About
Acuario Piscis is a bustling, bilingual pet shop and aquarium store on Chicago's neighborhood retail strip, where a full grooming salon up front gives way to a back room packed wall-to-wall with tanks. English and Spanish are spoken interchangeably here, and longtime customers keep coming back for a reason that surfaces in review after review: the prices. Locals routinely call them the best in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, whether they're picking up a betta, a pleco, or a hard-to-find puffer.
The freshwater selection runs deep, with bettas, guppies, plecos, and puffer fish for sale in Chicago, IL alongside racks of live aquarium plants, driftwood, and dry goods. One recent visitor bought two plants here for a song and watched them multiply until they nearly filled the tank; another walked out with an $8 piece of driftwood. There's a saltwater section in back as well, so reef-curious aquarists have something to browse, though saltwater longevity is where regulars' opinions split most.
The woman who runs the floor gets singled out constantly for being patient and genuinely helpful, answering compatibility and tank-setup questions for anyone who asks. What sets the shop apart is the hands-on care. One fishkeeper lost half a tank in a sudden crisis, rushed the survivors over, and the staff nursed them for four days and saved many of them, functioning as an impromptu fish hospital.
The same instinct shows up with rescues; neighbors have dropped off red-eared slider turtles they could no longer keep, and the shop took them in. It's an honest, old-school neighborhood spot. The store runs humid, the tanks aren't always spotless, and it's as much pet store as fish store, with birds, turtles, bird seed, and dog food sharing the space.
But for affordable freshwater livestock, live plants, and friendly bilingual advice, Acuario Piscis remains a genuine Chicago, IL destination worth walking into.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Acuario Piscis in Chicago, IL
Acuario Piscis stocks betta fish, plecos, pufferfish, livebearers, aquarium plants and freshwater & saltwater fish for sale in Chicago, IL. As an aquarium store serving Chicago, IL, it also carries fish food and dry goods and offers aquarium consultations and fish quarantine.
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Staff nursed a customer's rescued fish for four days during a tank crisis, saving many
- Freshwater favorites like bettas, guppies, plecos, and puffer fish at some of the lowest prices in the Chicago area
- Live aquarium plants, driftwood, and dry goods for planted and community tanks
- Bilingual (English and Spanish) staff known for patient, hands-on compatibility and setup advice
- Full pet grooming salon alongside the aquarium shop
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for taking in my four red eared slider turtles. 🐢 🐢🐢🐢💚”
— Denisse Ruiz5.0a week ago“Exelente tienda 👌🏾👍🏾🐟🐠”
— Germain Robles4.0a week ago“nice cuts”
— Sharon Moore5.03 weeks ago“Great service the lady there is really nice and helpful the plant tank seems a little dirty bought two plants surprisingly they started to rapidly grow like crazy! two turned into six and almost filled my whole tank sadly my turtle ate most of them 🥲 great prices and awesome products will come again!!”
— O M5.0a month ago“Really good prizes speak English and Spanish. I bought this piece of drift wood for $8.”
— Raul Chaidez5.02 months ago“Me encanta dejaron a mi perro super hermoso tienen un buen manos para cortar pelos de perro ❤️”
— Kelly Miranda5.04 months ago“Nice local place to get a fish or bird :)”
— Jonathan Curruchice5.04 days ago“They’re excellent at what they do and take such good care of your pup during the grooming experience.”
— Pavielle Goldman5.0a week ago“Me encantó el servicio grooming dejaron a mi perrito hermoso”
— Maidy Martinez5.02 weeks ago“Me encantó el servicio grooming dejaron a mi perrito hermoso”
— Maidy Arcaye5.05 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (708) 415-3246 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Acuario Piscis.