About
Tucked away on a farm property in Evansville, Wisconsin, Tristan's Tropical Fish is the kind of place that earns its reputation through word of mouth — a nurse recommending it to a patient, a hobbyist driving 40 minutes each way and calling it worth every mile. Owner Tristan runs the operation start to finish: breeding, raising, quarantining, packing, and shipping fish with a level of care that larger operations rarely match. The freshwater selection leans toward the fascinating and unusual.
Reviewers rave about Apistogramma borellii opal pairs, Venezuelan Corydoras, L333 plecos, and angelfish varieties not found at any other local shop. Cardinal and black neon tetras arrive vibrant and stay healthy — one customer purchased roughly 20 and didn't lose a single one. Tristan also breeds his own Amano shrimp, a notoriously difficult endeavor, alongside blue dream neocaridina shrimp that draw dedicated invertebrate keepers.
The plant selection is equally impressive. Visitors describe robust, lush epiphyte plants filling the retail space, and the shop occasionally surprises with orchids and other botanical projects in progress. Clean tanks line the facility, and an adorable shop cat serves as the unofficial greeter.
Tristan's online store and shipping operation deserve special mention. He monitors weather reports and will delay shipments to avoid holiday postal slowdowns or dangerous cold snaps. Fish arrive with heat packs, individually labeled bags, and packing quality that multiple reviewers call the best they've ever seen.
When stock discrepancies arise, refunds come promptly and professionally. He also quarantines all fish before they ship or go to new homes — a practice that sets him apart. Prices run lower than competitors for locally raised, high-quality fish.
The communication is responsive, the knowledge runs deep, and the passion is unmistakable. For freshwater hobbyists in the Madison area and well beyond, Tristan's is the real deal.
What they offer
Livestock, services, water
- Livestock & products
- Services
- Specializes in
Highlights
What makes them special
- Owner-operated breeding facility with rare freshwater species like Apistogramma, L333 plecos, and Venezuelan Corydoras
- Ships fish nationwide with weather-monitored scheduling and exceptional packing
- All fish quarantined before sale — both in-store and online orders
- Breeds Amano shrimp in-house, a highly difficult freshwater breeding achievement
- Robust selection of healthy live plants and epiphytes
From keepers
Customer reviews
“Incredible little shop! Very friendly and knowledgeable. A hidden gem for sure!”
— Ashley Behnke5.05 days ago“Tristan’s tropical fish store is probably my favorite store I’ve been to. If you haven’t been here yet, you should probably check it out already. While he may not have the more aggressive/ bigger cichlids that I enjoy a lot. He always has some rare species that I’ve never even heard of before. High quality fish for a great price. Always happy to spend my money here knowing Tristan puts In great work raising these fish for us to enjoy them.”
— Brady Ban5.02 weeks ago“I ordered 2 different pairs of apistogramma, mind you its January and both of us live in very cold climates. The fish came in 1 day, I ordered over the holidays and they were smart enough to hold off shipping until after the holiday so nothing got held up. (I made a $400 order with another supplier for 24 cichilds and half of them showed up dead do to shipping over the holidays) The fish showed up alive, with heat packs and are absolutely thriving. I highly recommend and will be buying from here again.”
— Sara Rice5.04 weeks ago“Super cool and awesome shop. Tristan was extremely helpful and had and amazing selection.”
— Peyton Guyot5.0a month ago“Tristan was very nice and helpful, threw in a fish for free for me and has an adorable cat!”
— Sophie5.0a month ago“Tristan‘s tropical fish is one of a kind. Tristan himself does everything from start to finish and he has a impressive facility and goes above and beyond when it comes to tropical fish I have ordered from him many many times and each and every time the fish arrived healthy, and beautiful. He has an incredible way of packing and labeling different shipping options and I would highly recommend him not only that. As a person, Tristan is one of a kind.”
— Domenick CHILELLI5.03 months ago“It was our first time there and didn’t know what to expect but pleasantly surprised by how friendly and knowledgeable the owner was. If you are looking for fish, skip the chain store and head here. They have a wide variety of fish with a wide range of prices.”
— Alex Johnson5.04 months ago“Truly a hidden gem. Great selection of healthy and diverse fish. Clean tanks and clean shop. Grabbed some blue dream neo shrimp and an amazing little L333 pleco that I love the look of. Not only that, but his prices are amazing as well. Highly recommend.”
— Savannah Steffen5.04 months ago“This is one of the coolest places on the planet. The fish selection always includes rare and interesting species. The plants are robust, lush, and healthy. One employee is a friendly cat. There's a chance some neat orchids will be available, and there are so many fascinating projects underway every time I visit, that I am always inspired to start my own.”
— Sarah Sajdak5.05 months ago“Very knowledgeable on all fresh water fish . He is kind of out of the way as his store is on farm .”
— Keith Johnson5.06 months ago
Reference
Frequently asked questions
Note — Store information and services may change. Always call (608) 445-6660 to confirm current availability, hours, and services before visiting Tristan's Tropical Fish LLC.