Riverfront Aquariums

Riverfront Aquariums is a different kind of pet store, and definitely caters to the more serious hobbiest. Lets just get the negatives out of the way - the store is essentially an unfinished warehouse. It is poorly lit and has the ambiance of a typical garage. The tanks are bare but clean, and the fish are healthier than your typical chain store. I did not spot a single dead fish during my visit, which is remarkable given the vast selection they have on display. I visited on a Friday afternoon and was one of the only customers at the time. They staff were both friendly and knowledgeable, and did an excellent job bagging even the delicate fish. Prices are generally reasonable, although the occasional species will be overpriced when compared to online retailers. If you know what fish you want, Riverfront is the place to get them. If you are newer to the hobby, I would recommend avoiding peak hours.

We went to buy crickets for our chameleon the past weekend and we're surprised to see that all their reptiles were gone and the store is closing its door after 22 years serving Calgarians! I'm really glad that I didn't see these reviews before we went into Riverfront Aquarium the first time, the October 3 weekend when there was a sale. Here is our experience at Riverfront Aquarium and it is quite different from what I saw in these reviews. I understand unhappy customers scream the loudest but it is unfair if no one sees a satisfied customer's point of view. We had been looking for a pet for our 10-year-old son for three weeks until one of our friends told us about Riverfront Aquarium. She did warn us that "it is not one of your regular pet store, but the price and quality are competitive so do check it out." Indeed, it was not love at first sight when we walked into Riverfront especially after checking out other stores in town. However, we were impressed with the large selection of fish and reptiles. We met Ryan and he showed us an one-year-old beautiful male chameleon that was friendly and interactive with our boys. We fell in love with it and Ryan spent more than two hours educating us on how to take care of the chameleon and what to do to set up the cage. We felt very fortunate to have met Ryan that day and appreciate his patience with our boys. He certainly is the most knowledgeable person we had met in three weeks! We have had our chameleon for over two months and it is a happy camper! We continue visiting Riverfront every week to buy crickets for our chameleon and they continue offering suggestions and advice when we have questions about crickets or our adorable chameleon. Did I mention their crickets are live, active and competitively priced, compared to those kept in a plastic container in other pet stores? Overall, we have had very good experience at Riverfront and hope our experience offers a different point of view.

I was a long time customer of Riverfront when they were actually on Riverfront Ave. Since their move to the NE I've seen a pretty bad decline in the quality of their store. The premises were very dirty and dusty. They weren't exactly pristine on Riverfront Ave. but they've slid to the point where they are almost unhealthy. There were rusty razor blades littered everywhere, many of them within the reach of children. The dust, cobwebs, dirt, mildew etc. has taken over their tank area. There is clutter all over the floors and their racks etc. were very rusty. Their marine selection is nearly non-existent now. There's only a few tanks in the rear of the store with some stock in. Their coral tank was completely empty with the exception of some incredibly dirty live rock. Their fish selection was limited to some gobies, a couple angels, some wrasse etc. Very disappointing. Even their arrowana selection was limited to one specimen, which is what that store used to be known for. Like I said the store never would have won awards for cleanliness or appearance but now they seemed to have stopped trying all together. The high point was the pregnant woman they had working stopped to ask me if I needed help a couple times. That's rare in Calgary where sales staff generally go out of their way to avoid engaging people. Kudos to her but thumbs down for Riverfront Aquariums. Come on guys! Pick up your socks and get that store whipped into shape!

I have bought fish and supplies from Riverfront Aquariums for many years and have had outstanding service from Wayne and his staff. No business is always perfect but my experience at Riverfront has been that they really try to make things right. A very good store indeed - thanks, Wayne !!!

Pretty sure these guys just had 333 animals siezed from them. Just letting you know because they are rated as one of the best aquarium stores in calgary yet is one of the worst for its animals. They have good prices but the animals really suffer for it. If you care about animals don't shop here and let them go out of business. This is the third time in recent memory they have had animals siezed.

Riverfront Aquariums is my all time favorite pet business through out Alberta. They do lack in their space of aquariums, but still is a great company because of their variety of reptiles to fish

I come here for reptiles and supplies. So that's what this review will be about. What they lack in husbandry and care, they make up for in stock and variety. Negative #1: Their are multiple animals that shouldn't be housed with certain animals. Tokay geckos should not be housed with day geckos and crested geckos, chameleons should not be housed with anoles, leopard geckos should not be housed with sand fish skinks, and all the calote species should not be housed together. Negative #1: Many of the lesser known animals brought in, like mountain horns and javan humpheads, are wild caught, and aren't given proper care. I bought three animals, which were all barely alive the second day they game home with me, and all of them died within a week due to parasite infestation. Most of their other animals are brought in from local breeders, which is okay, but for those wanting to expand their species collection, don't go with Riverfront, as you're most likely to get a sick animal. Positives: Despite the negatives, Riverfront has decent prices for their animals and has a decent selection compared to generic pet stores like Petland and Petsmart. The only ones who are equal to them or beats them in selection in the city is J&J's and Got Reptiles. However, Riverfront is outranked by J&J's and Got Reptiles when you factor in the selection of animals AS WELL AS the care of animals. Above all, if you want supplies for reptiles and fish, as well as to buy fish, Riverfront is awesome, but not if you're looking for a healthy selection of lesser known reptiles.

Riverfront is by far the best place to buy fish and there prices are good Wayne and his family are very professional and very helpful it's sad to see people writing bad reviews let's see you try take care of all those tanks and all those reptiles and still manage your business I'm proud to say I'm a loyal customer of riverfront my kids love going there this was a candy store for fish lovers and will surely be missed if the doors closed Wayne I wish you all the best and thanks for all your expert knowledge

Search the place up on Google News. This place has by far the worst standards of any pet store. Their fishes were living in conditions worse than that of T&T's fishes.

Awesome selection. Worth visiting just to see their unbelievable assortment of fish. Sometimes a language barrier with some of the staff, but for sure worth the trip.