About
Aqua Imports has earned a devoted following along Colorado's Front Range as one of Boulder's most comprehensive aquarium stores, pulling hobbyists in from Longmont, Aurora, and well beyond. Walk in and you'll find room after room of fish racks — a working, lived-in space where there's almost always a ladder in use somewhere and a hose snaking across the floor for a water change. One longtime regular calls it "cozy chaos," and the description fits: tall shelves packed with interesting things, tanks that are clean and disease-free, and livestock that's always shifting.
The freshwater selection is the main draw, with rare and oddball species that are genuinely hard to find elsewhere sitting alongside everyday favorites. You can pick up neon tetras for sale in Boulder, CO, pea puffers, and a rotating cast of rare South American species, plus neocaridina shrimp, snails, and a strong live-plant section. For some of the more common fish the staff can often offer a choice between tank-raised and wild-caught if you ask.
Saltwater and reef keepers are covered too — clownfish, blennies, and reef-compatible inverts — and the shop carries freshwater, brackish, and saltwater supplies, along with a wall of unique driftwood and stone hardscape that aquascapers love to dig through. What customers mention again and again is the staff. Tommy walked one family through their first neon tetra setup, answering every question; Kevin, Mike, and Dillon get repeated shout-outs for being patient, knowledgeable, and quick to make things right.
Several reviewers admit they drive past other shops just to get here, and a few keep coming back even after moving away from Boulder. Healthy, thriving tanks, fair pricing, and a team that clearly puts the animals first — for anyone building a freshwater community tank or stocking a reef along the Front Range, Aqua Imports is a Boulder, CO aquarium store worth the trip.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Aqua Imports in Boulder, CO
Aqua Imports stocks rare and hard-to-find species, shrimp, invertebrates, corals, reef fish, clownfish, livebearers, pufferfish, aquarium plants and freshwater, saltwater & brackish fish for sale in Boulder, CO. As an aquarium store serving Boulder, CO, it also carries dry goods and aquarium equipment and offers tank maintenance and aquarium consultations.
- Livestock & products
- Rare SpeciesLive PlantsShrimpInvertebratesCoralsReefClownfishLivebearersPuffersTetrasDry GoodsAquarium Equipment
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Rare and oddball freshwater species alongside everyday favorites like neon tetras and pea puffers
- Multi-room fish-rack layout with clean, disease-free tanks across freshwater, brackish, and saltwater
- Knowledgeable staff (Tommy, Kevin, Mike, Dillon) praised for patience and follow-through
- Strong live-plant section plus a wall of unique driftwood and stone hardscape for aquascaping
- Customers drive past competing shops, some returning even after leaving Boulder
From keepers
Customer reviews
“This is probably my favorite fish and reptile store in Colorado”
— Benjamin Dickey5.0a day ago“Always have what I need for my fish and tanks.”
— Lara Royce (Moon Fire)5.04 days ago“Placed an online order for blueberry snails and blue jelly neocaridina shrimp. The blueberry snails all looked good and I only ended up loosing 1 out of 20 by the time they were all settled into their new tanks. The blue jellys had no DOA but 1 does have rust spot disease on its back. Its easy to miss because from a distance it looks like a spot of red which is common on this color of shrimp. Nearly every batch of neo shrimp ive bought from a variety of retailers and wholesalers in the past 6ish months have been infected with either rust spot disease or holtodrilus truncatus worm so this is not a problem with this store in particular. Their packaging was very good and they shipped my order quickly.”
— Ana Mathew4.04 days ago“I’ve been coming to Aqua Imports for a long time, and I still come back even after moving away from Boulder. Great selection with a wide variety, and the staff is super helpful. This is my go to spot for supplies and fish!”
— Kevin Schweiss5.05 days ago“Welcoming environment and huge selection!Pricing is great and comes with great expertise, will be visiting much more frequently!”
— Braiden5.02 weeks ago“Placed an order for several fish, every fish I received was tiny and needed a separate grow out tank they were so small the other fish thought they were food they should put a warning on the web site the fish are extremely tiny and will require a separate grow out tank for about 3 months. Just a warning to those who don’t have a separate grow out tank so you don’t waste your money! In my 30 years of keeping fish never seen anyone sell such young juveniles.”
— Hudson1.0a month ago“Got Planaria and Bladder Snails from live plant in this store.”
— Alonso Arguera1.0a month ago“I have placed multiple orders from Aqua Imports and they have been fantastic. The DOA ratio is pretty small, and they do refund as a credit coupon on a future order. But their shipping practices and costs are reasonable for overnight, and I like that I can schedule my delivery date so I am not guessing when I need to plan to be home. This alone makes me want to order everything from them if I could get everything I was looking for.”
— Melissa Teeple5.0a month ago“Fish were healthy but way smaller than they were supposed to be. When contacted they didn't refund or exchange the fish”
— rob rob1.0a month ago“Aqua imports deliberately send me 2 sick and emaciated South American Puffer fish. They gave me a credit of $32.50 for the loss of the first fish. However the second fish died about a week later. I did my very best to nurse these sick and starved fish back to heath. The 32.50 was a joke when the next day shipping for the fish was considerably more than that. In short. 2 dead puffers in about 2 weeks. Do not purchase from these people. It will break your heart and make you question purchasing fish online. Sad and inexcusable.”
— R1.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (303) 444-6971 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Aqua Imports.