LAX Aquarium

Greatest fish and aquarium store I’ve ever been to. I’ve been coming here for over 20 years and the place keeps getting better and better. Kris and his staff are super friendly and beyond helpful! We don’t live close anymore but lax is always worth the drive!!

Despite all of the touristy places I could take family to when they visit, I strangely find myself wanting to bring them here. Sharks, stingrays, octopi, lionfish, eels, this place is comparable to a public aquarium, and it’s probably why I find myself there frequently just to look at the fish. Nobody says no to a saltwater tank store with a restaurant + game room 5 minutes from the airport. This was the 9th place I’d been to around LA looking for a tank. One month later and I have a thriving 65 gallon saltwater tank filled with fish and invertebrates. It takes a certain level of restraint for a business to tell me to slow down and be patient on buying up their fish too quickly. I also don’t feel pressured into buying an Apex system or other over-the-top equipment for a tank my size. I respect their knowledge of my setup and compatible fish species, and have been stopped from buying certain fish before by Chris and one other employee because they were incompatible with my inhabitants or size. I’m confident enough with this store to hold off on getting a quarantine tank, since I’ve seen firsthand how a sick fish was quarantined and cared for. The fish turnover rate here is incredible, every time I visit there are new options. Another underrated thing that took me a while to realize is how unbelievable sanitary and smell-free the place is (other aquatic stores in LA PLEASE take note).

Coolest fish store I have ever been in! My kids are into fish, so they wanted to stop here during our brief LA vacation. Staff is super friendly and very helpful, they took extra time answering a million questions from my kids. Very nice setup, good time just walking around the store and looking at all the incredible setups

Kris at LAX Aquarium is the best! We wanted a cool fish tank and he delivered. He came to our house the next day and set it up. Came back one week later to make sure everything was great and stocked our aquarium. Kris is very friendly, approachable and very knowledgeable about everything you need to know. We can't recommend him and LAX Aquarium enough!!

The staff was fantastic, extremely patient. I walked in for a foxface, they informed me of their buy 2 get 2 special and left with 4 fish. The regal, chocolate tang, magnificent foxface and half black dwarf angel are all doing great!

Store feels like a disco walking in very dark I guess to keep the algae from growing from the light . Impressive corals you have to scan a code on the floor to buy you can’t just pick one tanks were clean and fish looked healthy my only complaint is the people who helped me really gave me very little information on the species I got. Like mandarin gobies eat copepods Spanish dancers eat sponges which are not common foods to get and anemones will kill your fish unless their clowns. They need rock work to attach an need a lot of flow so the things I got ended up dying. Well stocked store for its size but being so close to the airport and the marine wholesalers that is not reflected in savings on their prices in fact and distance I think is a real negative I also hear from others it’s not worth the trip and not enough information on stuff their selling from staff. But otherwise nice store

Kinda pricey but honestly it's a great shop. You can tell the owner loves this hobby/business and does it well. Everything is very detailed and maybe that's why the price reflects that but either way worth every penny.

Love the store but everytime i go staff interaction is minimal , i wanna ask questions but there's an intruding vibe.never told about giveaways, and went 2hrs just to find out 90%of the coral is online only. Very awesome salwater selection though!

Wow I'm happy to had visited this aquarium fish store. I really gotta say that is my favorite fish store all the fish they have there really top quality you can tell right away all the corals are super nice so bright and the the fish tanks they have set up wow there really nice they look like if your walking to someone's home there not empty with just fish only Nooo... All the supplies they have for sale that you need like reef rocks ext... you will find it there they have an excellent selection. Jesus was a really nice person really polite answer all my questions really Is knowledgeable. Really wish I would of met Chris maybe on my next time I go. One more thing even the out side of the store is really nice... almost for LAX Aquarium the inside wow is so clean... Never seen something like that... Keep up the good work everyone.

