The Reef Aquarium Shop

Patrice J.

2024-04

Amazing Aquatic life. It was pretty busy so I didn't get much help at all on the type of fish I needed. I'm a beginner and this store is for VETS IN THE FISH GAME! They are pretty pricey but it makes sense because the fish aren't beginner fish. It's an awesome place to come see, and a great variety of aquatic life even a nice variety of plant life for your aquarium. But unfortunately I just started out and was looking for beginner freshwater fish. (Which they had many freshwater fish, i just have no clue which one would go with a tetra) One person lead me to the area and left me there. I had no idea which fish I could add to my aquarium and there wasn't any suggestion or questions, just left me there and walked off to help another. But again it was busy so I get it. I just walked around and experienced the rest of the store with my grandson. Beautiful store. But ill have to come back when I already know what I'm doing and knows what I'm looking for.

Nicole Caraballo

2024-04

The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. I came in for a new tank for my fish and had the best experience there. We took home a cube shaped tank and everything we needed to keep our fish happy! My favorite part of the whole store is the live coral tank on the salt water side of the store. I never knew that people can actually keep live coral.

brian myers

2024-02

My 19 year old daughter came here to buy me a Christmas present. She spent way more than she should have and I appreciate that thought and effort from her! However the Prices are ridiculous. They benefit from having limited competition in the saltwater trade. You spend hundreds of dollars on saltwater fish that turn out to have parasites and die after only having them for 24hrs and they offer you nothing in return. Luckily I had them in a qt tank.Drive farther south and go to modern Aquatix. They will at least work with you if something like this happens. The reef has a large selection and is set up well. But I’ve gotten bad advice several times just to make sales and they do nothing to rectify their shotty sales of sick fish and poor knowledge. The last guy that was there told me he had no idea about saltwater. There seems to only be one person there that knows marine fish. And he seems to only be there during the week. Everyone else just guesses and says different things while arguing with each other about what’s right. My daughter also bought me a chocolate chip sea star and was told they are reef safe. I know they are not but she was taken advantage of and given bad info and advice. So I now have a sea star that will more than likely be a problem in my reef tank since the reef won’t return marine animals.Just drive south and go to a smaller shop that specializes in marine fish and knows what they are talking about. I’ll never buy fish or coral from the reef again. And won’t recommend anyone else do so either. I called once to tell them the fish were sick. I was told if they die to bag them and bring them in. I even made sure they would be open as Christmas Eve would be the next day. Couple hours later these tangs sadly died. I called again to tell the shop what had happened and the guy told me they don’t warranty marine fish and there was nothing they could do. I guess if I knew I was selling sick fish I wouldn’t warranty them either. The reef prolly keeps them in tanks dosed with copper so that fish show little to no signs of illness. Then by the time u get them him and watch them for a day or 2 they are doomed.Update…they did take the fish back and replace with a reef safe one. And gave me a standing offer to return the sea star since my daughter was given bad advice. I appreciate the willingness of the owner to correct this situation.

Brendon Buis

2024-03

I have bought almost everything I have from The Reef! I buy my equipment some where else but all of my live organisms are from The Reef. They have been pretty good to me as a customer. I highly recommend them and enjoy every visit. They may not always know the answer to my question, but are usually honest, and direct me where to find them. Good people, great staff, fair prices, and quality. The Reef is my "Go to" for my live suppiles! Thank you guys!

Allisa

2024-04

Lots of fish to choose from and plenty of staff there to help you out. They have freshwater/saltwater fish and supplies and everything in between. I buy my Endler Guppies, cherry shrimp and mystery snails from them. All arrived home safe and happy. My girls are expecting soon and I can't wait to see all the baby fry.

Amanda Wood

2024-01

Got the prettiest betta fish and a few snails.The lady who helped me was friendly and pretty knowledgeable. They have a huge selection.... even if you are not looking to make a purchase, it's a cool place to visit and look around.

Linda Wright

2024-01

The Reef is The Holy Grail for fish lovers! The store is absolutely fantastic! The selection of equipment & fish is the best you’ll find in the area. I thought I’d have to have my fish shipped, & I got lucky & found The Reef! Prices are great, and the staff is friendly & so helpful.

