Big Fish Little Fish

I’ve visited this store a year or so ago and it was dingy indeed. I decided to give it another try and I must say I was pleasantly surprised: the store was clean and didn’t smell at all. The fish selection was great and prices are right. Yes, some of the tanks were not clean but that didn’t bother me as long the fish are healthy.

Yeah, it’s quirky, but, A, Somerville, B, fish quality of life.
This is a place to shop for live fish and core fish supplies. I can’t comment on the other pets there, I never really looked closely. It’s not fluorescent lights and sterilized fish tanks — it’s dark in the fish tank area (some fish are sensitive to light, and healthy tanks will grow algae in lots of light) and some of the tanks have algae (because they are healthy and capable of supporting life) but it’s the best place to buy a pet fish around. Yes, the place has a smell — because animals and living things HAVE A SMELL. It’s not a bad smell, it’s more like, grass. Sensibly priced fish and large variety. My only wish is that the prices on the fish tanks were easier to read, sometimes they’re wiped off or unclear.
It’s a small, real business that takes very good care of its fish — just compare the Bettas here to the ones at Petco.
Cash only for purchases under $ 10.

I’ve purchased multiple fish and inverts from here and all of the livestock has been hardy and hale. Since moving back north of the city this has become my go to location for aquarium supplies. The shop’s owner Armand has been quite helpful in getting a couple of my older tank members diagnosed and restored to good health when they were sick.

I don’t understand the positive reviews here. This place is repulsive. Yes, they have a good selection of supplies, but the animals are kept in terrible conditions. I saw cages with mice that had NO WATER! They had flies swarming inside and around the cages. When I told the man working there that the animals needed water he filled a little bottle with dirty looking water from an open bucket stored near a dirty bird cage. The bird cages were the worst. The birds had to perch on their own feces since it was clear their cages were never cleaned for them. This place is cruel and abusive! The people who say that it is OK for a pet store to be in this condition don’t know what they are talking about. I spent my youth in a small local pet shop that was always well kept. Shit this place down!

Not good for cats and dogs

I was really hoping for a nice, locally-​owned pet store but was sorely disappointed in Big Fish Little Fish. The fish tanks were all in dire need of cleaning. The water in the turtle tank was OPAQUE BROWN. It doesn’t take an expert to see that that’s wrong. The rodent cages were much too small for the number of animals and there was about as much poop as there was bedding. Perhaps saddest of all was this red and blue parrot (not the big red macaw) who looked so sick and miserable. He weakly cawed when I came near him and I just felt so helpless. It was very sad. The man working, I assume the owner, was just sitting behind the counter doing nothing when I walked in. I wanted to scream at him at why wasn’t he cleaning all these poor animals’ enclosures but I didn’t have it in me. I definitely won’t be going back.

Eh… I first went here because someone from a Petsmart recommended it when I shared my love for birds. She told me they had a macaw that is their mascot, and I would love it.
When we got there the owner, I am assuming, sitting at the counter right by the door, didn’t even greet us as we entered because he was too busy reading whatever magazine he had in his lap. We walked around the rather small store, and it turns out, the store had a very poor selection of fish, in very poorly maintained tanks. I did, however, go back because he told me that he had some discus that were going to be arriving, and when I got there to see the discus, they all had ich and the owner grabbed aquarium salt and just threw some in the tank (anybody that has kept even a small fish tank long enough should know that when you had salt to a tank, it should be dissolved prior in a glass or bucket of the water from the tank).
As I was still interested in the discus, I asked him if I could give him my number and if he could call and let me know when the discus would be good to go. He gave me a dumbfounded look almost like he didn’t know what a phone number was, and you can bet I never got a phone call from him.
On top of the poor tanks, and the somewhat unprofessional staff, the rest of the store was poorly maintained and was quite dirty. I felt bad for the birds that looked stacked up wherever he had room for them, and the dirty looking rodent cages just shoved in the back corner only half way taken care of weren’t very appealing either. I don’t know… Maybe I am just too harsh… But I feel like a store this small, with it being the guys only line of work, should not be that difficult to keep clean and actually show some effort of care in the work he put so much work into getting started.
And the photos on Unilocal here are quite deceiving. They look as though the guy knew someone was coming in to take photos for Unilocal and so he cleaned the place up a little…