Walking into the store was walking into a beautiful dream! This store is HUGE and there are a lot of black lights and fluorescent colors to make the tank illuminate with life! There are a LOT of salt water fish. There is a great selection of fresh water fish also! There must have been over 250+ active tanks in the shop. The staff here are super friendly and helpful! I needed to learn a few things and owner Jesus took the time to help me. His staff were all so friendly and welcoming. Prices are super reasonable! The selection is vast. Tons of fun, useful and professional items here! I'm a new huge fan!

I went for the first time yesterday and was greeted immediately! The employees were so full of knowledge and was patient. I had a bad petsmart trip and found this place.

I want to thank Chris at LAX aquarium for designing my fish tank set. very professional what he does very into detail. I highly recommend LAX aquarium.

This place is so cool! They have so much variety and everyone gives amazing tips. I learn so much every time I go

This place is the international fairway of Fishies People who go here are the hardcore fish ppl However the store itself is as if you mixed strobe lights with fish with the cool kids Everyone is super approachable and rather knowledgeable across a broad range of aquariums... like fresh water brackish, and ofcourse salt. Even hard to find species ... also these ppl are cool from when they sell at conferences Alssoooo speaking of rare the corals here are top notch... like insane selection of cool colors

Really cool lfs. It's pretty big. They have a bigger salt water selection than freshwater. Staff was nice and knowledgeable.

They charge $16+ for salt water testing and I wasn't informed in advance. This is super uncommon for an aquarium, you can get free testing at Petco or anywhere else.

A nice fish store that has some good deals. They carry the most amazing live rock I have ever seen. Good deals on their live sale corals as well.

Chris and the employees are very helpful and eager to assist! I will be building out my saltwater aquarium here.

Great selection and excellent customer service, I will continue to shop here when in the area.

Kris is the man! The shop is incredible. Lax aquarium always has tons of coral, fish and everything else you'll need for your aquarium. The live shows are very exciting as well. I drive about an hour each way because this is the only fish store I'll ever go to.

Went over to purchase 2 1" 90 degree elbow and can't believe they they sell them for 8.99$ this is outrageous to top it off they are brand ERA MADE IN CHINA i also went over to purchase a 46" 3/4 orange pvc pipe a couple days ago and was 29.99$ I can just imagine the people that are buying them custom tanks from this shop with custom pluming omg this is literally a rip off .

Good large well stocked equipment bad not Central location don't have any fish I've bought from there that are alive Spanish dancer told they eat algae research said they eat sponges. Who has sponges to feed? They should carry live brine . Staff is friendly and helpful

Was helped by an employee Isabel. She had great customer service and was knowledgeable. I highly recommend you buy your fish here.

Truly amazing selection of salt water fish. ALso sell both Fresh and Saltwater RO water by the gallon!

Best experience. Chris was great! He took the time to help me out and gave me tips on my light settings. I literally was there for an hour looking at coral. Lost track of the time. Definitely will be back for more coral.

Cleanliness. Good. No stars for that, that's how every establishment should be! They usually have pretty good deals, but with good reason. Prices are not the best in the area. Therefore, their sales make sense. The staff is really unprofessional and uneducated about the livestock. Julia was something else.... Attitude and work ethic is Definitely lacking here. Especially with the NEW guy that "brags/claims" to be from Jersey Besides Hatcher & Armani, Everybody else that I've dealt with is very careless. I have been here about 7 times and I've had issues 4 out of the 7 times. From underpaying, to being overcharged.... I have even been sold dead brine shrimp, When it's supposed to be alive‍ I mean how do you not notice everything you packed in the bag is LONG GONE! Where is your attention to detail? I always have to be on my toes when I come here...

