As a life-long tropical fish lover, I was in heaven when I walked into The Fish Gallery for the first time. At over 10,000 sq feet, this is the largest and best equipped aquarium store I've ever seen. The staff is knowledgeable, the fish supremely healthy, and it is gorgeous enough just to browse if you aren't thinking of making a purchase. I spent several minutes talking to one of the long term employees (it has been in operation since 1976 under several name changes). I was excited discover they carried a certain fish that I had searched in vain for many years. He explained why they had become rare and reviewed the store's quarantine process that they used to ensure unhealthy fish were not sold to the public. Very impressive. I also like that the fish have an "each" and a "group" price, so your purchase is cheaper if you buy in multiples. There are tropical, cichlids, and marine fish for sale, along with aquatic frogs and plants. Interested in having a custom aquarium wall (like the one in the front lobby) installed in your home? I'll save you the trouble of asking for the cost - it comes for the low low price of $150,000. (Just gather the loose change from the seats of your Lamborghini and the Lear jet!) read more

I used to be a frequent shopper at The Fish Gallery when they were located near Kirby and 59 (a good while back I suppose). I'm not sure what changed when they moved but I swear it's like a different store now. Previously I found all the associates to be incredibly helpful and friendly, but more than that knowledgeable. Now it's like every employee doesn't want to give me the time of day. If you can manage to track one down their knowledge seems to be incredibly limited. This wouldn't bother me nearly as much if they didn't have such a general apathy towards helping customers. As someone else mentioned their prices are on the high side, and they DO NOT price match. Above all else though the thing that upsets me most is the number of dead fish each and every time I go in. In my many trips to the old Fish Gallery I don't recall ever seeing a single dead fish. Obviously fish died under their care, as this is unavoidable, but the employees seemed to do a great job of removing carcasses. The fish that die now are seemingly left to rot in the tanks. I've spotted fish several times that must have been there for days. I feel like this is unacceptable as it means either someone saw and didn't care or no one has checked on that tank in days. Overall I shop here because their fish are healthier than those at my local PetSmart or PetCo, but given the choice I'd happily support another fish shop. read more

I'm still in awe of this place, days later. I'd driven by numerous times (all late at night due to my incessant need for munchies at either Taco Cabana or Cafe Japon) and had always wanted to check it out. My in-laws are really into fish, so this weekend was the perfect time to go visit. When you walk in, you three ways you can go: Left will take you to the supplies (tanks and whatnot), Right will take you through their custom aquariums (make sure to take a look through their book of examples--wow!), and Straight takes you to the fish. The left side still has that warehouse feel with a bunch of stuff kinda stockpiled together. You can get smaller tanks, food, etc over in this area. Nice, but not where the goods are. Going straight will take you into the huge collection of fish that can take well over an hour to get through if you take your time. The fish are clearly labeled and the prices seemed pretty reasonable (though I'm not an avid fish collector). What I enjoyed was how they labeled the plants. On the tanks, they took a marker and just wrote the prices over each of the plants so it was obvious which was which and how much each would cost. Very helpful if you don't know all the different types. The right is the awe inspiring section with their custom tanks. I'd seen a few of theirs in town, but you really should take a look through their book. They have a whole collection of custom pieces throughout the US that they've done and it is pretty spectacular. If I had that much money to drop, I know who I'd get to set me up. So impressive! What I really loved about this place was how friendly and knowledgeable everyone was. Each and every employee I encountered seemed to know so much about the fish and tanks and they were all eager to help without being obnoxious about it. Considering a lot of the employees were younger (think high school), I was so impressed with their professionalism and expertise. As a note, the place is officially called The Fish Gallery, but old school Houstonians still call it Village Tropical Fish--just keep this in mind when you're driving around looking for the joint! read more

