About
Coastal Reef Aquariums has built a reputation that pulls hobbyists from well beyond Wilmington — regulars drive from Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and the Outer Banks, often logging ninety minutes each way because the coral selection alone justifies the trip. Owned and operated by Stephen and Wanda, this family-run saltwater shop is laser-focused on reef livestock, and it shows. Frag tanks are organized with clear pricing, and reviewers consistently note that corals arrive healthy, free of aiptasia, and vibrant — splatter rose bubble tip anemones, birds nest corals, and high-end frags that rival online retailers in both quality and price.
The fish side holds its own, too. Customers report healthy saltwater fish across a solid variety, and the staff — including Chris and Brandon — take the time to walk newcomers through equipment choices, lighting compatibility, and husbandry basics without a trace of condescension. One reviewer recounted how Stephen personally drove an hour to diagnose an 800-gallon reef setup that another company had botched, identifying missing filtration and a lack of a protein skimmer, then transforming it into a thriving display.
That kind of hands-on, house-call commitment sets Coastal Reef apart from typical retail operations. The shop moved to a newer, more spacious location in Wilmington that customers find brighter and more open, though a few note it can be slightly tricky to locate at first. Inside, tanks are immaculately maintained, and there's a resident French Bulldog serving as unofficial store mascot.
While Coastal Reef stocks primarily saltwater, the staff is happy to field freshwater questions and offer guidance even outside their core inventory. For anyone running a reef tank along the southeastern North Carolina coast, this is the destination shop — built on livestock quality, honest advice, and owners who clearly keep reef tanks themselves and understand the stakes of every purchase.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Exceptional coral selection with healthy, aiptasia-free frags at competitive prices
- Owners Stephen and Wanda provide hands-on consultation including on-site house calls for tank setup and troubleshooting
- Draws dedicated customers from Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and OBX — over 90 minutes away
- Staff members Chris and Brandon praised for patient, knowledgeable guidance for all experience levels
- Spacious newer Wilmington location with well-organized, immaculately maintained display and sales tanks
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Drove from myrtle beach (1.45 hours) since we don’t have a LFS any more. Great place. Owner and fellow worker very friendly and helpful and beautiful selection of fish, corals and inverts. Thank you!”
— a s5.0a day ago“I am a total Saltwater newbie! These fine folks not only have a wonderful store, they answered all my many questions and even gave me tips and tricks about things I hadn’t even thought of. I WILL RETURN!”
— Mary OKelly5.02 months ago“This is truly one of the best shops for coral in the area. We drive down from Jacksonville area specifically to see what they have in stock because we know the coral won't be half dead or covered in aptasia. The employees are always helpful and willing to assist with anything we may have questions about. The new location (while slightly hard to find) is so much nicer and more open on the inside compared to their last.”
— Ashley Eden5.04 months ago“My husband and I stopped in on our way back home from vacationing in OBX. We live in the Myrtle beach area and have wanted to make the hour and a half drive up for quite a while but finally got to stop in and I’m so glad we did. Wanda was so helpful, kind and knowledgeable. Their fish were healthy and happy and had a pretty decent selection even though she said they sold majority of the fish that morning. We left with two new fish and a new reason to make the drive up to Wilmington to get great quality livestock.”
— Ashley DeVenio5.04 months ago“Great people, friendly and best coral selection around!”
— Christen Slaven5.05 months ago“Stephen, Wanda and the entire crew at Coastal reef have been a pleasure to work with!!!! Well over a year ago I had hired a company out of Longs, SC to set up my tank, bought a lot of equipment and was taking advantage of costing my wife and I a small fortune. I called Stephen one day and explained to him what I was going thru and he dropped everything he was doing and drove an hour out to my house from Wilmington. He took one look at my set up and just shook his head. I had no filtration, no protein skimmer, and a bunch of equipment that was just useless. I could go on and on about the terrible experience I had with a different company out of Longs / N. Myrtle but I wont. Stephen has transformed my 800 gallon tank into a beautiful reef and I highly recommend him.”
— Kevin Sneed5.06 months ago“Stopped in with very little knowledge of fish tanks to get a fish for my aquarium addicted toddler. The employees were not only very helpful in guiding me to buy the appropriate equipment and habitat pieces, but were also extremely friendly and welcoming to someone who didn’t really know the ins and outs, which is hard to find in a hobby nowadays. I didn’t do my usual research into things before we decided to jump into a small aquarium, and this store made it very possible in a non-condescending way. I am very excited to grow this hobby with my kid, and visit these guys to help us grow it.”
— Steevo5.07 months ago“Great prices and service”
— james wemmitt5.08 months ago“Chris was such a sweet guy and helped me with all my questions.”
— Danielle Perdue5.08 months ago“One of my favorite weekly visits for our office saltwater aquarium. They have an excellent team, beautiful fish and corals, supplies, and everything you will need for your aquariums.”
— Stacy Murtha5.09 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (910) 839-3002 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Coastal Reef Aquariums.