About
Congressional Aquarium sits just off Rockville Pike, tucked behind the Congressional shopping center, and it has anchored the Rockville, MD fishkeeping scene for decades. Walk through the door and the scale surprises you — a large, easy-to-navigate floor packed wall-to-wall with tanks, chemicals, spare parts for pumps and filters, and a fish selection that dwarfs the big-box stores down the road. Regulars describe it as a second comfort zone, the kind of independent fish store you keep coming back to for years.
Freshwater is the heart of the operation. The African cichlid selection is repeatedly called the best in the area, and the live plants are a genuine draw — hobbyists report planted tanks still thriving months after purchase. You'll find a dedicated shrimp station, community staples like guppies, cherry barbs, corydoras, and neon and cardinal tetras for sale in Rockville, MD, plus harder-to-source standouts such as bichirs, plecos, and larger specimens you simply won't see at a chain.
Anyone searching for African cichlids or live aquarium plants near me usually ends up here. There's also a pond corner stocked with koi and pond plants for outdoor setups, and bettas for the desktop crowd. The staff are the reason people keep returning.
Knowledgeable hands like Jay, David, Ana, and Nicholas walk newcomers through first tank setups, in-store water testing, and stocking decisions with real patience — several reviewers admit a rocky first visit turned around completely by the second or third trip. This is an aquarium store that rewards asking questions. A couple of honest notes before you go: prices run higher than nearby chains and independents, so you're paying for expertise and the immediate, in-person availability of specialty items like swim-bladder medications.
And while there is a saltwater section, this is fundamentally a freshwater shop — reef keepers should set expectations accordingly. Come for the cichlids, the plants, and the veteran advice, and budget for the premium. Current hours run noon to six daily.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Congressional Aquarium in Rockville, MD
Congressional Aquarium stocks African cichlids, shrimp, betta fish, koi, tetras, livebearers, plecos, rare and hard-to-find species, aquarium plants and freshwater, saltwater & pond fish for sale in Rockville, MD. As an aquarium store serving Rockville, MD, it also carries aquarium equipment and fish medications and offers aquarium consultations, aquarium setup and water testing.
- Livestock & products
- African CichlidsLive PlantsShrimpBettasKoiTetrasLivebearersPlecosRare SpeciesAquarium EquipmentMedications
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- African cichlid selection regularly called the best in the Rockville, MD area
- Large, easy-to-navigate floor with deep freshwater stock plus spare pump and filter parts
- Knowledgeable staff — Jay, David, Ana, and Nicholas — guide first tank setups and in-store water testing
- Hard-to-find livestock like bichirs and plecos alongside shrimp, tetras, guppies, and live plants
- Pond section with koi and pond plants, plus specialty items like swim-bladder medications chains don't carry
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I came into the store today after shopping there for over 15 plus years. There was two sales reps on the floor. A pleasant young lady who was. Busy helping another customer. I was told to ask the gentleman on the other side of the store to help me. He told me he was busy with a water change and cannot stop. He can help on ten to fifteen minutes and I should ask someone else on the floor. However, there was no other employee on the floor. I waited for the young lady to complete her transition to get some assistance. She test my water and left. I waited about five minutes and another employee Whois very knowledgeable and has help me before came and completed the testing. I left very disappointed and felt the need to take my business elsewhere. I brought a 40 gallon tank and everything the store recommended without question, but today I left with many questions.”
— dexter foster1.06 days ago“The poor quality of the fish at this store has wasted a large quantity of my money over 3 disasters that were the fault of poor quality fish. Let me explain, I've been keeping fish in my 20 gallon tank since 2020 and had zero fatalities keeping cherry barbs, corydoras, and guppies over the course of 3 years until 2023. Then I made the terrible mistake to shop here. The first incident was when I bought three guppies here. At that time my tank had 3 guppies, 6 cherry barbs, and 6 corydoras all bought from a different store. Upon buying these three new guppies from this store however the other three in my tank along with these new ones died a week later. After testing my water I determined it was likely an unfortunate parasite infection. However I couldn't get a refund because it happened over the course of a week and the location was a half hour drive. Then the second time I needed to replace my now dead guppies I went there again and got 6 neon tetras. Once again a week after buying these guys they were all dead, while my other fish thrived and were actually breeding inside the tank (a strong indicator of a healthy environment). Finally I went back this last time and got the hardier cardinal tetras. These fish also once again all died. This made me very upset and thinking that this was all my fault and I didn't know how to keep fish well. But then I went to a different store, got the same cardinal tetras, and they are now going on a month in the same tank. Thus I've concluded that this store's fish are very disease ridden / weak / low quality and is a bad choice when deciding what store to purchase your fish from. The staff is absolutely wonderful and they have great service and plants however.”
— Lukas Brian1.0a week ago“If you need to learn more about fish keeping this and has been the place to go and it's just on the Pike in back of congressional shopping center. Jay and David have a lot of knowledgeable folks working there.”
— JPMM75.0a month ago“I was treated better my third time around. Honestly made the difference. Employees should really be mindful of first impressions, because I really wasn’t going to return and seeing other similar bad reviews made me see the trend that the employees here lead to believe. But gave it another shot and was happier this time around.”
— Joe Swan4.0Edited a month ago“Always our go-to store for aquarium supplies, water testing, and general support and knowledge.”
— Stuart Miles-McLean5.0Edited a month ago“1st. nice staff that try there best that's 1 star 2nd. My 2nd comfort zone 2 stars 3rd. fair prices 3 stars 4th. easy to memorize the path of the aquarium. 4stars 5th bichirs? man i would have gave them googolplex(search it up) stars if i could. also please dont keep those bichirs with plecos im already gettin worried”
— GULPER THR BICHIR5.0a month ago“Nice aquarium store. Although pricy”
— Andrey Eliseev5.02 months ago“Our fish aquarium look great at our daycare’s each classrooms has a betta fish and in the lobby our 110 gallons of glow fish and leave plants.”
— Edgar Martinez5.02 months ago“They Had Everything I Was Looking For And The Options Are Unlimited For Any Gallon Tank”
— Meth ADone5.03 months ago“Best place for fish and aquarium supplies in the area. Helpful, and knowledgeable staff.”
— Seth Denbo5.0Edited 4 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (301) 881-6182 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Congressional Aquarium.