They don't care for the fish they sell and even care less for the customers who buy them. Last Saturday I went to LAX Aquarium to buy live fish. I spoke with a clerk and the manager on that day. I clearly told them my tank size that is 55 gallon and they are already 12 cichlids in there. The store manager who others referred to as the "expert" in that store, after a 10 minute discussion, showed me some Monos (about 2 inches) and Shovelnose fish (about 4 inches). I bought overall about 20 fish for 3 different tanks , including two Monos and two Shovelnoses for the Cichlid tank. I took them home and immediately I noticed the Cichlids were not happy with the Monos and Shovelnoses , so I separated them. Later, as I read about them, I learned that the Shovelnoses get to be FOUR feet long! Can you imagine two 4 feet long fish in a 55 gallon tank (the tank is only 4 feet long) ? So I called and the person answering the phone said I could take them back for store credit. So I drove down there again on Sunday. I presented the fish to a blond guy (who was present the day before while I was discussing my situation with the manager). He snapped at me with an attitude that "we sold you that fish because you insisted on buying fish! " Really? You are a fish selling store and you are complaining that why a customer insisted on buying fish? I told him, I wanted the right fish for my tanks and fish that would grow to be 4 feet long are not suitable and they should not have offered that fish to me. At the end, I wanted to use the credit for some hard items, but the blond said, store credit for "live fish" only! I had to take some Mollys to use the store credit and paid for the hard item separately. This was a disgusting service from LAX Aquarium (to sell something absolutely unsuitable and not workable for a customer) , and blame the customer for insisting on buying fish and without apology forcing the customer to buy a dozen more fish that he did not need at that time. When I asked another clerk why they even sell a fish that would not fit into any of their own fresh water tanks, she said: "We just want to sell them". This is animal cruelty. They must be closed down to save those creatures from torture and unnecessary deaths by these unscrupulous and unconscionable group of people. Shame on the management of LAX Aquarium to not care about the fish they sell and the customers who buy them.

If you're looking for a custom tank don't come here! I've tried getting quotes after coming in the store 3 times and they won't get me a quote. I'm looking for a 50g tank and finally after speaking with Jesus he told me the owner probably doesn't want the business because it's too small of a tank. Literally just looking for a cube predrilled for a sump nothing crazy.

Wonderful place!!! I've been dealing with them for years and years. Chris and his team help you in everything you want, need, and teach you what you need to know. They don't sell you just to sell, they teach you the best way and let you make the decisions. If you want overkill, they're not going to sell it to you, they sell you what you need to be in this hobby and do it right. There prices are good there livestock is great, inventory for anything you can dream of in stock. I highly recommend Chris and his team, and they don't forget you, years and years later they still remember me by name. I trust them and they have earned it! Paul

Some corals look in okay condition but a lot are bleaching, to be honest months ago quality was decent but recently not so much. Even bleaching ones are going for 30$+

Thank you LAX Aquarium for helping me with my first reef aquarium! Covid safety: The Aquarium installed two brand new motion-sensor operated hand-washing stations. In front of a tank! So washing your hands for 20 seconds while watching fish will be easy to do. They require masks for all, and also ask people to wait before entering-- so they can ensure there is enough space for people to be safe. Their orange-lens coral viewing glasses are sterilized when customers are done wearing them. I came to the store in August 2020 and met with Matt who sold me my aquarium. He is very patient and answered all my questions. He knows his fish, coral & aquarium upkeep very well and continues to provide me advice when I visit. Kris followed up on the sale and ensured I have the best and proper equipment. His experience in the business and passion for the hobby really helps all the customers. Kris and Jesus installed my tank. They set up EVERYTHING: tank, electrical, live rock/sand/water, Neptune app settings, and left my place looking clean. I would consider this to be top notch, professional white-glove style delivery. I've been coming in regularly to slowly build up my tank, picking up fish and coral. The store has a large and consistently new selection of livestock and all the dry goods you can think of. I've been helped by many great and knowledgeable employees-- Julia, Armani, Patrick & Matt. Everyone bags my livestock with care and I always leave feeling confident re my purchases. The prices are reasonable, market value or sometimes cheaper than what you find online. The FB live sales are an option to find great corals at cheaper prices. Windy does very fast and accurate invoicing. Overall: Highly recommend the store, great people & always a great experience.

