About
Coastal Reef Aquariums is the saltwater destination that hobbyists across southeastern North Carolina plan their weekends around. Run by Stephen and Wanda alongside longtime crew members like Chris and Brandon, this family-owned aquarium store has earned a following that drives in from Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and even the Outer Banks — one recent visitor logged a two-hour trip from Fayetteville and left already planning the next one. The draw is simple: livestock quality you can trust, with corals that reviewers consistently describe as healthy, vibrant, and free of aiptasia, displayed in frag tanks that are clearly priced and beautifully kept.
For reef keepers, the coral and invertebrate selection is the heart of the shop. You'll find vibrant coral frags — from rose bubble tip anemones to birds nest colonies — alongside reef invertebrates, shrimp, and healthy saltwater fish and clownfish for sale in Wilmington, NC. When a newcomer's clownfish came down with a virus, Wanda and the crew researched the problem and sent her home with exactly the right treatment, the kind of hands-on care that keeps people coming back.
The team is known for patient, never-condescending advice, walking first-timers through lighting, filtration, and basic husbandry without ever making anyone feel out of their depth. Coastal Reef is also the region's go-to for service work. Stephen and his crew handle professional tank setups, fish-room builds, and ongoing maintenance, and customers share stories of him driving out personally to rescue a botched 800-gallon reef.
The shop's newer Wilmington location is brighter and more open than the last (it can be a touch tricky to find the first time), with immaculate display tanks and a resident French Bulldog on permanent mascot duty. If you're hunting for a reef store near me along the Cape Fear coast, this is the aquarium store locals name first — built on healthy livestock, honest guidance, and owners who clearly keep reef tanks of their own.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Coastal Reef Aquariums in Wilmington, NC
Coastal Reef Aquariums stocks corals, reef fish, invertebrates, live rock, clownfish, anemones, shrimp and saltwater fish for sale in Wilmington, NC. As an aquarium store serving Wilmington, NC, it also carries aquarium equipment and offers aquarium setup, tank maintenance and aquarium consultations.
- Livestock & products
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Owners Stephen and Wanda run a family-owned saltwater and reef store known for healthy, aiptasia-free corals at fair prices
- Strong selection of corals, rose bubble tip anemones, reef invertebrates, shrimp, and saltwater fish including clownfish
- Area's go-to for professional tank setups, fish-room builds, and ongoing maintenance — Stephen even makes on-site house calls
- Patient, non-condescending staff (Chris and Brandon among them) who guide newcomers through lighting, filtration, and husbandry
- Newer, brighter Wilmington location with immaculate tanks and a resident French Bulldog mascot; draws customers from Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville, and OBX
From keepers
Customer reviews
“id give 100 stars 🌟 if I could... HUGE selection, drove from fayetteville as a last minute adventure with my neice, was NOT disappointed., I def. plan on making the 2 hour drive every time I plan to add to my saltwater aquarium.. the lady up front( i assume to be the owner) was very knowledgeable, and very helpful, without being condescending in any way.. this business deserves to thrive in this hobby..”
— Justin Pearson5.0a month ago“Wonderful service always! Great quality products and installation services! Steve did an amazing job setting up our new aquarium and fish room. Awesome customer service!”
— David Rogers5.0a month ago“One of the best local fish stores around! The staff and owners are incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming, and the selection covers just about everything you could need. Huge bonus—they’re the only shop in the area that also offers professional tank setups and maintenance services. Highly recommend checking them out!”
— Jason Coffey5.0a month ago“Newby to the saltwater aquarium hobby. Wanda and crew have been AWESOME helping me navigate through setting up my micro tank. Had a scare with a virus on my clowns. They researched what to do and got me the right stuff to bring them back!!! So happy and grateful with these people!!!!! 🥰🙏🥰🙏”
— Anna LaRue5.03 months ago“Great first experience! Staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Nice selection as well”
— Michael Parks5.03 months ago“Love the new location and their selection is really good. They were able to give me a bucket for my oversized purchase even though it would more than likely have fit in one of their bags. Love that they care about their clients in that way. Looking forward to many more purchases in the future.”
— Kevin P5.04 months ago“Such a friendly and knowledgable staff. Always has a great selection of coral & fish to select from along with any other marine products you may need. Definitely Wilmingtons GO-TO aquatic store.”
— Coastal Event Shuttle5.04 months ago“First, Coastal Reef specializes in saltwater fish, not freshwater. However, I stopped in a few days ago hoping they would be able to help me with my betta fish as I didn't think the local big box pet stores would really know what to do to help my fish. Although they don't do freshwater fish or have the in depth knowledge of it, they still looked at photos of my fish and listened to my description and gave me a recommendation on what to use to heal my betta. Luckily sickness in fish doesn't differ too much from salt to fresh. They had the product in store, gave me tips on best way to provide it to my fish and were so friendly and helpful. I wandered around looking at their aquariums and was given info about the types of fish and shrimp and their personality types as well even though I am not a saltwater fish owner and not their typical customer and will likely not get into saltwater aquariums. I still felt like I was treated the way they would treat anyone coming into the store with saltwater fish needs and I appreciate that! And my betta seems to be doing better every day.”
— Natalie Oakes5.04 months ago“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
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.