Aqua World Pet Super Center — Local services in Emsworth

This is my first review ever, if it wasn't such a horrible experience I wouldn't even be writing this. If we hadn't drove an hour to only visit this store, we would've left shortly after arriving, and we definitely wouldn't return. We waited for over 20 minutes at the counter to ask questions as well as check out. Granted, there was 2 people running the entire store, so of course they had no time for people they didn't know wanting to pay for products and ask questions. We were the only people at the counter at first, there was another woman who came after us but she ended up walking out after she waited for 15 minutes before we checked out. We watched 2 separate people walk in the door and be put in the front of the line and start checking out before we were asked if we were ready, but of course they called the owner by name "Ming" so we weren't gonna argue with it, we were just trying to leave with something for as far as we drove, even just a heater and test kit. We needed live plants and explained this once we finally got to the "front" of the line, and had to literally chase the girl around the store telling her we're starting a new tank and wanted some plants, but she wasn't listening at all. We never told her what size tank, the fish going in it, anything. Without even just simply saying the name of the plants she started ripping things out of tanks and bagging them up. We never had anything explained to us or even got to explain what we wanted or needed. When we got home, the duckweed was so infested with aphids they had completely covered the lid of the cup they sold it to us in and I had to throw them out anyway within 2 days of introducing it to the tank, I washed it as much as I could in very small batches and they still started showing up on other plants we have... another floating plant we bought that I washed VERY thoroughly was ripped out of a tank, and had a dead goldfish wrapped up in it that she "kindly" shook out of the roots for us, she didn't even react and just walked away from the tank plant in hand, trying to not acknowledgethe dead fish she just shook out of the roots. I really couldnt believe what I was watching as I've never seen this type of treatment of animals or such poor customer service even at a PetCo store before. We took a look at the bettas, but their "cups" were so cloudy from not being cared for and having so much ammonia in them, that we just turned away because we knew if we bought one it would surly die within days. All and all, it was a pretty horrid experience. I was able to clean the dead goldfish plant and have it live, so far. I definitely wouldn't have added it had I had fish in the aquarium it was going in tho.

Realistically, a -3 out of 5. But I gave 2 in hope possible future customers will actually see this, because it was definitely horrible all the way around. We'll stick to Wet Pets and Friends in Cannonsburg. We went directly there after leaving this store to buy our hardscape and well over 90% of our plants that we needed, we didn't want anymore plants from Aqua World's water contaminating our tank even after washing. Wet Pets has always taken the time to ask us the most basic questions as well as answer all my "silly" questions. I never see a sick or dead fish (At aqua world I counted over 10 sick or dead fish) and Wet Pets selection of inserts; both organic and not absolutely topple over this place that had maybe 10 pieces of real driftwood total at most, that were on the bottom shelf in a dark back corner of the store, next to a couple boxes of their dead snail shells. I would DEFINITELY recommend Wet Pets over this place anyday, before and after visiting. Don't waste your time if you want quality animals, plants that will last, as well as inserts and especially customer service. It's just not the place you would buy things you'll be able to...

