About
Tucked into Pasadena, Art's Underwater Reef is a family-owned aquarium store where owner Art and longtime staffer Chris have earned a devoted local following through patient, hands-on guidance. The shop stocks both freshwater and saltwater livestock alongside corals and reef supplies, and a steady stream of customers single out how healthy and vibrant the animals look, praising spotless tanks, organized shelves, and fresh aquaria inventory restocked every Monday. This isn't a grab-a-bag-and-go counter.
Newcomers describe being walked through entire setups, from heaters and filters to live plants, and the team will test your water right at the counter. One recent saltwater shopper had a refractometer calibrated and salinity checked before heading home with two clownfish. Clownfish for sale in Pasadena, CA share the room with a freshwater range that has earned its own reputation: the bettas here are compared favorably to anything at the big chains, and ember tetras, cherry shrimp, and other small species turn up regularly.
Where Art's really stands apart is the oddball invertebrates. A recent visitor raved about the aquatic and amphibious crab selection, calling out geosesarma, batik, borneo, panther, and other Sulawesi-type crabs you simply won't find at a Petco. Vampire crabs and assorted snails round out a rotating cast of rare species that keeps regulars coming back to see what's new.
Service is the throughline in nearly every review. Chris is credited with talking a beginner through saving a crashing tank, walking them step by step through water changes, filtration, and activated charcoal. Art personally helps betta owners troubleshoot health issues across repeat visits, and the shop sets up monthly tank cleaning for customers who want ongoing maintenance.
When one shopper recently left with the wrong snails, the staff happily swapped them for the right ones. For Pasadena aquarists who want carefully curated livestock and genuine advice over warehouse-scale inventory, Art's Underwater Reef is the local aquarium store to know. The freshwater plants, corals, and crabs available in Pasadena, CA are best seen up close, in person.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Art’s Underwater Reef in Pasadena, CA
Art’s Underwater Reef stocks corals, reef fish, betta fish, shrimp, invertebrates, tetras, clownfish, rare and hard-to-find species, aquarium plants and freshwater & saltwater fish for sale in Pasadena, CA. As an aquarium store serving Pasadena, CA, it also offers aquarium setup, water testing, tank cleaning, tank maintenance and aquarium consultations.
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Family-owned aquarium store run by owner Art and staffer Chris, known for patient, hands-on guidance
- Standout aquatic and amphibious crab selection including geosesarma, batik, borneo, panther, and Sulawesi-type crabs
- Bettas that customers rate well above big-box quality, plus ember tetras, cherry shrimp, and clownfish
- Fresh live aquaria inventory restocked every Monday across freshwater and saltwater
- In-store water testing with refractometer calibration and salinity checks, plus monthly tank cleaning service
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I ended up getting the wrong snails, but they were incredibly gracious and helped me. They could have told me to kick rocks but I was able to ultimately leave with the snails I really wanted. Their graciousness and kindness made the experience enjoyable. I highly recommend this place to any fish keepers.”
— Hailey Young5.02 weeks ago“Very good sticker selection haha. Great customer service and a really extraordinary aquatic/amphibious crab selection. Geosesarma, batik, borneo, panther crabs, and other sulawesi-type crabs I hadn't seen before. Definitely check them out”
— Julie Ershadi5.0Edited 2 months ago“Friendly staff. Seem to be knowledgeable. They are willing to answer many questions. BE MINDFUL OF NO WARRANTY ON LIVE MERCHANDISE. NOT EVEN STORE CREDIT. Bought a fish recently it died the next day. I called to notify them of this and WAS TOLD SORRY TO HEAR THAT, NO RETURN ON LIVE MERCHANDISE. My water perimeters are within range. My other live stock are still swimming around happily. The community I'm pretty sure support small business, however the small business shall do the same. Thank You For Your Attention To This Matter.”
— On Move5.02 months ago“Staff is super helpful and informative. Chris is great. They helped us test our water, calibrated our refractometer, checked salinity, everything. We went home with two clownfish. Great selection, all the supplies you need for fresh or saltwater, lots of fish to choose from, live aquaria inventory restocked every Monday.”
— E. Dominic Black5.02 months ago“Best place for all your aquarium needs great quality and healthy fish and honest and helpful workers especially Chris always friendly and ready to answer questions.”
— Eduardo Escobedo5.03 months ago“The most helpful staff I've encountered! Super clean and high quality products, fish and plants. This is hands down the best local aquarium shop in Pasadena!”
— Ricardo Monterroso5.03 weeks ago“Love this place! They have great customer service and every fish I’ve bought from them has been super healthy love my school of ember Tetras as well as all the shrimp I’ve bought too. 5 stars all the way!!!”
— Robert M5.03 weeks ago“Great advice and great service!”
— Pam5.0a month ago“Such a sweet business! I didn’t catch his name, but the person manning the store that day was so helpful and generous! Definitely shopping here again for my shrimp tank needs.”
— Amanda T5.0a month ago“Really helpful staff, shoutout to Chris, I’m new to the hobby and he helped me save my tank from almost crashing when excess nutrients where released into the water by accident and guided me step by step with the water/filter/charcoal changes, they also have a great selection of fish and coral to pick from.”
— Luweezzz -5.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (626) 529-3425 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Art’s Underwater Reef.