Gerber's Tropical Fish Reviews

I hear many complaining that the prices of their tropicals re high in comparison to other stores. I bought cut rate fish from cut rate stores and now I have high priced disease in my tank. I have not had a problem with the quality of fish or anything purchased at Gerber's. The knowledge and overall niceness of the employees is excellent. The products offered are high end, high quality products. The different types of fish is another reason to buy from here. Sure, I may spend another dollar or two on a fish, but guess what? While many eat at McDonald's how many brag on it? Spend a little more and get quality products and quality service. There is a cost for buying from the best, but the extra is worth it time and time again.

Always a great selection with great deals, but the real reason I keep driving over here is the advise. Always knowledgeable staff and I can't remember the owner NOT being there to give me the rights guiding insight every time I've been in. Thanks again folks!

Best aquatic store in the area, friendly knowledge staff and amazing selection of fish/plants and supplies. This is my go to for fish and more.

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff big selection of fresh and salt water fish

Being from cincy I took a drive up to Dayton to check this place out. They have a nice selection of fish and plants you will not find in a big box. Prices are good and the staff is very friendly. If you've not been to this place before they have a few large rooms with tanks and fish all over the place. The aisles can be tight and if you go in the summer it's very hot and humid inside the store. With that said, I would definitely visit them again for some plants and fish.

Kind of a dingy place. Tons of fish, both salt water and tropical.

What's not to love. Tons of fish and 98degrees just like paradise

If you're looking for an aquarium or fish to fill one, look no further.

Great place for fish and coral, prices are reasonable and staff are friendly and knowledgeable

Best place to go in the Dayton area for many different kinds of fresh and saltwater fish and aquarium accessories

Staff are extremely helpful and they have a great selection. My fish store of choice

Wish I had more money to spend here. Cool staff and have everything you need

Updated 8/10/2018 (originally posted February 2018): The customer service has increased amazingly over the past few months. While there are still a couple employees who look at me like I'm an inconvenience to be there, the vast majority of the employees are very friendly and approachable. The labeling system has also steadily improved and there are no longer signs informing customers about their social media outlets that never get updated. I'm not sure if the owner read this or what, all I know is the store has improved a lot since my initial review. I added a star to my review, and if the customer service keeps improving over the next few months I'll add another one.

Original Review:

*This review pertains only to the freshwater side; I m not a marine aquarist* They have a good selection of fish. The two stars is because I ve only had three staff members ever ask me if I m finding everything alright or if I want any fish in the couple of years I ve been coming here, and one of them is the owner. I believe another one of those three left a couple months ago. With the exception of the two current staff members (owner and a tall guy), every other associate acts like I m inconveniencing them when I need to buy something. Prices are also high. If the customer service was great, I wouldn t mind high prices, and that s not the case currently. The pricing is also abysmal most of the time. There are a good number of times when the signs won t match what are in the tanks.

If customer service was good, I d give it 2 more stars. If the labels on the tanks were accurate more often than they are, I d give it 1 more star. Hopefully I ll have to come back and change this review to something more positive one of these days.

The fish here were really cool! They even had seahorses! It was super cool! Definitely the place for fish enthusiasts. Tons of very cute fishies.

A lot of great information and they tested my water. They did have a great selection of fish and invertabrates however pricy.

This has to be the top salt water aquarium store I have visited in all of Ohio. Amazing selection, friendly staff and lots of to learn. I would recommend this store to everyone.

They offer an aweome variety of both fresh and saltwater fish and accessories.

A little more pricey than your big box stores, but well worth it for the knowledge from the associates. Extremely helpful, especially for someone new to the hobby!

Definitely the widest selection of fish in the Dayton area. The place is basically a giant aquarium. One side for saltwater and the other freshwater. Quite a bit bigger inside than it looks like from outside.

As my aquatic- obsessed son says - we don't need to go to the aquarium if we just stop on this store. Incredible selection of fish and everything you need for true home aquariums. Kind, patient staff, great customer service skills. We will absolutely be back for the rest of our requirements.

I'm trying to love Gerber's but I am struggling. The prices are high for fish, and I tell myself that's because they are better cared for than a retail place. As of yet unproven. I've had a few bad experiences, and some good. The staff wear shirts that say "Any fish you want." or something. I've attempted to order the same fish three times since 03/2014. I simply never receive a call. I've asked for other items to be ordered/quoted. Never receive a call back. When I call, they have no record of what was committed to me. On the other hand, one of the employees spent 30 minutes with me going over their saltwater fish, rock, etc, and was extremely helpful and wonderful.

