Seascape Aquatics

I am a beginning fish collector and had the unfortunate experience of purchasing my tank mates elsewhere at big name pet stores. These stores left me with no information on how to take proper care of my fish, and gladly let me take home extremely incompatible fish species. I later had to take them back so that they would not kill each other.\r \r When I walked into Seascape Aquatics, I was immediately impressed. Although they are a small store, their selection is incredible. They have the cleanest tanks I have seen in an aquatic retail store. This shows me that they truly care about the life of the fish and not just the money that they make off of it.\r \r As far as costumer service goes, I was just as impressed. I had so many questions and came in right before the stores scheduled closing time. The wonderful lady that assisted me, stayed well past to help me find my new tank mates and give me as much information as possible to insure their survival. Any question I had, she had a great answer. I left knowing that my new fish would be perfect for me as a beginner and that I wouldn't be having any more surprises. \r \r I will always go back to this store whenever I need anymore aquatic friends for needs. more

We are so very glad we found this gem of a fish store!!! EVERYONE is super nice and very, very helpful. Unlike some comments posted in these TIPS, EVERYONE is very friendly and makes you feel welcome. Sage helped us set up our saltwater tank and continues to help us, just about every week, with our numerous questions....I trust each of the ""group"" with always steering us in the right-direction ! Jim helped us with our lighting decisions, and again, put us on the right track. They treat you like more than just a customer - they treat you like a FRIEND! Luv ya guys! more

Would rather go to Petco. I purchased two Cory Catfish from Seascape Aquatics, and within two days ONE of the two Catfish died. I took the fish back to the store and they refused to replace it stating that it is my fault. I have been a fish hobbyist my whole life and have never had a fish die that quickly. If you're looking for a store that has Ick in most of their tanks than this is the place to go. Overall terrible customer service. more

Great store, friendly and knowledgable folks. I love Sage and Suzanne and Jim is not the ogre folks make him out to be. He's quiet, but is friendly once he gets to know you. They've helped me a great deal and I have just a little 5 gal Fluval Chi, but now I'm readly to take the plunge to a bigger tank and I'll get everything from Seascapes from the tank, to the decorations, to the fish. Best place in town!\r Denise Lange more

Don't let your first impression be your final one. This is by far the best fresh water fish store there is (I don't have salt water, so I can't say, but they have a lot of salt water fish). more

This is the only fish store I will shop at. Even though they are constantly busy they make you feel like #1. more

Now, I've seen some other reviews from people on here saying this store is bad. But, in my experience, they are nothing but wonderful. Now I'll admit that Jim seemed a little satndoffish at first with me. (I spliied some water and he scowled me a bit) but I went in a couple of days later, and he APOLOGIZED to me about being stingy, or as he put it ""brute-like."" Sage is wonderful and well knowledged, and a very respectful person. Personally, I also believe that someone not saying hi to you is no grounds for downgrading the store. So, to wrap up, I thouroughly enjoy this store, and will continue going back as needs persist. more

This store is ridiculous. First off, I could care less if they smoke, it's nobodies place to say if they should or shouldn't, so my opinion has nothing to do with that. I can assure you I am a consumer not a competitor for those of you who are in denial that some people may have had bad experiences at your fave place. Sage is very nice and helpful, as are her staff. She does talk a lot, and is not always correct, but at least she tries. Jim on the other hand is a total JERK! It's not just that he's unfriendly he is plain rude. Sage had told my husband and I if we ever bought anything from them and it did not work to bring it back and they would take care of us. Well we bought a $100 item and when we got it home, found it was visibly broken. When we brought it back Jim refused to take it back or even give us store credit. We had already spent a ton of money in there, what is this guys problem? We also had bought 6 very colorful African cichlids from them, they were way overpriced, but colorful enough that we assumed they were small adults. Well, after the fish were in our tank for about 2 weeks, they lost all their color, this is an indicator that hormones were being added to the African tanks, hence the great colors to begin with. After hormones have been added an African never gets it's color back. They are dull as adolescents and color up as adults naturally, but most people don't want to wait for them to become colorful and buy adults. Then to make matters worse all of the fish we had bought from them died within a month. I have Africans in my 100gal from Petsmart that have been in there over a year and are beautiful. How pathetic is that? Petsmart can do better than Seascapes. I suggest to anyone who wants Africans to shop at Tropical Treasures, they are very well stocked and knowledgeable. As well as being friendly and remembering their return customers. If your looking for saltwater Mr. Aqua is the place to go. His store is extremely clean, his prices are reasonable and he has the best corals I have ever seen. He is not overly friendly but in no way rude, he is just a bit quiet, but willing to answer any questions you have. We only buy spirulina flake from him and he still treats us the same as his customers spending hundreds. Sorry Sage, you seem nice enough, but with a 0% survival rate on fish and Jim contradicting what you say you have lost our business forever. Word of mouth is a huge factor for small stores, you should keep that in mind. more