Cai Sue Grass

2023-12

Purchased an adorable red eye puffer (pictured in the 1st photo right side towards the top) and hillstream loach for my planted aquarium and both are doing really well! Service was great and our attendant Tim was very knowledgeable, I'll be back more for sure!

Scott Bell

2024-05

Great knowledge of all things aquatic from tropical to fresh water and outdoor pond plants and animals!

Travis Moulton

2023-10

This place is really cool! It seems small from the outside but somehow they pack a ton of cool things inside.The layout is well thought out. Saltwater on the left, freshwater on the right.Great aquariums! You can always tell when the fish are happy.

The Noble Hacker

2024-02

Bought 2 mollies from this store the other day. Within few days both of them had symptoms of Epistylis. The day after one has died and another is dying. Originally I assumed it was ich, but the treatment has not worked. Now I have a contaminated tank and may lose many more fish.

Cody Couch

2024-01

Highly recommend, good selection of fish wood and plants, good staff, and they stand behind their warranty on fish

Allison Dalton

2023-10

None of the big box pet stores had the Pearl Goramies that I wanted for my aquarium. The Reef had them and they were reasonably priced and healthy. I got three of them and nine Candy Cane Tetras and five Bandit Cory's. They're selection is very good. Highly recomend.

Ben Cianchetti

2023-10

The best aquarium shop I’ve been to. They have everything you can imagine to setup your tank. Healthy fish and plants. Staff seem to love the hobby and are interested in helping with whatever they can. (Attached tank setup made with material from the reef aquarium shop)

Muhammad Khalifa

2023-07

I think this is Indy's largest independent aquatic pet & supply store. The selection and quality of the marine & freshwater livestock is great (and marine in particular has improved dramatically in the past 12-18 months), and in-house expertise is generally quite good & helpful to new and experienced hobbyists alike. This is the type of place that's fun to visit even if you're not buying anything... Or you think you're not ;)

S R

2024-02

Been coming here since the 90s. This is the place to buy quality fish only. Everything else is way overpriced. You can find more exotic freshwater fish here than big pet stores. Nice plants but they always carry bba and pest snails. I would not buy plants from here again.Staff is knowledgeable and willing to research answers if they don't know.Highly recommend for freshwater fish.

Karissa Ray

2024-02

I've had nothing but good experiences at The Reef- tanks are maintained and house beautiful, healthy fish. I paid a little more than I expected for the driftwood I got last time in, but I couldn't pass it up. Quality, nice looking pieces, and peace of mind knowing it is fish and reptile safe. Thanks for all that you do.

Krock01

2024-02

This is a nice place to just hang out. I plan on putting together my first tank (probably shrimp?) in the near future and I have been here several times to just browse.I always get checked on and no one seems pushy when discussing things with me. I hope when I do get to putting my tank together, I get the proper guidance for what is necessary for my tank.I do recommend going to just check it out if you have extra time on the weekend, lots of cool stuff to see and read about. They have pamphlets at the front door that I walk around with to read.

Abby Brown

2023-05

We got our first betta friend here! Staff was very knowledgeable and helped us figure out what products we needed and they had tons of tank selections. All of the bettas and other fish seemed to be in incredibly healthy condition! They truly care about their animals here. Got a beautiful 10 gallon and with staffs help I feel confident that we will give our new friend the life he deserves :) Will definitely be returning for a fish hide and any other products we may need.Also I want to add that they name all of their bettas in their containers… so cute!

Jaikeb Garner

2024-03

My first time coming into The Reef. Was very very impressed with all the staff & everything the store offers. Im currently in the process of cycling my tank so I didnt purchase any fish but did get a ton of information and got a few live plants. Will definitely be returning here through out my journey in the hobby!

