About
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.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Bettas housed individually in their own tanks with bubblers — exceptional animal welfare standards
- Requires photos of tank setup and water samples before selling certain fish
- In-home tank maintenance services available, including long-term vacation care
- Massive selection of freshwater and saltwater fish, corals, and aquatic plants
- Stocks Aquarium Co-Op, Fluval, and Python products at competitive prices
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I was very impressed! Getting back into the saltwater scene, I was asking around to see what stores were where and was recommended against Fish Freaks due to lack of customer interest/care and those recommendations were COMPLETELY WRONG!!! I will be going back as a regular customer from this point on - they had a large selection of fresh and saltwater fish, corals, plants, aquariums and supplies, as well as a very friendly, knowledgeable, and nerdy staff! Also, they have a loyalty program and as any aquarist knows, you WILL be coming back.”
— Aaron Hill5.04 days ago“Wow! Wow! Wow!”
— Kesa Kenny5.0a week ago“Excellent service! Went looking for floating plants and the store associate helped me find exactly what I needed. I'll be back!”
— Sonia Vanderworth5.0a month ago“this place is amazing the service. The people are so helpful and so nice. My tank looks amazing because of them.”
— Luke81955.0a month ago“Selection is great & usually very well staffed. Wish prices were a little better but that cant always be controlled.”
— Corey Burch5.0a month ago“Friendly, lots of variety. Clean”
— Kassandra Wiegele5.0a month ago“This place is fantastic. All of the staff are so kind and ready to help. I'm relatively new to the hobby and they've answered any questions I've had with patience and have provided solid product advice to meet my needs. All of the fish and plants I've purchased from here have been very healthy and wonderful additions to my tanks. This is my preferred LFS and I highly reccomend coming here for supplies, fish, plants and solid advice regarding fish keeping.”
— Brittany Carmicheal5.0Edited a month ago“Knowledgeable staff with fair pricing.”
— Joe Fibich5.0a month ago“Always helpful and general knowledge is pretty good sometimes even exceptional!”
— Jeremy Towne5.0a month ago“Really great place. Seen a lot of salt water fish that id never seen before. Beautiful tanks. Great team.”
— Peggy Mcginnis5.0Edited a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (402) 934-8588 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Fish Freaks.