Nature Aquarium — Attraction in Los Angeles

Update 1/2019: So glad Mr. Toru has moved his shop and wisdom to lovely downtown Culver City on Venice Blvd. Easy to get to just off the 10 freeway. Strip mall parking. Same wonderfully healthy stock, CO2 refill service, and products. Obviously he had to restart a bunch of sample tanks with the move but they are already looking great and there's plenty to see. Mr. Toru is so kind and helpful. Our own planted tank, plants and fish are all thriving (2+ years on). He has helped us through the occasional fish or plant issue and has a ton of longstanding loyal customers. If you are new to this hobby, he's extremely willing to help you out if you approach and ask questions. Soon enough you'll develop a relationship and an artful hobby. Know that this store is in LA and as such you may find a language or cultural difference infuses some of your interactions. Better to come visit than call. You won't be disappointed with your trip or the great new location. The store is more than fair priced for the city and it feels good to give him your business.

Original: Great owner, shop and product. We have been coming here for over 2 years, since we started our first aquarium. Now that we have established tanks, we visit every few months to trade in our CO2 and see what’s available, and there’s often something new or newly back. Mr. Toru is extremely dedicated to his craft, personable with adults and kids, and helpful in offering guidance. Tell him your setup and ask his advice on your picks. So invaluable. Don’t be shy about asking questions in person, as there is endless information to learn and mistakes you can avoid. Prices extremely reasonable for the trade and his service level. Yes it’s the age of internet shops and hobbies, but do yourself a real favor and get a hobby that requires in person human interaction with living things...

This store is stocked with some of the more rare species of freshwater fish and aquatic plants available to the aquatic hobbyist. However, expect to pay as much as 3 times the price for rare fish and plants and over twice the price for even the most common fish and plants. The price for a common fish like neon tetras was almost three dollars a fish once tax is factored in, which is a fish that can be easily found elswhere for about one dollar per fish. This is significant because small fishes like tetras require that you purchase at least 6-8 fish for even the smallest of tanks which adds up substantially to the overall purchase. Furthermore, the owner is an overall friendly person, but doesn't go out of his way to give stellar customer service, regardless of his inflated prices. I don't mind paying more at a locally owned business, just as long as there is customer courtesy and service to justify the added cost. With that said, the owner is very knowledgeable with information he has aqcuired through extensive experience in the aquarium trade. Overall, I feel this is a good store to visit if your trying to find hard to find fish and aquatic plants and are prepared to pay a significantly higher price. However, I cannot recommend this store for the more common species of fish and plants that can be easily aqcuired elsewhere at a signficantly lower cost. I understand the aquarium hobby is not a cheap one, but that doesn't mean one has to accept exorbitant prices...

Small store located in the very middle of the plaza. There's a few parking spots in the plaza but they are pretty compact. There is also metered parking along the street in case you can't find any parking.

The store itself is clean with a good selection of reasonably priced fishes. However, I believe this store is more so specializes in aquatic plants. They have several aquarium on display that are spectacular to look at. The owner is also very knowledgeable and gives great advice, definitely not out to make money as we ended up not purchasing anything the first time we were there because he recommended we wait until our tank is ready for new fish. When we were able to purchase a fish, the little guy was very healthy and the water he came with was super clean.

I noticed there were some complaints about customer service. I just see the owner as a grandfather-like figure explaining to you how to take care of your fish. Very direct, to the point, no fluff type of way. I don't mind it, but I can see how it's not for everyone. Just a fair warning this isn't Petco.

Overall, I love coming back to this aquarium. Things can be a little pricey, but I know these fishes and plants...