Fish Freaks

Walk into Fish Freaks on a busy Saturday and you'll immediately understand why this Omaha institution has earned nearly a thousand glowing reviews. The store is deceptively spacious — much bigger inside than it looks from the street — with row after row of clean, well-maintained tanks housing an enormous selection of freshwater and saltwater fish, corals, and aquatic plants. Reviewers describe it as feeling like a visit to the zoo, except you get to take the animals home.

The livestock quality stands out. Bettas are kept individually in their own tanks with bubblers, unable to see each other — a level of care that signals how seriously this shop takes animal welfare. Before purchasing certain fish, customers are asked to show photos of their setup and bring water samples, a policy that earns respect from serious hobbyists.

Assassin snails, rare species, and saltwater fish you won't find elsewhere in the region fill the displays, while the plant selection includes oversized anubias at prices that make out-of-state visitors do a double-take. On the equipment side, Fish Freaks stocks brands like Fluval, Aquarium Co-Op, and Python, along with a wide range of tanks — bare setups, tanks with stands, saltwater-ready configurations with hang-on-back filters. One customer drove home with a Fluval Sienna 72-gallon after staff member Kaedin walked them through every detail of their first big tank purchase.

The store also offers in-home tank maintenance services, a lifeline for hobbyists traveling or on vacation. One longtime customer left their tanks in Fish Freaks' care for a full month and returned to find everything thriving. Their social media responsiveness is another differentiator — staff confirm stock availability before customers make long drives, a small thing that builds real loyalty.

A loyalty program rewards repeat visits, which is smart, because everyone seems to come back. Fish Freaks is the kind of local fish store that makes you want to support independent retail.