The Aquarium Connection — Local services in Simi Valley

Andrew Bunya - Owner of (The Aquarium Connection) was nothing short of perfection. FIVE STARS!!!

I was referred to Andrew through a close friend, I can say with full honesty that when thinking about buying and setting up a reef aquarium, definitely speak to this guy first. He really knows all aspects of how an aquarium is built, plumping, types of fish to add, how to manage it cost effectively yourself and how to take care of your fish. Below is a quick story how everything panned out for me:

Andrew came out to my house, 86mi away to measure, discuss pricing, time frames and my specific needs for my dream aquarium, ALL ON HIS OWN DIME! He wasn't pushy, he took the time to discuss what I wanted and didn't focus on his profit which is hard to find in a salesman. He knew I had a specific budget so he ate some costs on his own to make things work.

Originally, I was going to have a custom one built in my home to divide my two rooms but Andrew talked me into using a different wall to hide the plumping, promote less noise, keep tank out of direct sunlight and not monopolize the room. He gave me great ideas after showing me his insane portfolio and discussing specifics. He changed my entire perspective and gave me a specific vision for my custom aquarium in under 30 minutes.

When it came time to built everything, he got it all together very quick, he had the custom acrylic piece made in 2 weeks and the cabinetry, stand and hutch a week later. He saved me hundreds on plumbing and start up costs; he put EVERYTHING together himself, he even bought the supplies at his wholesale price to save me money. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on coral to start, so he recommended a great place that makes near perfect faux replicas. I plan on adding real coral in the future, but Andrew could tell I was getting inundated with all the costs and personal maintenance, so he unselfishly helped me out by getting me this faux coral at a discounted price and installed everything for me instead of charging me hundreds for real coral, cost for chemicals and maintenance to keep it all up.

He is an extreme perfectionist when it comes to managing your tank, I would strongly recommend that you follow his instructions; you can tell he cares about all fish. Please listen to what he has to say about adding specific fish to your tank, feeding times, types of food and timelines when to add fish. From what I've heard, lots of people like to rush the process by adding fish and coral too quickly. Word of advice: Listen to Andrew, he knows what he is talking about, DON'T TRY AND SPEED THINGS UP ON YOUR OWN. Haha

I hope you enjoyed my personal experience with The Aquarium Connection, I'm sure you will be writing a review like mine once they finish completing your...

Seriously this place is essential if you have fish, or have ANY questions about fish or tanks. On top of their thriving custom tanks and aquarium business, they have everything for the newbie to the pro and everyhing in between. Personally I was SOLD after they took the time to answer all my crazy over the top newbie questions about the 4 betta fish i had as centerpieces at my wedding that are now my beloved "wedding fish" whom are all thriving in their eye catching, fairly priced, ggood quality, self maintaining,tanks, that I purchased for each fish from here The only reason I will ever go back to Petco is to return the overpriced boring tanks I originally bought for my betta. But after weeks of water changes and water testing and chemicals and everything else, I had to accept the fact that after all the research i did prior to purchasing those still left much to be desired and absolutely wouldn't allow for these 4 fish to live as low maintenance, beautiful parts of our busy daily life.

The filters are totally sub par in them amd overall quality it just lacking. But when I walked into AQUARIUM Connection I was filled with knowledge and every question and thought I had was kindly addressed by a friendly and knowledgeable staff. Love LOVE LOVE the set up I got from them and so do my bettas!!!they are all SO HAPPY and i look forward to going in there to see the latest and greatest salt water tank he is putting together. Owner is a genuine fish lover, and has an entire wall of his home as one of his customized beauties. Really beautiful display,s lots of fish, tanks and decor to choose from Ò new projects they have going as...

We have been here a few times now and we haven't really bought anything before and we were treated like family even when we were just window shopping. The first time I was here was after an earthquake a month or so ago and they had had a flood and they were still open serving the customers and mopping at the same time. This time we went in looking for some plants for a new 45 gallon tank we are setting up. We spent a couple hundred bucks on plants today because George took the time to help us select plants that would work for the configuration we are shooting for. We will be back for more of their plants and fish. Their plants are nice, they have a huge selection and they are clean and healthy with all different varieties which is what we need for what we're trying to accomplish. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us for fish. This is definitely one of the finest Aquarium stores we've been to in SoCal.

When we were there George and Peter were the only ones there, every time I've been there those two guys have always been on point even with just two of them and a bunch of customers, they took care of everybody. and everyone got the same care and attention. Today Andrew should be very proud of his team.

We will see you guys soon to help populate...