About
Corals4Cheap in Meridian, Idaho is a saltwater-only shop that has built a devoted following in the Treasure Valley by doing exactly what its name promises — offering an impressive coral selection at prices that won't wreck your budget. Owner Josh runs a clean, well-organized operation packed with frag tanks holding everything from SPS and LPS to softies at varying price points, alongside a rotating stock of saltwater fish, invertebrates, and live rock. The centerpiece of the shop is a massive display reef tank that stops visitors in their tracks.
It sets the tone for the whole space — meticulous, vibrant, and clearly maintained by someone who genuinely loves the hobby. Beyond the eye candy, Corals4Cheap stocks salt mixes, test kits, substrates, and both new and used equipment, including refurbished lights. They even offer premixed RODI saltwater at low cost and free RODI water if you bring your own container — a practical perk that keeps reefers coming back weekly.
What truly distinguishes this shop is Josh's approach to customer relationships. Multiple reviewers describe him steering them away from purchases they weren't ready for — turning down easy sales to protect both the customer's wallet and the animal's welfare. He's walked newcomers through complete tank setups from scratch, held fish for traveling customers, and even sourced a freshwater species he doesn't normally carry just to help someone out.
One customer needed a specific small clownfish to pair with a survivor after a loss, and Josh picked out a perfect match that was eating within minutes of arriving home. The shop accepts trade-ins for in-store credit on frags and equipment, which fosters a community feel among local hobbyists. Evening hours make it accessible for those with day jobs.
For anyone building or maintaining a reef tank in the Boise-Meridian area, Corals4Cheap delivers honest guidance, fair pricing, and livestock quality that punches well above its price tags.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Saltwater-only specialty shop with extensive SPS, LPS, and soft coral frag selection at competitive prices
- Stunning massive display reef tank as the store centerpiece
- Free RODI water with your own container and affordable premixed saltwater
- New and used equipment with trade-in credit for frags and gear
- Owner Josh provides honest, no-pressure guidance including steering customers away from premature purchases
From keepers
Customer reviews
“We love Corals for Cheap. Josh has been very helpful every time we come in. Purchased our tank, equipment, food, corals and our fish all from this store. They live up to the name of the store with lots of corals to choose from at many price points in addition to a wide verity of fish and inverts. Their advice on how to manage water parameters has also been extremely helpful. If you listen to the advice (especially if they say don’t buy that) your reef will be happy. Thanks guys! Keep up the good work.”
— Leonard Bosch5.0an hour ago“My favorite place for buying live rock - location is right next to me - staff are very knowledgeable and love the end of the year gift card deal! Was able to get a good amount of stuff!”
— Luis Fonseca5.04 weeks ago“Josh keeps an absolutely beautiful shop at Corals4Cheap—very clean, incredibly well-maintained, and stocked with amazing fish and corals. You can immediately tell how much care and effort goes into everything. I currently live in Colorado but am originally from Idaho, and walking into this shop brought back that personal, small-town care I truly miss. We were greeted right away, and Josh took the time to answer all of our questions thoroughly, treating us like family rather than just customers. We had to travel, and Josh was beyond accommodating—helping care for and hold our fish until we were ready to leave, and even checking in afterward to make sure our travel went smoothly. That level of service is rare and genuinely appreciated. This is truly an amazing shop with beautiful stock, strong commitment to care, and the kind of service that makes you want to keep coming back. Needless to say, every trip we make to Idaho, we’ll absolutely be stopping by to visit and stock our reef tank.”
— Nicole Johnson5.0a month ago“Go talk to Josh. He's awesome”
— Joshua Willis5.0a month ago“First time visiting Corals4Cheap today, and man — what an awesome shop. That massive display tank in the center is wild in person, and the whole place just feels open and welcoming. Josh was super easygoing and genuinely respectable. We talked fish, corals, setups — and what I appreciated most was that he kept it 100% honest. He didn’t try to push any sales, and even pointed out that I wasn’t ready for certain corals yet. He could’ve easily taken a $100 sale, but instead he showed he actually cares about the customers and the animals. I originally went in because it was the only shop with the exact size clownfish I needed after losing one this morning. The one Josh helped me pick out was a perfect match — small, already submissive, extremely similar to the one I lost, and best of all, it had an amazing feeding response within 10 minutes of getting home. I picked up some other cool stuff too, and the whole experience was solid from start to finish. Great shop, great people, and absolutely worth the visit.”
— AJ5.02 months ago“I'm new to the saltwater game and when I started going to this store Josh has been a huge help in making sure my tank is where it needs to be. I am forever thankful! Also.. great selection of corals and fish!”
— Jessica McNabb5.03 months ago“Great place for all your fish needs”
— Matthew Masten5.05 months ago“Decent sized corals for a decent price”
— Nick (Nickthedick)5.06 months ago“Josh is the bomb!!! I initially asked him about possible used tanks via Facebook and he was very quick to reply and sent us pictures of available options. We stopped in later that week and bought a beautiful tank and he has helped us through the whole setup process and we now have coral! We have asked him a TON of questions and he has done a wonderful job explaining everything and walking us through this new hobby. We are soooo excited to continue working with him as our tank matures.”
— makena datz5.06 months ago“Great people very knowledgable and they don't make you feel like an idiot when you have newby questions like other places that work out of thier homes do.”
— Ryan Hoke5.07 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (208) 440-5174 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Corals4Cheap.