Reviews of The Premium Aquarium (Fish Shop)

madeline elizabeth

I’m a size 14 and I get a lot of help here.

Will Evans

Nice selection.

Taylor Egner

I had a few questions and a nice gentleman took some time to talk with me and answer them all. He gave me a fair price on a used tank. The customer service puts this small shop above and beyond their competitors.

David wiesner

Best fish and coral in the northwest

Evyl Vyxen

Nice selection of fish. Good variety, and healthy. Prices are a little high. But with it when they have what you're looking for.

Gayle Robertson

Love this LFS. Knowledgeable people. Super cool displays. Salt and freshwater set ups. Healthy fish and great selection.

Robert Williams

This is the second time in and the guy with glasses was awesome once again...new to the hobby and he was super Helpful.... instead of buying plants to lower nitrites he pointed out a product that saved me money ...i will come back and recommend to all my fish keeper fiends nice and clean tanks and awesome selection

Laura Lee Van Tassell

Very Nice! Great customer service. Fish are healthy and beautiful. A lot to offer here.

Abe Zamora

Good place to buy fish, helpful employee's

Tina S

It is a great place with knowledgeable people.

Trevor Farnes

Absolutely love this place! Garrett knows what he is talking about! I would recommend premium aquarium to any new or experienced hobbyist.

Amanda Fazzio

I got a great deal on a light for my new aquarium. The gentleman I spoke to was very understanding that I didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on lighting and gave me a variety of options that were much closer to my price range. I got a gently used $80 LED light STILL UNDER WARRANTY for $50. I'm definitely coming back when I start shopping for fish. 10/10 would recommend.

Daniel Nelson

Been coming here for a year now and every visit has been awesome! The staff is very knowledgeable on anything they stock or can order as well as various types of tank setups. Their fish and tanks are very clean. I will be coming here as my primary Marine fish store for as long as i have my tanks.

Andy Okada

Best experience I could of asked for as a beginner in the world of aquariums.

Tim Lieske

Very helpful and friendly staff! Very patient with my child's indecisiveness!

Joyce Cavazos

Wonderful place, knowledgeable staff. Two thumbs up.

Jacob Christensen

Great selection, very knowledgeable staff and reasonable prices. Will visit if back in the area.

Malissa

They helped me pick out some plants for my tank! Very nice selection. I appreciate their knowledge also, they answered all my questions and we very friendly! Thanks!

Lenna Weinstein

Lots of salt water goodies to choose from

Chris Bright

Great staff, with great quality and selection, not to mention healthy! And they are pretty reasonably priced too!

Flavio Zaragoza

Been here a handful of times probably won’t be going back anymore. Every time I come in they’re having a cook out behind the counter don’t bother to greet you. Let alone put the food down to ask if you need help finding anything. You’re left to wonder the store in a very uncomfortable way almost as if you are being ignored.

wendy proitte

Wow!!! We are so impressed with this store!! The staff is beyond knowledgeable yes they are a bit more but you do get what you pay for. We have done a full saltwater setup with them and couldn't honest be happier!!!!

JJ King

Great knowledgeable staff willing to help!!!

Paul Griffin

Great selection of fish and plants. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. Prices for supplies are a little high compared to other mainstream pet stores, but they have a better selection than most stores.

Katelyn Van Dyk

Great selection of plants, supplies, and creatures for salt and fresh water. Friendly and intelligent staff. Reasonable prices. Definitely worth stopping by if you want to create a unique tank.

Debbie Willis

They really know their products

Raylene James

Went in ready to buy some fish, customer service was awful! The 2 guys just looked at us like we were aliens and never said hello! We are business owners and this is not how you treat possible customers.