I'm torn on this place. We were visiting Houston and decided to check out a couple of fish shops. Firstly, I was absolutely stunned at how fancy this place is. Flat out AMAZING. They have giant setups on display that they can install in your home, some that cost $5,000, $10,000 or more. They have a room set up like a pond, with turtles and whatnot for purchase. They have a kids playroom. Ever seen that in a fish shop?! I think not! The place is huge and there is plenty to see. With that said... The prices here seem a little high. I'm sure it takes a lot to support all that spacious fanciness. But my biggest concern is the quality of the fish. The selection is great. They had some interesting choices for sure. But there were A LOT of dead things and tanks marked NFS (not for sale). Ever get that uneasy feeling after shopping around a place a bit, that feeling that you might not want to take anything home from that place and introduce it to your tank, for fear of wiping out everyone? Totally got that feeling. Considered returning on the day we were to head back to Austin because I've been hunting for a Gymnogeophagus Balzanii and they also had some Longfinned Ancistrus I was VERY interested in. But I just couldn't shake that feeling that it would be a bad idea to buy anything there. So we didn't go back. Oh, and in case you feel I'm being unfair, since I didn't actually purchase anything, I also found it quite difficult to get service here. I had questions and spent at least fifteen minutes wandering around the counter trying to grab someone's attention. A couple of people were busy helping customers. But there were two young guys who kept walking around me to get buckets and pack up what looked to be orders to ship out, intent on finishing their other duties. I clearly had that, "Hey I need your help" look. I tried to flag them down several times. But they just ignored me. I finally grabbed the older gentleman as he was down the aisle with the fish in question and he was very kind and helpful. But I had to borrow him from helping another customer, just to get my question answered. read more

THIS PLACE SUCKS! The employees act like children (and not in a creative good way), the 3 main employees in the saltwater area are WORTHLESS at BEST! Every time I go to spend money, I always get ditched mid transaction. I made 3 trips to purchase a tank for my Houston home. After receiving horrible service I decided to purchase the custom setup elsewhere at a CHEAPER PRICE with extraordinary CUSTOMER SERVICE! If I was the manager, I would FIRE ALL OF THE STAFF IN THE SALTWATER SECTION. If I go to a Mercedes Dealership to surround myself with beautiful things, they are ONLY as good as the CUSTOMER SERVICE extended to the patrons. Without both you have a crap product! A business is ONLY as good as the weakest employee. Fish Gallery has a long way to go. read more

The store is so clean and neat. They don't have the most variety of fish but their tank selection is very nice. Employees were all professional and knowledgeable. read more

I just moved from Nashville, TN to Houston, TX. Trying to move my reef tank was a challenge, so it was great to be able to find a good spot for salt water/reef items. I'm a little unsure about some of the other reviews... I didn't have a problem with finding someone to help me, and the guy who did help me was very knowledgable of what was compatible with different set ups. Also the prices were not bad, and significantly cheaper than places in Nashville. I will absolutely go back again! Even if you don't have a tank, it is still a good spot to go check out if you like fish. Their tank rooms are pretty amazing! read more

An awesome aquarium shop. Excellent live stock selection BOTH fresh and salt. Top quality tanks and supplies. Good customer service.

Wow, this place is amazing! Trillions of fish, mostly all in good shape, nicely laid out, not all stank like busted fish stores. And, the staff were very helpful, relaxed, and knowledgeable! If I lived in Houston, I'd be here all the time, but the prices were a bit steep - They were a couple dollars north of the extra cash I'm happy to pay for a local, healthy, educated fish store. Actually though, I am gonna take off one star for the bettas being in those crappy little bowls and looking pretty pathetic. I love betta fish and these guys could have been in something more delux, like all the other fish in the store... Bettas deserve filtration like the rest of us! read more

The space is truly breathtaking. I feel like a kid in a candy stories every time I go in. The staff was helpful in setting up a beginner tank, especially Kat. I will definitely be back for all my future aquarium needs. read more

I like this place very much for my tropical fish and tropical fish accessories. However it really has NOT been the same since Kevin worked there. In my view and that of several of my friends, Kevin was their most knowledgeable and helpful employee. I don't trust the people running this store now and have begun to look elsewhere for better options. read more

