About
Sierra Fish & Pets in Renton, Washington is a family-owned pet store that has built a loyal following around its aquatics department — and for good reason. The store stocks a substantial freshwater fish selection, with an entire wall dedicated to cichlids (predominantly African varieties), alongside livebearers like guppies and mollies, Cory catfish, silver flying foxes, bettas, and ghost shrimp priced at just 75 cents apiece. A smaller saltwater section features corals and occasionally macroalgae, giving reef hobbyists something to browse as well.
Live plants and a solid range of aquarium supplies round out the aquatics offerings. The real draw, though, might be the staff. Alyssa, who works in the fish department, comes up again and again in reviews as someone who goes well beyond the expected.
Multiple customers describe her walking them through complete tank setups — sand, filter, stocking choices — with genuine patience. One family credited her with making their nephew's first fishkeeping experience a success, from planning the tank to choosing Cory catfish as a Christmas gift. That kind of hands-on consultation is hard to find at big-box retailers.
Beyond fish, Sierra carries reptiles, birds, bunnies, hamsters, feeder mice, and supplies for dogs and cats — a true all-creatures shop in the old-school tradition. The store is admittedly cluttered and not always spotless; some reviewers have raised concerns about enclosure cleanliness, particularly for axolotls. It's a legitimate trade-off of a densely stocked independent store with a lot on its hands.
What keeps people coming back is the combination of variety, fair pricing, and staff who clearly want customers to succeed in the hobby rather than just make a sale. For Renton-area fishkeepers building their first freshwater community tank or browsing corals on the saltwater side, Sierra delivers the kind of personalized, knowledgeable experience that earns repeat visits every couple of weeks.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- ConsultationTank Setup
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Entire wall of African cichlids plus livebearers, catfish, and bettas
- Ghost shrimp at 75 cents each
- Small saltwater coral section with occasional macroalgae
- Staff member Alyssa praised repeatedly for patient, thorough consultations
- Live plants and broad aquarium supply selection
From keepers
Customer reviews
“I found this by accident and feel like I been really missing out they have a huge selection of fish, altho most are guppies and Molly's and that sort of thing. They do have one wall of cichlids but I feel like the selection wasn't that great on the cichlid front mostly African, not to much south American. Still a really cool store tho, ghost shirmos for only 75 events a piece! I will definitely be back.”
— Michael Savage5.0a day ago“Great staff”
— Raahim Khan5.05 days ago“This is awesome please”
— Trinidad Valencia5.0Edited a week ago“Good selection of all things pets and aquatics, not the cleanest store but they have a lot on their hands”
— Sara Rautenberg4.02 weeks ago“Mom and pop pet store fish shop”
— Joe Ries5.02 weeks ago“This place is the best for all your animal needs. The staff was beyond helpful and quite knowledgable - my family and I were new fish to being fish parents. I came to this store a half a dozen times to get info and plan out my nephews first fish tank. ALYSSA IS THE BEST! she literally held my hand walked me through all my options and how to best take care of our Cory Catfish. I got set up with all the goods, tank, sand, filter. She took so much time explaining everything to me. She even played along with our lies about Santa to really make our christmas so special giving my nephew catfish, his only christmas wish. I cant thank this store enough, everything went so smooth for how complicated it was. I will never go to another pet store. Really felt welcomed and encouraged to ask questions. Alyssa was beyond awesome... but even the other staff was eager to help me. Seriously go here!!! So many kinds of fish!!!! Now we want shrimp and little glass suckers and guppies! I guess we are fish people now???”
— Sarah Proctor5.03 weeks ago“Got some silver flying foxes like 2-4 years ago, 2 of them sadly died although one of them is still alive to this day and has gotten BIG, overall a nice fish store”
— Loach5.0a month ago“Good price and selection for raw food”
— LANI FELIX POTTER4.0a month ago“I love a pet store where the staff isn't just like, "What do you want?" I love that they share knowledge freely. It works most of the time, and when it doesn't, that's our side, lol.”
— Charles Jimenez5.0a month ago“The staff in aquatics are super helpful and friendly. They have mainly fresh water fish with a small selection of corals and occasionally macroalgae too.”
— Schuyler Summers5.0a month ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (425) 226-3215 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Sierra Fish & Pets.