Coast Gem USA in National City, California operates as both a brick-and-mortar fish store and a major online retailer, specializing in ornamental goldfish and tropical freshwater species. Walk into the warehouse-style shop and you'll find a wholesale-vibe operation packed with tanks — rows of bettas, colorful guppies (including platinum koi and purple dragon varieties), orandas, peacock cichlids, neocaridina shrimp, and African dwarf frogs. It's not polished like a big-box pet store, but the sheer volume and variety of livestock is genuinely impressive.
In-store, the experience tends to be warm and personal. Staff members like Ceaser and Pong get called out by name for helping customers select fish and set up tanks. One reviewer walked out with 10 brilliant male peacock cichlids after getting hands-on guidance for a new cichlid tank.
Another customer's son picked up a betta and left with complimentary food and plants. The owner is frequently praised for being approachable and generous, and repeat local shoppers come back monthly to browse the freshwater selection. The online side of the business is where Coast Gem's reputation gets complicated.
The store ships fish nationwide, and when orders go well — healthy orandas arriving in careful packaging, vibrant female bettas showing up active and colorful — customers rave about the quality. The livestock itself consistently earns praise for health, color, and vitality. However, a significant number of online customers report processing delays stretching weeks or even a month, minimal communication, unanswered emails and calls, and occasional dead-on-arrival fish with slow or absent resolution.
Several reviewers describe receiving incomplete orders or wrong fish entirely. 1 rating reflects this sharp divide between the in-person experience and the shipping operation. For San Diego-area freshwater hobbyists who can visit in person, Coast Gem USA offers a genuinely exciting selection of bettas, guppies, goldfish, shrimp, and cichlids at competitive prices with knowledgeable staff.
Online buyers should go in with patience and realistic expectations about turnaround times.
Andre De Mello
Bought Orandas online and love the quality... Very nice customer service Lox and Kenny did help with my order.... Definitely will buy again and recommend to my friends...
Teologia Fisica. Gin Dean. Ph.D; Th.D
2 reviews
Cost Gem USA is a true scam. I placed my order, they took 27 days to process it. I have to messages them three times before they respond. When I finally received my fish, two of them were dead already. The other 4 died short after. Cost Gem USA said they will replace the fish that arrived death. It is more than a month already and no knews from them. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY. The worst service ever
Nico Armenta
3 reviews
This place is amazing! They have a bit of everything and they have knowledgeable staff to help you with fresh water fish expertise, I would like to mention *Ceaser* who was very kind and professional with getting our new cichlid peacock tank set up, we purchased 10 beautiful super bright male peacocks! I really recommend gem Coast for your fresh water fish.
Vallerie Aguirre
3 reviews
I’ve bought guppies from them in the past. Shipping took forever, communication was very poor, and all were sick and died. I would not recommend them at all for fishes and it seems many others have had the same problem.
Ms. Starzyk (Alex)
19 reviews
I see the low rating and maybe it’s just because of shipping or what ever but I absolutely love this store. The owner is so helpful and the fish are healthy. I got a couple of different batches from him already and they are all still around
Ashley Smith
28 reviews
I waited well past my shipping date for my fish to arrive. Then, they didn’t have one of my fish and just refunded me without asking me if I wanted a replacement. Then, one of the three remaining fish showed up with clamped fins, which I assumed was from the stress of shipping, but he couldn’t recover and died a few days later. Only two of the four fish I ordered are alive and well. No help through customer service. Extremely disappointed. Photos show how he arrived, vs him a few days later.
Comedy Buffet
8 reviews
Coast Gem USA...The Best place to get your exotic fish, Staff & Owner treated me like family, I didnt want to leave lol, I highly recommend this place fish are High Quality, Strong & Healthy
Marissa
I purchased 10 chili rasboras from this company on 12/20/2025. It is now almost an entire month later! I cannot get in contact with anyone regarding my order and at this point believe I was completely scammed. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS SITE.
Shannon Allen
Trash company is trash, never received fish or shrimp. Customer service is rude as it gets. Do not spend your money with these people!!!!!!
Mega Dan
71 reviews
Cool place it has a wholesale vibe going on there it's not as pretty as PetSmart but they consistently have an abundance of fish especially beta fish and guppies
Note: Store information and services may change. Always call (619) 856-4603 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Coast Gem USA.
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139 Roosevelt Ave
February 8, 2026
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