Jen Bohannon

I came in on October 6th and bought $60 (4) worth of Malawi Cichlids and they had all been housed together for a while according to the guy who helped up and I spent a good 10 minutes asking about temperaments and everything because I had owned Oscars previously so I wanted to make sure I was doing things right. Got them home and put them in the tank and they where all good. Well between 2-7am one is no where to be found, not even a single trace. Called them up to see what can be done and basically nothing can be done, no refund, no nothing so now I’m out a fish and out money because I was not informed correctly and he tried comparing a fish to a dog breeder. Won’t come back here again!

Richard Coit

Visiting Salem found a store on an Internet search when I went on the gentleman that was more than willing to answer all of my questions if I wasn’t just visiting and passing through I would definitely purchase some fish from this gentleman that being said I did get some chemical and will be back next time I go to town

Danieal Exner

Product selection is absolutely amazing. Staff leaves you to feel like you are bothering them. Which is so sad because the store could be thriving with the right staff. Beautiful product but with such an obvious "customer is not the priority attitude"--severely affects buying decisions and store recall.

Geoff Pratt

I guess you could say i'm a regular. I visit nearly every weekend, even if I don't have anything to buy. What brings me back, is the employees. Chris and Nolan know their stuff and they are very personable. It's become something we do every weekend as a family and we really enjoy visiting the shop. Besides the crew, they carry just about everything. If they don't carry it, they will order it for you. It's awesome to have such a great shop so close to home.

Donna Lawrence

Always very helpful and friendly. We look forward to going back.

Todd Huegli

Best reef store in the Portland/Salem area by far. Its worth the drive. Clean tanks. Healthy corals, fish and inverts.

Rick Irwin

Great Folks all shifts.

M K

Sells tiny too small tanks for bettas and keeps them in cups with no heat or filter

Brian Hefner

These guys are always so helpful! Nice store, great selection, awesome staff!

Learning Aquatics

Best place ever I'm only twelve but they've really helped me learn more about the hobby and they stayed payshint

Katie Best

Employees are very knowledgeable, great customer service and great prices. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area

jimmy figueroa

Great customer service by and prices

Butter Farms

People working here are very helpful and knowledgeable!!!

damien tate

Good selection of aquarium goods, prices are reasonable, and the staff are knowledgeable. Selection of fish is crazy diverse, for both freshwater and saltwater. They have a really cool planted tank that is worth the visit alone.

Mary Nelson

We have nothing but amazing things to say about premium aquarium. They are so helpful with our fresh and saltwater aquariums. Any questions we ask, or advice they are very knowledgeable. Prices are reasonable.

Kyle Anderson

Chris and Nolan rock great customer service and super helpful will be going back for sure!!

TheHydroHammers

I just called to ask a simple question & the guy on the phone was rude for no reason. It was literally a simple question & the way they answered back was aggressively annoyed. I won't be shopping here after that.

Kelly Smith

This place is FREAKING AMAZING!!!!

Jasim Al-Quinae

Great selection, but not the friendliest customer service, and that's after multiple visits.

Victoria Hagner

So nice to have a fish store close to your house very nice place

Mark Fluegge

Friendly staff, large selection of marine fish and supplies

Jesse Flores

Great info great selection

Derek Phillips

Good quality stock. They pay extra attention to disease prevention and cross-contamination. May have a limited variety of specimens on hand but always changing, and you'll be sure they are free of disease/illness. Lots of coral, sizes, kinds

Mark VanTassell

Great bunch of guys, very knowledgeable. Great salt water & fresh water tanks and totally awesome Coral. They even have Seahorses

Ashley Torquato

Best fish store in Salem!!!

Doyle Coats

Friendly service great advice and selection.

Karl Downing

My go to stop for all my aquarium needs.

Jack O'Lantern

Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Will buy here over Amazon.

Jessica Kenney

This store is a staple if you want to own a healthy tank. They sell everything you need AND will test your tank water to help balance out any issues. Kid friendly so if you just wanna come look at the pretty fishes they never seem to mind. They have beautiful displays and a amazing salt water collection.

Geoff Huey

New location is Awesome!! Great staff! Super helpful!

