Aquarium Paradise- Lakewood

A

anthony

New Member
My friend in Olympia told me this was the best fish store in the state. I have been there 3 times in the past year and never bought any thing. Every time I looked on the American cichlid wall it either had some common 5 dollar cichlids or several mixed breed species like jag x dovi, flowerhorn xred devil. The store lay out was nice. The owner was friendly and treated my friend like a regular. There was new and used tanks and equipment for sale. After the first time there me and my friend went to a place for pets ,sierra, and midway all in the same day. He didn't think this was the best place in the state anymore. Just not for me, way too much selection here for me to drive all the way out there for crissxcross fish.



overall experience 2
cost 3
quality of fish 3
variety 2
service 4
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 5
Variety 4
Service 5

I have not been in for a while but I needed some black tubing and they carry it. I was surprised to see shelves nicely stocked with products, lots of clean new tanks out front, and tanks filled with an excellent amount of healthy stock. Very happy to see them getting new stuff like LED lighting and adopting new product lines like AquaTop. I did not expect the big salt tank in the back to have been repaired and set up, happy to see. Its almost as if they got a second wind and are trying again. Looks like I have a reason to start shopping there again besides the black tubing.
 
C

Chiisai

New Member
Overall Experience 4
Cost 3
Quality of Fish 3
Variety 4
Service 5

I agree with alot of folks on the price thing. They are a bit more expensive then average but if your in the area and want a fish they have... you'll gladly pay it. Most of their freshwater seems to be cichlids. I am ok with this as I prefer agressive fish. They also sell Betta's but their quality is worse then even the big chain stores(only reason I gave a 3 for quality). Dominic is an awesome guy, very nice and knowledgeable. Their saltwater selection is always changing and their display tanks are almost always in tip top shape. I bought some Dovii Cichlids(i suspect Ike and Tina are not pure) I was very pleased(well till my 2yr old poured iodine in the tank :( ). I would recommend this store if your in pierce county and looking for a solid place to get saltwater fish.
 
K

knaebmat

New Member
Overall experience: 5
Cost: 3
Quality of fish: 5
Variety: 4
Service: 5
these guys are awesome, very helpful with me from just a newby question or if need to bring a fish in becuase i dont have the room. To custom tops, aquariums and special ordering. Everyone is noligable and willing to listen and try there best to help. I recommend aquarium paradise to all my fellow fish enthusiasts.
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 4.5
Variety 4
Service 5

They are getting better! Many of the smaller sized useless tanks across from where Ike was kept have been pulled and 75 gallon tanks have been put in place. This is a positive step toward better care for the bigger cichlids. They look to be in the middle of a big salt revamp also.
 
SonicsDC25

SonicsDC25

New Member
Overall Experience 5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 4
Variety 4
Service 5

My 2nd time coming down to this store and I only went to the cichlid section. Quality wise, it's the first time I've went to a fish store where there weren't any dead or sick fish floating around in any of the tanks (again only in the cichlid section). Variety wasn't too bad, one of the few places that have 3 - 3.5 inch colored peacocks for sale. Service was great, they asked if I needed help right away though I just wanted to browse at first. I did end up buying 1 peacock and will definitely head back down there again.
 
ArtPleco

ArtPleco

Active Member
Exp 5
Cost ?
Qual 5
Var 5
Service 5

Bought a very large Sailfin pleco for a very good deal I thought as others selling half the size are same price. Super healthy and no problems. It is hard to find a place that has fish that are not only healthy, but a variety. Especially in kitsap!

I will go back again. I havent got the cichlid bug, and probably wont. but they were cool too. I am more about plecos.. haha
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 4
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 4
Variety 4
Service 2

They really do not want my business, lol. Same situation as when I posted my June 11, 2010 review. I am looking for a bigger tank and they take my name and number and act as if they will follow through but no call after weeks of waiting. I do not give multiple chances to sell me something. If they dont follow up, I will take my business elsewhere. Otherwise the fish were decent.
 
K

KaraWolf

Member
Overall Experience 4
Cost 3
Quality of Fish 4
Variety 4
Service 5
I always forget how much I love coming here, and the fact that they always seem to carry just the fish I'm looking for. Came in just to have a look, and I found that they carry both of the fish I've been considering adding! Even though they dont seem to be common elsewhere. Seems like their smaller freshwater fish selection has been getting broader and I love talking with the owner. Only thing I both love and hate is how often they ask if you need help. If you tell them no repeatedly(I like to linger and take time to pick which ones I want or which particular fish I most definatly dont want to take home if I need a school) they will start spacing out the asking farther and farther apart or quit asking. Which I guess is my fault for saying I dont need help :p
They are a little higher in cost then I'd like to spend but I know I'm supporting a better fish store and hopefully getting better quality stock.
 
