About
Southside Aquatics has anchored San Antonio's south side for more than two decades, the kind of compact, densely stocked neighborhood shop that regulars drive across town to reach. It's a true mom-and-pop operation where freshwater fish share the floor with ball pythons, parakeets, rabbits, guinea pigs, bearded dragons, and bins of live feeders, but the rows of aquariums are what give the store its name. If you're hunting for freshwater fish for sale in San Antonio, TX, this is a dependable south-side stop.
Customers come in for gouramis in several color varieties, rope fish, neon tetras, mollies and other livebearers, angelfish, goldfish, plecos, and koi bettas, along with neocaridina shrimp and other invertebrates for community tanks. Reviewers regularly remark that, despite the modest square footage, the tanks are kept impressively clean and the selection runs deeper than you'd expect, with one shopper counting four distinct gourami color varieties on a single wall. A staff member once helped a customer get a 175-gallon tank dialed in, a sign the team knows aquariums beyond just ringing up livestock.
The store doubles as a one-stop shop for the surrounding neighborhood. Reptile keepers stop in weekly for feeder mice, pinkies, superworms, and mealworms; bird owners pick up quality seed and even hawk food; and dog and cat owners rely on the shelves for specific food brands they can't find anywhere else nearby. Recent visitors have brought home turtles, hamsters, and bearded dragons, and many single out the friendly owner and helpful staff.
Prices are the throughline in nearly every review, consistently called reasonable and affordable. The atmosphere is genuinely no-frills, with merchandise stacked high in a small space, but that's part of the charm for the loyal south-side crowd who treat Southside Aquatics like a second home. Cash is the easiest way to pay.
For anyone in San Antonio, TX looking for freshwater fish and supplies near me without driving to a big-box chain, this longtime fish store remains a neighborhood institution.
What they offer
Fish & livestock for sale at Southside Aquatics in San Antonio, TX
Southside Aquatics stocks betta fish, livebearers, plecos, shrimp, invertebrates, goldfish, angelfish, tetras and freshwater fish for sale in San Antonio, TX. As a fish store serving San Antonio, TX, it also carries fish food and dry goods.
- Livestock & products
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- More than 20 years serving San Antonio's south side community
- Freshwater fish including gouramis, rope fish, mollies, angelfish, plecos, and koi bettas
- Neocaridina shrimp and other invertebrates for community tanks
- Live reptile feeders weekly: mice, pinkies, superworms, and mealworms
- Reasonable, affordable prices and a friendly, helpful owner
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Shopped here twice, both times I received animals that were sick/dying/dead. I bought shrimp here (neocaridina, not feeder shrimp) and there were several dead in the bag before I even arrived home. Thought it might have been a one-off, so tried coming back, all 3 fish i had purchased died within days (fully established, running tank), half of my shrimp, same thing. The guy said the best he could do was a "exchange" the fish if I brought it back in. Did just that and guess what? Now I was outside of the 3 day return policy! There are SO many better fish stores here in town (Papa Jims, South Seas Aquatics, etc.) Maybe they do better with non-aquatic pets, but man when you have DISPLAY TANKS with dead fish in them? Lol and worst part is I didn't even want to leave a bad review, I TRIED to call and find a resolution, offered to bring samples of tank water, get pics/videos, literally all I wanted were the healthy animals I paid for, but just remember - this is the type of place where if they do wrong, YOU and YOUR PETS will be the ones paying the price”
— Cody Carroll1.03 weeks ago“A good service and always ready to help, i bought my turtles here and im glad i took good care of them, now they are to big”
— Alex Andrade5.0a month ago“So good”
— April Insall5.0a month ago“Bought a dwarf hamster and it died in exactly seven days! Got one from Petco and its living its best life!”
— Lizza1.0a month ago“Great place on the southside for bird and hawk food. Good quality and friendly service and better prices than other pet stores in the area.”
— Mary Spears5.0a month ago“It was a nice place n a memorable experience”
— SOUTH SIDE5.0a month ago“Southside Aquatics is a very convenient store to purchase all supplies for your pets. They don't only have fish they also have birds and reptiles. Extremely friendly. I definitely recommend 😁”
— Christine Carrillo5.0Edited 2 months ago“Good place to buy a pet”
— Amanda N5.03 months ago“Very upsetting bought 3 Molly Fish and a pleco for my tank and In just one week all fish are dead! They were infected with ICH they killed my beautiful koi betta who I’ve had for awhile now I’m so upset because this isn’t the first time I got sick fish from this place. My last fish purchase has been a couple years so I thought things had got better by now but no I was wrong!!! I love to support small businesses but please be careful when purchasing new pets from this place, I used to purchase all my pets food from this place in the last 2 years I have lost 13 Guinea pigs, my bearded dragon and all my fish I’ve ever bought have died!!! Something is wrong here. The last time I bought the Guinea pig food I lost 10 in one day I thought it was a freak accident but now I feel it was a bad batch of poisoned food 😭 to the owner if you read this please treat your fish or clean your tanks better I have a very upset little boy who wanted nothing more than to take care of his fish and now all are dead!! We worked so hard to establish our tank and now I just give up!”
— Amanda Marin1.03 months ago“Awesome staff with great prices”
— Michael Lowe5.0Edited 3 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (210) 923-3702 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Southside Aquatics.