For years Village Tropical Fish was the place of choice to buy aquarium supplies and residents for anyone within driving distance of their Shepard St. location. Recently, the knowledgeable staff has relocated to a bigger and better space in a location better visible from 59. This new space has been re-branded The Fish Gallery. The great news is that the gorgeous displays and healthy fish look even better. Also, unlike many stores The Fish Gallery lets the customer see behind the scenes exactly what goes into a quality set up. The employees and smart and courteous, able to help or content to let their patrons wander from tank to tank. They offer a maintenance service for aquarists with enthusiasm but less time. If you have a moment on a lunch break, I would recommend stopping in just to visit as the sound of running water can be the perfect mid-day recharge. read more

I have been coming here since they were the Village Tropical Fish on Shepherd. Hopefully this final move is permanent, as they seem to have settled in quite nicely at this new facility. This place is really the to-go place in Houston if you are a collector of rare and unique specimens. As for the live stock, there has been many times where I have stumbled upon creatures not found elsewhere at even other specialty fish stores. I love it when they have the freshwater sting rays! Stock tanks are even decorated with natural decor, which I appreciate as it helps keep the stock feeling secure. If you have a saltwater tank, there is plenty of coral and coral frags to choose from as well as healthy livestock. You will sometimes even find seahorses sold here. The one thing I was not happy about was the bettas. While the fancier varieties were housed in a more adequate bowl, the more common veil tails were in tinnier than average cups, with barely enough room to even turn. While I understand that they don't need as much space as other fish, this was a little cruel to me, who had been a betta owner for over ten years. They have a good selection of live plant and drift wood to beautify any drab tank. There is an "outdoor" section that houses koi, goldfish, and even turtles though the turtles are not for sale. They are very fun to watch, though. In general, prices run a little steeper than your average pet store, so I recommend coming here for the experience or if you are looking for something special. The staff is very helpful most of the time. The Fish Gallery also has some additional sections too, one being the main showroom, and the second being a party room. The showroom shows off some of their custom-made tanks, which are available for purchase. These babies aren't cheap, though they are beautifully crafted. The party room is used for kids birthdays and other events. They also like to have special events throughout the month, including their Drink Like a Fish Nights, where they offer free snacks, beer, and 20% off one item. Not bad for a more leisurely day when I want to take my time and look around. read more

We use The Fish Gallery to clean and service our aquarium tank every month and I think they are a good company and get the job done. A few weeks ago they lost their assistant that schedules the services so there was a month where they came late. It only happened one time,but once the new employee that was in charge of scheduling the services got the swing of things it never happened again. Every month when they come in it is different employees every time, but when they come they get the job done. I have never seen their step by step process but it takes about an hour to clean the tank. They provide plenty of food supply so we don't have to purchase it. Sometimes managers come along to supervise the work to make sure the process goes well which I think is pretty cool. Another cool fact about this company is that the employees are very knowledgeable about the different kinds of tropical fish. They really know their stuff it is impressive. When they come they ask how the fish are doing and then they give us a quick lesson on which one is which. It's interesting knowing and understanding the different types of fish makes me want to get an aquarium for my home. Overall the Fish Gallery is great with us and they do amazing work. read more

I absolutely love the layout of this store. An ideal place to just walk around and watch all the different varieties of livestock (Tropical, Semi-Aggressive, Aggressive). The lights mixed with the decorations of the store give it an aquarium feel. When I'm in this area I enjoy stopping by and observing the livestock or talking fish with the employees. I do feel their prices are on the high side. They have that aquarium look and many staff members, so I understand they have to pay for all those luxuries. It's definitely the nicest "fish store" I've been to. I utilize the store only for livestock because exotic feel or not, I cannot justify paying five dollars more for a filter, light, etc. On another note, I HIGHLY suggest quarantining your new purchase before introducing into your display tank. I've had a couple cases of ick from their livestock. It's an easy process and you will avoid costly problems later. So if you are looking for more exotic livestock that the chains can't offer, Fish Gallery is your place. read more