Sandi Holobovich

2024-04

Went to this store on 3/23/24.. we went to look at their OB African cichlids as we have some already and wanted to add to our tank. We got there and there was a tall kid working and filing the big tank. He told us he couldn’t leave the tank while filling, to which I understand as I have a tank myself. While he was filling the tank, another employee told us just a minute. Hmmm, longest minute ever, as he did not come to help us. When the tank was filled and he put the hose away, he walked right by us and went to the center isle that your employees congregate around. A gentleman walked into the fish area and this kid literally walked up to him and asked him how he could help him. As we had been waiting approximately 20 minutes. Not one time did he come over to us nor did any other employee acknowledge that we were waiting. There were many times that we were looked at by your employees! This had to be the worst guest service ever! You will NEVER get any money from myself or my husband or anyone that we talk to! My recommendations about your store will not be good! I asked for a manager or the owner and it was a deer in the headlights look.

Rob W

2023-05

I have shopped here from the age of 11 years old. For 22 years this shop has always been one of the best places in central Indy that I've found. Go here for your fresh and salt water aquarium needs including live rock, coral, exotic fish, and everything else in between!It is clean, the tanks and their critters are always well maintained. Great place for most saltwater and freshwater tank needs. The associates have always been knowledgeable regarding marine life, and have helped me build multiple saltwater reef set ups. I recommend this place for your purchases, or even to take the kiddos in to awe them and even perhaps some education. Great place.

Jessica Sarabyn

2024-03

I bought 3 guppies on Sunday and by Monday morning they were all dead. They claim they will give you 100% store credit if they die within 2 days, but the manager refused to give the store credit. She stated that they needed to see the dead fish in person with a sample of the water, but I live in an apartment. I reached out to the reef first thing in the morning about my dead fish and what to do for the store credit. At lunchtime, I dumped out all the water and flushed the fish down the toilet because it was making my apartment smell rancid. Later that day when I had a chance to call them, they stated that there's nothing that they could do if I couldn't provide the dead fish and water to them... I've been a long time customer, but I think I am done after this experience. They had two other Guppy fish tanks that were under quarantine so they knew they already had sick fish and they can't help me

abbey

2024-03

Wide variety of fish and aquatic plants, very pleased. They also accept fish donations which is very helpful, since a different pet store gave us one of the wrong breeds! Tanks are beautiful and a lot are planted. Staff is very knowledgeable.

Cassi Tyree

2021-05

Absolutely a great place to get a healthy assortment of your salt water critters! I was impressed at how clean all of the aquariums were! And such beautiful fish! They have a great assortment anemones and clown fish and there very healthy! Will go back definitely!

Aaron Holmes

2024-04

This place is awful. Bought 8 fish with my 6 year old. They all died within days. Followed their protocol and brought in a water sample and dead fish being told they would refund us or replace. They tested our water, told us it was ‘normal but maybe slightly high on nitrates’. We asked what we could do to fix that and they said to ‘change water more frequently.’ However, we were changing the water twice a week. They then told us we were ‘changing it too much….’ They offered no advice on fixing the issue or any refund or offer to replace the fish. Most of which died within an hour. Super frustrating. Would not recommend this place to anyone and feel bad for the animals they have in their care.

Bri Zawadzki

2024-02

I love the Reef, I have been coming here for about 5 years, and I've been in the freshwater hobby for around 10. I love supporting this place. But due to the volume of business, I feel they've turned to lower quality sources for their stock. There also appears to be some over-policing on their live fish warranties (maybe because of lower quality stock?) Around a month ago I purchased 3 albino cory catfish, they seemed to be in good health but some of the others in the tank seemed a little worse for wear. At that point I should have known better. The employee helping me offhandedly mentioned that the store's filtration system had gone down the day before but that they would be fine. I brought them home, but after a week of adding them to my tank 85% of my community was wiped out. No visible signs of illness. Naturally this was outside of the warranty period, so there was not much I could do. At that time I purchased an oranda for my goldfish tank, quarantined for a week. Not three days ago that same fish came down with ich and infected my entire tank. If you don't know, ich is a parasite that takes a while to incubate and show symptoms. I am an experienced owner, I test my water, I quarantine my new fish, I know how to treat disease. I've never gotten sick fish from here before this. I also feel the staff is not as knowledgeable as they used to be. Good help is hard to find, I understand. New people deserve time to learn and grow into the hobby as we all did. It just seems there is a higher turnover rate these days, and training should be prioritized a bit more. Lastly, prices have climbed quite a bit (as most places have.) But $14-15 for a single anubias seems uncharacteristically expensive.I love this business, my intention is not to slander a good company. But I need to make it clear that things are not running as well as they could be and folks like me are disappointed. I hope things improve for the sake of the business, employees and customers.