Thanks for all the help with our shrimp purchase! Loved checking out this place for the first time. Your shark tank and eel tank are dope. Will have to come back and purchase some coral when we get the chance. I appreciated the emphasis on cleanliness regarding COVID. Adding the mandatory hand washing station outside the entrance on top of wearing a mask was a good idea. Also, the service here was great; the employees were attentive and continued to ask if help was needed to find an item. Much appreciated.

I went to this place today around 5:00PM. My wife and I were looking for designer clownfish. Finally after looking around we found a pair that we were interested in. I inquired on the fish with the man with blue hair! He was extremely rude in his demeanor towards me. He also treated me like I was a novice! He seemed annoyed and bothered by my question! I will definitely not be going back to this place at all. I much rather deal with my LFS and other people in the reef community. I also, want to add that I waited around for someone to acknowledge my wife and I and no one came to ask us if we needed help. Some of the employees were to busy checking their phone and having conversations amongst themselves that had nothing to do with work. Lastly, everything at this store is completely overpriced!

Is absolutely one of the cleanest and most friendliest fish stores I've ever been to Love the prices Love the sales doing what you guys do you provide a great service.

Was recommended here by a coral fiend. The place is confusing because there is no front enterance on the building but you have to drive towards the back and theres to door and parking lot. They have so many beautiful corals and fish. The staff were super friendly and all were working hard even though they had no customers at the time. I got a giftcard as a gift for someone so they could pick out the stuff they want but im sure the staff would be able to tell me A LOT about tanks, corals, foods, and fish.

Love this place! My reef tank was my Covid project and it keeps on going! The interior of LAX is beautiful with all the lights and the corals and fish shining so bright. Everyone is very friendly and willing to help in any way they can. I have never had a bad experience at LAX. The fish I have purchased of always been the healthiest and the prettiest.

Prices are great (if your livestock survives) and so is the coral and fish selection. On the other hand, the staff is condescending and poorly trained. But my biggest issue is the sick fish. I bought 7 fish from them this year and only 2 made it past a week. Visit the store a week after they receive a shipment and their tanks are riddled with dead fish. They don't even bother removing them. They keep their fish at hyposalinity because they are well aware of this. Corals aren't much better in this regard, they move a ton of corals every week without proper acclimation so I've also lost a few. After factoring in deaths, the discounted prices are not worth it. I've rarely had issues with livestock from other stores so I will take my business elsewhere. At least I will be treated with more respect. It's a shame because the store has potential

The owner Kris is everything we want to support a small business. He has a wide variety of specimens and he is extremally friendly-helpful. Keep it up !

Best saltwater store ever!! If I could live there, I would. I've had saltwater fish since 1971, and reef tanks for the past 30 years and these guys are great!

Great selection and customer service I get everything I need from this 1 location. The owner Chris is a cool guy and interacts with his customers making everyone feel welcome. He's all supported by a great staff, everyone is attentive while still giving you your space to explore.

I love going to this shop. It's has the energy of and arcade. The Marine fish are beautiful and healthy. The water is crystle clean. They have an assortment of coral and sea plants. They also have a unique variety of Tropical fish too. The best part of the LAX Aquarium is its staff. Armani has such an compassionate sense of ease about her that comes through even with her face covering. Austin cool too and willing to make the experience meet your expectations and provide good deal. I highly recommended a visit. Tell them Omar sent you.