Staff member screamed at my kid and made them cry. Called the Manager and she supported the employee. Place had no fish or tank selection and what they did have was extremely over priced. It's HOUSTON, there's tons other places to go where the staff will make you excited about your purchase, not make you feel like they are doing you a favor. read more

Great aquarium shop for all things fish, probably the best in Houston. It's not the cheapest place, but does have an excellent selection of fresh and saltwater fish, including cichlids, koi, etc. If you end up stopping by, make sure to ask for Gill. He is extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and happy to help, even for someone like me who will ask a million questions. He really goes above and beyond! read more

Sold a sick fish, when I called in they said they had a 24hr return policy even though I had a receipt but lost it they still did not honor it. A friend of mine had their fish tank serviced by this place and they were rushing through the job saying their service manager Lisa was rushing them, usually two guys work together but they forced him to work an entire week by himself in the field and their store manager Jaime was not friendly when talking to him. Somehow over $2000 worth of fishes died and the manager named Jaime started to blame my friend instead and only replaced them after finding that the technician who serviced the tank replaced nearly 90% water but the carbon tank ran out of "juice" which they explained they used to replace tank water from hose water by filtration. I'm not an expert by a mile but I know not to replace 90% water in any condition. Keep in mind they serviced my friend's tank 4 times before. They have bad communications. My friend did not want to write the review since he did not want to feel bad but I'm different I want people to know the truth so they can save themselves some grief. Don't ever get your tank serviced from here and when you buy fish make sure you check to see if the fish might be sick or not. Tanks are not fully cleaned sometimes in the sell area. Also the only manager that was friendly through out the many years my friends and I have shopped here was Don, he is the older Caucasian male with glasses and is super friendly and great and informative to speak with. Hope this helps some folks out there. read more

Its ok... Fish selection is normal. Its really expensive though. I guess ok for fish but I recommend buying all other supplies at petsmart or petco. read more

Ok, Roger the owner called me up, and my parts came in and they were the correct ones and now my aquarium is up and running. Fluval even threw a CO2 system to boot. I was just happy that Roger called. So thanks to Tina and Jaime and Brian and Fluval rep guy! My f90 rocks! read more

The Fish Gallery - Pet Stores Near Me - Houston, Texas

I love coming here. I just started a new fish tank and coming here has been such a relief in stressing over how things work. They keep me informed on deals at the store and when in store they all work as a team to get everone helped out in a timely manner. All fish tanks looked very well kept. The fish gallery is very organized and easy to find things read more

Bought $30 worth of small cichlids here and ended up getting Ich in my tank this week. Lost a 3 year old cichlid due to this purchase from them.... I would use caution with buying from them. They were not willing to do anything for me for this loss. read more

The aquariums are outstanding. Staff is very knowledgable. They have tons of fish-the store is clean. They have story time for kids in the summer-that's cool! read more

I am an avid fish keeper- I have three aquariums. This place may not be the cheapest, but they are definitely the best. They have an impressive selection of some rare and common salt and freshwater fish. It's so fun to just browse their massive stock of fish, that I sometimes just find myself there for no reason. Once time when I was broke as a joke, and I wanted to go to the aquarium, I just went here instead and had just a good as time....for free! hahaha. yeah I can be cheap sometimes. one con- the staff can be a weeeee bit pretentious, but they know what they are talking about. read more

I love the way this place is organized. It's great to just walk around and see all the different fish. My brother had to buy some plants for his tank and the employees helped him out eagerly. Might I say, all the fish here look very healthy and lively. This is not true of all fish stores. I quite enjoyed sitting on the couch in front of their huge aquarium wall to the left of the entrance. Very calming! read more

