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    Via Aquarium

    3.7 (66 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Via Aquarium Photos

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    This was cool - a map of the continental US rivers structure.
    Bill Z.

    This is a fun and educational place for kids of all ages to visit. It's not as large as others - no dolphins, no penguins, no seals, but you do get a manta ray pool. But you do get a clean, well-organized, and informative series of tanks with fish and other sea creatures from all over the world. They focus not only on the seafood but being responsible humans with respect to our waters too. Going at "guy speed," I got through everything in about 40 minutes, but you can spend more time checking everything out, especially if you've brought children. The fish feeding pool is crazy. Evidently fish can learn that when humans are nearby, food might be coming. I've seen piranha behave more civilized than these fish, almost amusing to watch. I'd suggest going early in the day. There is a single cashier/point of entry, it can be slow, and a line can form waiting to get in.

    Clown fish!
    Ryan B.

    Fantastic aquarium. We always visit Via on our way up to lake george it has become a tradition. The exhibits are super nice and clean and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, they will go out of their way to teach you something new. Its not a gigantic aquarium but it is nice for a few hours visit. I especially love the koi fish pond. They even have a nice gift shop that is not too expensive.

    Paul J.

    Very unique place for an old mall even as two adults we enjoyed our time there took over an hour to walk through highly recommend so cool, to pet the rays what a bonus!

    Sea horse
    Becky K.

    I was pleasantly surprised by this aquarium. Yes, it's smaller than the big aquariums (like Mystic, CT and Boston) but it is better than anything else in the area. The aquarium has a good variety of animals to look at. Each tank has a digit screen next to it telling you what you are looking at and where the animal is from. This was really helpful. There's a Ray touch-and-feel tank which my kids enjoyed. There is also a tank for touching horseshoe crabs and starfish. It took us an hour to walk through. We decided to walk back through to get a second look at a few tanks. We really wanted to see the octopus swimming (no such luck). Yes this is on the small side. If you understand that going in you will have a fun visit. Yes, the price felt high (go in a weekday when it's cheaper). The mall is run down and strange, but this is a good use of the empty space. Overall we had a great visit and my kids (12, 9) were really excited about the animals they saw.

    Family at aquarium
    Lynn S.

    The aquarium was a wonderful experience! The kids and adults loved visiting! The staff is wonderful and engages people in touching and learning about the animals. The babies were so excited to touch a starfish and look underneath the horse shoe crab! The stingrays were so entertaining and love the interaction as much as the people do. There are so many types of fish and so many interactive displays for the kids. The jellyfish may have been my favorite with the pretty changing colors.

    There are jelly fish that make your photo look out of focus.
    Roger K.

    There may be something fishy going on here, but that's to everyone's benefit. After an initial snafu of the entrance gate bar scanner not allowing our senior tickets purchased on site to open the gate, the only other negative I can identify was the lack of identification of the fish in the first couple of tanks we passed. They were apparently local fish as one tank had a sign above it saying Adirondacks and the other tank's sign mentioned the Hudson River. But that's a bunch of small fish, or water under the bridge. Everything after that was very nice. Tanks were not only labeled and designed for the habitat region of their contents, they also offered additional signage providing more detail about the families of fish in each tank. There were staff available to answer questions as you streamed through the displays and there were even areas where you could touch, pet and hold some species. Visitors should expect to allow a minimum of one hour to tour the aquarium. Additional time might be spent in the gift shop. In all fairness, I've only been in one other aquarium in the last fifty years or so and it was located in a much larger metropolitan area adjacent to an ocean. Some visitors might find VIA disappointing by comparison. But the cost of entrance to a big city aquarium is likely to be about 70% more on average. VIA is a great attraction for a family with children, not just us seniors.

    Gabrielle V.

    What a lovely aquarium! We came here last weekend and I absolutely ADORE this place. It's so difficult to find museums and aquariums close by especially during COVID. I have helped build some extensive tanks for museums and interactive ponds- and I was impressed by this place! I loved their variety of fish, eels, seahorses, koi, and my favorite Arowanas! I loved their replication of the Finding Nemo fish tank which I definitely want to make for my future dentist office! As a lover of fish and biology, I loved the paintings, and interactive educational features next to each tank. Children are able to see and learn everything about marine life. They did such a lovely job on the detailed larger tanks too! A few of their best features are the koi pond, horseshoe crab and stingrays tanks. I love how beautiful and large the stingrays are and how they swim right up to you. All the children were having fun and I'm so glad that this exhibit was open. My favorite part of being here was seeing the underwater tunnel- sharks and our adorable friend the puffer fish! He is so precious and kept swimming right next to us as we walked. We love him/her and made our trip worth while. They have both the fresh water and salt water tanks in the tunnel - which brings you back to SeaWorld. You feel completely immersed with the fish- That type of experience was so incredible and unique during these difficult times. I'm so glad that many families support the aquarium and that they have remained in business! Educating children about marine life and protecting our planet is so important. If you have the chance to stop by this lovely place, you will not regret it!

