Aqua Forest Aquarium

I’ve been going here for years for supplies for my planted aquarium. They have a good stock of ADA stuff, which is otherwise impossible to find. Yes their stuff is expensive, but ADA stuff is expensive everywhere, so it’s not unusually pricey. They also have good fish, never had a problem with their fish. My only critique, which is why I give 4 stars, is that the staff isn’t usually very friendly. If you finally manage to corner them and get their attention, they warm up, and if you really engage them, they’ll be very helpful. I’ve been going there for over 5 years and they still don’t recognize me, though. I’ve probably spent $ 3000 there. (shrug) They’ve got great stuff and I keep going back. In fact, I’m going there today to get some new plants!
Buy your fish, plants, rocks, wood, and ADA stuff here.

First of all after reading these 5 star reviews I learned that they are mainly from people who don’t have tanks, just started one for the first time or just enjoy the beautiful display tanks that Aqua forest has… FYI. I’ve been keeping planted tanks most of my life and have several high tech planted tanks currently running. So when I discovered this store a few months back I was naturally excited… This is a great store for inspiration when it comes to aquascaping. Also they have a great selection of beautiful and healthy plants if you’re either not patient enough to order them online or prefer to buy them locally.
However, the prices are beyond expensive ($ 10 for 3 stems of ludwigia!?) and their customer service is the WORST!!! The one older lady that works there is very polite, friendly and helpful. But everyone else will ignore you and make you wait around forever and then will try to sell you a bunch of stuff you don’t need for a high cost. Their selection of ADA products is extensive but very over priced! ADA products are already expensive to begin with. Why pay retail prices for ADA when you can get almost all of the ADA products on Amazon for a fraction of what Aqua Forest charges? Also, they never give you all the info you need for aquarium issues/​questions for whatever reason and are always understaffed. But what really upset me is that they sold me products that they claimed were the right size for my tank only to find out all products I bought were way to big/​powerful for my tank! Shortly after arriving home and discovering this I immediately returned to the store to exchange the products for the correct sizes. They refused to exchange them even though they were unopened/​used!!! They were literally twice the price of what I actually needed!!! They are more interested in ripping you off with prices rather than running a good business and caring about their customers. Now I go into Aqua Forest only to check out their products (to see them working in action or various other reasons) so I can go online and find them for WAY CHEAPER! I suggest you do the same… Save yourself the time, headache and most importantly $$$

Only store that know that sells ADA products. Now if your into aquascape you should already know products will be expensive and pricey. This isn’t your average fish store.
Staff is very helpful, they really help me start up my first aquascape. Giving me a step by step instruction on how to start it up and maintain it!
Such a great place just to even stop by and take a look around.

Love this place. A little pricey, but the shrimp I bought from here are very red and healthy.

Great selection of equipment, fish and live plants. Very nice driftwood and rock as well. Very helpful staff and great customer service… Easily one of the best aquarium shops in the Bay Area.

Been coming here for years. Love and hate this place. Obviously the aquariums and fish are amazing. The customer service is really lacking. Two recent examples. I purchased a few hundred bucks worth of hornwood for my big aquarium. I was replacing my other driftwood because it was too soft and shedding. It destroyed the water clarity. I had never used hornwood, but was assured by aqua forest it was very hard and would not shed. Wrong. My tank is full of wood dust from this stuff and they won’t take it back, great way to treat a customer. This week I put together a little 12 gallon for my bedroom. I came in expecting and wanting a dead silent filter. I was reassured again that the shiruba HOB filter was dead silent. Nope, wrong again. My gf and I could not sleep. It had a hum, click, and big woosh noise that was disturbing at night. Tried to return it today and they said they wouldn’t take it back. A guy set it up in a bucket and said look no noise as if running it in a bucket in a store filled with music and other equipment running was a decent test. I ran it next to an aquaclear in my room. Aquaclear dead silent, shiruba noisy. Well they don’t care! Yuk! I’m pretty over this store, I don’t want to go back anymore. Advice to customers: don’t by shiruba HOBs from aqua forest, aquaclear are much better in every way-​silent, hold much more media, slimmer profile. Buyers beware of bad customer service and sleazy non existent return policy on crappy pieces of equipment.

not the friendliest people in the world but that’s how some Asian’s tend to come across. A couple times I was there I felt as if i was a bother to them just by being there. Nevertheless there is a lot to choose from and they have a few stunning display tanks. Seek out help because they won’t come to you. The older lady in there is great, she took the time to show me how to string the plants on rocks and driftwood… and she was smiling the whole time. Cant say that for the two men that work there. I believe they are the co-​owners, one’s named Steve. I’m not trying to be your friend but smile, act like you want to be there. Some of the younger employees are ok. I have been an aquarium enthusiast for basically my whole life, had some pretty big tanks in the past. Was away from it for about 10 years and came upon this store a few months ago when passing by. If there was another aquarium shop like this one I’d go there but this is the only one that I’ve seen that offers this. I believe personality is important when having a business. These guys suck in that department, except for the older lady. If you are just starting a landscape tank be prepared to spend some MONEY. It’s not cheap. Maybe the prices are high to pay for their lease as they are in a popular and well populated part of SF. They had a pair of scissors priced at $ 165! The guy said they were the Mercedes Benz of scissors. Yeah right, comparing scissors to a car. I said «but they cut», he shrugged and curled his lip. I bought the $ 15 scissors and they work fine. I’ll go there again because I have no choice and they do have some nice things. Just don’t expect to feel welcomed … they only get three stars from me.
10/4/15…was there on 10/2…still the same. New employee, she is pretty cool. White lady. The same smiling Asian lady is there, I believe her name is Marjorie, she’s good. Saw one of the owner’s. Still the same, doesn’t pay you any mind. Walked on by as if he was walking down the street, oblivious and uncaring about what’s and who’s around him. Just like the «Sheeple» that walk the streets entranced with their cell phone’s. I wish I didn’t have to give these people my money, but there’s no other choice. Spent $ 238 there…