This is a very large aquarium shop. If you are a saltwater enthusiast this aquarium shop may be a place for you to go. If you are freshwater enthusiast, however, you probably will not find much of what you are looking for. Yes, they do have a certain amount of freshwater fish. But it is a very small amount in comparison to their salt water fish. The interior space of this shop is very large. It is not full of aquariums, fish, and aquarium equipment however. Mostly it is just a lot of unused space. The location of this shop is a little bit difficult to get to. Due to the fact that it is right by LAX, and right off of Century Boulevard, you are going to probably encounter a lot of airport traffic. There parking is also a bit difficult to navigate. First of all, you have to drive down a little offshoot of Century Boulevard. Then, you have to turn and drive down tight alleyway where you will find many cars parked in their small lot in the back. Getting in and out of the lot can be a problem. Personally, I question if it is worth making the drive here, because I came away very disappointed. The photographs of the shop on Yelp area bit deceptive. A lot of what you see of the shop in those pictures is an idealized image of what the shop actually presents. Not a bad aquarium shop but just not near what I had hoped it would be.

Was in LA for the week so I stopped in. Happened to be a live sale going on so I bought a nice gold torch from the sale. Was very specific that I would come by four days later to pick it up on my way home. Got to the store four days later and no torch though there was one in somebody else's bought rack that looked exactly like the one I bought. Was able to get the owner on the phone and he offered two far inferior ones at the same price, what a clown show.

Only giving a 3 out of 5 because their facilities are great and for saltwater stuff they seem legit. I went in for freshwater--one of the employees had told me when I had called ahead that I could get a plant from one of the display tanks that was really healthy (the plant). I drove there, waited 45 minutes-1hr which I don't blame them for because it's coronavirus stuff but something to be aware of--wait can be long. When I finally got in, the tank that had the plant had neon tetras that had the worst fungus or ich I've ever seen in person, so I left because I didn't want to transmit any diseases into my tank. Also they had bettas in vases and some other tanks that were smaller than 2.5 gallons, which always is a negative for me in a LFS.

Was super excited to visit this place. My fiancé even more excited. We drove an hour to get here and we were so disappointed.. Don't get me wrong, they have nice fish but they don't have a lot of them. We were expecting more exotic fish etc. Also their videos they share made it seem like the place is huge, but it isn't. I want to say it's smaller than an average Petco/Petsmart. The reviews from others is correct. You gotta come once they have a shipment otherwise they have the same fish Petco & Petsmart will have. The only difference is that Petco & Petsmart will have them for half the price. The costumer service here is also shitty. My fiancé asked questions but the workers would just point to the direction & that was all. The only cool thing about this place was looking at the natural coral reef rocks and organisms they have for sell. Overall, I truly think this place is overhyped.

I went to LAX and was really impressed but the impression didn't Las too long. After spending over $6-7K on an entire aquarium setup, the owner mentioned during the install that he would come back out in 6 months to do the first major water change that NEVER happened, also he installed a roller that never worked and when I called and texted him he didn't bother returning my call. Quick to take your money but shitty follow up once you spend your money.

I just bought a JBJ 65 gallon tank for my African cichlids. This store is 100% quality and modern. There was some confusion on the date of shipping but we got it resolved and the owner even threw in some filter media and extras so I was 100% satisfied. Honestly my tank that I bought from there looks so amazing and unique. Will be a lifetime customer. Now looking to set up a reef tank. Oh Lord it's an addiction.... lol See you soon guys Scott Ps. Get your tank delivered from these guys. Worth every penny. The Stan came all set up and even made sure the tank would be ready to go.

There fish are always sick rubbing up against the glass or have ick on them and they sold me a old bottle of medication

LAX Aquarium is the hottest spot in Los Angeles for all reefers!!! My wife was diagnosed with Stage IV Triple Negative Breast Cancer with Metastasis to her lungs. It has been a tough journey the past 4 years. She wanted to show her appreciation by getting us a reef tank. (I got her into reefing when we met about 7 years ago) I have been dealing with the majority of the gentlemen there. Brad, Jesus, and Bryce. Bryce was the one who has helped me and guided me into choosing our tank. We met with Kris today and pulled the trigger. Kris is an awesome, down to earth owner, who comprehends peoples situations and dealt with us accordingly. Also, it was awesome to see him calling each customer by their name. My wife got me a Red Sea Reefer 350, a Vectra M2, Eshopps S-120, custom plumbing by LAX Aquarium, sand water 80 pounds of rock, running a single AI Hydra 64HD for now. They will be setting up the tank in Dec when we move into our new place in Long Beach. Ill update this post with pictures as soon as its up and running. We are so excited and cannot wait to geek out over our new baby. If you live in SoCal and are looking to geek out over the reefing game, no need to look anywhere else. I shopped around, trust me and no one in Los Angeles can beat LAX Aquariums Prices!!! Happy Reefing!!!

