About
Royal Tropical Fish & Bird has been a fixture in Royal Oak, MI for decades — the kind of neighborhood shop where longtime customers remember visiting as kids on school field trips, and where you can wander in for a few cichlids and walk out having made friends with a parrot named Mango. It pairs a genuine freshwater fish operation with a busy bird department, and that dual identity is a big part of its charm. For aquarists, the freshwater selection is the real draw.
The store is best known among local hobbyists for its African cichlids — Blue Dolphins and Electric Blue Johanni among them — and regulars also come in for angelfish, plecos, and shrimp. Hard-to-find invertebrates turn up here too, with reviewers spotting healthy Amano shrimp and the occasional bamboo shrimp that can be tough to source elsewhere. If you're hunting for angelfish or African cichlids for sale in Royal Oak, MI, this is a reliable local stop, and the live plants on hand make it easy to round out a planted community tank in a single visit.
Tanks are generally well-labeled with species names and prices, which keeps browsing easy and low-pressure. Service is the other thing people mention again and again. " Staff are praised for steering customers toward compatible, healthy livestock rather than just ringing up a sale.
The shop is currently undergoing renovations, so the floor looks a little sparser than usual while improvements are underway — but the fish are still healthy, the birds are still charming, and longtime visitors sound optimistic about what the refreshed space will become. For Royal Oak fishkeepers who want a knowledgeable, independent fish store with real personality (and a parrot or two), Royal Tropical Fish & Bird remains well worth the trip.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Royal Tropical Fish & Bird in Royal Oak, MI
Royal Tropical Fish & Bird stocks cichlids, African cichlids, angelfish, plecos, shrimp, invertebrates, aquarium plants and freshwater fish for sale in Royal Oak, MI. As a fish store serving Royal Oak, MI, it also offers aquarium consultations.
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- African cichlids including Blue Dolphins and Electric Blue Johanni, plus angelfish and plecos
- Healthy Amano shrimp and hard-to-find bamboo shrimp for planted and community tanks
- Owner Darren praised for patient, knowledgeable fish and bird advice
- Combined freshwater fish and bird shop with decades of history in Royal Oak
- Clean, well-labeled tanks with species names and prices
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Ive known this store for decades. It was once a school field trip for me in the late 1980s. My mom had a bird and always taken it there and shopped there in the 1990s. I had fish for 20+ years. I always get my pet fish from there. Their fish are nice and healthy. I was there today to get an Angelfish and a plecko they were very helpful. They had alot of variety of birds there including the large colorful macaw that is always so sweet. Right now they're under renovation construction, so theres not a whole lot there currently. Im sure once finished it will be awesome. Thank you”
— Michael Robacker5.0a week ago“Based on a few visits during new management, it seems they care far more about spending on renovations than having enough skilled staff on-hand. The last straw for me that led to reading some horrible new reviews about birds being hurt here was seeing a child afraid of being bit handling a young bird improperly with a clearly protective parent fully unsupervised for the entire time I visited. The single person on-deck was also unaware how much the food I was trying to buy cost, leaving us to wait a significant amount of time. Birds kept flying out of their designated area onto the floor and no staff helped them get back, so customers had to handle them and put them back because no one working there did. Some birds have damaged looking wings as well- perhaps related to the improper clipping I've read about. Edited to be more clear and thought out as I was emotional at the time. I can acknowledge per the response that yes, bonding with birds before adoption is good, but no they were not supervised and small birds were most certainly perching next to large ones. Previous management *used to* have birds out but they stopped and fully blocked them off because of birds being injured by a child.”
— Coral1.0Edited a month ago“About a year ago I was driving by and that this place was open. When I was little we use to get all our fish and birds from there. That was about 50 years ago. As kids we would go there just to look at the fish and birds, the owners were very nice and would tell us about the fish and let us pet the birds. I loved going in there. I was happy to see that they were still in business.”
— Tami Powell5.0a month ago“Five star Service every time I come into the store and I visit at least once a week. If I ever have a question, someone will find an answer for me and everyone there has great knowledge of Fish. The only place I buy fish from”
— Ciroq Fillets5.0a month ago“Overall 10/10 experience! The owner was very kind and gave us some genuinely useful advice. It’s clear that the birds and fish are extremely well cared for and live in a healthy environment. Mango the parrot was especially friendly, even cuddled up to us despite the fact that we were 1st time visitors. Prices don’t bite, especially for the huge variety available. Thanks so much, will be coming back for sure :)”
— Вікторія Горняк5.0a month ago“Went there for some Amano shrimp. They looked great. I forget the owners name. Young guy very nice. made my entire week when he let me hold the cutest sweetest bird i ever met named Mango. I had never held a bird before and he showed me how awesome birds are and they are snuggle bugs. who knew?! Such an amazing experience. please go and meet Mango and if someone buys him please let me visit 😭😭😂”
— Kat Preston5.0a month ago“What happened to this store? The last two or three times I've visited the store it has been unstaffed and torn up with most of the old tanks removed. It looks like they are going out of business or maybe already have and are liquidating the remainder of their stock. Really sad.”
— T Scott Galloway1.0Edited a month ago“Everything you need to own a bird amazing store and staff is very knowledgeable.”
— Eva Haase5.0a month ago“Im in Bird Heaven. Love this place”
— Kristine shike5.0a month ago“Meh. They need to work on their fish area idk about the birds. Maybe you’ll find what you need over there. Don’t bother if you need fish supplies.”
— Alyssia MacDonald1.02 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (248) 541-6600 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Royal Tropical Fish & Bird.