I went in there recently and unfortunately, its interior matched its exterior. It smelled of smoke and the entire place was dingy. But I was particularly bummed to see the fish area — the tanks were overcrowded and dirty. The poor turtles were crowded into a small tank. The betta fish were in small, dirty tanks and some were in tanks just a bit larger than cups (it’s a myth that they prefer tiny living spaces). Although the people working there were friendly and welcoming to me, it’s not a place that I would give my money to. Like many pet stores, this place seems to view its animals exclusively as a source of money — like any other commodity — rather than as living, feeling creatures. I feel sad for the animals there.

I’m all for supporting small business, but this is not it.
I judge a store by how it takes care of the animals they keep, and these animals are not being kept well.
Yes, it’s a pet store and it’s going to have some odor. However, it REEKS. It’s not okay. Smell of smoke (Around birds? Really?)
Dust, beyond grossness. Not enough light for the animals.
The animals are in general deplorable condition. Fish tanks not clean, small animal boxes not cleaned for god only knows how long. And the birds, no bird should be in such a condition…
The only reason this store deserves one star, is because it seems to be in a good enough location to get emergency pet food. (Even then)

Store has always been very helpful to my fishkeeping and freshwater-​biology/​limnology hobby and research (which started in earnest around 2012) and the way it looks appears fine. There are apparently 5 different institutions inspecting the place with surprise visits each year and they always give it a passing grade. Please see my photos — the photos don’t lie.
This pet store has always been clean and comfortable for the animals from all evidence I have seen (fish, birds and rodents). I feel like some people expect a totally sterile looking corporate environment like PetCo or PetSmart, or have some misconceptions about animal care (it is questionable whether the animals need a sterile looking environment vs actual and objective cleanness). I have always gotten good advice, and regularly come to this pet store to buy fish and aquarium supplies.
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Note To Matthew W. about the photos: I took all of the photos of this store that are on Unilocal,they are not deceiving, I showed up completely randomly that day and took pictures to best show everything I could, and I all but completely ignored the owner of the store with respect to how I took the pictures. I think the quality of the pictures shows that Matthew W. is wrong about the quality of the store and the animal care, because what he says are subjective opinions. I strongly believe people like Matthew are biased by PetCo and PetSmart being bright and sterile looking which is not natural (most of the ocean is not like a bright pretty plastic Disney Movie looking tropical reef picture, either). Seeing a slight crust of salt or calcium carbonate on a tank doesn’t make it «dirty» or badly maintained”. And fish in PetCo and PetSmart regularly have ick/​ich and other diseases (I don’t mention it in my reviews of them because it’s sadly a fact of life, like seeing an occasional dead fish in a tank in those stores or any other one). If this store has one fault, it is that it is not trying very hard to deal with subjective and flippant, misinformed impressions with a stronger public relations effort. This does not mean the store is bad, it means the issue is complicated.
April 1, 2015 Update: I have added new daytime photos and photos of the outside of the store. As with the nighttime photos, the owner of the store is not to be seen because he was busy helping a customer.

This place is great! All of the aquatic pets I’ve gotten from here come home super healthy, unlike big chain pet stores. The owner gives great advice and the prices are really reasonable. A great local shop!

I love this place and make a point of going there for fish even though I go by Petco several times a week. I inherited an aquarium setup for my preschool classroom. I went to Petco for fish, knowing nothing about caring for fish. I could handly get someone to scoop the fish out of the tank for me never mind answer questions or give advice. Several rounds of guppies died as a result of my ignorance. Then I tried Big Fish Little Fish. The owner was very helpful, gave me lots of advice, figured out what I was doing wrong and told me how to fix the problem. The four fish I bought that day are alive and well and I have gone back three times to buy more. I like the fact that the shop is small and old-​fashioned. I have dogs, birds and a pet rabbit at home. Pets are messy. This store is not antiseptic but it is healthy and clean. The owner obviously cares for and respects his animals. Birds that are safe and comfortable being out of their cages are. The owner knows their temperament and will let you know — «Don’t try to touch him hen he’s on his cage. He’s to territorial. If he’s down here its OK.» I always feel so badly for the birds at Petco sealed up in their little plexiglass cubes. I highly recommend this shop and really appreciate the help the owner has given me.

