About
Tucked into an industrial park in Orland Park, Illinois, Nu Aqua is the kind of freshwater fish store that pulls hobbyists into hour-long drives from across the Chicagoland area — and sends them home glad they made the trip. The space is far bigger than its unassuming warehouse exterior suggests, and every tank is kept like a display aquascape: crystal-clear water, dense planting, and livestock that visitors describe as healthy, vibrant, and clearly well cared for. Staff like Zachary, Dominic, Dalton, and Sofia earn repeated praise for walking customers through stocking choices based on tank size and current inhabitants — the patient, no-pressure guidance newcomers say they couldn't get at the big chains.
What sets the shop apart begins before a fish ever reaches the floor: every animal goes through a multi-week quarantine, a detail customers cite as the reason their tanks stay disease-free after purchase. The selection skews toward the uncommon — Corydoras habrosus and pygmy corys, koi swordtails, bettas, Kuhli loaches, cherry barbs, and even puffers for keepers chasing something hard to find. Invertebrate fans dig into a deep bench of both Neocaridina and Caridina shrimp plus mystery and blue poso snails, and axolotls are for sale in Orland Park, IL at prices that undercut the big-box stores.
It's also a destination for planted-tank and aquascaping enthusiasts: lush live plants, carpeting Monte Carlo, and a hardscape selection of Dragon Stone and spider wood that regulars single out by name. Pond keepers come for koi and bog plants like blue iris and corkscrew rush. The atmosphere stays calm and dimly lit, with none of the overwhelming fishy smell — a point regulars notice on every visit.
Between the quarantine standard, the rare livestock available in Orland Park, IL, and a genuinely passionate crew, a trip to this freshwater fish store feels less like an errand and more like a hobby event.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Nu Aqua in Orland Park, IL
Nu Aqua stocks shrimp, rare and hard-to-find species, axolotls, koi, invertebrates, catfish, livebearers, betta fish, aquarium plants and freshwater & pond fish for sale in Orland Park, IL. As a fish store serving Orland Park, IL, it also offers fish quarantine, aquarium consultations and aquarium setup.
- Livestock & products
- Live PlantsPlanted TanksShrimpRare SpeciesAxolotlsKoiInvertebratesCatfishLivebearersBettasTetrasPuffers
- Services
- Specializes in
- FreshwaterPond
Highlights
What makes them special
- Multi-week quarantine on every fish before it reaches the sales floor
- Deep selection of Neocaridina and Caridina shrimp, rare corydoras, and nano fish
- Axolotls and koi available at prices below the big-box chains
- Aquascaping hardscape including Dragon Stone and spider wood, plus lush live plants
- Beautifully aquascaped, dimly lit display tanks with no fishy smell
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Very friendly, attentive, and helpful”
— Kurtis Holland5.021 hours ago“First time visit. I heard about them through Google suggestions on hardscape materials and the hour drive was so worth it! The gentleman who helped me, "T" (I'm horrible with names) was incredibly informative. The business was very well organized and clean! All of the fish, shrimp, snails looked healthy and happy. I found some Dragon Stone that will look perfect in my new tank. I did inform him that I was new to all of this and he gave general advice that made me feel happy and confident when leaving. I'll definitely visit again and 100% suggest you visit, as well.”
— Rayven Doe5.06 days ago“Zachary was very knowledgeable and passionate talking about fish and aquatic plants. Scored some blue iris and corkscrew rush for my koi pond”
— Patrick McCleary5.0a week ago“Oh my God I am so sorry okay first off I want to tell everybody I am absolutely sorry to this aquarium shop I was looking for n u aqua solutions it's a water purification company that has seven stage filters I did not mean to give this store a one star rating I have never shopped here I don't have an aquarium but I want to apologize to the owner and to any inconvenience that it has brought you for the simple kind gesture of letting me know that I had the wrong company I absolutely 100% did and I'm very sorry!!! For the kind just reminder of I have the wrong company I'm giving that a five-star because I kind of put one company that deserved to be on blast and I thought it was this one again I am sorry to the owner and to anybody that read my post!!!! A little bit of advice for some reason when you do type in the company name which is NU AQUA it brings up your company and unfortunately the company I was trying to leave it for makes it very hard to leave a review so I thought I had found it and unfortunately it was your shop so I would try to like contact Google and let them know because if they handled issue from when I first bought the waterproof purification system I think you might end up with a lot more of these type of reviews just a heads up again I apologize I'm sending you a picture of the company design so you can see how close and why it got confused so you can possibly try to get this separated from your reviews as well...”
— Jacob Pinder5.0Edited a week ago“Staff was super friendly and super cool! All the fish tanks were super clean and well taken care of with beautiful fish! Prices were great and to be was like visiting the shed aquarium! I def recommend this place as you can even do overnight delievery!delivery! Below are the two fish i got and im super happy!”
— Dylan Crandall5.03 weeks ago“I’m new to aquariums and all things aquatic, and I went here on Monday after placing an online order for a couple of mystery snails and blue poso snails. I was taken aback on how amazing everything looked in there upon first walking in! I was greeted by a young man (I don’t remember his name but he was there Monday around 10-11am) who proceeded to show me around and tell me about everything they had in there. And further educated me on snails and guppy/tetra fish, as I am looking to build up my first community aquarium! I appreciated all the knowledge he had, as I told him I’ve gone to other genetic pet stores trying to look for more information on things but was met with either false info or generic answers. I will definitely be back to this location for all my aquatic needs! 10/10 for first-timers looking to get into this as a hobby :)”
— Lauryn Evelyn5.03 weeks ago“This place is amazing they got good prices compared to other shops. They had the Monte Carlo I’ve been looking for and some good dragon stone. These guys are passionate at what they do and the warehouse has nice atmosphere to it. Whatever you see on their website, they’ll have in store unless marked otherwise.”
— Adnan Mesiti5.03 weeks ago“The most professional, cleanest, and ethical fish store I've ever had the pleasure of shopping. I haven't bought a fish anywhere else since-- the peace of mind that comes with recieving pre-quarantined fish from people I trust makes a huge difference in a hobby that can break your heart. They bring in unique fish that can be very hard to find in the US, and suffer through the quarantine process for you. They always take the time to answer my questions and collaborate with me to make sure I end up with a tank that will thrive and also fits what I was looking to achieve. Can't recommend enough. (Also, it never has that overwhelming fish store smell/humidity)”
— Lauren Smarjesse5.04 weeks ago“Can't say enough good things about Nu Aqua! New to the fish and aquatic plant world and every time I come in, they answer all of my questions, give recommendations and generally stellar customer service. 10/10.”
— alexandra ramsay5.0a month ago“The staff here is amazing! Super helpful and very knowledgeable for sure. The place is clean and doesn't smell like "fish" they quarantine all their fish before they hit the sales floor. You know you are getting healthy fish before they ever come to your aquarium. They have a variety of fish that you don't see at the big box stores. Totally come back here!”
— Daniel Cross5.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (708) 995-7745 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Nu Aqua.