Stingro

Stingro

Well-Known Member
I've only been here twice and both times left empty handed. Not because of variety but due to cost. I'm from Seattle so I recognize Seattle prices when I see it and I rather buy in Seattle if it is Seattle prices lol. They have good size tanks for the type of fish they carry and an impressive salf water area I just can't do business when I don't think it is a good deal for my time. They sell used air pump and I spot a $10 walmart Aqua Culture air pump so for shits and giggles I asked what the prices is for the used air pump....they said $10. smh.

Overall Experience 3
Cost 2
Quality of Fish 4
Variety 4
Service 3
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 4.5
Variety 4
Service 5

I think I take the store for granted because it is so close to my home. I stopped in on Sunday and looked around. Didnt end up buying anything but a nice friendly greeting and all the tanks looked good.
 
fishguy1978

fishguy1978

Legendary Member
Overall Experience 5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 4.0 Varies
Variety 4
Service 5

I have been going to AP off and on for the last 12ish years. The store has improved in my opinion from a place I wish didn't exist to my go to. Dom is a wealth of knowledge and while not always available his staff are somewhat knowledgeable. He will custom order on request, bulk orders receiving a discount.
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 5
Cost 5
Quality of Fish 5
Variety 5
Service 5

Stopped in after work today about 4:15 and had intended to just look at fish... which I did and didnt bring anything home, lol. While there I remembered I needed frozen bloodworms. I normally don’t purchase them from Aquarium Paradise but decided to get a large flatpack. Im glad I did. The price was better for the large pack than the box store stuff and the Hikari frozen seems better quality than the box store offering. Very happy experience.
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Overall Experience 5
Cost 5
Quality of Fish 5
Variety 5
Service 5

On two different visits now it has included fish purchases of a raphael catfish and a convict cichlid. Both fish were healthy and brought nothing into my tanks. As time goes on I am appreciating the private owned shops so much more than the big box pet stores. I always get a friendly greeting even when I dont end up purchasing and just am looking around.

Have posted this elsewhere on the site but just showing off the raphael catfish again
IMG_20200614_100248633.jpg
 
sir_keith

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
Does this place do African cichlids at all, either in-store or by custom order? I'd love to be able to get fishes within driving distance again.
 
Betty

Betty

Well-Known Member
Staff member
sir_keith said:
Does this place do African cichlids at all, either in-store or by custom order? I'd love to be able to get fishes within driving distance again.
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They do have some tanks of Africans, but I hate to say that they usually don't look too healthy -- I've noticed many over the years with that sunken stomach thing going on. If you've never been to the store, it's worth taking a look though. There have been times when they have some nice ones. It's a good store to browse even if you don't buy. All fish. No puppies, kittens, gerbils, etc.
 
lloyd378

lloyd378

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Betty said:
They do have some tanks of Africans, but I hate to say that they usually don't look too healthy -- I've noticed many over the years with that sunken stomach thing going on. If you've never been to the store, it's worth taking a look though. There have been times when they have some nice ones. It's a good store to browse even if you don't buy. All fish. No puppies, kittens, gerbils, etc.
Click to expand...
sir_keith said:
Does this place do African cichlids at all, either in-store or by custom order? I'd love to be able to get fishes within driving distance again.
Click to expand...
They have one row, two tanks tall dedicated to african cichlids ( though they are small). It is where I’ve gotten my Frontosa and my african catfish from. They typically have a 75g around the corner with a ton of larger Africans ( mostly peacock styles). They do currently have a feather fin that’s like 13-14” and by far the largest I’ve ever seen!
 
sir_keith

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
lloyd378 said:
They do currently have a feather fin that’s like 13-14” and by far the largest I’ve ever seen!
Click to expand...

Yikes! I'm sure you're talking about one of those 'featherfin' catfish (sorry, I don't know anything about these!). Tanganyikan 'featherfins,' predominantly genera Opthalmotilapia and Cyanthopharynx, don't get larger than 6 and 8 inches, respectively!
 
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