Patrick Healy

Love this place!

Amy McIntosh

So many fish and they are so helpful about every question you could have about fish.

David Chan-Vasquez

Awesome

Bailey Marler

Honest and friendly staff

Johnny Wheeler

Nice looking fish

Lori Foelkl

Awsome, best place to buy in town

Melissa Collar

Love coming to my LFS. It's the only one in town. The guys are always super friendly and answer all my questions.

Rebecca Santilli

they had an ok amount of fish species both salt and fresh water. the layout was good, its a small store.. their service was mediocre. I felt like i had more knowledge of fish than the 1 guy I spoke with. He told me once i set up my tank i can put my fish in whenever.. which i know is not advisable.. but I felt as though he just wanted to sell fish and not have the fishes care at the forefront. I worked in a fish store and have owned personal tanks in the past, so i have a bit more knowledge than a beginner. overall not the best place for advice IMO. Its a place to make purchases and that's it.

Heather Martin

They always know how to help. Very knowledgeable. Always willing to share information. Beautiful selection.

Kelly Hazzard

Amazing selection of coral frags.

Aaron Vorderstrasse

Very friendly and knowledgeable. This place starts to feel like Cheers as everyone gets to know you and your setup! The crew is quick to help out in person or online if you need assistance. Great service!

thomas cole

Dead fish floating in almost every tank....

Isaac Bowen

TPA is hands down the best shop in Portland, and it's not even in Portland - that's how far reaching the awesome-ness is. The Premium Aquarium is run by Garret and he has crazy passion for responsible reefkeeping. He started this business out of his garage and has now grown to one of the, if not the largest saltwater shops in all the land. He has in stock a massive selection of fish, inverts and coral. He has a keen eye for the weird stuff. My only complaint is I have to drive 45 minutes each way, but when I look at the other options, I'm hopping in my car everytime. It would be a shame if you are serious or beginning saltwater hobbyist if you miss this store. EVERYONE in the store knows the in's and outs of reefkeeping. Smart move right there Garret. I go into other stores and They'll just tell you whatever it takes to make the sale....and then guess what, customer is angry because they were lied to. You can trust Garret and his staff, they won't lead you astray.

Jacob Stinnett

They are really great there

Cole Riddle

Went into the store prepared to make some very large purchases. That did not happen. Chris was extreamly rude and disrespectful to me and my family over the things we showed interest in. Chris did not want to stop playing his video games when we had questions and I could tell we were a bother to him. He went as far as to say " its sunday after noon, I'm not trying to make any sales right now." Once Chris decided he was done playing, he then played a quizzing game with us to guess pricing. If we were to low he was very rude about it and made us feel as if we were not good enough to purchase from the store. Nolan did his best to recover the situation once Chris left. As I said before, we went in there to spend a very large amount of money, we ended up leaving after only spending a few hundred. People like Chris are the reason why online sales are choking out all the local fish stores. I will never purchase here again.

Brady Briggs

I will say that i walked in with 1 hour til closing. Didnt get greeted, no may i help with anything. My wife and i were on our way out when 1 of 4 people sitting behind the counter asked if we were finding everything ok. The leaat to say is i will not be going back.

Jeff Warren

My first visit to Premium Aquatics was a good one. As I walked in the display tanks really caught my eye. As I walked around I started looking at fish. They had a good variety with a few odd ones. I loved the frag tanks they had a good variety with lots of colors, and ones I hadn't seen. No prices on the tanks so you have to ask. All and all it was a good trip

Darline Mason

Very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff. Fantastic stocked tanks.

Izzy Herrera

I walked in with a friend of mine excited to see all the neat fish, instead we saw small buckets with 1-3 fishes in it and half of the where nearly dead. Never again #fishkillers

Zach Zink

Helpful staff and a great selection at a local store.

Rachel Kataria

Has a good selection of fish and other fresh and saltwater aquarium organisms. And the prices are fair.

