Aquatic Life Forms

I live in Vacaville but went to this store after I heard that he had an awesome deal for ghost shrimp. Cheapest price in the Bay Area and unmatched even here in the NorthEast Bay. Since I was already in Santa Clara on a Friday, I figured that swinging by this shop wouldn't throw off my trek back home.

Anyhow, the store was very easy to find, parking was easy (pulled my minivan right up in front of the bank!) and although the building signage didn't really tell me the store name, the "Tropical Fish" was hard to miss.

Much to my surprise, the store was nothing like I expected. It is not a fancy painted store with shopping music or fixtures that match. However this place was VERY clean.

The tanks are awesome! I was so taken by the schooling fish selection and had no idea what I was looking at. Signage was available, but not very informative about the breed (I'm accustomed to the shelf talkers at PetCo & PetSmart) so I had many questions. I found the shrimp and that was the aisle that the owner approached me in to ask if I needed help.

Of course I let him know that I wanted the ghost shrimp and asked why he was able to sell them so cheap. He told me that he buys in bulk directly from the breeders, eliminating the middle man, which allows him to pass the savings on to his customers.

Since the store wasn't crowded and there were two other staffers there, he was able to spend a lot of time educating me on what fish work with what. In between his "work", he would share his insight on what my tank could potentially be after I explained to him what kind of decor I was looking at having.

Thankfully he wasn't pushy and not once did I feel pressured to purchase anything. I only came in for $5 of ghost shrimp and ended up spending about $148 on shrimp, fish supplies.

I'm very grateful that he hooked me up with the ZooMed flourescent tube lights and shared that he doesn't carry the other kinds of bulbs because he doesn't use them. He told me that these bulbs work in the flourescent shop light fixtures that you can get at Home Depot for $10. Why ppl would spend $75+ on just the fixture and another $100 on the specialty bulbs, he didn't understand. The prices on the bulbs were reasonable compared to the large chain stores local to me. I actually spent a little more on the light fixture $30 as I upgraded to a black body w/a wide silver reflector. He also recommended the pink-toned bulb (for aquatic plants) to bring out the colors of my fish.

Also, I didn't see any dead fish or sick ones either. They were cleaning the large SW tank in the back that day, so I wasn't able to look too much in the back room.

Like I said earlier, the store isn't "pretty", but it's clean. There wasn't any dust on the packaged products and everything was in its place too.

I will make my monthly trip to Sunnyvale from Vacaville just to shop at this store. They have won my loyalty and I really look forward to my next visit.
cogata 01:43:50 4/27/2008
 

This store is great! There's not too much SW, but FW is what I'm looking for. Not too many dry goods, but enough equipment for one tank. Every time I went there, the fish seemed to be in excellent condition. I had to give a fish to them because it (would have) grew to about 5 inches and was agressive, and they took it with no problem! They even had some hard to get fish, such as bumblebee gobies and brackish flounder (the one labeled Dwarf Flounder; they should really be kept in brackish water). I love this store, and would come back here any time if I had the chance.
FWenthusiast 14:50:57 9/15/2007
 

This is a great store for cichlid lovers. I have purchased cichlids from the owner multiple times and has always had the best of luck with them. The fish are nice, they color up great and the prices for them are reasonable. Also, the owner is wonderful at giving advice about cichlid keeping and, most importantly, balancing the various temperaments in a tank. It is probably not the prettiest store in the Penninsula, but it always has consistent quality of livestock. The fish look healthy, are not killing each other in front of your eyes (b/c the owner knows to keep the bastards away from the wallflowers) and don't look starved. This is also the place to witness the great wall of shame, with many oscar fish finding their final refuge in the top row of the aquarium wall. That is not a negative comment against the owner, I am glad he takes them in. It is a negative comment against the hobbysts who buy a baby oscar and then give him up once he outgrows the 20 gallon.

PS: I don't care much for his marine selection, it's in the back and most fish look sad.
Verasue 20:41:21 7/28/2007
 

I've been in the south bay for 15 years and this is the best store for freshwater fish I've found. The saltwater selection is limited so marine owners should probably look elsewhere. There is a small selection of turtles and frogs here, too.

