Fintastic Aquariums of Frederick

Owner is a very nice guy for starters. I recently moved to Harper's Ferry WV and needed to find a decent LFS that was closer than my normal place which was House of Tropicals in Glen Burnie. There's always a nice selection of fish and coral and invertebrates but the best part is his prices are very very reasonable. There was a few things I requested for my tanks that I asked if he could carry so I could make this my main LFS and sure enough, my next visit he had them all. Though it's not a very big place, he has it laid out nice and utilizes the space with a little bit of everything. Another thing I like is that it's basically all saltwater items. Great job to the owner and you have a permanent customer now.

Background Info: In early December I got an established 46g reef tank but the owner had started to let it go so it only had mushroom coral. This is my first saltwater tank but I've owned freshwater for years. The physical store: I was a little confused about what was the front of the store vs the back from the outside and it looked small. I chose the correct entrance though. The lighting wasn't typical pet store lighting but it was good enough and I assumed was setup for the animals rather than the customers which is a good thing. I couldn't easily understand the layout at first but figured it out by the end. The selection is really food for a LFS. The staff: The guy that helped me (tall white guy) was extremely helpful. He was by himself and busy putting livestock into tanks and tild me he would be multitasking a bit because the fish had arrived 2 days late so he needed to get them into the tanks. While tending to the new fish, he listened about my setup, my concerns and questions. He was knowledgeable, friendly and provided soe great advice. Ultimately I bought a some maintenance items, media, a clownfish and an urchin. I never felt like I was being up-selled or like anything was just to get me to spend money (he actually made a recommendation that saved me money). The livestock: The coral were open and seemed happy. All the fish were active and swimming. I didn't see any fish that had a sign of disease. The inverts all looked healthy as well. Everything in that store seemed to be thriving. 1.5 months later and the urchin and clown are doing great still. Overall: My experience was great and I look forward to going back. All aspects of the experience were great and the guy that helped me made me feel a lot more comfortable with the status of my tank and my ability to care for it. I highly recommend Fintastic and hope everyone has the great experience I had.

Beautiful saltwater fish store! Friendly staff too!

I purchased a clownfish, watchman goby, and midas blenny here and they are all doing great. They usually have a decent selection and also some cool display tanks.

Always an awsome experience

Excellent service and quality. Only place we go to in Frederick!

Fantastic experience!!!! I gained so much knowledge and info to help my tank! I'm a beginner to the hobby and I gained a lot of great info and how to make my tank great. He didn't talk down to me like other places I have been and he taught me a lot!!! Great place to go! Would highly recommend if you are new to the hobby and want to learn how to make your tank the best definitely stop in!!!!

I recommend NOT buying your fish here. No quarantine process, multiple fish visibly sick in tanks. Was also told by a few long time saltwater caretakers in the area to avoid buying fish here for those same reasons.

I enjoyed this place as Ricks husbandry practices are iffy, where as this store is clean and bright. However they don’t appear to want my business as they blocked me on facebook over this interaction. If your business is going to rely on being more convenient than online or driving to the PA, Baltimore, DC or VA, then you would think they might try a little bit to not be off putting. Being a small business isn’t an excuse for lack of courtesy.

12/10! Highly recommend. Jared is the best!