I wasn't sure what to expect, as this was my first time attempting to buy fish. I am very pleased with the service I received. The associate guided me through tanks, filters, lights, plants and water needed to be a successful fish owner. I look forward to returning to purchase my fish in a few days! Thanks Danny!

Owner is only interested in selling Redsea and Ecotech. If you aren't willing to have your install completely "pimped out" they aren't interested in your business. Had him tell me none of my equipment could be transferred over to a new install and that I would need a new (Vectra) pump if I wanted it hard plumbed and new lighting. Refused to hard plumb the aquarium on site but just posted a video on IG of hard plumbing a customers tank on site (assuming because they spend a few grand on the install). Also gave me some bad information regarding aquarium setup that I know for a fact was WRONG. Yo can delete my comments on IG but you can't delete them here. The coral selection is pretty good but I get used care salesman vibes from the owner Kris. NO this isn't a "troll" review, I've been in the store on 2 separate occasions to get tank install consultations and the owner was less than interested in doing either. There was always an excuse or reason as to why this or that couldn't be done. Can't hard plumb your pump, can't mount your current lights, etc. As soon as I mentioned I wasn't interested in any Ecotech or Redsea products his interest in the project did a complete 180. If you're looking for fish or coral I guess this is a decent place as they run sales regularly, but if you're looking for that personal touch, this isn't it unless you're willing to spend thousands to have the tank setup exactly how THEY want.

Horrible staff especially the guy with the Curley hair , assuming I'm not able to afford something.. wow just horrible nice looking shop but go to Ellis Aquatics or Harry's marine life. You will be treated very well.

One of the best place in LA to buy corals. They have huge a selections of corals and it's also very affordable.

You lost a loyal customer today. Personally I would never have brought the fish to you had I not trusted you discussing this several times in passing that I wanted to save the fish before it overgrown my tank. I should have kept it. I was shocked to hear you had heard nothing about it despite providing my name and phone number when I had dropped off the box fish that was in stellar health. I was expecting to hear something but never even a text message until I stopping by today to find out it had died. You have many options there to separate the fish from being bit to death by another but no one choose to do anything. Silly to think this is worth mentioning but it was our pet that my wife and I thought you could give a better home but instead it was just like any other. Maybe if I had taken the store credit at the time of drop off someone would have incentive to save it but I did not trusting you and wanting to talk with you first. Truly disappointing.

This place is what I thought it would be. Once you step inside your greeted with two amazing display tanks and the rest of the place is huge full with marine fishes as well as freshwater fishes to choose from. They also had a large variety of coals and frags,even rear ones. The one thing I do appreciate is the customer service. You guys are on point

Very disappointed again. This was third times that I visited this store and I didn't get good customer services before. But it's been a long time since my last visit and I wanted to give it a try. The Employee (The guy on the photo) wasn't helpful and got some attitude. I asked him for a specific item that I was looking for, He was just sitting and told me where and that's it. And the item was behind of the cashier where the employee only area. I can't even get it myself.. So I had to wait and ask another employee to help me. Seriously, that's how you treat customers? Every time I come here, I get upset by their bad customer services.. Also all corals and fishes are extremely over priced. Even though, they have sales or special deals all the time, you still pay more than other local fish stores.

What can I say... love this place, love the staff! Thanks for staying as open and available as possible during COVID!