I've been a reef hobbyist for 4 yrs now and I just moved to the springs from south Florida 8 mos ago.I constantly shop around and buy frags, i cant help myself, i love it. It seems as tho there are some mixed reviews here and many reviews that think complainers are competitors. Well I am here to give you the whole truth. There were only four coral stores in town when i moved here: seascape, Neptune, fishy business, and Mr aqua. While fishy business has gone completely down hill and the frag tanks are covered in algae, disgusting. He manages to keep a small but nice assortment of zoos. Neptune's Realm was a great store that would give freebies away all the time, unfortunately they recently closed. Mr aqua has constantly been the best store in town, coral wise, display wise, knowledge wise and friendly, he is all around the best shop by far. Then there's seascape aquatics which even myself have mixed review of it. I'm not gonna say anything or confirm the cigarettes or alcohol as i haven't noticed an issue with Jim and if i did i would not care. The issue I do have with Jim specifically is that his shop is the closest to me in town so I go there around 2 times a week, so I've been there at least a hundred times since I've moved into town and spent easily hundreds of dollars there. Jim has rung me up dozens of times and is always there, yet has never said a simple hello or hi or have a good day or anything at all!!!! My issue is if Jim does not want to be there which he clearly doesn't want to be, then go home. His wife and employee and the other hand are much nicer. His wife has had Jim rub off on her over the years and is quite stubborn herself but still much nicer then Jim. Both the onwers get quite agitated if you ask to many questions. The older women who works there is a joy, she is polite and will stop whatever she is doing to help you. And now for the odd part of the reviews to explain. The reason there are mixed reviews is not because there are competitors posting on here. It happens because Jim for some reason takes to some people really well. Often I will go into the store and Jim is having fun talking reef stuff with a customer, and it seems like a good atmosphere. But it's just one of the few customers he likes for some reason. Everyone else he ignores and is just an overall unpleasant man to be around. The really odd thing is I probably spend more money there then 80% of their customers yet Jim doesn't think it's a good idea to say hello to me or even be a nice guy instead of blah i really have to help you again. I continue to shop there because the only two shops in town are them and Mr aqua, and disgusting fishy business. In conclusion I don't think seascape aquatics is a horrible store. The older woman is great. I really just have a problem with the rudeness of Jim and sometimes his wife and that might just be her demeanor. Other then that they do get nice corals and fish. I hope you found my review helpful and unbiased as I try to be. And if you still think I'm a competitor then your probably unpleasant too and just stubborn. more

Before I walked into seascape aquatics, I knew only that a saltwater aquarium was what I wanted. However, I didn't know anything else. The people that work there really have taken me under their wings and answered every question that I had, and every other question that I think up. Its like they take pleasure in taking time with their customers, and I get a feeling that they are not just into their job because they make sooooo much money, but rather, because they are true aquariasts (if thats how you spell it). I will only shop there for all of my saltwater needs. thank you Seascape Aquatics for everything. more

We have been going to this store for our fish needs for about 5 years now. Their services is excellent. Jim and Sage are extremely knowledgeable and you can tell they care about the well-being of your fish. We used to buy fish from the local pet stores and every time we did, some of our older fish would die and I would be treating the tank for some kind of crap. Seascape Aquatics goes the extra mile to make sure this doesn't occur with their fish. more

Who ever was in the stored, when I visited, was bothered by me being there. He did not greet me. When I asked him where is medicine was, he just pointed. He was very disturbed, when he had to walk around the counter to show me where it was. more

When I first started keeping Aquariums I was pointed toward many stores, except this one. I found this particular store after many bad experiences (i.e. Poor customer service) the other local stores. They helped me establish my first 20 gallon and in the years following have given me the ability to advance to a 55 gallon. The fact that they always seems to be on the cutting edge of aquarium technology is a plus too. I have gone in the store for advice only and received nothing but quality customer service over the years even though I am not a ""regular"". In addition to these facts they are more than willing to special order Shrimp, Fish and Mollusks when they don't have them in stock (which is rare unless you want something specific). This is the go to place if you want to do a superb freshwater aquarium! Pros: Knowledgeable, Friendly, Helpful, Reasonably Priced Cons: Small Store more

