Tropical Lagoon Aquarium

9431 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA

Address:	9431 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Phone:	+1 301-585-6562
Site:	tropicallagoon.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	11AM–7PM 11AM–7PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–5PM 12–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Jonathan Bohbot

This is a store and an owner which is and is for the true pet enthusiest, and, cares well for them all. Ive seen some reviews of people thinking the place is a bit messy and has other random animals/pets inside the store. However, the owner is very nice, honest, straightforward, not a pushy salesman, but also there to help. The huge well cared for turtle lives in the owners home and yard all year except during winter. And finally, the humidity and not so polished looking sales store (aside form the fish and tanks)..... It is of course, humid for great aquariums ecosystem... Why this place is great! - competitive - or cheaper than average prices - suggests only what is realistically needed for fish and their needs - if not interested, or disagree, will not be pushy or argue - explains why requirements exist for the fish - and they dont over sell, or over charge - great selection, and great inventory right here in Silver Spring the fact that this place is five minutes from my own home, this is easily my most favorite Aquarium for me, within a 15 mile radius or more :) P.S. I LOVE the Parrot, Tortoise, Kitty, and any other animal.... If i could, I would also bring my family pets to work :) Cheers, and to all who think bad of place, its a pet store, its quite suiting that a pet lovers pets are coming to work with the family and owner.... Its not a doctors office, or a Spa!!!! lol

I SSMDad

I frankly dont see the appeal of this place AT ALL. Regardless of selection (and I didnt see anything better or more so than other LFS including the prices $$$) the condition of a store is indicative of how well the livestock is kept and I simply would NOT buy from here. After being ignored for quite some time I finally had to get in the guy behind the counters face just to ask if they carried Kalkwasser. He said they might have one then proceeded to hand me a Kent Marine jar of it covered in thick dust. When you first walk in there is paint peeling off the walls (from the looks of it its pre-lead-ban paint too) Then you go down the steps and the day I was there the smell was horrible. Dogs, cats, birds, oh yes and some fish. The two people who were there were rude and just plain ignored me. Stay away from this place...

John P

This place is GREAT! I have been in the Reef hobby for 5 years and of all the shops I have frequented from Frederick on down to Silver Spring this is the only one where I truly felt that the information I was given was unbiased and accurate. Most places try and sell you equipment and supplies because that is what they stock. These guys sell you equipment and supplies that you need. The staff is extremely helpful and very pleasant to deal with. If the person you are talking to cant answer your question they will refer to the person who can or help you figure it out. I saw some reviews of this place that were negative but do not understand how or why. These guys are awesome and I will never go to another fish store. I hardly ever write reviews good or bad but I hate to see any place as good as this get a negative rap.

Rudy Telles

Its dusty, its old, its relatively dingy, and the owner is a bit of a curmudgeon, but they have a great selection, their prices are lower than any other aquarium or pet store in the area - anywhere from 25%-50% less than a place like Congressional, and yes, even lower than chains like Petco - their livestock tend to be healthy (like any aquarium shop, the health of the fish they receive is mostly out of their hands), and they know their stuff. Their aquariums are very clean and Ive seen them turn down sales to customers who didnt have the correct setups for the fish they wanted, including some of their more expensive saltwater stock. Theyve steered me away from purchases that would likely have caused my systems to crash as well. Ive been shopping there for about a year and will continue to so long as I need supplies.

Christopher Miller

Dont be deceived by the single small door on the strip mall store front. A short staircase leads you too a rather long, if a little narrow, stretch of tanks full of fish (saltwater, Freshwater tank, and pond) along with tons of different equipment, substrates, and chemicals. All reasonably priced which can be rare from niche hobby stores these days. But by far the best part about this place is a the friendly demeanor and helpful advice from the store owner and employees. Thus us a really wonderful place to shop. Do know that during the busy hours it can get a little cramped and crowded, but if you go in the morning or during the week you can take as long as you like admiring the fish and not feel like youre in someones way.

Alexander Wynnyk

I visited this store for the first time over the weekend. The shop isnt nearly as dirty or sketchy as some other reviews would have you think. Is it organized and ordered like a large chain store? No, its a small and a little cluttered and kind of hot/humid. So what? No one asked you to live down there. The important thing is that all of their fish looked colorful and healthy. Out of all of the tanks that I looked through, I didnt see a single fish that looked sick or one that was dead. The tanks were clean and had a very wide variety of fish. I went in for live plants for a new freshwater tank and they had plenty of healthy-looking specimens to choose from. Ill be coming back to buy fish in the near future.

Caroline B

I came here to buy snake food, not fish, and this place felt really sketchy. I dont know what they do at other stores, but when I bought my frozen mice the lady just reached into a ziploc bag with her bare hands and grabbed some mice, put them in a bag, and rang me up without washing her hands or anything. Its nestled into this weird little mini strip mall that looks really worn down. Just look for the doorway surrounded by clownfish. Parking here is really terrible unless you want to pay the meter $1 to be there for 5 minutes. The prices were reasonable, but I just got a weird feeling there.

A Private User

Small, old school fish shop, not like the chain stores or profit oriented bigger stores. Theyre very knowledgeable and will take the time to talk to you. They wont sell you something thats poor quality or that you dont need. They have personality, sometimes crabby or impatient, but they are colorful, charming and real people. This place has character. Their inventory and selections seems a little low now, possibly because they recently moved or because of the recession. I hope theyre able to improve this. I wont go anywhere else.

Mark Kaprow

I cant say enough good things about the Tropical Lagoon Aquarium. A little hard to find, just inside the capital beltway on Georgia Ave. and Seminary roads. Park in the little public lot on the corner an it is right there in the middle of the block. The owner is one of the most knowledgeable around, for both fresh and saltwater fish and also snakes and reptiles. They always have a great selection and can get a lot of fish that other stores just dont seem interested in. Prices are great too, they dont over charge.