About
Fresh Tides Aquatics opened its doors in February 2026, bringing a polished, hobbyist-run fish store to Cincinnati's east side in the Mariemont Promenade. Owners Tori Beck and Neal Burke both came up through a national aquarium chain before striking out on their own, and that experience shows the moment you walk in: spotless, well-aquascaped display tanks line the walls and lead back to a “pocket” of aquariums surrounded by livestock, with supplies and a frozen-food freezer up front. The shop's tagline — “Aquariums Refined by Nature” — captures the planted, nature-style aesthetic it's built around.
The store is freshwater-focused for now, and it leans hard into planted tanks and aquascaping. Fresh Tides is an authorized Tropica and ADA dealer, carrying both tissue-culture and emersed-grown plants alongside one of the area's deepest hardscape selections — driftwood, stones, and layout materials for nature, Iwagumi, and Brazilian-style scapes. Shrimp are a genuine specialty, with high-grade Fire Red Neocaridina among the regular offerings, plus snails and other invertebrates.
On the fish side you'll find healthy, well-chosen stock suited to community and nano tanks — Celestial Pearl Danios, chili rasboras, and Bolivian rams among them — and the owners are happy to special-order specific species on request. What sets Fresh Tides apart from big-box stores is its discipline. Every fish goes through a minimum 7-day quarantine and medication process before hitting the sales floor — a practice reviewers single out again and again — and the shop backs its livestock with a 48-hour guarantee.
The shelves skip throwaway products in favor of brands hobbyists actually trust: ADA, Oase, Twinstar, Seachem, Fritz, Fluval, Finnex, and Repashy, down to niche test kits for copper, GH, and KH that are hard to find locally. Free in-store water testing covers pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Customers consistently describe the owners as passionate, honest, and genuinely knowledgeable — “fish enthusiasts, not fish sellers,” as one regular put it — and equally patient with newcomers and seasoned keepers.
Prices are widely called reasonable, and the store keeps expanding its livestock as quarantine allows, with saltwater and coral hinted at down the road. For aquarists across the Cincinnati and tri-state area, Fresh Tides Aquatics has quickly become a destination shop, especially for planted-tank and aquascaping enthusiasts.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Strict 7-day quarantine and medication on every fish before it reaches the sales floor
- Authorized Tropica and ADA dealer with a deep planted-tank and aquascaping selection
- Standout shrimp specialty, including high-grade Fire Red Neocaridina at fair prices
- Owner-operated by ex-aquarium-chain hobbyists Tori Beck and Neal Burke
- Free water testing (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) plus a 48-hour livestock guarantee
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Best place to get shrimp!”
— scotty cooper5.03 days ago“Great shop. Staff is awesome, very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. They quarantine their new stock to make sure they are healthy before putting up for sale. Much appreciated and something another larger store did not do, to the detriment of several guppies in our tank. Fresh Tide also has great plants, shrimps, snails, decor, and all the products you need for a healthy tank. Highly recommend!”
— Ryan Derrow5.02 weeks ago“This is the first store in Cincinnati that truly feels geared toward aquascaping. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about tank setup, planted tanks, and aquascaping in general. You really get the sense that this place is run by hobbyists who genuinely love what they do, not just business people trying to sell products. They carry excellent products from companies like ADA, Oase, and Twinstar, and they’ll likely be adding my personal favorite fertilizers from APT as well. Their hardscape collection is top-notch, with a great selection for both nature-style, Brazilian style and Iwagumi layouts. They are also a Tropica dealer, which in my opinion produces some of the highest-quality aquarium plants available, both tissue culture and emersed-grown. I recently picked up some Trident Java Fern and Lysimachia from them, and both are thriving beautifully. What also stood out to me is their detailed quarantine process for fish. They clearly put effort into ensuring their livestock are healthy and parasite-free. The Celestial Pearl Danios I bought from them are healthy, active, and doing great.They also have a fantastic collection of fish suitable for many types of aquariums, especially nano tanks. Another major specialty of theirs is shrimp. I recently purchased some high-grade Fire Red Neocaridina shrimp from them at a very reasonable price. Overall, I highly recommend this store to anyone in Cincinnati and the surrounding areas, as well as any aquarium enthusiasts passing through Cincinnati. Definitely one of the best LFS experiences I’ve had.”
— Shankar Baskar5.02 weeks ago“I found this place after watching a YouTube video about it and I’m SO glad that I did! This is a fabulous store. It’s not a huge place by any means, but what the store lacks in size it more than makes up for in selection and ambience. The tanks are very clean and obviously well-maintained. There are some “usual suspects” in terms of fish you would find at any aquarium store but definitely a number of niche selections that you might not find anywhere else nearby. The prices are very reasonable and the service was kind and helpful. I would gladly get more fish there again!!”
— Joe Levinson5.02 weeks ago“I traveled from Central Kentucky to Cincinnati to visit a few tropical fish stores and found this to be one of the nicest I've been in. I was only looking for supplies this trip but I will definitely go back to get fish for my next tank.”
— Ryan Dougherty5.0a month ago“Staff was very knowledgeable and very nice to chat with. The fish looked healthy and I was able to purchase some beautiful plants for my tank.”
— Heather Edwards5.0a month ago“Beautiful store! Had the shrimp we needed. Very helpful with our needs for our tank. Everyone should check this place out!”
— Adam Hafner5.0a month ago“Very clean tanks with healthy fish. Owner was very friendly and knowledgeable. Great selection of shrimp”
— Anthony Campbell5.0a month ago“Amazing selection of quality Tropical Fish and really wide range and diversity of plants! Neal and Tori were super knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend checking this new store out!”
— Teddy Woodhouse5.0a month ago“Great location for people who are looking for a more central location for a fish store that is not a chain. They have a clean store, quality livestock, and very knowledgeable staff. They even quarantine their shipments unlike most stores. They are also very price friendly compared to what I’ve seen around. I highly recommend this aquatics store for anyone who is looking to get into the hobby, or even a seasoned person.”
— Gavin Osterday5.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (513) 376-6048 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Fresh Tides Aquatics.