My husband and I have kept both salt and freshwater tanks for years (and years), throughout states…read more We've been in Chicago-land (Oak Park) for 17 years and have seen some of our favorite (knowledgeable, awesome) Aquarium stores come and go or move farther away: Old Town Aquarium, downtown; Tony's Ocean Design (which will still love and recommend--shout out to Tony!!!!--but it's a hike) and the place on Devon (also a hike) that we used to frequent but closed years ago. The rest of "aquarium" stores that we've been to, are, imho, sh-t. You can imagine our surprise when this seemingly little "hole-in-the-wall" store that we thought nothing of when passing by in car, originally, turned out to be SO wonderful and SO close (side note: Oy! We've been going there a lot...too tempting!). And Eddie (Eddy?), the owner, has worked at like all the places I've just mentioned. It's a new store but he has *years* of experience, is super smart, and lovely in terms of the time he takes with people. He also has ample, knowledgeable staff, which is needed for this many fish tanks. I'm confused about the one-star review, and my guess is that person's fish died because they don't know enough about not overfeeding or water conditions or something...is her "son" in charge of feeding, and, if so, how old is he? We've bought both fish and corals from here and they've thrived. There are clear markings (for saltwater) for when the fish/corals have arrived to the store, and you can ask anyone there about extra care requirements and needs. I've not noticed anything "expired" either. As for clutter: It's on the smaller side, so yes...it can be tight. BUT: Eddie is in the process of moving the store to a bigger space just a few blocks away (even closer for us, Oy!). I highly recommend this store as the best new fish store we've found in quite a while. We will happily buy from them again. TIP: Make sure you sign up for membership, as that gives you perks and discounts. But even that said: Their prices are ridiculously reasonable (though I'll take the discounts, Eddie, with thanks!). Highly recommend! This spoken from two people who have spent quite a few years with home tanks of both kinds. Go visit! You won't be disappointed.

I had an outstanding experience here! I explained the aquarium set up I had and just wanted to…read moremake simple improvements. They didn't try to over sell me stuff. Very helpful. Turns out I was doing a lot wrong (like over cleaning) but the lady helping me (sorry forgot her name) was extremely helpful and really seemed to love sharing her knowledge. I honestly cannot wait to go back and explore the shop. Highly recommend.

The aquarium we have came with the house we bought, complete with many fish. We've struggled to…read morekeep the tank clean and fish alive for 4 years! As background, we hired another company about 2 years ago, to do regular cleanings (every 3 months or so), while doing water changes in between. It seemed to help. The tank generally looked ok. But the tank conditions continued to go down hill over time, and we had multiple bouts with extreme algae blooms. The equipment also got built up with more and more gunk. Out prior service team never advised us on how to prevent these issues. They just cleaned it up and left. Finally, when our prior service company failed to fit us in for a cleaning for over two months, meaning we went 5 months with no professional cleaning, we knew we had to go elsewhere! We hired Rick to completely redo our 150 gallon aquarium. We got an "all in" quote up front which was very reasonable. Basically same cost as a year of professional cleanings, which we would no longer need. Rick educated us on what was wrong and how he could adjust our set up so it will be virtually maintenance free and beautiful! He told us our filter was actually too small to keep the tank clean! He advised us against auto feeder unless on vacation. He completely emptied the tank and started from scratch. He also moved our equipment to a better place so it's more out of sight. He added black sheets to sides to prevent algae growth. And he has been over many times to monitor the cycling of the new environment, and will next add the fish. If you want an expert, who will not overcharge and will be honest and educate you, go with Aquatic Works. NEW: Added our fish after tank cycled enough. It just looks like a work of art!!

Fantastic family run business that has an immense knowledge of fresh and salt water aquariums…read more Rick set me up with a 230 gallon salt water aquarium back in 1999, and has helped me keep everything running smoothly ever since. I would highly recommend Aquatic Works.

Don't give this place ANY business! I spent $670 there in late November. The business changed…read morehands. I brought this expensive filter back because it didn't pump water. I called ahead because I am 120 miles away in Freeport. The guy (Alphonso) said go ahead and bring it in and we'll try to take care of you. He worked with it for about ten minutes and concluded the same as me - it wasn't pumping. He went to the owner and she said I would have to get the manufacturer to replace it because "I didn't but it from HER". Well, when you buy a business, you get the products, the fixtures and everything with the business - including the customer base. I asked her if she would take care of a customer like me who had done business with the previous owners if they wanted to buy something from her. Of course she said yes, I said, well then if you are willing to take care of them, why won't you take care of me?" She said, listen I am not replacing it because I didn't sell it to you and asked me to leave. Unless you like doing business with somebody that will not help you if there is a problem -stay away!

Would give 0 stars if possible. Almost none of the animals that are for sale here or that are…read moreboarding are kept in appropriately sized tanks/habitats/cages. It is clear that nothing is cleaned regularly or properly. Here are some photos and a video of just a few examples. 4 iguanas kept in a tank suitable for one crested gecko, a chinchilla AND her baby in a 10gal MAX aquarium, ceiling tiles falling, just terrible.

The crew at Something Fishy helped me out with a very major job; transporting a 10 foot aquarium…read morefrom an hour away to my basement. They were able to do the job and even cleaned up afterward. The fit was tight but they took precautions not to harm my home. It was brought in during the pandemic and all the men took precautions for everyone's safety. I would recommend them for any aquarium work.

These guys did a tank relocation for me and my wife... they were phenomenal!!!!! Got a few quotes…read moreand these guys were the most reasonably priced... their work was great... they were very professional and fast... took great care of our fish and now are tank looks like brand new at my new house!!!!

Dave has been maintaining our large tank for more than 15 years. Such a kind and thorough man, who…read moreloves fish and has been flexible with our budget. Highly recommended!

Dave was great to work with. Great service, great communication, on time, clean and for a great…read moreprice.

I had to re-home a Koi fish that I could no longer house, I called every single pet store and no…read moreone could take him. But one call to Rainforest Marine Aquatics and he simply said absolutely and even came to pick him up at my house. It was AMAZING to know that my beloved fish was going to someone who would care for him and enjoy him as much as I did. I'm going straight to him with anything related to my fish tank, he was wonderful! THANK YOU!

From the owner: Contact for details.read more

Awesome Service! My tank always look clean. Dave is a great guy to work with and always on time…read more They had a great shot too.

I recently had a critical failure with my one my RO/DI units when out of town. I was able to get in…read morecontact with Dave even after business hours. He even went as far as contacting the manufacturer of the unit to let them know and worked to get the issue resolved for me. He got a replacement unit installed and checked to make sure everything was working properly before he left. It's always stressful going out of town and leaving your hobby/investment at home. Having someone like Dave on call in case of emergency really helps take away a lot of the stress.