I have been going to this store since I Moved to the central coast. The owner knows a great deal…read moreand though I am no Beginner in the reef keeping hobby I will often bounce ideas off Paul or Ricky as I know i can get a second opinion that is trustworthy. I prefer not to buy Fish online and Paul will work hard to get the specialty items i am looking for. I am grateful they are in the area! Thanks again to the staff at Tropics

Honestly I don't know where to start with my experience here…read more I've been here only once and that was enough to ruin my experience. As I was looking at the fishes I noticed that the tanks were filthy. I told the staff and they lied to my face telling me they cleaned the tank recently. I swear if you could touch the inside of the tank your finger would be covered in algae. I asked about clown fish and they were obviously over charging me for the fishes, the tanks, equipment, and other items. I should have know that considering how filthy the inside of the shop was. The staff here obviously didn't care too much about this place since all they did was just pretend to clean the area they were at. Hell there was so much tripping hazards on the floor that it felt like Saw puzzle. I swear a homeless person can come in the front door and immediately walk away due to the condition of this place. I spent too much money here for stuff to break as well as my fish being incredibly sick. 1 star is still too high for this review

TLDR: Reasonable prices - priceless service and advice…read more Have been shopping here for years and only have a 10 gallon freshwater tank but love it. The kids love coming to the shop and helping take care of our fish, snail and crayfish. Staff is wonderfully helpful.

I called ahead to see if Ultimate Aquarium had horned nerite snails for my opae ula red shrimp…read moreaquarium - they did! I had tried other stores and they were either out stock or did not carry these particular snails. Also needed chaeto algae - they stock this as well. Very professional and knowledgeable service team - thanks Ultimate Aquarium!

I was a bit worried about my visit due to some of the negative reviews…read more I only interacted with two staff members but both seemed enthusiastic to help me while also giving me space to shop. The conditions of these tanks are PRISTINE. I'm not sure if it's due to their lightning or something else but the water just looks very clear and clean. I didn't see a single dead fish while browsing. Based on this fact, I'd like to believe that their livestock is quite healthy. They also make their policies VERY clear. It's on their website and there are also signs around the shop. Maybe these policies aren't that shocking to me since I buy lots of livestock online that don't have a guarantee after you add it to your aquarium. They do not have a phone number to check stock but they do post updates on their website and email newsletter. They claim it's due to high foot traffic but it wasn't very busy when I was there (Friday afternoon) with that being said, all of the staff members were doing something while I was at the store. I think they just don't have enough people sometimes. Price wise, yes some of the fish are outrageously priced ($14 for a CPD is crazy) but many of them seem reasonable. I assume it's however they're getting their stock or the fact that they offer 20% discounts if you get a 40G+ kit. They also sell cycled media for $20/lb if you're impatient to cycle a tank! I would highly recommend as a place to visit if you're just setting up a new tank or need a more uncommon/rare fish. They'll have basically anything you need but you can definitely get more common fish like pygmy corys, pea puffers, CPDs, etc elsewhere if you're looking to save money. Below are some prices based on my June 2026 visit to give you a sense of their pricing: Keep in mind that not all of these were in stock so prices might change. PLANTS Bucephalandra 'Blue Metallic' - $20 Bucephalandra 'Brownie Purple' (loose) - $15 Bucephalandra 'Mahap Blue Round' (loose) - $20 Limnophila Hippuroides Aromatica (bunch) - $6 Rotala 'Ceylon' (bunch) - $8 Rotala 'Orange Juice' (bunch) - $8 FISH Betta - $25 to $45 Blue Rasbora - $8 Chili Rasbora - $5.60 Celestial Pearl Danio - $14 Ember Tetra - $4.65 Emerald Dward Rasbora - $8 Ghost Shrimp - $1 Gold Stripe Goby - $45 Gold Tetra - $6.50 Hillstream Loach (Red Fin) - $30 Otocinclus - $7.50 Panda Loach - $30 Pea Puffer - $14 Pencilfish - $5 Phoenix Rasbora - $5 Pygmy Corydoras - $7.85 Pygmy Spotted Maculatus Rainbow fish - $11 Rasbora - $3.25 Rhinotocinclus Isabelae Oto - $20 Scarlet Badis - $7.75 Spotted Danio - $7 Strawberry Rasbora - $4.25 Zebra Otocinclus - $29 SHRIMP Amano Shrimp - $5.50 SNAILS Assassin Snail - $5 Batman Nerite - $5-6 Pumpkin Striped Nerite - $6

Employee CAN NOT tell a chili from phoenix or boraras urophthalmoides. Keep telling me it's chili…read moreand they'll get their color back after a few days. Happen on more than once occasion now!!! No longer trust their employee anymore and no longer going back to this place. So annoying with this guy even when i pointed out to him. Instead of swapping, he just bagged them up.