I was in Houston for a free-style weekend with a friend. We decided to just check out this place on a whim and I was pleasantly pleased we did. We walk in and immediately noticed a moderate selection(about 15) tanks for sale. They were displayed well with decoration, substrate, and other supplies(minus water and fish). The tanks looked nice which provoked me to look further into the store. As I walked to the back part of the store, I saw several areas of different types of fish and plants. They even had one small room dedicated to bettas alone. That room had a selection of bettas, small tanks, and supplies just for bettas. That was kind of cool in my book. Then I walked over to the main selection of fish. It was three aisles divided by community, semi-aggressive, and aggressive fish. Each aisle had about 50 tanks or more of fish to choose from. A great selection to me. They also had a few other tanks set up for plants to choose from...all sorts of plants. They even had a couple of display tanks which look nice in the store. While browsing around, an employee, Josh, came up and enthusiastically asked if he could assist me or answer any questions I may have had. I did ask him a few questions and even his suggestions about different fish for my tank. He answered quickly and with great knowledge. It was as if he is a walking, talking, breathing, living encyclopedia about all things fish. He is so very helpful. He said he "loves what he does", and you can tell he means that. I'm not trying to down play the other employees there. They also asked seemed eager to help me, but since I had an established history with Josh, I stayed with him for a salesperson. I also checked out their stock of supplies such as additives, conditioners, and tools. They have a nice assortment, but I didn't stay too long in that department. The prices I noticed are higher than your big chain stores, but the level of service is higher as well. Most, not all, of the employees at big chain stores have knowledge, but nothing like what I saw here. I ended up purchasing nearly twenty fish to put in my tanks in Beaumont that weekend. They have adjusted and doing well. They are pricey, but a great store! I will be returning again. read more

I love coming to this place its clean and I love the fish tanks they have on display. They have good prices when ordering in multiples. read more

The Fish Gallery - This is one of the lobsters for sale. I love the color tone on it so I decided to take a picture. - Pet Stores Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I just recently got into the hobby and this place is the closest fish store to me. They have an awesome setup when you walk in. Huge tanks and even a few aquascaped tanks with no water that gave me the opportunity to see how I wanted my tank to look. I bought a few freshwater fish 3 weeks back and they are alive and healthy! You'll notice there are some tanks that says NFS (not for sale) on them. They said if they see some fish die or become sick, they treat the whole tank and don't sell them so they don't contaminate other people's tanks. I think it's great they don't just sell them and let it become your problem. They have a great freshwater selection from what I have seen. (I'm new to the hobby so I've only been to 3 LFS stores outside of the standard chain PetCo and Petsmart). I will say their supplies and equipment is more expensive than your standard pet chain and they don't have a livestock guarantee at all where other stores will give you at least 2 weeks. But everyone seems to be helpful and knowledgeable and they have more fish options than I've personally seen on this side of town. read more

The Fish Gallery - Bought this beauty there! electric blue acara! - Pet Stores Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Horrible service. they agreed to give me a tank with a metallic finish and I paid in full. They brought a tank with gray paint and said "I was hoping it looked more metallic". They then age to fix with proper finish, came picked up old tank then called next day and said, "I think we will just give your money back". Thry also treated me ver unprofessionalmy as though I was being difficult because I wanted what I paid for. read more

I purchased a RedSea Reefer 350 G2 plus installation. There are a few issues with store stock equipment (RedSea Equipment was ok no issues with them) and installation. The install, I ordered a rated 1350 gph return pump but got a 650 gph pump. The return line tubing called for at least a 3/4" ID tubing, but the installers used a 1/2" tubing and melted it over the barb fitting and did not use a clamp but a tie wrap. I corrected this myself with the correct size tubing. This system came with a Automatic Top off system. The installers put saltwater in the Top off tank. Even a Noob would not do this. They installed the RedSea lights but they had no clue how to turn them on. They could not follow simple instruction, I had a UPS backup/surge protection system for the aquarium equipment and to plug every equipment in it, they failed to do that simple task. Nothing was plugged into it. I corrected this as well. No heater was installed, I had to go to the store for that. But the kicker with all this, I told the store about this via email and phone conversation but no comments. Learn a hard lesson here, and this store HAD a good reputation years ago but not today. read more

