About
Harry's Marine Life sits at an unusual crossroads in Gardena, CA: part wholesale distributor, part walk-in aquarium store, and that dual identity is exactly what draws Southern California reef keepers to its doors. The family-run operation distributes to local fish stores, which means the markups most shops tack on never reach the sales floor — regulars consistently call out "the best prices you'll find" on saltwater fish and corals available in Gardena, CA. Owner David (Dave to the regulars) is described as one of the most easygoing people in the hobby to deal with, and floor staff like Chris, Tony, and George know their livestock cold.
The selection is the real headline. Harry's is known across the LA area for a genuinely massive marine inventory — colorful soft corals, LPS, and mushroom corals, plus saltwater fish that range from angelfish to harder-to-find specimens like the Quoyi parrot and midnight dogface puffer. They're one of the few sources in the country that regularly stocks rare carpet anemones such as Stichodactyla gigantea, mertensii, and magnifica, and longtime customers have walked out with everything from mantis shrimp to unusual eels.
If you keep a reef tank and want coral variety for sale near you without boutique pricing, this is the floor to browse. Dedicated SPS hobbyists note the small-polyp stony selection could be deeper, but soft corals, LPS, and fish stay stocked thick. A word on atmosphere: because this is a working wholesale facility, it looks the part — functional, a little messy, and packed to the gills with tanks rather than polished like a boutique.
The freshwater side exists but plays a supporting role to the marine inventory that is clearly the heart of the place. Bring questions, inspect your frags and fish in person, and lean on Chris or the crew — they're glad to help you stock a tank right.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Harry's Marine Life in Gardena, CA
Harry's Marine Life stocks corals, reef fish, anemones, invertebrates, angelfish, live rock, pufferfish, rare and hard-to-find species and saltwater & freshwater fish for sale in Gardena, CA. As an aquarium store serving Gardena, CA, it also offers aquarium consultations.
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Wholesale distributor and walk-in aquarium store in one, so wholesale-level pricing reaches the retail floor
- One of few US sources regularly stocking rare carpet anemones (Stichodactyla gigantea, mertensii, magnifica)
- Massive marine selection: soft corals, LPS, mushroom corals, angelfish, puffers, mantis shrimp, and unusual eels
- Family-run with hands-on staff including owner David (Dave), plus Chris, Tony, and George
- Functional, stock-packed warehouse floor with deep saltwater fish and coral inventory
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Simply the best prices and great support staff. Ive ordered about a dozen times over the past 3 years and they are my go to source for livestock. I live in Fl. so it says something about their quality and top notch packing if I order from California. Highly recommended from a 35 year marine aquarist. Me. ;)”
— KennC5.0a day ago“Muy buenos precios”
— ERNESTO ALCANTARA5.0Edited 4 days ago“Great company to work with. Answered questio s and concerns promptly.”
— Ben Aukschun5.02 weeks ago“David is the man! Totally helped me get my dream fish, a Quoyi Parrot. Called me when it was ready and even switched my shipping to Uber delivery. Quality, healthy fish and very responsive, available to answer questions. I'll be back. Highly recommended.”
— Loren Howard5.03 weeks ago“Been using Harry’s for almost 3 years. Hands down some of the best prices you’ll find. Great customer service. Shipping is top notch. Amazing selection of fish and corals. I won’t use another store for saltwater. Also, Dave is the best owner and most chill dude you’ll find to do business with. 5 Star business across the board.”
— Justin5.03 weeks ago“I have never received a fish packed with so much care as the Tessalota eel I received recently from Harry’s Marine. This fish had allot of air and water surrounded by 4 other bags of water to insure it was safe against temperature changes. Very impressed.”
— Dan Maltby5.03 weeks ago“Sent us severely ill fish, won’t take ownership. Took days to respond to where we disposed of the dead sick fish, won’t honor because no date despite the response being far before the 7 days. Rude and awful customer service, don’t do business. Who keeps dead fish lying around when they took 4+ days to respond, that’s disgusting”
— Nicole Hauck1.0a month ago“Multiple problems with this business. I spent a lot of money with them and they continue to disappoint you. David is not that bad, but you have to go through George, and you might as well forget it. He doesn't care if you are a good customer, he doesn't care if you are unhappy with your order, or if your order is DOA. They have a strick DOA policy, and even if you follow its rules, credits to your account are not guaranteed. I bought a Brazilian Spotted Eel, they sent an African Dragon Eel, that was huge, and the meanest Eel I've ever seen. I named it Godzilla. The next week they sent the correct Eel, but it spent most of the time hiding from Godzilla. It wouldn't even eat for a month. That didn't stop Godzilla. I later wanted to add another Eel. A Banana Eel. They showed me the ones available, and some were larger than others. I said I don't know, pick me out the largest one. They were normally $799.00. This was a speacial sale for $750. Ok. I bought one, but asked that the pick out the largest one of the bunch. The next day, I got text messaged from George. You bought a small Eel. There were probably 8 in the tank that I was shown. Some were over 16 inches. I told them to pick out the largest one of the bunch. What they were really doing was getting rid of the small ones. I was shown a video, the first was 3 seconds long. The second was from David himself, and David said there should be no problem putting the Banana with the Dragon, or the Golden Brazilian. We'll, the Dragon ate the $750 Banana Eel. I was very upset. I knew the only way to talk to David was to tell him on the live sale. David said contact him privately to see how we can help you. So I text messaged the store line. George responded, with basically a "we don't care" attitude. I am not the only person extreamly unhappy with their way of doing business. I have two other friends who got burned from them and other friends have warned me don't do business with them. It might be ok at first, but sooner or later you will get screwed.”
— David Alexander1.0a month ago“Very poor customer service. They changed shipping date without notifying me until my order had already shipped. Multiple animals were doa from the cold. Now less than 24 hours later over half my order is deceased. I hope the person ive been texting from the company is an ai system because the lack of competence and inability to communicate has been disgusting. I will never order from Harry's again and will be sharing my experience with the reef clubs im a part of. Do not order from this company. They stop caring as soon as they receive payment”
— Gerry Ziegler1.03 months ago“Had an order get inspected the second they dropped it off after shopping it. Sat an extra day. Wasn't refunded anything. Coral died and they literally retaliated in trying to give me a penny back for the situation. They are absolutely garbage. If your rich and just spend money all day with them they will feed you from a gold spoon. If your not they treat you like dirt. Have plenty of screenshot of situations I had with them if your interested.”
— Nick Yanos1.03 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (424) 201-9783 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Harry's Marine Life.