About
Tanknicians in Lake Park, Florida has built a reputation that extends well beyond South Florida — literally across the country — thanks to owner Tommy and his team's deep expertise in saltwater reef keeping. Known for their rigorous quarantine protocol, every fish and coral that passes through the shop is monitored and treated before it ever reaches a customer's tank. Multiple reviewers specifically cite this as the reason they've stopped losing livestock after years of frustration with other providers.
The shop carries marine and freshwater fish, corals, snails, and hermit crabs, though saltwater reef systems are clearly the heartbeat of the operation. Customers bring everything from 15-gallon nano cubes to Red Sea 525xl builds, and Tommy's crew handles full installations — plumbing, rockscaping, filling — often spending full eight-hour days on a single setup. They also provide ongoing tank maintenance, water testing, water changes, and equipment upgrades.
One customer even entrusted them with long-term fish boarding during an extended business trip. Tommy's diagnostic skill stands out in review after review. One customer from Phoenix, Arizona called Tanknicians as a last resort after consulting over 20 hobbyists and exotic vets about a valentini puffer with a beak growth — Tommy was the only one who immediately identified the issue, and his treatment worked.
That kind of story isn't an outlier here; several reviewers describe recovering neglected or problem tanks that other service providers couldn't fix. The store works with popular reef-grade equipment brands including Red Sea, Waterbox, and Pro Clear systems, and Tommy is known for recommending practical equipment swaps — like replacing large external pumps with quieter submersibles that eliminated the need for a chiller entirely. The shop is described as super clean with fair pricing, and the small team — Tommy, Chris, John, and Ryan — takes time with newcomers and veteran reefers alike.
If you're in the Lake Park area and serious about a healthy reef tank, Tanknicians has earned its spotless reputation fish by fish, coral by coral.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Every fish and coral undergoes a full quarantine process before sale
- Full reef tank installations including plumbing, rockscaping, and equipment setup
- Owner Tommy diagnosed a puffer fish illness that stumped 20+ other experts nationwide
- Ongoing tank maintenance, water testing, and equipment upgrade services
- Works with Red Sea, Waterbox, and Pro Clear aquarium systems
From keepers
Customer reviews
“They did a wonderful job on my setup. My tank looks so nice. You don't have to worry about disease in fish or corals as they quarantine them to make sure they are disease free.”
— Derek Evans5.05 months ago“Tommy is great to work with on any tank treatments and is very knowledgeable when it comes to any questions related to wet animals.”
— Shaun Garfinkel5.07 months ago“Tommy is an encyclopedia for everything fish and coral. Store is super clean & great pricing.”
— Victoria Fernandez5.07 months ago“great service and prices”
— Alvaro Castillo5.08 months ago“Great customer service, and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend.”
— Photography in flight5.0a year ago“Tommy is a great guy and does fantastic work!”
— Christopher Moss5.0a year ago“I have spent over 12000 on my reef tank and have gone through 2 other service providers loosing many fish and corals. I found Tommy and his crew based on prior 5.0 reviews. For three months now Tommy and the crew made recommendations and I cannot be happier with there service and support. I cannot recommend them enough as these guys are doing a great job and looking forward to a long lasting partnership.”
— Steve Schubert5.0a year ago“I found out about Tanknicians via a YouTube channel called "Aquarium Service Tech". I always wished they had a LFS that strictly QT'd corals and fish here in Phoenix, AZ where I live. My fiancee and I have two tanks. Her tank is strictly Petco rescues. She goes to the worst Petco's and finds the fish that is on deaths door to try to save it. We have a dedicated QT setup. We saved a valentini puffer that quickly became a family treasure. We treat all of our fish with the respect they deserve basically as if they are a dog or cat. After months of having the valentini puffer we noticed that he chipped his beak. A few weeks after we started getting an alage growth that got worse and worse to the point where he wasn't eating. I called "exotic" pet vets, contacted very well known people in the hobby such as Elliot from Marine collectors, I even went to every LFS in Phoenix, did research online and contacted the creator of Humble Fish. Every person I spoke to had something different to say. Elliot from Marine collectors suggested something that gave temporary relief but in a month the growth came back. We didn't know where to go and I was scared that we would lose him. However, I rembered Tanknicians in Flordia. It was a long shot but I figured I'd try. I called a Tommy answered the phone, I was amazed that he actually answered because he's the owner of Tanknicians. TOMMY WAS THE ONLY PERSON OUT OF 20+ PEOPLE WHO KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!! Even though I'm across the country and not a customer he spent his time talking to me and giving me advice. HIS ADVICE WORKED, HIS TREATMEMT WORKED! I can't tell you how thankful I am for Tanknicians and for Tommy. This is a company I back 100% and I tell anyone that will listen about my story. Tommy is an amazing person and created an amazing company. It takes ALOT of work to do what they do at Tanknicians. Next time you see those guys tell them Cory from Phoenix Arizona says hi and thank them for their hard work. They deserve our support. Thank you Tommy”
— CORY5.0a year ago“Very knowledgeable and friendly! Healthy fish and corals! Highly recommended”
— ryan mcginnis5.0a year ago“Knowledge, experience, character, and integrity when it comes to selling and serving saltwater animals? Shocking to see but special when you find it! Bravo to these guys.”
— Jeff Mann5.0a year ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (561) 778-8600 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Tanknicians.