Robert is the one man who runs the show, with some family assistance, so it can take some time to get his attention if you want advice, but he is happy to share and takes a personal interest.

The tanks are setup for clear viewing using a consistent 40g size across the freshwater selection. The tanks have minimal decoration and are kept clean. The store specializes in cichlids. If you are concerned about the origin of any fish, talk to Robert, he'll tell you exactly where they came from and what he is & isn't ordering due to disease etc, and when you could expect a specific species to arrive.

Some people noted they saw fish with open sores, etc. If you spoke with Robert you'd learn that people bring fish back to him and he will put them in a safe tank to recover; don't assume the condition is because of his neglect. I myself returned a johanni that was on the verge of being picked to death, and saw him place it back in a tank with juvies where it could recover.

I have noticed Robert sometimes is inconsistent in using names for fish, perhaps leading to the confusion mentioned in some other reviews. For example pseudotropheus socolofi are sometimes labeled by the popular name of pindani, but I've also seen them labeled as socolofi, which is a little odd.

For those of you who used to visit the Waterline at Rengstorff and Central, Robert worked and helped manage that store for over a decade.

Robert's store is well laid out, maintained, and stocked, the fish are healthy, and the owner has a genuine love of the hobby. He is very helpful--he will sell acrylic tanks at basically cost and referred me to a tank stand builder instead of trying to sell me something from his stock.

The only areas I could see for improvement would be more consistent species identification, and one more person to help him out. But then it might lose some of the charm.

Prices on the food and equipment are higher than you'll find at a mass merchandiser or online, but I give my patronage because this is a quality store.

Highly recommended.
Tom 19:07:12 4/14/2007
 

I started with a 10 gallon tank 3 years ago, so I'm a relative newbie. I also have not visited many of the other fish stores in the area because I'm extremely happy with this one. I get a lot of good advice on what fish won't be good in my tank. I always look for dead fish and dirty tanks and have never seen a dead fish. When scooping out fish I've never seen any waste flying out from the gravel. It's always clean and it does not smell.

It's a one man shop and sometimes it's slow to get service, but it's always well worth the wait. I enjoy browsing the fish I can't have. I never get pressured to purchase expensive fish or items.

The fish selection is nice. I like the unusual fish and have purchased loaches, botia, fire belly newts, pea puffers, dwarf flounder.

The owner is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. It's a great store.

Penguin 21:58:59 3/14/2007
 

This store is great, good selection of freshwater fish, not too much salt. As for the help, Bobby will help anyone who asks but if it gets really busy you have to wait your turn as it is a one man store until he hires another clerk. There are times when he gets shipments of fish that are really in poor shape and he will put not for sale on that tank. Good prices but limited product.
Jay 17:36:19 3/07/2006
 

I went to this store a few days ago and sad to say I was disappointed. They definetly do not deserve the editor's pick. Selection wasn't impressive at all. Help wasn't that great either. Waited for quite a while to get helped. No one even asked if I needed any help. And once I got help the guy was giving me wrong informations. They even mislabeled the fish I was buying. They were making their own lnames for the type of fish I was buying. Price is also on the high side. Overall it wasn't worth the trip unless you are desperately looking for a type of fish.
Randy 23:03:50 1/26/2006
 

[edit]
I just went to this store,
and was not impressed.
Dolphin Pet and Aquatic Variations
will continue to get my biznatch.