Please press the J and read more! If I could give them a lower rating, I would! Before I mention the issues that I've had, every single time I have been in there I cannot tell you how many people have been in tears and extremely upset over the massive turtle shoved in a tiny plastic bin in the back of the store, now there is another smaller one in the same container. Desperately trying to get out and clearly disturbed and upset....dead fish, hermit crabs, rats, mice, etc. Their focal point is the exotics and their Koy. I was referred to them by a friend... That now strictly only gets crickets and feeder fish there, even at that, a certain type of feeder fish because of them not making it home alive. He told me, after the fact, that he had bought multiple bearded dragons there that died almost immediately. He wouldn't buy anything else breathing there! But I was convinced to buy a baby boa constructor for my son at a lower cost by my friend, the owner that my friend calls Ming. Also, being pushed thru the process because the young asian girl had other people to talk to. While trying to learn and make sense of this buy, two other male employees! were complaining about the young girl. She even went to the extent of "looking something up on the computer" and explained why he looked so bad, sickly, and like his head was smashed. Complete nonsense! I felt so awful for the poor thing. I had no doubt he would have been killed if I didn't buy him. Even the friend that will not buy anything other than crickets there and feeder fish, told me that " it looked like his head had been smashed, probably was. Who knows where Ming got him..but hey, its cheap". He did have one severely bulging eye, which is sometimes a trait in some Boas because of a clogged duct in their mouths but can easily be cared for without the snake dying. Along with a $200 tank that was used and filthy, I was also told the tank was waterproof which it is not! After spending a fortune on this poor little snake, he did not make it. He was a red tail boa that looked like he had never eaten even once. Getting him to eat the first time was difficult, but thanks to a lot of youtube videos, I was able to get a very small meal into him. I don't believe that he had ever had a meal prior. And i dont believe the owner ever thought he would make it. He was nothing but skin. Why my friend was so incredibly persistant on me getting the snake and continues to go to such an underground place, I do believe it is the influence of the young asian girl behind the counter, lol. Pretty face and big mouth does not mean you're getting good quality animals!!!! I have been there when I asked to see baby mice as a pet, prior to the interest in the baby snake, and everything in the cage was dead and had been rotting for a while. The smell was horrendous! If my friend who has been going there for many, many years, only goes to get fish that are going to be eaten immediately, and crickets that are going to be eaten immediately.... Why would anybody go there to buy an actual pet? The owner breeds alot of his own animals, and I have no clue where he gets the rest, but please believe me, there are better places. Places without disease, torturous treatment, death, etc. It is like a pawnshop for animals. I really wonder where they, or how they got their license to breed domesticated and exotic animals???? As much as I support small businesses rather than corporate. This is one the people need to...

Edit 4 years later : I was aghast to learn 4 years ago the owners had responded to me. I had no idea they had a reasonable explanation for the things I experienced. Had I seen this response i likely would have returned in a much more fashionable time to allow them to make those prior qualms right. Fast forward 4 years and this shop is on my way to work. It is the only shop that i dont have to travel 45 minutes out of the way for. That being said I have since moved from freshwater to reefing. I have come to this shop since my initial review for various snails, crab, and fish. I have not personally purchased their coral...but they do have a large selection.... but this is simply due to me having a private vendor. Let me say, having purchased items for the reef there is a lot more money involved. Im talking thousands of dollars of equipment, fish, and coral. This makes any purchase from them 100x more risky. Since purchase i have watched a crab and wrasse thrive in my tank. They treat their new species with copper and it has helped greatly. I have only had one snail die from them....and i suspect it was due to my introduction process. All this to say 5 stars. I have had some employees give me advice I know is wrong based on reef2reef...but I dont excpect anyone but the owner to have absolute knowledge. They have provided me with quality fish and their saltwater tanks are wonderful. They are consistently capable of growing sps and lps. While i have never purchased their frags, the grow out tanks they have speak for themselves. On top of this I spent about an hour crouched down observing a wrasse i wanted to buy. I witnessed the employees telling a potential customer their tank was unfit for what they wanted to purchase. This speaks so many volumes. I very much respect them for being willing to lose the sale to ensure proper fish care. 5/5 or 10/10 watever metric you wanna use.

I have been here many times for different types of plants and fish and have had good experiences and a knowledgeable staff. But recently I went here and noticed a large amount of dead fish in their tanks. Especially their tanks of more acidic water had multiple dead rope fish. And the employee was cleaning them out while trying to find me a fish. The 2 clown loaches I purchased both had ick and even after a quartine period they infected my tank. I understand that it's always a risk taken but I feel that quality of fish has gone down hill recently. Be very careful purchasing fish from them. I really loved this store but this recent experience was rough. And has exposed hundreds of dollars worth of fish and plants to a...