    Sting ray petting area!
    Sarah J.

    Cute little aquarium located in a mall (lol, so random). We went around 5PM on a Friday and there were only a few other people there. This aquarium has lots of different tanks, an area to pet starfish, sting rays and other various sea creatures. There are certainly lots of photo ops here too! After the aquarium there is a large gift. Though we did enjoy our time here- I'm not sure it's worth $40+ for two adults. But I'm sure this would be a great place to bring kids!

    David R.

    Too crowded for Covid but overall a nice experience for adults with children and adult children.

    Chocolate-chip starfish
    Robert E.

    This is a great little aquarium with a number of wonderful exhibits. I have to say my favorite part was the coy and stingray pools. Alot of the interactive exhibits were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however you still have the ability to pet the coy fish and stingrays. Well worth a visit.

    Nancy S.

    Not terrible, but not great either. My husband and I took our 17 month old twins over the weekend and were a bit underwhelmed. My husband actually referred to the displays as "oversized fishtanks" as in the ones you would buy and display in your own home. The fish were mostly small, although colorful and pretty to look at. You could easily breeze through in 20-30 minutes. As I mentioned, we brought 17 month olds, so their attention span was not there after the first sight of fish. They were more interested in running around the exhibit (away from us) than actually admiring the displays. They did love the water table though, so that was nice feature that kept them occupied for a bit. I think they might appreciate the experience more when they are between ages 2-3 with a bit more of an ability to focus on one thing at a time, so we probably will not return until that point. Staff was friendly, and the displays were clean and well kept. The gift shop seemed to have a lot of nice options, although super overpriced. The price of admission was also pretty steep ($19 per adult, although we got a whopping $2 discount due to my husband being a firefighter). Kids under a certain age were free, so that lessened the blow for sure. I don't necessarily think the experience was worth almost $40, but when you have winter cabin fever, options for family outings are few and far between.

    We had ViaPort Aquarium bring their touch tanks to our Holiday On The Ave event. "It went great, drew a lot of people. Shannon had great interaction with both kids and adults. Drew a lot of people in, very popular. Several families came back at the end of the day, because they had so much fun. Great problem solving skills when the tank broke and the doors were left open.

    Chantelle L.

    The aquarium was a lot more pleasant than I was expecting. There are a lot of kids. We went on a Tuesday and it was pretty busy around 2 in the afternoon. We spent a solid 2 hours because we had two little ones with us and I enjoyed the tanks and seeing turtles. The location is part of a strip mall in Rotterdam. It was $14 for AAA members and Military personal. It is free for children under 3. The staff at the aquarium don't seem too knowledgeable perhaps some extra training wouldn't hurt. I loved how clean it was, and the bathrooms were conveniently located Mid-Aquarium. Definitely a place to visit and it is worth the money. During the week is probably the best time to come in the summer.

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    Aquarium is small for the price u pay, some tanks are way too small for the fish that are in them.

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    We can not wait to see you again! Have a good day

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    Ask the Community - Via Aquarium

    Review Highlights - Via Aquarium

    A few of their best features are the koi pond, horseshoe crab and stingrays tanks.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Something Fishy - Located in the Via Port Mall in Rotterdam

    Something Fishy

    3.0(4 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Owner is extremely rude and unhelpful. Was going to get some African cichlids but owner insisted we…read moreleave.

    Yesterday I had the worse costumer service experience while buying RO water here. Something I have…read morebeen doing for years. Keith, I think he's the manager, was visibly annoyed to provide this service. He asked if I had larger containers than the 25 one gallon jugs I brought. When I said no he informed me that he would have to charge me more because it was so labor intensive, a dollar per instead of $0.75 each. I agreed even though I could buy distilled water for that price at any supermarket, in new, clean, dry, sealed jugs. When I got home I tested the water with my TDS meter and found that the total dissolved solids read between 8 and 12 parts per million in every gallon. Of course I called to complain and advise them to change their filters. This is when I got some real attitude from Keith. He thought he should talk over me, telling me about his RO system and that his meter disagreed. He eventually said I should come back in to get my money back and to please never buy water there again. You don't have to worry about that, I'll not be going back there. This is not the same store it was when they were in Scotia. They used to be hobbyist friendly. Whether you were shopping for fish, or equipment or just getting your jugs filled with RO, you could talk with the staff or other hobbyists about equipment, different species' needs or water chemistry. Now the staff will ignore you while you get bumped around by the mall gawkers in a narrow over crowded store. No, I don't feel any need to go back there. Not when there are other aquarium stores in the area that welcome enthusiasts.