Dolphin Power! 01:01:08 1/23/2006
 

robert is the man. i am new to the game and he was willing to spend the time with me to educate me on all the things i would need, could use, and the different ways i could go with a saltwater set up. great attitude which does not come across as fake but a genuine interest in the tank i was putting together. i mean the guy even offered to drive my stand to my house.
kevin 15:18:29 12/29/2005
 

Just listen...Roberts store is by far the BEST store in the bay area as far as customer service and pricing goes...His selection can seem limited at times when it comes to salt...but that is because he doesnt purchase worthless pieces of coral or half dead fish like the fish tank, or these other horrible stores in Mountain View, or even Town and country and Dolphin Pet...I have been near and far searching for the best service/selection/pricing/ over all knoweldge/and freindliness with an emphasis on teaching as apposed to the "car salesmen" attitude at every other store ive been to. knoweldge is the key and if you want some just stick around that store for a while and youll recieve all that you need. If anybody talks bad about this store they derserve a slap in the face...go back to Petco and buy your fish...
Matt (125 reef w/ some pimp ass fish) 10:53:37 12/22/2005
 

Excellent selection of freshwater, only so-so on the saltwater. Smelled like a fish store, but not rank with decay or anything. Fish appeared very healthy, though some habitats could be improved to give the less personable guys some better hiding spots. Very good prices on dry goods. Advice is pretty good... make sure you talk to the tall guy with the blonde hair. He knows his stuff and doesn't do the hard sell thing. Vastly superior to the place across the street, which was kinda scary. Don't know if it's worth the drive from the city, but if you're on the peninsula or south bay, then you can do a lot worse than this place.
saul 21:08:50 12/13/2005
 

How is it that this store remains Editor's Pick? Yes, we were at the RIGHT store Fish Lover! It's in an outdoor shopping center. In fact, it's right next door to a wonderful rabbit store called "All Living Things" which btw, deserves Editor's Pick if there were such a thing as a bunnystore review. Sure, the store is pretty with organized aisles of fish tanks with variations of colorful substrate but we saw dead/sick fish (one fish was bent & very sad looking). I was very disappointed.
Fish Power - Bunny Power 00:04:43 12/01/2005
 

I'm also a little perplexed by the "Editor's Pick".

During my visit the staff was fairly hostile and I saw several dead and dying fish.

Skip 12:10:14 11/10/2005
 

After reading the reviews, I couldn't wait to check out this store. I decided to bring in a sample of my water to be tested.

As soon as I walked in the store, it noticed that it was very clean with a good layout. Unfortunately, things started to go downhill from there. Instead of using test tubes with drop chemicals, the person helping me put my water into a container and used those dip sticks. I was amazed that they would use them as they are largely known to not be as accurate as the test tube method. There was a good selection of cichlids, but I noticed that many were sick. Some even had open wounds and were not labeled that they were not for sale. I also saw dead fish in several of the "community" fish tanks which was upsetting. I expected this place to be pristine and it was not.

I prefer Aquatic Variations in Mountain View and will continue to give them my business.
JTV 15:03:00 10/29/2005
 

I'm sorry but the guy named Fish Power who gave his review obviously was not at Aquatic Life Forms. The store has NEVER Smelled bad and probably the cleanest and best kept fish store in the bay area. The best customer service in the area as well.
Fish Lover 22:49:59 10/19/2005
 

I expected this place to be AWESOME, with the editors pick and all, but upon going in this week,
the place smelled very bad. I saw numerous dead fish, I saw green water, I saw some very sick big fish that were clenched in a curve.
I don't believe they were for sale, but it mad me sad....
I was at the right store, it looked like the pictures, but not clean. Maybe I'm crazy, but I've been to great stores with NO dead/sick fish, like Dolphin Pet Village in Campbell, and they beat this store by a million.

I made a special trip from the reccomendation from this editors pick, and I'm sorry I did....but I did get a used 20 gallon long stand in Sunnyvale from a classified on the same trip.
I also went to Dolphin Pet Village in Campbell, which I say again, is totally awesome.