Honestly this store is the best. I ALWAYS come here to get my fish, substrate, tanks, plants,…read moreadvice, water tests & of course the doggy pets for ceviche and peanut Ed & Allan are always super helpful and knowledgeable about all my fish needs. I would and always recommend Clear Water to everyone I know! 10/10 for sure

I was hit with a very fishy odor once I walked in, which is usually not the best sign. While…read morebrowsing through the tanks, I saw SEVERAL dead fish in SEVERAL tanks. Some of them looked like they were struggling to swim and there was even a skeleton which indicates to me that the fish had been dead for a while. I've honestly never seen so many dead fish in tank in my life, even Petco and PetSmart seems better compared to this. Prices were also high, especially for shrimp. They were charging $15/caridina shrimp. Some of the tanks seemed to have mislabeled fish or seemed incredibly overstocked. I understand that they may view the tanks as temporary holding tanks but it was still quite a lot of fish in some small tanks. I would recommend checking out other fish stores in the area before heading over here.

I hired ABC Aquatic while I was out of the country for four months, and I honestly could not be…read morehappier with their service. I gave them a key to my house so they could come by every three weeks to maintain my aquarium, which requires a lot of trust, and they handled everything professionally and responsibly. Not only did they take excellent care of my fish, but they actually made the aquarium look better than it ever had before. The water quality, the setup, and the overall appearance were noticeably improved each time. When I returned home, all of my fish were healthy, active, and clearly well cared for. It gave me real peace of mind knowing my aquarium was in such good hands while I was away. I highly recommend ABC Aquatic to anyone looking for reliable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy aquarium maintenance. Outstanding service from start to finish.

We live in Oakland and needed help with algae in our 10 gallon tank. Ji Cheng came over on the…read moreweekend and helped set up our tank. He gave us a bunch of tips and answered all of my 10 year old daughter's questions. Tank looks wonderful now, and fish are very happy!

Been going here for years. Super friendly and always reasonable. The owner and workers definitely…read morelove the hobby and this is just an extension of their care

Pretty store! Encourages planted tanks, fish look healthy and happy and workers are nice here. I…read morewould have purchased some endlers if I lived in this area. I may still if they can add enough air for my drive back to my area.

My family has been coming to this pet shop for over 20 years. We started our pet journey with…read moreBrenden and Aaron when they were on Mission st and out babies (human and reptile/ fish) were just born. In all that time they have been the best of partnerrs! They have helped us care for our pets with knowledge and resources. Their patient explanation to our growing children about the needs and care for these animals has helped shape our kids into the animal strwards that tgey are today! I love the way that they always take time for explanation and sharing of knowledge- not just about our animals but all the animals entrusted to their care. In this way they are really ambassadors of learning. It is a pleadure ro do business with such kind and loving people.

Super helpful and had everything we needed- we had lots of questions and the staff there was…read more patient with my wiggly kid.

Kent and Matt thank you for the great job on our messy pond. You brought it back to life. Our Koi…read moreare dancing. Very quick and efficient. Left our yard as they found it. Vickie and Leland Wardell.

The place had a bit of a smell and a lot of the tank hardscapes were covered in algae and not the…read moreclearest waters. Not the cleanest aquarium store I've been to but at least I didn't see many dead animals. The shop was dimly lit in some areas so I'm assuming that they're in the middle of re-organizing or something. Livestock price wise, i think it's reasonable. Although some tissue cultured were on the pricier side. The selection of plants and livestock were OK, I would probably only visit if you need equipment though. They have some ADA, UNS, Chihiros, CO2 tanks, etc. Here are some of the livestock prices to give you a sense of what they charge. This is not a comprehensive list but rather some livestock I was personally interested with: Prices as of June 2026: FW Fish Assorted Male Bettas - $10 Ember Tetra - $5 False Bandit Cory - $12 Kuhli Loach - $6 Longfin Bronze Cory - $10 Pea Puffers - $8 Pygmy Corydora - $6 Sterbai Cory - $15 Super Red Bristlenose - $30 Whiptail Catfish - $20 SHRIMP Amano Shrimp - $7 Bamboo Shrimp - $10 Black Tiger Shrimp - $15 Cherry Shrimp - $8 Opae Ula Shrimp - $5 Super Tiger Shrimp - $15 SNAILS Jade Mystery Snail - $5 Japanese Trapdoor Snail - $9