Barrier Reef Aquariums

1717 NE 44th St # A, Renton, WA 98056, USA

Address:	1717 NE 44th St # A, Renton, WA 98056, USA
Phone:	+1 425-277-7670
Site:	barrierreefaquariums.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–6PM 12–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 13

A Private User

I wish we wouldve started off in this hobby knowing about this store from the beginning! :) Theyre hidden away, in the back of a commercial building, being Washington states best kept reef hobbyists secret. The store is kept very clean, and their tanks are beautiful! Whether you are interested in saltwater fish or have deeper interests with corals, these guys have it, or are looking to find it for you. We were lucky to stumble on this store from a local hobby forum. Before that, we had not been to one store that cared enough to stock sufficiently in SPS corals. Barrier not only stocks SPS, but they have massive colonies, and regularly frag rarities. They are always on it with the top-of-line equipment, supplies, you-name-it. Their employees are the absolute best! They definitely appreciate their customers and know their stuff. :) My fiance probably calls their store once a week with a question, and Chris never fails to help work out his new problem with the tank. We live in Tacoma, and they are worth the 40 minute drive. I want to take away stars because of how much money I find my fiance sneaking to spend here, but when I think of how much money we couldve saved if we started here in the first place, I relent. They will test your water parameters for free, and they use the NICE test kits. Ive not found another store that beats their prices, and every time I go in there, they have the best of the Pacific Northwests music pumping out of their speakers. Great bonus, right? :)

Kizztophe Asuncion

The very first Saltwater store ive visited when I first started. Wonderful and very knowledgeable staff. Amazing wonder and great customer service. Cy, the owner will do his best to help you out . Prices are average although they have sales through some holidays and even random sales on certain things. They will order anything that you can possibly think of when it comes of saltwater. In addition they also do maintenance, offer deals on red sea tanks, and can point you in the right direction. Their store is packed with corals and fishes, plus all the equipment needed to start your very own saltwater fish tank. They offer huge discounts during their anniversary sales in addition to coupons and raffle prizes. Although its a bit small and doesnt have their own restroom.

Reilly Perovich

Lovely staff that were very knowledgeable and friendly. We came down from Canada and were unsure what we could bring back so they really helped us out by doing some research with us. We picked up a green hairy mushroom and a small xenia and got it across the border properly. As a side note for anyone bringing corals back to Canada, our border guards searched for about an hour and found an article of some sort saying all non crustaceans and non mollusks invertebrates intended for home tank use are allowed across. The one con i would say is that it was fairly hard to find as it was tucked behind a dentists, however it is one of the nicest salt water shops i have been to and would highly recommend it.

Nic Damon

Barrier Reef is definitely the place to go in the area to purchase high-end corals and livestock for a Saltwater fish tank or reef, but is still worth a visit if you are looking for the saltwater basics. Keep in mind that while they have a large selection of high quality corals, many come at a steep price, especially the livestock that comes from ORA. You get what you pay for, and often it means hard to find corals and fish, and great service. Note: Barrier can be hard to find at first, but if you go behind the strip mall and the Mcdonalds you will see a few parking spots and a plain door in the wall, that is Barrier.

Saint Oprah

Bought a clownfish to pair with my 6 year clownfish earlier this year. Turned out it had a parasite that killed both quickly within a week, even with the help of medication. I just wanted to make her happy and not be alone any longer, but my actions ended up killing her. Watched her slowly disintegrate day by day. I thought all the good reviews would ensure that all fish would be sickness free, and would not require quarantine, but I learned a hard lesson. Please quarantine anything you buy from here, so it does not harm the others in your tank.

Miles Jackson

Maintained my reef aquarium for 3 years. Multiple schedule changes and poor communication. Tank looked good, but the maintenance schedule changed constantly and they rarely informed me ahead of time. It was a constant battle to get them to maintain regularity. When there were issues, they could take 1-2 days to respond as well. Not a good formula for a reef tank. Stopped their service after the 4th excuse this year on why the service tech simply didnt show up on he scheduled day. Multiple excuses.

Jack Purdy

Had a great experience at berrier reef today. The staff and I believe it was the owner spent lots of time with me picking out corals that would be good for my tank. Prices are great and they have a great selection of SPS. Gorgeous display tanks and a cool 5-10$ frag tank. Im new to the area and this is the best saltwater fish/coral store I have been too. Its a little hard to find, but its there behind the dentist sort of in the back of the strip mall.

Bergen Knutzen

This is the best Fish store I know of in Western Washington. I have been to many. This store has the cleanest tanks. The live stock all look healthy and happy. They seem to only carry good stuff. The staff is always knowledgeable and if you catch them when they dont have a lot of people in the store they will spend a lot of time working with you on any issues or questions you have. I am a happy customers.

A Private User

Wow! Pretty much sums up my experience at BRA. The folks there are really casual and down to earth. Theyre always ready to help out and very knowledgeable. If that werent enough, their store is immaculate. The tanks are in great shape and the fish selection exceptional. There were corals at the store I havent been able to find anywhere else. Fantastic!

Adam

I drive from Everett to go here because its one of the only decent LFS that I would actually buy from. Its a hidden gem. Staff are always helpful, corals and fish look healthy. $10 frag tank. I wanted a certain coral that he didnt have in the frag tank so he took a piece off of his display tank for me. I think its safe to say this is my "go-to" store.

DeQuan Watson

This place is kind of hidden. Its on the backside of another building. Worth hunting down though. They have really good pricing. One of the best selections of saltwater fish and coral. Staff is well informed and can educate buyers on what they are picking up. If youre looking for saltwater items is this the local place to hunt down.

eskwalo643

I went in the afternoon to this business looking for fish, the door was open, and found a young boy visibly upset, he said the store is closed now, with rude and disrespectful attitude, instead of give me information, and a business card. They dont know how to treat people. I am not interested to do business with such people.

Scott Ingersoll

Easily the best marine aquarium store around. Great staff and good prices with a selection that is better than any of the other stores in Overlake, Renton, Kirkland, etc. Ive put in the time to visit many of the stores around and none of them are comparable to Barrier in their saltwater selection.