Aquariums by Design

Very nice and clean store. Great variety of fish, tanks and accessories. Their prices and deals kick Petsmart's ass by a long shot. Their staff are friendly and knowledgeable. I had a very great service experience. They are my new go-to shop for my fishes needs. :)

I have had freshwater aquariums for well over 30 years and have been in many franchise and private aquarium retail settings. This includes working in the industry when I was younger. I recently decided to foray into reef/marine aquariums. After having wishy washy discussions at some of the big box aquarium sellers, I found this store. I would like to congratulate Stacy, and his staff, on his store appearance professionalism, knowledge and patience. Absolutely the cleanest and nicest store I have been in. By phone or email they always respond promptly with the proper guidance I needed to get this aquarium set up and running. Aquariums are always well maintained and if there is any issues with the tank it is posted on the tanks. (that stuff happens when you retail fish) I have yet to see any dead fish floating around, so the tanks are always watched and maintained.I highly recommend this store to anyone just getting into fish or just looking for fish or supplies.

The best aquarium store in the K-W region. Knowledgeable and friendly staff and helped my to pick the right products that I need. The store is really clean and bright, the fishes are stocked and healthy. It's very a pleasant experience to shop in their store. Definitely will recommend to anyone!I wanted to modify my review a bit after some more shopping at their store. First, their price is at the more expensive side. Their aquarium supplies compare to Big- Al are more expensive. Their life stocks also cost more than I believe it should be. ie. a cherry shrimp would cost $4 compare to Big Al's 6 for $9.99. Secondly, they have minimum selection of life stock you can chose from. No interesting fishes such as GBR or any dwarf rams, honey gourami or any dwarf gourami species, limit selection of cories, plecos etc. If you are looking for more interesting fishes, ime Big Al is still the only store that supply them in this region. Finally, beside Stace, Jeff and Steve their new staffs aren't really as experience and helpful. Having said that they are still very friendly and willing to help.

Aquariums by Design is the most comprehensive and friendliest store in the Waterloo Region. After purchasing our aquarium, Stace and his staff provided incredible support to ensure we had everything we needed to enjoy our experience. The best part is that maintaining our aquarium requires very little attention due to the expertise that was provided and the set up that we decided to go with based on recommendations from the staff. We love going back to the store to see what's new and to grab our fish food. We're always treated with a welcoming smile and treated like extended family. I highly recommend Aquariums by Design.

Their staff is very knowledgeable in regards to their products and fish. When I have run into a problem in one of my tanks they have provided me with a solution. They have a great selection of fresh and salt water fish. I give this store 5 stars.

BY FAR THE BEST!! I lived in the KW area(recently moved) and work in Toronto so i have been to a lot of different Fish stores regularly. this is the ONLY one i will let my daughter walk around it is sooo clean and well lit the stocking is amazing and the prices aren't bad.When i moved I trusted Stace to move my tank and he did an amazing job, lost nothing in the move.When i need to buy livestock/ coral i actually travel from Bradford to AD because it is just that awesome!

Very clean store with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great selection of livestock and aquatic plants. Aquariums by Design sets a very high standard and is what you look for in an aquarium specialty store.

By far the best aquarium store in the region! The place looks amazing and the staff know everything there is to know about fish. I have two aquariums from them--one for home and one for my office at work. I get compliments on it daily from customers and it is nice to sit and stare at it while I think. The fish selection that was recommended has resulted in a very clean set-up with very little maintenance required. The design of the tank is a lot nicer than the standard rectangular version you see that is so common. If you haven't visited their store, you owe it to yourself to pop in and check it out!

They seem extremely knowledgeable because they MAKE UP INFORMATION!!!when my little sister bought a fish there, they told her she would be fine to walk home with it in the winter because it was a cold water fish.. it's a japanese fighting fish, they live in water that is hotter than average.they try to sell you more things by saying your plants/animals need it to live, but they're actually completely fine without those things.i know accusing Aquariums by Design of making up information based on those two examples (i have more but i dont have time to share them all at this moment) could be considered jumping to conclusions too quickly, BUT my suspicions were confirmed by my friend who used to work there; my friend said that she was told to create her own information if she didnt know it because they need to maintain their reputation of being a knowledgeable fish store. she ended up quitting shortly after when she learned how horribly they care for their fish. in addition, they say they don't use dyes to colour their fish, but they do that as well.

I’m new to the hobby but I was referred by a friend that has been keep saltwater fish for years. I’ve been going to the store for a few months now and I’ve been very happy with the staff and service provided. I find the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly. Since I started in the hobby I’ve stopped in at a few other stores and they don’t compare. They actually make this store look better!.