Fish Power 03:02:09 7/29/2005
 

The best store in the area. I used to drive to Campbell to get knowlegeable help about fish, but now I rely on Robert for any help and advice I need. He's always more than willing to help. The tanks in the store are always clean and well stocked and the selection of cichlids is really impressive.
Bill 12:17:04 6/29/2005
 

I really love the selection of cichlids at this store. The help is great and friendly. Bobby the owner is very knowledgeable in the hobby, he will spend alot of time talking with customers. If there are any sick tanks the fish are not for sale. The prices are marked on most of the tanks. He also supports some of the fish clubs in the area. Lots of parking.
Oscar 19:21:41 3/20/2005
 

Great store and good prices. The owner has been in the hobby for most of his life. The staff are very friendly.
The tanks are always clean, fish healthy. If he has a tank with sick fish they are usually not for sale.
If you love cichlids this store is worth a visit as the first thing you will see is a 240 display tank with alot of cichlids.
DennyBob 11:12:33 2/27/2005
 

This store has some of the finest customer service of any store in the Bay Area. The staff are always friendly and helpful to newbies and die-hards alike. My wife and I were looking at heaters, and the owner of the store advised us against the most expensive model in favor of a more durable, more effective model. That sort of honesty is rare in any business.

The fish are always healthy, the tanks look clean, and the selection is good, skewed a bit towards those new to the hobby, but they have enough interesting fish to make frequent visits worthwhile. Along with Aquatic Variations in Mountain View, this is one of my favorite stores.
Adam 23:44:19 8/11/2004
 

I have been in this store several times over the past couple of months, and the employees have been nothing but fabulous. They do water testing of my tank with out complaining, give advice on fish- matching, and their prices are reasonable, often lower then petco and other places. I have bought many fish from this store, and they are all still alive.
The tanks in the store are sparkling! The staff will spend hours with you answering questions, even if they are repetitive.

I would recomend this store to anyone looking for fish and supplies.
The
Jennifer 16:37:22 8/08/2004
 

I think the last post is off base - I think the guy he is talking about is Manford in the Sunnyvale Town Center. The store is well stocked and very clean - new business and all new tanks and all fish are priced. The owner used to work for Waterline. Give the guy a shot - he has good advice and a nice store but stay away from Mr. Chaus fast chinese food in the complex the food will make you sick.
fishgirl 00:43:12 8/06/2004
 

The tank setups looked nice but there are no prices. Seems pricing is according to your level of knowledge. If you are a newbie a high price and for an old salt like me a bit cheaper price but still on the mid to high side. ( My lady friend came in a few hours before me and asked for the cute little nemo fish and received the sock it to you price - strangly different from my pricing hours later.) Good selection - easy parking - employees are eager to help.
Alex 23:50:02 7/27/2004
 

The only store in the bay area with biggest selection of African Cichlids. Very friendly & helpful staff with reasonable prices... unlike that Flipper Pet Village Store in Campbell.
rocco 08:41:44 7/17/2004
 

Parking: Located in a mini mall, this store has plenty of parking.

Overview: This is a great store. Hobbyist owned, the fish are in great shape, the tanks are clean and meticulously labeled, and the owner is honest and friendly.

Customer Service: Fabulous. The owner remembers who you are and is always ready to offer help. He is usually with customers, either beginners who don’t know which fish will live with which, or old hats getting advice on custom filtration systems. He is very honest and is obviously more interested in helping hobbyists than squeezing money out of them. His staff are well-trained and helpful, as well.

Selection: This is mostly a freshwater fish store, although they do have a small marine fish selection. He has the biggest variety of goldfish I’ve seen. There is also a fairly large African cichlid selection, although the South and Central American cichlid selection is more limited. I don’t usually see a lot of rare or unusual fish here, but all of the usual suspects are here. The loach selection is pretty limited.

Plants: They do have live plants, which seem reasonably priced.

Price: About average on fish and equipment. I’ve never had sticker shock at this store.

Equipment: They have a small but suitable selection of equipment.

Humane treatment of fish / ethics: The fish are usually in fantastic health; however, on my last visit, I saw a new shipment of severum (one of my favorite fish) that had some kind of fungus on them that were still apparently for sale. This is the first sign of disease I’ve ever seen on their fish, and none of the fish I’ve bought from them have ever been anything but very healthy.

The tanks are very clean and appropriately furnished with plants and hiding places. Compatible fish are placed together and aggressive fish are separated into their own tanks. The fish all appear to be very well-fed.

Sadly, this store does have a lot of the tiny betta bowls, and it also sells those betta vase thingies.
loachie 09:27:37 6/16/2004