This store owner is so very kind and sweet. We found an escaped pet lovebird and he loaned us a cage and food and gave us a ton of free advice… Actually it was all for free. Last year the same fellow helped us out with a Chinese praying mantis we found… This guy has a huge heart and really cares about animals and people. His pets seem happy and healthy… He knows what he’s doing. Thank you! You saved this bird’s life and helped make a happy ending for the frightened owners. The praying mantis was a great story too.

I’ve been a happy customer of Big Fish Little Fish for over a year. The owner is very knowledgeable. He helped us with great recommendations about care and supplies for our guinea pig. I think his prices are very reasonable. He is also a nice guy — today he left his store to help me carry bags of litter to my car. To those who complain about the smells — yes, some days are more ripe than others. Its the same at all the other pet stores I’ve visited in the area, smells happen. Overall, this is a small independent store run by someone who cares. I support that.

Armand Ghioni is the guy who owns the place. He’s a little quiet, but he’s awesome. Old school Cambridge. I’ve been buying fish and supplies from him regularly for a year, and he’s always been knowledgable, helpful, special-​ordered things for me, has recommended animals, and gives discounts freely.
Not Petco! ;)

I live around the corner from this place and I feel so bad for the poor animals and birds that live in the aquariums and cages that line the windows on Elm Street. Two main problems: 1) Cleanliness– non-​existent and you just end up feeling bad for the creatures that live there 2) Product selection– few choices. They do not offer any higher quality cat/​dog foods and their prices are no better than other stores to justify buying from here.

Aw, exactly what I was looking for. My daughter has been begging me for a pet so I okayed a goldfish (baby steps). Walked into BFLF and it was exactly what we needed. Knowledgeable owner who was great with kids. Talked me out of 2 or 3 fish (easily) so I could just do one fish, no aeration, in a glass bowl, keeping it simple. He talked us through cleaning/​changing water/​feeding, I felt better equipped than I expected. Plenty of options for the tank – rocks, decorations, fake plants for the fish to entertain themselves. Surprising number of fish types, and fun to see the talking/​squawking bird, the bunny, gerbil, turtles, mice, etc.

I love this pet store. The guy who owns it is really knowledgeable and friendly. He will give you an honest answer about your fish needs, even if it means selling you a less expensive product or no product at all. Yeah, it might not be brightly lit and squeaky clean like a Petco, but Petco is an enormous company and this guy is a small local business owner who loves animals. I could easily go to Petco or another store but I keep coming back to Big Fish Little Fish because of the service.

This is a small locally owned pet store. Don’t expect it to be a petco. yes it smells like animals, because there are animals living there!
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they have everything I need for my pet. The animals and fish in the cages seem happy and cared for, there are a good amount in some cages, but i wouldnt say they are over crowded.
Overall this place is convenient and well stocked with friendly and helpful staff.

Wow, such negativity for this place! why? Don’t people understand the difference btwn a small local shop and a chain like petco? this shop is near my house and I’ve stopped in on occasion to grab a bag of cat food or buy a fish tank. the place doesn’t smell. the animals seem happy. i got my beloved goldfish, Oolong, here and he lived 4 years. yes, 4 years for a goldfish. the bettas from here have lived at least 2 years too. now that i am a turtle mommy, i have stopped in here at least 3 times to asjk questions from the nice owner who is happy to help. he knows a lot. They have a good selection of supplies for reptiles, and a pretty decent selection of other pet supplies. They only carry science dist cat food. Spider feareres like me beware, there is a huge tarantula in a tank by the counter.