Rich Matthews

2024-04

WORST OWNER EVER!! Kevin, the owner, is the rudest person that owns a small business I have ever encountered! I purchased 2 Amazon Puffers and a handful of Cardinal Tetras in February along with a few other items, this will be our 6th tank. The tank was thriving and we never had an issue. So, to fill the tank out a little more we went in on 03/23/2024 to purchase some more Cardinal Tetras and jumbo bloodworms, Hikari brand, along with a few more items. I acclimated the fish and gave them a cube of the bloodworms I had just bought from the reef, we also fed another puffer we kept in a separate tank (only fish in that tank) a cube of the same bloodworms. The next morning, around 9am, I turned on the tank light to find every single fish DEAD, 2 puffers and 19 Cardinal Tetras. I immediately began looking at my other tanks, remember we have 6, only to find all but one more are perfectly fine. The one that wasn't was the lone puffer tank we also fed the bloodworms too. That puffer was on it's last leg and ended up passing a few hours later. We went to the reef and explained what happened. The one manager there was kind enough to refund me for the purchase I made the day before. However, when I brought up the issue with the fish I purchased in February, she was not able to do anything and eventually recommended I contact the owner, Kevin. I am thankful for them refunding the Saturday purchase, even though I didn't want a refund but it was my last resort option (See below).Here's where it gets wild! I spoke to Kevin today, Monday 03/25/2024, to make a long story short, he made up every excuse in the world possible to push blame away from the bloodworms. Mind you, the bloodworms were the only thing exposed to tanks that killed off all the life, life without any issues prior, where the other 4 tanks are perfectly fine. He also became very argumentative, rude and even yelled at me, weird right, because even though the reef doesn't make the bloodworms and only sell them, he's not doing anything besides what they have already done. Basically, a big F-U it's not my problem a product we carry and sell killed everything. Then I get a call from a lady named Deborah, who's only solution was, we'll contact Hikari and MAYBE they will compensate. We all know nothing will ever come of that.Now Kevin, if you're readying this, which I hope you are. You'll respond back to this with everything you can to make your business look good, as expected. However, you failed in that aspect. Owner or not, NEVER get that angry with a customer. I never wanted or asked for a refund for my purchase that Saturday, I never wanted or asked for a refund for the other fish that died, I never wanted or asked for a refund for anything! All I asked was to be made whole by simply replacing the fish that passed. What would that have cost the reef? Maybe $20-$30, if that, in inventory for cost of fish before markup and keeping a customer/s, my family, that has spent well over $1,000 in the past year satisfied. You could have easily said, "I will replace all the fish for you one time and one time only. Should It happen again, I'm sorry but I won't be able to do that again." That's a free lesson in customer services for you. How easy would that have been to do instead of get angry, blame everything under the sun including the customer, and now lose a customer going forward?Side note, I just noticed 3 of your last 5 reviews are 1 stars.. might be a testament to the awful customer service you and the reef provide!Update part 2! Not once did I raise my voice, get angry, or speak over you except when we were talking and you had someone call in and tried to get me to stop talking so you could answer the call. After you answered and got back to me things were cordial. Never once did I blame the reef for the death, but I did make my statement for replenishing my fish as a means of great customer service! As all will notice, you’re trying to blame everything possible other than the actual source. He doesn’t listen, I don’t want a refund just the fish replaced.

Akshay Verma

2024-02

Stopped in for the first time, and this place is awesome! Taylor helped us with all our questions, and with the fish we bought. Super good dude! Will definitely be back.

THEnelsonbruhs

2024-01

I would strongly recommend you visit this place. Do not buy your plants or fish from petsmart or petco. Trust me. Buy them here.It’s totally worth the drive. They have so many tanks FULL of beautiful healthy fish and lots of live plants.The manager and assistant manager have been very kind to me, and helped me a lot in picking plants for my tank.My only complaint is some of the fish are very expensive, but that’s typical for high quality, full grown fish. Definitely the best aquarium store in Indy.