Aquarium Illusions Inc — Local services in Edmonton

If I could give zero stars, I would.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars with this company, only to have my entire fish tank wiped out overnight after their last visit. They certainly didn’t go out of their way to make me feel like a valued customer—rather, they were more interested in shifting the blame onto me for their own negligence.

Here’s how it went:

I reached out to this company to clean my fish tank since I’m no expert and had one fish that was looking less than ideal. After the first visit, the technician said my tank wasn’t that bad and suggested I feed the fish a little more, as one was looking skinnier than it should be. Feed it more. Because clearly, that’s the expert solution for a fish on the verge of death. I even asked about quarantining the fish, but his response? “No need.” When it came to the health of my water, he said the phosphate levels were lower than normal, but apparently, nothing to worry about. I mentioned that my RO water system was older, and while he recommended getting a new one, it wasn’t urgent. Instead, they convinced me to spend $450 on a new filter system to “clean up impurities” in the tank.

Fast forward a month, and my royal gramma fish was on the verge of death, so I called them again. At this point, my tank was flourishing and looking the best it had in a while. The technician shrugged and basically said, “it’ll either get better or it won’t.” Once again, I brought up the RO water, and he reassured me that the new filter system they sold me would take care of any impurities, so there was no need to worry. The service guy’s advice?When I expressed concern about my old RO water, I was told it was fine because the new $450 filter they sold me would “take care of the impurities.” Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

Fast forward to the most recent visit: my tank was flourishing—fish, corals, crabs, all thriving. The serviceman came, gave me a thumbs up, and reassured me everything was perfect. Later that evening, I noticed some of my previously healthy fish, who were thriving before their visit, suddenly looking like they were fighting for their lives. I went to bed feeling uneasy but, trusting the servicing would help my tank and woke up to... an aquatic graveyard. Every single one of my seven fish, two lobsters, my crab, and all my coral? Dead. Overnight.

I called the company immediately, hoping for some accountability. Instead, I was ignored for hours by both the owner and manager. When I finally managed to speak to another manager, they seemed clueless and told me they’d “call me back.” When they did, I was somehow blamed for killing all my fish. Yes, after following their advice to the letter, it was my fault. They even threw in a claim that I was yelling at their staff—which, for the record, never happened. I calmly emailed them my concerns the same night, then followed up the next morning after being ghosted.

I’ve spent thousands with this company over the years, diligently following their every recommendation to maintain my tank, and their grand solution to wiping out my entire tank overnight? A generous 25% off, because nothing says “we killed everything in your tank” like a token discount.

Judging by their track record of replying to negative reviews, I’m not expecting anything different—just more proof of how little they value their customers. It’s poor business practice at its finest. Save yourself the heartache and your money. Do yourself a favor and avoid this company. Go somewhere that actually values your business and knows how to take...

I called in to inquire about their tank relocation service. My husband and I are moving at the beginning of November and wanted to be extra cautious and have a professional move the fish for us. When I inquired over the phone, I was told they were "swamped" every day of the week, but maybe a Wednesday could work. They said that before I even had the chance to give them a date or any details about the service I required (moving two goldfish from one apartment to another 5 minutes away), although I had mentioned I was calling with more than a month in advance. The person on the phone was pretty rude about it, too, so I didn't book the relocation with them. I had heard good things about them so I was really disappointed.

Update: a few notes after reading the owner's reply. First of all, you must have me confused with someone else as I was never rude, said thank you, and did not hang up on the technician. Also, if I had been told there was room for the beginning of November, I would have booked, as that is when I would have needed it. Second, no one at any point made a comment to hint or outright explain that there was a staff shortage; I was simply told you were too busy with maintenance services. You say that I would "not have liked the quote," yet I was never even given one, and not even one question was asked of me to determine what the relocation would have entailed. You are also making assumptions because I was ready to pay whatever fee, as I value the lives of my fish and wanted to make sure they would survive the move. If you are unable to offer a service, then you should let potential customers know before transferring the call to...

I have been in the store a few times. I have had mixed reviews about this place but, that is the way most business is. I have had the pleasure of having Amber Lee help me out on more than one occasion and she has offered me lots and over-welling information, but that is how it seems when it comes to all aquariums (everyone has an opinion). Between her and the other Lady I believe Lori, have made me regret not buying most of my aquarium stuff there instead of online due to their friendly and welcoming nature. I don’t mind paying a little more for supporting local but, their prices are very comparable to Amazon.

Also, I have dealt with a gentleman named Ron on more than one occasion and I have not cared for the way he comes over. When giving information he is over whelming and mean about it. He is my way or the highway kind of guy. He is belittling and will make you regret buying a saltwater aquarium just like he made me. He lacks in any customer service skill and understanding. He is the first person who told me that my salinity should be at 25 ppt yet everywhere online, books I have read and other staff most say 30 ppt or up to 35. He told me that my phosphates were out and would not sell me anything to fix it, so I had to go home and buy it from Amazon. Yet the next day I test my water and no trace of any phosphates but, also the test was a pink color that is not phosphate. So, I question his understanding of testing.

Considering I have had fish for over 30 years and this gentleman is the first horrible apple I have run into in my whole time dealing with any aquarium stuff. So be careful with who you deal with. Most staff are...