I am convinced that the negative reviews are from competitors as I am a native of the Springs and this is the best fish store I have ever gone to. I usually have Sage help me and she is always very pleasant. If you are interested in a fish that will not work in your current setup, they will tell you, not just sell you the fish. They do care about the health and happiness of the fish they sell and perhaps that is why they ask questions about your tank rather than just bag it and ring it up. I have never received a fish that wasn't healthy, in fact I still have every fish I have bought there. They also know their plants and sell very health varieties. Today I stopped by to drop off an algae eater that was clashing with another fish in my tank - they agreed to find it a home, so that was appreciated. I believe the prices to be fair as the quality and size of the fish are excellent. When I used to buy else where, my success rate was about 75% after 6 months...With the fish at Seascape, my success rate has been 100%. So even if they are 10-15% higher priced as posted by another rater, they are still cheaper in the fact that you won't have to replace them. This is the only fish store I will do business with - Keep up the good work. ~David Love Pros: Clean Store- Helpful FRIENDLY staff - Healthy fish- Cons: store is on the smaller side, so not the largest selection more

I have been in this store 7 or 8 times in the last 3 weeks while setting up a new tank and the staff has been very helpful and never rude or condescending. This store has the best selection I have seen in Colorado Springs as they have saltwater and freshwater fish and supplies unlike most of the stores in town that only specialize in saltwater. I bought several fish from them to get my new tank cycle started and not a single one has died or had any issues which is very good considering the stress the fish go through in a new aquarium. The tanks and fish they have setup in this store are clean and beautiful, worth a trip just to browse the tanks. They are also the only store in town where I could find a much needed part for my aquarium filter. I highly recommend visiting this store before believing any of the negative reports, I am glad I did. Pros: great selection, helpful staff, beautiful tanks/fish/plants Cons: somewhat hard to find due to no signage near road more

THE STAFF AT SEASCAPE ARE MONEY HUNGRY THEY TREAT YOU POOR THEN WHEN THEY SEE YOU CAN AFFORD THEIR MERCHANDISE THEY WILL SOME TIMES UP THE PRICE THERE VERY SNOTTY AND ASSUME TO MUCH RUDE BEYOND BELIEF IT MIGHT SOUND CRAZY BUT THE TWO GREASTEST FISH STORES IN COLORADO FISHY BUSINESS AND NEPTUNES REALM THE GUY AT TROPICAL TREASURES IS REALLY NICE TO. SEASCAPE ACTUALLY DID ME LIKE OFF THE MOVIE PRETTY WOMAN WHEN SHE WENT IN THE STORE AND THE STAFF TOLD HER THE PRICE WITHOUT HER ASKING THEN ONCE I WAS READY TO GET IT THE HUSBAND AT SEASCAPE THEN TRIED TO CHARGE ME EXTRA MONEY FOR SOMETHING TO TAKE THE FISH IN I LEFT WENT TO SEE BARB AT FISHY BUSINESS AND GOT SOMETHING BETTER AND A COUPLE OTHER THINGS FOR MY SALTWATER TANK SEASCAPE AQUATICS THEY ACT LIKE CHILDREN PEOPLE TOLD ME NOT TO GO THERE I JUST DIDNT LISTEN MAYBE IF THEY SEE THIS THEYLL BE NICER TO CUSTOMERS UNLESS THEY CAN AFFORD TO STAY OPEN WITH JUST THERE MONEY LOL! I DIDNT EVEN WANT TO RATE IT BUT I HAD TO DO ONE STAR UNLESS I COULDNT PUBLISH THIS TO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW Pros: WORST FISH STORE IN TOWN Cons: EXTREMELY RUDE AND JUDGEMENTAL STAFF more

Not sure about the negative sources or the reliable sources. Based upon my experience alone, I have found the owners to be helpful but not really outgoing. Perhaps that is why the unfriendly wrap. I have been shopping the store for about five years and have not had a bad experience. (I have visited the other shops in town and found SA to be one of the best and convenient to me) more

I have been informed by a reliable source that many of the negative comments left by others about Seascape Aquatics were posted by their competitors. Pros: Highly skilled staff and great live stock choices. Cons: After what I?ve seen in this town for the last 15 years, can?t think of even one Con. more

Jim reaks of alcohol and he and his wife smoke a lot out front. Don't ask them a question because they don't really listen to your specific question, they just go on and on and on about what they know and they are right. I could barely get a word in edgewise! They talk at you, not with you. I'm not completely ignorant; I've had an aquarium a long time. They are very condesending and rude. Too busy paying attention to the next guy coming in the door. They contradict each other and they don't like it if you call them on it. Not interested in making customer happy, just making money. Otherwise, they have a good selection of fish and supplies. Pros: good store Cons: bad service more

Pros: a modern store-like environment Cons: Attitude of superiority, too many contradictions, more expensive... more