    Photos
    Something Fishy - Jellyfish!

    Jellyfish!

    Something Fishy - Saltwater displays

    Saltwater displays

    Something Fishy - Grand opening with Assemblyman Santabarbara

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    Grand opening with Assemblyman Santabarbara

    Marine Design and Service

    Marine Design and Service

    5.0(3 reviews)
    11.0 mi

    I am so fortunate to have found Albert and his company. Twice, he has gotten me out of aquarium…read more"messes" with other companies. Last year, the company who was managing my pond took over my aquarium, thus taking business away from Albert. He was understanding about it, and was very gracious to take me back when that turned out to be a stupid idea. Aquarium service is provided on an agreeable day and time. Very reliable! Even weekends. He is happy to let himself into your home, but like with us, understands if we would rather be home when he comes. Still, he is very trustworthy. He can get healthy fish and corals. In fact, when one of my fish seemed to be ill, he took it home with him and nursed it back to health. He truly cares about the fish, even though in a marine tank, they are much less expensive than corals. He doesn't try to sell you anything you don't need as far as supplies or equipment. He won't just try to sell you expensive corals that end up dying in a poorly managed tank, like my last aquarium company did. His service is very neat and organized on a consistent basis. He can sell you supplies, such as salt, filters, aquarium additives and food. He does not price gouge, which can be easily checked if you search on, for example Amazon, for the supply prices. Also, he takes care of freshwater tanks as well. My aquarium is serviced every two weeks. Albert will respond to aquarium concerns and emergencies with a call back, and a service call if needed off your usual schedule. If If your aquarium is like mine was: nothing special, not thriving, and plain dirty, you tend to get used to it. You start to question yourself. Stop now, call Albert at Marine Design and Service

    Albert is awesome. Did a water change on my saltwater tank and is very reasonably priced. I am very…read morehappy I found him to do the maintenance on my tank. I would recommend him to my friends and family.

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    Marine Design and Service
    Marine Design and Service
    Marine Design and Service

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    Eddie's Aquarium Centre - New angels

    Eddie's Aquarium Centre

    3.6(45 reviews)
    12.8 mi

    The customer service is non existent if the plant and fish shipment is being unloaded…read more If they aren't busy and you want something they make you walk over and pull a ticket and wait for your number to be called. I was there today and it wasn't busy, but the shipment was being unloaded. I pulled my ticket but no one was calling out numbers. I finally asked a woman for help but she said "I don't work here but I'll let them know". At that point I just left. I've been ignored there for 25 years going back to the old Latham location. One positive experience I had was a few years ago. They had species plant I wanted but there was only a couple left. The salesman informed me that they had some that were yet to be unpacked in the back room. Long story short he was reprimanded for selling plants that weren't yet in the display case (in front of me while I was checking out). That ruined the experience and made me feel I did something wrong. So I guess I never had a positive experience, I just witnessed someone going above and beyond being treated like trash. It's sad to say, but I'm actually happier walking in and not seeing anything I want to buy. The stressful part is seeing something I want and having to jump through hoops to get someone's attention and get service. To sum things up it's not really worth the stress for me and I will go elsewhere from

    My name is Jessica and I live in Boston, Massachusetts. As a marine biologist, during a recent…read morevisit my husband and I were disappointed to see Eddie's Aquarium Centre housing incompatible species together -- for example, Flagtail Porthole Catfish (Dianema urostriatum), Kribensis Cichlids (Pelvicachromis pulcher), Butterfly Plecos (Dekeyseria sp.), and Congo Tetras (Phenacogrammus interruptus) in the same tank. These fish require different water parameters and have very different temperaments, which creates stress and weakens their immune systems. Stressed fish are far more likely to develop ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, or "white spot disease"), and once one fish is infected, the entire tank is at risk. Unfortunately, stores that mix species like this often deny responsibility and may mislead customers to avoid refunds or replacements. For anyone buying fish from any store that displays mixed species, I strongly recommend quarantining and proactively treating for potential bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections before adding them to your main aquarium. This precaution protects both your tank and your fish.

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    Eddie's Aquarium Centre - Water sprite from the store

    Water sprite from the store

    Eddie's Aquarium Centre - My aquarium

    My aquarium

    Eddie's Aquarium Centre - Community tank with  plants and fish from Eddie's Aquarium store

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    Community tank with plants and fish from Eddie's Aquarium store

    Via Aquarium - aquariums - Updated May 2026

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