Aqua World — Local services in Ellisville

Amazing!!

This is my new favorite fish store. I decided to go here after seeing the putrid conditions of a local Petco's aquariums. I walked in and was instantly greeted. At first, the shop seemed small, until I discovered their fish room. I spent well over an hour here geeking out over the amazing variety of fish here and the cleanliness of the aquariums. They had exactly what I wanted, and were more than happy to help me find the correct plant for my aquarium, since my only knowledge in the aquarium hobby is breeding. My only issue is the pricing on some of their fish. Their discus are roughly $100 a piece, and some of their plecos $30 a piece. However, this does balance out with the great pricing of $5 otocinclus cats, $4 snails and some larger plants for roughly $4-10. However, with these reasonable prices, you know you're getting good, healthy fish. Overall, this is a great store and I plan to visit regularly. I hope you at least look through the store before deciding to visit a larger chain pet store.

Update: I try to make as many trips as I can to this store, but have only been able to fit in a few stops here and there. Whenever I stop by I get a little more info on plants and have seen a few fish I can't find anywhere else, such as African dwarf frogs and Hawaiian Platies (that specific type of platy being more on the rare side) and bichir(s). I see healthy, happy fish in every tank I look at, and love the small little "scapes" they have in each tank. I read many reviews complaining about the employees, and completely disagree with many. The employees are very good at reading your mood and making decisions on how to interact with you. However, the elderly man (usually behind the counter) is usually busy with other work and rarely interacts with you unless you go to him first. Everyone in the store seems to be cheerful with the presence of good employees, tons of fish and...

OK. So I've been to this place three times. Bit pricey but the selection is great and the store and tanks are well taken care of. I've bought plants and fish from there and all are healthy and thriving. The customer service is really hit and miss though. My first time there about a year or two ago there was a middle aged man and woman working the counter. The man was willing enough to smile and gesture towards a shelf if anyone asked about something but the woman just seemed irritated and as short as possible with helping clientele. Weird, but I didn't take it personally because I saw it happening with other customers. My second and third time there I dealt with a younger girl and an older gentleman. Can't remember the young lady's name but she looked to be in her early twenties , darker hair, with glasses. She was great. Handled customer service like a rock star. If she's still employed there, she really deserves a raise. The older gentleman was the polar opposite. Never smiled, barely looked up from whatever he was doing, short with any answers he was willing to be bothered by, and simply gestured towards the young girl whenever he was bored with dealing with you. If not for the young lady, I wouldn't have made a purchase. I recently called to inquire about a certain species of fish I was looking for to see if they had any in stock. Believe I got the older gentleman on the phone and he replied that they occasionally carry them. So far, so good. I then asked if he knew when they might have another shipment coming in. His reply was "Whenever they show up on the page." Just seemed bothered, condescending and almost shocked by a fair question based on his tone. So to review, great selection of stock with a well kept store. Just remember to look for the younger dark haired girl with glasses if you're looking for someone who actually seems like they're happy to...

Under no circumstances would I ever recommend this place. I've been in there three times and both employees have been rude and unwilling to help. I went in recently asking about algae in my koi pond. The lady sharply replied saying I had to use algaecide, and that it was on the shelf. She finally walked over to show it to me. I then told her that I had a 300 gallon pond and was wondering if the bottle I was holding would be enough for the season, and she condescendingly said, "It says right on the front of the bottle!" I then inquired about plants for the pond and she said, "They're in back." Not once did she smile or act as though she was happy to help.

I took the hint that apparently they felt I was not a customer, but instead a bother. I went to the back and the area was pretty disgusting and not well organized. No signs or labels to denote anything I was looking at. I asked a few questions about the plants and another customer walked in. Instead of attending to me, she spent 15 minutes or more bagging up plants for the other customer.

Out of frustration I left, hopped on my phone, searched for another pond supply store, and happily found Chalily just a few miles down Manchester. Night and day difference at Chalily. Great, friendly customer service and the prices were better on the fish and plants. I will never step foot in Aqua World again.

On another note, some of the favorable reviews seem (no pun intended) fishy to me. Talking about the tanks being clean, and the store being newly remodeled?! No way. It's a dark, dingy, and crowded place when I visited in...