My favorite place to pick up healthy freshwater fish! Worth a visit. Fantastic displays.

THIS PLACE IS THE BEST AQUARIUM STORE IN SF! not a big selection for fish but there selection for aquarium products and co2 products are nice. There aquarium set ups in the store are out of this world. PEOPLE go check this place out. they are very nice and they will greet you with a smile!!! go check out their tanks they are OH MY GOD!

We bought an AquaFarm last week, originally stopping in for a Beta we bought a butterfly moor instead. The staff were so friendly and helpful and very knowledgeable about each fish. We ended up coming back to buy underwater plants, one zebra and one tiger snail, and some cleaning supplies. We’re possibly thinking of getting a bigger tank or building our own aquaponic system.

It used to be worth traveling from Vallejo to purchase plants but I won’t be back. The quality and assortment of plants has gone way down hill… very disappointing.

One of my two favorite fish stores in California. Whether you are a fish hobbyist or just want to see some beautiful aquariums, Aqua Forest is a great place to visit. Freshwater planted tanks are not that common in North America and it makes me very happy to have a store supporting this hobby. The shop is clean, has a wide variety of inventory and the owners appear to take a lot of pride in their business. I actually bought some rocks at this shop that I couldn’t find anywhere else and hauled them all the way home to Southern California!

I am a big fan of Amano Designs. Beautifully landscaped planted tanks.
I have wanted to start a new one, nothing fancy maybe a ²⁰⁄₃₀ gallon a upgrade from my 10.
Walked in & employee looked at us with out a greeting & walked to the back.
Ok.
They dont really have too many display planted tanks so I was disappointed there. the tanks in the back just look overgrown and not landscaped.
Employee never came back, never asked if we needed help.
Hence I did not buy anything.
Nor would I because of lack of customer service.
How sad that this store represents Amano aquatic designs yet it is so lacking.

I went on a hunt for a perfect betta fish, and this is one of the many stores I tried. The store was very organized and clean. Tanks seemed well maintained. Bettas had their usual terrible treatment though of tiny containers, and their stock was very disappointing. All just solid color Bettas, most if not all veiltails.

One of the cleanest, most organized and well-​maintained aquarium stores I have ever encountered. With street parking nearby, you will easily be able to walk over to this shop and check them out! The shop itself is pretty small, but you would be surprised at their inventory. There are lots of freshwater fish and plants to choose from let alone their extensive supply of aquarium goods. This shop has a wonderful staff who are clearly very passionate about what they do.

This is the best place in the Bay Area to get aquarium plants. It’s also the only place for ADA stuff.
It’s not the best place for fish, but it’s right up there.

Best aquarium store in the city hands down with regards to freshwater tanks. I spent around 4 hours yesterday at the store looking at starting up my own 17 gal tank. Steven kindly gave me a quote and the other employees continued to entertain my questions for the entire afternoon. At the end of the day I left with everything I need to start my aquascape! Fantastic experience, fantastic store. Go in expecting to pay a premium though, quality is unmatched in the area.
My go-​to store.

A nice little shop carrying some high end supplies and gorgeous planted tanks. It’s easy to walk out of this place dropping a few grand if you want a decent set up, but you’ll know that you have the top of the line equipment and at a decent price (they don’t gouge). The staff has been hit or miss, but mostly helpful. They have to deal with a lot of «looky-​lous» coming in and not buying anything, so I get that they can be a bit short fused.
Great for:
o Freshwater planted tanks
o Freshwater fish
o Glass tanks/​aquariums
o CO2 systems
Not Great for:
— Large tanks
— Cichlids
— Saltwater fish
— Saltwater tanks/​aquariums

Don’t get me wrong, these aquariums are really beautiful. But they are only for show. They don’t really know how to take care of this fish. Everytime we come in, most of them look sick and the bottoms of the tanks have dead fish. They do a great job at taking care of the plants though. That is obviously what they are known for. So, we will only be doing business with them for the plants and not the sick fish. It’s sad because we always try getting their fish and they die within a couple days. These are also on separate occasions.

I’m clueless on aquarium standards, but I absolutely enjoyed what I’ve seen at Aqua Forest. Several tanks had a self contained eco system. I’m a day dreamer and I can certainly see myself dazing into lala land by staring at these.
They are truly professionals here. I never knew that aquariums can take it to this level with landscaping. Simply amazing.