Something has drastically changed in customer care, resolving problems and service. I have used them for service previously, bought fish etc. without any problems. The gentleman that came out to service my tank and install a new filter system was clearly incompetent. There are all kinds of problems due to this poor install, fish dying, fish having trouble breathing, kinked lines. The service manager doesn't listen he just talks & defends and does not listen to the customer when there's a problem. The store manager is pleasant but is not helpful in resolving problems and shifted blame to other departments. This has been dragging on now for three weeks & I still don't have my fish nor plants replaced because that whole tank at the store is diseased & their refusal to admit someone messed up. I cannot in good faith refer anybody nor do business here again. In the past I didn't mind spending a little extra for the fish and service because it was impeccable with knowledgeable and mature staff. read more

They always ignore you when you walk in. Customer service is nonexistent and the fish are over priced. Save the trip and look for a businesses that deserves your business. read more

i was shopping here for my betta fish ! the staff was great and stuff they gave my free duck weed and floating plants! i bought substrate and plants from there as well and some drift wood. there plants come with snails and detritus worms!! i put the plants in my tank and open the bag i see 4 different snails in there take them out and i was like there's probably no more so i put it in my tank. the snails infested my tank and these worms that reproduce quick. so i tear down my 10gal and i redo the entire thing but leave substrate the snails were gone but those freaking worms wont leave!! i mean the nirate snails are good i guess thanks for free snails i put them into another tank to sell or give to local shops. but stilll !! read more

Reasonable prices, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and a shop cat that demands some attention. Excellent variety. Healthy and active fish. The only thing I didn't like was the bettas in tiny jars. For their price I'd like to see them at least in tiny filtered tanks. The drift wood selection is out of this world! I have enough in my tanks but it was still tempting. The display tanks up in the front of the store are some of the best I've ever seen and they are pristine. Great store! read more

This is a great place to find your needs for fresh and saltwater tanks. They have a wide selection of freshwater fish and plants for planted tanks. They are working on further developing their saltwater selection, but you can still find saltwater needs such as test kits, supplies, and some saltwater fish and coral. read more

Huge shout out to Fish Gallery!!! Thanks for hosting our meeting yesterday. It was an amazing meeting and such a lovely store. Your staff was welcoming, engaging, and helpful. Store was looking terrific! Thank you all for your years of support and freindship. Be sure and thank them by leaving a great review over on the Facebook page and like it to keep up with all their posts and lists!!! Thanks Daniel, Sasha , Roger, Henry, Gillian, Scott, Emily, Kale, and Alexis!!! read more

Called for a maintenance and got very poor service and sent pictures to their manager Simon and he wanted to tell us that if we had regular cleaning once a month then they would have changed the filter and removed the fish that was at the bottom tank and removed all bile in the tank. So we paid $280.00 for nothing because the tank was not dirty in the beginning and thats all they focused on I have 195 gallon tank for two years and Ive never done the monthly maintenance and we never let the tank get cloudy or nasty we contact Fish Gallery for cleaning when it needs it and today we couldn't get what we paid for. I will never use you guys again read more

I absolutely LOVEEEE THIS PLACE. Matt made shopping fun and easy! I hope he's there forever! I've dealt with many different employees there and Matt really knew how to handle and catch the fish! read more

I come to this place often for supplies that are not found in Petsmart and Petco. The customer service is great and the people who work there are knowledgeable about fish care and plants. The prices on products are reasonable but the fish are a bit on the expensive side. read more

Two years ago I was at the Lake Houston Wilderness Park Natures Center and noticed a turtle in an aquarium way too small for him to exist in. So for two years I started asking for help from fish stores and aquarium stores and these people came through to help Clyde the turtle and donate their services. By the time I found someone the wilderness center said that they had to let Clyde go back into one of their ponds. I'm sure he's happier than ever but I cannot express how much gratitude The Fish Gallery came to the rescue. This will never be forgotten. read more