful service without being too pushy. Will answer any questions and provide you with accurate advice.
Not the cheapest store in town, but worth the money.

I love this place! They are always so willing to help. I have never had a problem with their fish or customer service. I always learn something new every time

Always tough sledding for Aquarist’s here in the desert. But some searching will lead you some good hole in the wall shops.
The Ocean Floor has the potential to dominate the Phoenix market but falls short in execution. Often times you will see dead and dying fish as well as obviously diseased and injured fish here. Tanks are typically dirty and the staff seems not all that interested in helping the customers.
Prices are HIGH. Yes, its the desert and fish prices are always high at the LFS. But the OF takes it 25−35% higher than normal.
Its a large store with tons of potential. But unfortunately the ownership does not seem to wish to invest time and energy in the business. We have made a couple purchases there that have been positive but usually we are just stopping in to look and remark about the crazy prices and depart.
The last visit we made was especially disturbing as the «show tank» with a few huge Gourami’s, a monster Peacock Bass and RTC was nasty dirty and fish were visibly stressed and diseased or sick.
Its disgraceful to treat any animals in that manner.
A decent fish store would have had taken a couple hours and cleaned up this 400 gallon mess.
But as stated above, I simply think they don’t care.
My advice: If you buy something, quarantine it for two weeks or risk killing your tank with whatever nasty fungus you just purchased.
The only reason to give them 2 stars is that they do have a big store and a large selection of pumps, filters, tanks and lights.

Ocean Floor offers an extensive selection of fish and supplies.
Beautiful tropical fish make this pet shop as fun as an aquarium you’d pay to gain entry to view. Friendly, knowledgeable staff make really make this the number one place to buy fish in the valley.

Sorry, but I have visited a majority of the saltwater aquarium stores in the Valley and this place really is the worst. Their tanks looked poorly maintained and were dirty. A poor octopus was in a brightly lit tank with nothing to hide in but one of those small cheap clear plastic beta fish tanks.
A staff member apporached me and tried to talk me into buying a pair of Harlequin Shrimp, they had about eight pairs. I decided to play dumb and asked what they ate. I was told they ate most any scraps of uneaten meaty foods. In fact they eat live starfish, which is definately not my cup of tea!
You can always wander around and buy a bunny or dog food. But if you want anything saltwater aquarium related I would steer clear of this store.

If I could leave a negative number of stars, I would. Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen it all with this place, but most recently, the obnoxious prices, rude elitist staff and filthy tanks with suffering animals is just too much. $ 500.00 for a poorly marked Ornate Bichir? Are you kidding? Now, that poor fish has been sentenced to death in a tiny tank full of slimy water, all because someone in the store paid out too much for it and would rather see it dead than provide it a home and call it a business lesson learned. The RTC in the tiny tank is an embarrassment to any decent fish keeper. This store stopped caring for animals on any level and only counts lives in dollar signs. Check out the rabbits if you don’t believe me. I will never be back.

It’s becoming harder and harder to find a store that sells a breadth of equipment, aquarium supplies, chemicals, fish, and has knowledgeable sales people. Most PetSmarts and Petcos have fish departments and some, but not all, carry the more popular freshwater fish. But what if you have a question? Sure, they have an 18 year old on hand who can probably help answer questions that you could have just as easily googled but not with the more difficult questions.
I found Ocean Floor years ago and it hasn’t changed much over the years — and that’s a good thing! It’s a well run, local business. You name it, they have it. And, they not only have it, they’ll have a few to choose from. Not sure what to get? Every employee I’ve ever talked to was able to assist and answered questions that I didn’t even think to ask.
I’ve purchased a number of fish from this store and I’ve never had a problem with them in my well maintained 55 gallon aquarium. You’d be wise to sign up for their email newsletter (no, they don’t spam you every day) — they have some pretty good sales on equipment, supplies and fish.
Yes, their prices are a bit higher than the chain stores but how important is it to save a dollar or two and either buy the wrong product or do some serious damage to your aquarium? I have too much invested to take the risk.
Favorite fish quote: «I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.» W. C. Fields

Good knowledgable family biz. Sign up for weekly specials they are good ESP on food

I normally don’t write a lot of reviews unless the place blew my expectations away… So I bought a couple of clown fish from this store a couple months ago. The process of purchasing the fish was fast and simple. I was not pressured to buy additional things at the counter, unlike other fish stores. I was really impressed with this and I would typically give a four star review, but what happen to me yesterday has proven that The Ocean Floor is a five star place.
Last night I had a tank emergency. The PVC ball valve cracked and was leaking a lot of water. My tank is 105 gallons so losing almost a gallon of water every five minutes was freaking me out. So I decided to call a few saltwater fish stores. One store I called advertises that they have «24 hour emergency service» for the Phoenix area. Well that was a lie after talking to them and seeing if they can help me. Plus, I forgot to mention it took about 10 minutes to finally speak with someone.
After that whole ordeal, I figured I would call Ocean Floor since they were the last store open that night. Right off the bat, the guy I spoke to new exactly what was wrong and the parts that I needed to replace the valves. I didn’t have to go through every detail of what happen like I did with the other stores. I was so excited about the news I told him I will be there in 15 minutes. I forgot to ask what his name was over the phone. When I walked up to the front counter and said «I called about a PVC ball valve» the lady knew exactly what I was talking about called an expert over to help me out with instructions.
Finally, I got home with two new PVC ball valves to be on the safe side. Oh, and did I mention before that only one valve was cracked??? This is because The Ocean Floor guy was so confident in his knowledge it made me more confident to just replace both valves. Now my fish are safe and happy in there home.
Ocean Floor you guys blew my expectations away and you have a loyal customer for life! I’ll try to post pictures of the tank and the new set up for you guys
Thanks again :-D
Daryl G.

Knowledgeable and helpful staff.
HUGE facility with everything you could want by way of aquarium (saltwater and/​or freshwater) equipment and supplies, as well as a huge selection of fish.
Also a decent reptile section.
The Fantastic Mr. It’s Complicated has a couple huge aquariums. The freshwater is set up and has had some fishes for years. The saltwater is notably bigger — and not currently set up. He wanted some new fishes and some plants for the freshwater tank, and this is his store of choice.
He chose plants and a couple Baal sharks, and suggested I pick a fish I liked. I don’t know much about fish, but really liked the shape and grace of the black angelfish, so he got one for me.
Looking forward to years of fun and lots of leaning about aquariums — and happy to know Ocean Floor is nearby for all the fishy needs we may have.