Andrew Isaksen

Best place in town for fish and supplies. Most knowledgeable staff and owner, great selection, new stock always coming in.

Mike H

Have a large selection of coral frags but many of their fish worth sick or dead

Richard Heimerdinger

The best service and amazing stock!

Alan fry

I have been going to this store for at least five years... I wont be returning again the staff is rude and acts like your bothering them if you just want to ask a simple question... At the time I arrived there was no one else in the store and both staff members could not be bothered to ask if I needed any help..

Matt Schmidt

Great customer service, knowledgeable staff that is easy to approach and looking to help you get what you want

joan taylor

Wonderful staff,

Jon Mermis

We have been driving from Eugene to purchase from Garrett for several years, watching his business grow from a grass roots garage hobby into flourishing online and a walk in retail location. He has a great animal husbandry mind set and is a genuine asset to our community.

Alisha Nason

Very helpful staff, good selection.

Hannah Knotts

I rarely leave reviews but Premium deserves it. Love their staff so incredibly knowledgeable and they are always happy to answer any questions. Clean store, beautiful and healthy stock. Reccomend them to anyone Vancouver to Eugene, worth the drive.

Maggie Cox

Alot of fish to choose from. Prices were a little steep

Kate Maps

I would have liked to see more selection available in stock and on hand and ready to go but they were accommodating under the circumstances.

Toby Woodhull

I like this store, with the exception of Nolan who tends to be rude and have an attitude, everyone else there is super friendly, the guy with the glasses is super nice and really friendly and probably the only one I like to talk to when I go there, he’s the most personable and he’s very respectful. I really recommend talking to him if you have questions or need advice about how to set your tank up. Very good selection of fish compared to other places in the area, and prices are mostly fair, but you pay for what you get.

Jayne Hauger

These guys really know their stuff and not too spendy

jerry garcia

Bad service poor selection

Misty Whiteley

Helpful and friendly staff, lots of selection!

Armando Ebk

Staff is awful don't even acknowledge you coming in. A lil overpriced but okay selection of fish.

FUCK

Chris is always super helpful with our Discus and the other dude with dark hair and the dog is super helpful too.

ZENEO INC.

The staff at this business is very knowledgeable and very professional. They have everything that you would ever need to start your aquarium.

Stephen Young

First visit since their move to their new location and I must say the layout is far better and more open. The quality of their fish and supplies is best around. The staff is always happy to help and knowledgeable. They're my go-to for my aquarium needs.

Greg Gloe

Nice and clean. Well cared for.

Don

Best fish shop in town. They have the best selection of fresh and saltwater fish, invertibrates, and saltwater corals. The people who work here are well experienced, and they receive large shipments often. If they don't have what you want in stock they can get it for you whatever it may be. Better than Petco and Petsmart combined. Tanks are clean and well maintained. All of my needs are met here, the guys are very nice and helpful

Rafael Montero

Best place n town to buy fish n corals

Deb Gillett

Nice atmosphere beautiful tanks large selection of fish and supplies both salt and fresh water

Heidi Noyes

I got fish that waa sick not good

Jeff Mills

Great store with lots of livestock.

Russ Brown

Knowledgeable staff, clean tanks fairly good selection no matter your needs

Heartmyreddog D.

Great store. Great staff

Steve Hodgson

Friendly knowledgeable service on a personal level

Jaime Guajardo

Good selection of quality fish

Steven Winslow

Great selection of fresh and saltwater fish. Stock is well cared for. Friendly service.

Kelley McCarter

Great healthy fish.

Teri Holmes

They were busy and a person short today. Even so, they worked fast and were polite to everyone. The guys there even gave us a great deal!

April Deaver

Only place in town to buy fish. Quality is great. Nice staff

Carl Waterbury

I went there just to look around and see what they had.Staff was friendly.Just wished they had a little more selection otherwise a good store.

