About
Rivers to Reefs Aquariums is an enthusiast-owned fish and aquarium store in Gahanna, OH, and a longtime central Ohio destination for both freshwater and saltwater hobbyists. Walk in and you'll find rows of clean, densely packed tanks holding everything from African cichlids and discus to cherry shrimp, anemones, and the kind of oddball livestock — zebra spiny eels, African butterfly fish, baby puffers — that almost never turns up at chain stores. Recent visitors single out how healthy the stock is: one customer picked up two groups of barbs and reported them thriving, active, and the best fish-buying experience he'd had in years.
The planted tank section remains a signature draw. Customers come specifically for the live plant variety, floating plants like red root floaters and duckweed, and dissolvable nutrient tablets, and the staff is happy to walk someone through a full build from substrate to stocking. If you're after discus for sale in Gahanna, OH, or starting your first saltwater tank, the team makes time — one shopper mentioned staff coming out to the car to look at a tank setup, and a staff member named John spent over an hour walking a nervous beginner through cycling and care.
Owner Travis is regularly named in reviews as knowledgeable and approachable, and employees like Owen get shout-outs for patient, no-pressure help; the shop is genuinely family-friendly, with kids welcome to wander and admire the aquatic life. Pricing lands fair and competitive, and if something isn't on the shelf the team can usually bring it in for you. It's a busy little store, and on packed afternoons a few shoppers have waited longer than they'd like for help, so a quieter weekday visit can be the move.
Still, for Gahanna-area aquarists who want healthy freshwater and saltwater fish near me, knowledgeable conversation, and a curated selection — from African cichlids and tangs to cherry shrimp and planted-tank plants available in Gahanna, OH — Rivers to Reefs remains a strong first stop.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Rivers to Reefs Aquariums in Gahanna, OH
Rivers to Reefs Aquariums stocks cichlids, African cichlids, discus, shrimp, anemones, invertebrates, rare and hard-to-find species, catfish, aquarium plants and freshwater & saltwater fish for sale in Gahanna, OH. As an aquarium store serving Gahanna, OH, it also carries fish medications, fish food and aquarium equipment and offers aquarium consultations and water testing.
- Livestock & products
- CichlidsAfrican CichlidsDiscusLive PlantsPlanted TanksShrimpAnemonesInvertebratesRare SpeciesCatfishMedicationsPuffersTangsLivebearersFish FoodAquarium Equipment
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Enthusiast-owned with healthy freshwater and saltwater stock and uncommon oddball species like zebra spiny eels, African butterfly fish, and baby puffers
- Signature planted-tank section with live plants, red root floaters, duckweed, and dissolvable nutrient tablets
- Owner Travis and staff like Owen and John give patient, hands-on setup help, including walking beginners through cycling and care
- Carries discus, African cichlids, cherry shrimp, anemones, and saltwater tangs
- Fair, competitive pricing with clean tanks and the option to bring in items not in stock
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great selection with healthy fish. Well priced.”
— Jenna Burt5.0a week ago“Great experience great staff thats very knowledgeable. I went in and got 2 groups of barbs and they are doing amazing in the tank they are so healthy and active best fish buying experience i have had in a long time. They have such a vast inventory of fresh water and salt water fish its almost guaranteed you'll find something you like. Will be back soon and many times after.”
— Brandon Perry5.04 weeks ago“Shout out to Rivers to reefs they are very nice and friendly after all my questions starting a salt water tank I bought a bunch of fish stuff off of marketplace came with 3 canister filters and I couldn’t figure out what went to what and they helped me with that ! The two young men there very nice can’t remember names”
— maria potts5.0a month ago“Yes They Have A Big Selection And Power Outages From Overloading The Breaker! For Me The Section That Lost Power Made Me Nervous! I Was Still Willing To Get Some Baby Puffer But Changed My Mind After Doing 2 Laps Around The Shop Not Able To Get Assistance! It Is Worth A Stop And I Hope They Fix The Power Issues!”
— MeAndMy Zoo3.0a month ago“Excellent staff, very very helpful and knowledgeable for my needs. Highly recommend for most aquatic needs. 5 stars hands down.”
— Shannon Paugh5.02 months ago“ALOT of selection on fish.”
— sam snyder5.0Edited 2 months ago“Great store and great service. The owner, Travis, is very knowledgeable and helpful. The rest of the staff has also been really informative and answered all the questions we had. They even came out to our car to check out our tank setup. We had Owen help us out today and he provided a wonderful experience”
— Abigail Miguez5.02 months ago“Fantastic shop and team! They're great people to ask fish and setup questions to, and always eager to find a solution!”
— Lillian5.02 months ago“1-Clean tanks, yes. 2-Fish selections are very limited. 3-Staff was rude and playing on her phone while we were trying to get an answer on fish, very snappy. 4-very expensive on fish pricing compared to other fish shops in the area, and I’m not talking about big box like Petsmart. 5- there is no “wow, I have to have that” effect.”
— Dave Lemke2.02 months ago“Every time I tried to get help they would pay attention to me for 30 seconds then disappear to help someone else. I finally got them to bag up the I want and they asked me if I needed them to anything else and I said no. Then they abandoned me at the front desk waiting to pay so eventually I just left.”
— dragonsboon1.02 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (614) 934-5155 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Rivers to Reefs Aquariums.