Aquatic Collection — Attraction in Hayward

Im a long time freshwater customer of this place and today I went in to buy some goldfish. I’m usually very pleased with the sourcing and condition of fish at this establishment, though today I was forced to question my loyalty.

The fancy gold fish that were available had many fish which were sick with anchor worm. These things happen in the aquarium trade so I quietly and politely informed the staff of what I saw. I was informed by a worker that they were aware of the problem and that they were doing everything they could to treat it… but they were still selling the fish and didn't have any signage indicating the fish were being treated. When I asked why they were still selling the fish the worker informed me that if someone wanted to buy the infected fish they would let them know before they purchased it, somehow I doubt that.

The poor worker seemed distressed over the situation, as if they had been told by their boss to continue selling the fish against their sense of honor and common sense. Anchor worm is an extremely virulent parasite that is difficult to treat and I had observed infected fish in at least three of their /recirculating/ freshwater systems. The freshwater tanks are set up in what looks to be arrays of five tanks which all share (infected) water. In short a good quarter of the freshwater fish wall was now likely infected with anchorworm, a fact that was known by the staff while they continued to sell the fish and disregard all proper quarantine procedures.

I am extremely disappointed. The person in charge here should be ashamed. Anchor worm is a horrible disease that takes months to treat and it spreads incredibly easily. Fish can be infected and not show any external signs of infection until the parasite matures. That the infected fish were not quarantined and were still being sold is negligent at best, I expected better...

This Fish Store is by far one of the best fish stores I’ve been to in California. What I find excellent about this store is they have the date the fish arrived on every tank along with the price. Having the date on the tank is essential it really tells me a lot about the condition of the fish and it’s chances of survival. Every time I leave this place I feel like it is money well spent. They have a huge selection of live corals & anemone’, saltwater fish, freshwater fish and even tank supplies. Everyone working here seems to be very knowledgeable and willing to help with any questions you may have. They also have great selections of frozen fish food and they do sell RoDi water and mixed saltwater by the gallon. I was here for mostly saltwater fish and I am just amazed at the selection of fish they have, this is my now go to store. Thanks Aquatic Collection keep Killing it! Here is a few fish in my quarantine tank I purchased from them recently. A juvenile flame Angel, juvenile yellow boxfish and a cleaner wrasse. Also took a pic of their beautiful humu Trigger they have in store. Just flawless fish

Update 2 weeks later: I am at 100 percent success rate all 4 fish purchased from this place lived through quarantine and successfully transferred to my DT with no issues. Only negative thing I can say about this place is that if you think you are going to call them to place an order over the phone or ask about something in stock… Good Luck you’d have better luck getting through to the IRS then this place. They should really start answering the phone. Other than that if going to the store...

I would rate this place 5 stars for the great customer service and selection of aquatic livestock and coral but giving 4 stars cause of lack of knowledge of some of the staff. I purchased a feather star fish from the store a few days ago. I was there earlier in the week and had asked an employee if the feather starfish was easy to care for and will get along with fish. He said that it is not easy unless you have time because you have to feed it alot. That's not a problem so I decided I would think about it and hold off. I came back a week later and asked another employee if it was OK with fish. He asked what type of fish do I have and I told him triggers and tangs. He said they will leave it alone and it will be fine. Well I bought the feather starfish. Paid $65 and was excited. Went home and acclimated him and a half hour later he was in the tank . Looked ok and everything was fine. Hopped in the shower and when I came out his limbs were scattered everywhere. The fishes tore him up. So much for being ok with fishes. Now he's sleeping with the fishes...