Helena Wetzel

my friend wanted to get a freshwater beta so we decided to head to a locally owned aquarium store! very glad we did. all fish seemed to be very well taken care of and the staff were all friendly and knowledgeable!

Dirk Levy

Knowledgable employees. Competative prices. Go here.

Bob Fraley

Extremely helpful staff. They answered all my questions and really made sure I was informed about what I needed. This will be my go to shop.

Eclipse KCB

Was excited to visit this store as there are not many options in my local area. Was impressed with the variety but not by the staff or overall health of the fish. Ended up purchasing some dwarf water lettuce and a nerite snail. Quarantined them for 4 days and placed in separate tanks. Now both have Ich. Lost a guppy last night in one and the plecos in both look like they may not make it. Currently treating with Imagitarium parasite remedy, raised temperatures and did 50% water changes prior and hoping for the best. The staff was pre-occupied with gossip at the front counter and seemed irritated when we asked for help. Prices are sky-high. Definitely will not be returning and hoping all of my fish don't die.

Will Somsak

My man Garrett and his crew have literally anything you are looking for. Rare kelp, fish, whatever. Wow.

Jeni Cardenas

Great job, as always, guys and gal! :) Great selection and knowledgeable staff will help you through the fun of setting up and maintaining an aquarium. If you are lucky enough to catch them on shipment day, you get a sneak peek on which beauties you would like to take home and the proper way to acclimate them! Thanks again!!

Austin Ayers

Local aquarium store of choice. Some things are a little pricey, but there are also many great deals to be had. I don't mind paying a little extra here and there to support a local business. Employees are cordial and helpful.

Jennifer Kelly

The best aquarium spot I’ve found outside of the Portland Metro area. They have quality saltwater fish and fresh water fish. The guys that run the place know their stuff.

Donna Houston

Garrett knows his fish.

Allen Bates

Best selection and prices of corals around. Get new shipments in multiple times per week. Staff is amazing

Rakell Hurles

Nice guys. Loved the place.

Shawn Daniel

Super knowledgeable, great selection of products and beautiful fish, coral and water plants.

Cheryl Woody

Great store. Great service.

Alan Norby

They have a great selection and good service. Decent price's and knowledgeable

Miles Taylor

Largest in Oregon with a big selection of saltwater fish and corals.

Kristin M

Great place! Clean, fish are well care for and the man that helped us definitely had lots of knowledge. Will be going back!

Elvis Lopez

They have a great selection of fresh water fish/invertebrates.

Elizabeth Cahan

We had a fantastic experience. We went in frustrated because our 6 fish had died. The employees told us how to fix the issue and helped us pick out new fish for ny kids to love. Thank you so much for your help.

Michelle Finn

Pretty knowledgeable and very healthy fish. But I've noticed that unless you are a size 0 female you really don't get a lot of help. You have to go and ask for it. There are two gentlemen that work there that are very helpful and don't care what you look like most of the time. LOL since they are really the only decent store in the area for The Aquatic Hobby, we're kind of stuck but overall they're not that bad

Kim Moore

Nice salt water inventory

Joe Napier

Best sevice and selection in the valley. Any time in in the area I stop to see whats new because there ALWAYS something new.

Tom Williams

Best aquarium store in town

Robert Fraley

Very helpful and knowledgable crew. Good selection of fish and supplies.

Chris Braun

Lots of fish plants and corals.

Amanda DeDona

I love the knowledge and expertise in this business.

Tim Beeker

Fairly standard shop.

Ash K

Best little shop! Wide selection of everything a hobbyist could hope for. Fun visit with knowledgeable, friendly staff who really know their stuff! Definitely recommend.

Tye Grimes

Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Ashlin Pitochelli

Been dealing with these guys for a long time. Great people. Very accommodating. They've done a ton of new upgrades! Check em out!

Adam Chapin

Sold me plants that died. And yes I know how to care for them