About
Old Town Aquarium has anchored Chicago's aquarium scene for decades — a compact, meticulously kept shop where first-timers walk in overwhelmed and leave actually understanding their tanks. Reviewers come back again and again to the staff: Peter, whose encyclopedic livestock knowledge and patience surface in review after review; Ian, who guides full reef builds from concept to completion; and Alex, Stevie, and Kevin, who round out a crew customers describe as genuinely passionate. " Another, new to reefkeeping, described Ian working hand in hand with his cabinet maker and tank fabricator for a "seamless installation" in his basement.
The livestock is the real draw. This is both a freshwater and saltwater aquarium store, with healthy bettas, schooling ember tetras, and individually displayed live plants for sale in Chicago, IL, plus chocolate clownfish, anemones, corals, and invertebrates for reef keepers. Tanks stay clear and clean, the plants come free of pests and snails, and the hardscape wall of rock and driftwood earns constant praise — one customer loved arranging rocks in a sandbox to preview how her layout would look.
The equipment side runs from frozen brine shrimp to full Red Sea tank setups. What sets Old Town apart is the consultative approach. Staff actively steer people away from overbuying fish or rushing a cycle, demo tank cleaning for beginners, and put the health of the tank ahead of the sale.
The owner has personally designed and installed custom aquariums in customers' homes, walking them through every step. If something isn't on the shelf, the team is happy to track it down for you. Prices run higher than some big-box options, a point a few reviewers flag, but most consider it worthwhile for the livestock quality and depth of guidance.
Convenient weekend hours make it easy for anyone searching for a knowledgeable fish store near me to stop in. For building a planted freshwater tank or taking a first leap into saltwater reef-keeping in Chicago, Old Town delivers the hands-on expertise big-box stores simply can't match.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Old Town Aquarium in Chicago, IL
Old Town Aquarium stocks corals, reef fish, betta fish, tetras, clownfish, anemones, invertebrates, aquarium plants and freshwater & saltwater fish for sale in Chicago, IL. As an aquarium store serving Chicago, IL, it also carries aquarium equipment and fish food and offers aquarium setup, tank maintenance, aquarium consultations and custom tank builds.
- Livestock & products
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Peter and the crew (Ian, Alex, Stevie, Kevin) deliver patient, expert guidance that reviewers repeatedly single out by name
- Full reef builds from concept to completion, including custom tank fabrication and in-home installation
- Healthy freshwater and saltwater livestock: bettas, ember tetras, chocolate clownfish, anemones, corals, and invertebrates
- Standout hardscape wall of rock and driftwood, plus pest- and snail-free live plants
- Red Sea tank setups and full equipment selection, with convenient weekend hours
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I visit Old Town Aquarium every single weekend and I am always impressed by how they keep up with the latest trends in the hobby. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable, and they consistently go out of their way to support their customers—if they don’t have a specific item in stock, they often offer to order it for me. I always look forward to my visits to chat about reefkeeping with such a passionate and helpful team. They are truly awesome!”
— Ginger Schmidt5.0a week ago“Always great and friendly service! Weekend hours are nice!!”
— James W5.0Edited a month ago“On my first visit I knew I was in a special place - the tanks are clear and clean and the many different plants are shown individually in tanks - not all tangled together. The staff helped me set up my aquarium from the bottom up - everything I needed was there. There are varieties of rock that I could arrange in a sandbox to see how they would look in my tank (how fun is that!). I got advise in a patient, helpful manner. Ian, Pete, Alex, Stevie all have gone out of their way to help me be successful. My plants are beautiful and my fish are happy. I highly recommend that you stop by and check it out.”
— janet hintz5.0a month ago“In a time where people will do anything to complain, I'd like to take a moment to praise people that provide good service, and the entire crew at Old Town Aquarium is more than deserving of this. I am new to the reef aquarium hobby, and from concept to completion, continuing with service, they have been nothing short of fabulous. With great patience through multiple visits and phone calls, Ian worked hand in hand with my counter top installer, cabinet maker ,as well as the tank fabricator making for a seamless installation in my basement. Peter and Alex both have encyclopedic knowledge about livestock and have made the somewhat daunting task of fish, coral, and invertebrate selection a great experience always keeping the heath of the tank as the number one priority. An inviting store that you can tell great care is taken to maintain with a super friendly staff makes Old Town a must visit for experienced aquarists and novices alike.”
— Michael5.02 months ago“Ember Tetras love dying. It's their favorite thing to do. Ember Tetras are to dying as Baseball is to the US. I've bought no less than 20 tetras from various fish stores, and sure enough, they kick the bucket within 24 hours (despite the tank being well-established, with other tank mates that show no signs of being a danger to themselves or others) Enter Old Town Aquarium: I bought 5 ember tetras, and 2 weeks later, they are not only alive, but thriving. All 5 of them. They're schooling. They're eating. The other 5 tetras in the tank have included them in various fish activities like eating, pooping and swimming. This shop should be studied as I'm positive this is damn near a miracle. They clearly care about their animals, as evidenced by the tetras that DID NOT DIE. Go buy your fish and fish accessories here. Did I mention these tetras are still alive? As an aside, the employees are also really friggin cool and nice. 10/10 all around.”
— Meaghan DelliCarpini5.02 months ago“Easy, fast, and professional every time”
— GALEN SUZI5.03 months ago“Peter was fantastic to work with. He took the time to really understand my tank and what I was trying to accomplish, and his advice was thoughtful, practical, and clearly grounded in experience. What I appreciated most was his enthusiasm and expertise, he focused on what would actually help my setup succeed long term rather than trying to sell me more than I needed. You can tell he genuinely cares about the health of the tanks and the success of the people he helps. Old Town Aquarium is fortunate to have someone like him.”
— Max M5.04 months ago“I am brand new to this hobby and I’m completely lost, so when I went in asking for (very vague) help, Peter was so nice! He explained everything to me and even wrote down the plants I bought for future reference. I’ve been to like 4 other aquarium stores in the Chicagoland area and this store and setup looked nicer and more inviting. A lot of other stores also look like their tanks are so crowded and sad, but at Old Town, the environments just looked better and the fish happier in my opinion. 10000/10 for this store and definitely shout out to Peter for all his help! Will definitely be back.”
— Katherine Ramos5.0a day ago“Best aquarium shop in town hands down!”
— William Hay5.0Edited 2 weeks ago“Just stopped here over the weekend after coming from another local fish store and it’s safe to say this will be my one stop shop going forward. Upon arrival I was asked if I needed any help right away and boy did I have a list of 100 questions and i had the pleasure to ask those questions to PETER who had 101 answers with enough knowledge to back up every single answer. I am just a beginner getting into saltwater and I felt 10x better about it leaving this shop (along with two beautiful chocolate clownfish). Great selection of everything from equipment, to tanks, fish, and water. 10/10”
— Aidan Kelly5.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (312) 219-4193 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Old Town Aquarium.