Lucky Ocean Aquarium

109 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA

Address:	109 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
Phone:	+1 415-668-3676
Rating:	5
Working:	11:30AM–6PM 11:30AM–6PM 11:30AM–6PM 11:30AM–6PM 11:30AM–6PM 11AM–7PM 12–6PM

Location

Photos 47

Reviews 21

Rebecca Babcock

I had sent my husband to Lucky Ocean several times for odds and ends for our aquarium (as well as a new finbaby), and each time he came back feeling awesome, so I knew I had to visit myself. I finally got the chance yesterday as we had purchased a used 40 gallon bow front off of Craigslist over the weekend with an old, discontinued Penguin 330 HOB bio wheel filter. The tank was disgusting, so I wanted new bio wheels - Hubbys third trip to Lucky Ocean! They didnt have them, but said they would order them for us. After cleaning the tank and filter, I set them up and found the impeller in the filter making a very loud rattling noise. I eagerly went to Lucky Ocean after work for some of the expert advice my husband and other reviews had been raving about. I didnt catch the gentlemans name, but he told me that the bio wheels on the penguin filters were really not much more than a gimmick, so he was actually going to call my husband and tell him so, but didnt have to now that I was there. I described the noise in my filter and he asked if I could bring the filter in so he could take a look at it. (This is how you differentiate between a chain pet store and a good local fish store - they dont want to up-sell you unless its absolutely necessary. Bio wheels, not worth it - impeller noisy, let me check it out!) I ran home and brought the filter back to the shop, and he just happened to have found an older style impeller in stock (the packaging was discolored with age! Awesome!) and even put it into the filter and gave it a whirl before having me pay for it! He said to take it home and give it a try for a while - if it started getting noisy again, I could bring it back and hed give me a credit towards a new filter! I will do my best never to shop at a chain store again! The fish at Lucky Ocean are very well cared for, and the staff know the hobby so well its mind blowing. The store itself is small and unassuming - just the kind of hole-in-the-wall type of place I like! Truly a diamond in the rough. We got our black moor here and he has been healthy and happy despite a setup mistake when we bought a larger tank to fit two fancies (I was a newbie and didnt cycle - still mad at myself for that). tl;dr - Lucky Ocean is THE place to go in SF for your aquarium needs (including filter service, supplies, advice, and of course, the fish)!!

Tim K. Murphy

Look, this place is the best, by far. Dont even bother going anyplace else. The owner is usually there and, if not, is well represented by his son. These guys care about their fish, theyve got the know-how, and theyll take time to talk to you. If you only want cheap prices or vast selection then go to 6th Ave Aquarium - and half your fish will die and good luck getting help from them as they dont care about you or the fish they sell. That place is only there to make a buck. Stick with Lucky Ocean. I could list all the things that, if you know anything about taking care of fish, you could check off to validate that this is the place to go, but you know, I dont have to. Just go. See for yourself. Yeah, the parking can be tough and you might have to wait a little bit to get advice or help but if you are one of those kinds of people that gets ticked off by these kinds of things and project your frustration onto business owners then, number one, you shouldnt be entrusted with caring for fish, and, number two, I dont want you going and giving my go-to fish guys a hard time. Go to 6th Avenue. Theyll love you there.

Tori Lesikar

Lucky Ocean is the place to go if you want quality sea life for your aquarium OR if youre just starting out with an ecosystem, the owner and staff are VERY knowledgeable about what to add to your aquarium and when to add it. My roommate started a saltwater tank and kept killing his fish, little did he know that he needed to add corals and rocks first before introducing fish. My roommate has now successfully kept animals alive for more than a month :) When compared to other aquarium stores (specifically on Geary) this is the place to go. It is clean and has everything you need for a fully functioning fish tank!

Dave G

The owner, Steve, is a very knowledgeable and honest guy to deal with. The fish he sells are of good quality and free of typical parasites commonly seen in high volume fish stores. He provides good advice and his prices are very competitive. I have done business with him for several years and have recommended many friends to him. He is top rate guy in this business. 5 stars in my opinion! Dave G, Marin

Bolo Molo

By the reviews and the preview thingy where you can look in it and move around I think this place is great! They have many products there and none of the tanks are overcrowded! If anyone reads this review and goes there plz tell me if they have Amano Shrimp and Red Cherry Shrimp Ill check the reviews every day to see if anyone read mine and answered my question

Chad Arimura

Love Lucky Ocean. Smaller selection, but you can just see the passion they have for the fish and corals. Its all about selling whats right for the customer and fish, not trying to sell the most possible or just brokering whatever aquaria is around. Definitely shop here before 6th ave.

Mark Ho

Really nice guy and knowledgeable. Bought some chem clean. Had an issue with my red cyanobacteria. Hope this takes care of it. But shop is tiny. Just has a really nice efficient store owner. Would come again inna heart beat.

Ash Almeida

These guys really care about the fish in their store and have extensive knowledge of aquarium care. Youtube videos will only get you so far, but talking to Steve or the other employees is always very educational.

Abood Wasel

Helpful owner and employee. The store small dont have a lot of options to choose from. However, they have the best prices and healthy fish and corals. Thanx for reading

A Private User

a++ service . Selection is good . Knowledge of aquarium like is excellent . This is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco to go for my saltwater tank.

Benjamin Chung

Super good! We get all our fish here. You can trust the quality of the fish and they have a pretty decent selection. Tanks are well cleaned.

kien lam

Great small business been in business for years. Steve have great knowledge on salt and fresh water fish

Aidan Dolsak

The people there were extremely helpful and experienced.

David Ma

The service is great and they know their stuff.

kristina lee

great stock, steve is honest with healthy fish

A Private User

Great service, Thanks for all your help!