When I first moved to Edmonton a few years ago I spent a few lunch hours looking for a few fish stores near my office.
My office is located just north of the downtown core and one day I had an opportunity to stop in and check out Aquarium Central.
The Store:
Aquarium Central 12006 111 Ave NW Edmonton, AB
It’s located at 12006 111 Ave NW which is only about a 15-minute walk from where I am.
From the outside, the store looked small but when I stepped in for the first time I was shocked to find almost 250 tanks stocked with everything from tropical freshwater fish to saltwater fish, inverts, corals, and plants.
Almost all the tanks are 40 gallons, (so if you like quick math) that’s a little over 11,000 gallons of water.
The Fish Room – 250 Fish Tanks
The Staff:
What I like most about Aquarium Central is all their staff are very knowledgeable and you can see the pride and how much they enjoy passing it on to their customers, which is great for me because even I still don’t know everything.
They can really help you with almost anything, breeding, aquascaping, shrimps, and rare fish.
The other great part about the staff is their humour which really liven’s the place up, after all, it’s supposed to be a fun hobby where you can enjoy yourself.
The Owner:
I had the opportunity to speak with the owner Tuan who has quite a story;
Tuan was born in Vietnam where he started his fish keeping hobby by keeping fish in many cement ponds.
His grandpa was a big fish and animal guy so Tuan had a chance to grow up around fish his entire life. That’s 40 years of fish keeping experience if you’re keeping track.
When he moved to Edmonton, at 8 years of age he continued the hobby and chased down his dream or running his own fish store.
In 2011 Tuan was able to make that dream a reality and 7 years later it’s still going strong.
Aquarium Care & Maintenance:
Aquarium Central – Equipment & Aquarium Supplies
One thing that was clear to me from my first visit is how much they promote the proper techniques of fish keeping especially the setup of low maintenance natural ecosystems using various aquascaping techniques, natural materials, correct lighting, and filtration.
When it comes to their tanks each tank is individually quarantined with sponge filters so there is no chance for any cross contamination.
They also follow a very strict 7-day quarantine of all new fish, which includes medicating during this period to clear any possible infections.
And of course, if anything does happen, they offer a warranty of 5 days with a water sample for testing in a separate bag, the fish, and receipt.
Additional Services:
If you’re a beginner to the hobby they can help you with your new set up and recommend someone to install everything at your home. Water testing is also available free of charge.
And of course, if you hate cleaning your tanks, (who really likes doing water changes anyways?) Tuan can put you in touch with a tank cleaning & maintenance service right here in Edmonton.
If You’re Downtown Edmonton Check Out Aquarium Central
So if you ever have a few minutes to spare when you’re in the downtown area or if you just want to stop in and visit one of the top fish stores in Edmonton!
Stop in and say hi to Tuan over at Aquarium Central.
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