Again, I'm giving them chances, because I really want to enjoy this place. But I am struggling.

amazing fish, amazing supplies, amazing people. the staff was extremely kind, I had tons of questions about fish compatibility and they answered every single one and yes the fish are a tad bit on the expensive side but it's worth the price due to the quality of the fish.

Love this place and the people who work here. Wonderful selection of fish, both salt and freshwater. Staff is knowledgeable and very helpful.

Our first time to this fish store, was overwhelmed with the selections at this store.huge inventory of any kind.fresh and saltwater, a little bit pricey but well worth it.john the owner was very helpful.and staff very friendly and always willing tohelp.will return when I need other fish.

Excellent customer service! Paul was very knowledgeable about different fish species. I can't wait to share pictures of my nonagressive chichlid (peacock)!!

Crazy huge selection of fish. This place is worth the drive from downtown Cincinnati for sure. It's almost like a warehouse inside. They have some wild stuff. Definitely check it out.

I can always trust what I buy from Gerbers. They are a one stop shop for just about everything saltwater. What they don't have, they can order. Very rarely do I have to go elsewhere. The tanks could use some cleaning near the coral and clean up crew area. Always helpful staff.

Slow service with only one person working. Other than that a great selection of fish.

Love going to this store, it's like a mini new port aquarium. Prices at a little high. Just get on mailing list so you know when and what the deals are.

I went there looking for a larger scavenger for my 55 gallon tank. The sales person talked me into a clown loach. Before I bought it I asked specifically if it needed to be kept in shoals. She said no. So I bought it for $50. I go home and do some research online to find out that the clown loach can get to be a foot big and needs 75-120 gallon tanks. Also every site online recommends shoals of at least 4-5 loaches.

A little while later I go there looking for a large aquarium rock. I find something that is called Texas holey rock. I know some rocks can change the chemistry of an aquarium and since I had no idea what Texas holey rock was I specifically asked the sales person if it changed the chemistry and he said no. So I bought it at $3.49 a pound. I put the rock in my aquarium and it raised the ph 0.6 points. This is higher than the expensive clown loach, that I just bought, likes. I returned the rock but they could only give me store credit. Which based on my experience there will go unused.

I like going to small local stores. But I expect a more knowledgeable staff. The two times I ve gone there I was helped by some very young personnel. And both times I was given what I felt was bad advice. In my opinion I would have been just as well off going to some large chain.

Just went to visit, and buy a few more things for my tanks. I was there for about 45 minutes, and no one came to assist, and I could not find anyone to ask. I ended up just leaving. Great store, if you are given the opportunity to buy something. Huge waste of time. Now that I know it takes a few days to get something here because you won't be helped on your first visit, I am just going to order online. I will get my fish in the same amount of time.

Was really amazed when i walked in and the service was great they answered any questions i had would def recommend going if you havent yet

Let me say first that the customer service has always been excellent. The staff is knowledgeable and courteous. Only reason i'm at 2 stars is because the last 2 weeks i have picked up sunburst platys then bumblebee platys and both batches had parasites. I thought the females were pregnant already but it was becaise they had so many worms in their belly. I quarantined them with meds but honestly for the price i expect to have healthy fish. Their 24hr policy is terrible and its unfortunate but i just can't shop their anymore.

So many fish, so much humidity! Awesome selection, hard to get through isle's if busy but worth the trip.

Large selection, average prices, difficult to track down employees for service

They have a great selection of fresh and salt water fish. The staff is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable!

Nice selection of fish and saltwater corals, a little pricey but you do get to see what you're getting. Actually they were the most expensive store I have been to in Cincinnati/Dayton area. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Would be 5 stars but prices are keeping me from that.

Employees have very little knowledge. They are there to make money. They are killing the hobby. Check out Corals Galore bother fresh and salt water. Reptiles and soon more!

Not a lot of pet stores have fish anymore. Gerbers is the only place for fresh and salt water fish.

Best selection of fish! Amazing staff! John Gerber is such a knowledgeable aquarist! If you need fish, stop here. You won't go wrong. Setting up a tank? Start here.

Have been here many, many times, huge selection of Fresh and Salt water aquatic animals, great prices, also have gotten food, filters, feeder fish, tanks here, workers are very friendly/helpful/ knowledgeable. With the loss of Jack's Aquariums in Dayton this place is definitely the Prime go to place for Aquarist needs

Bought fish from here ask if the fish I have will not harm them assured it would be fine. They lasted less then a day. Been buying fish here for a year first bad experience.

Great place. Every type of fish you could need, fresh and salt water. Live rocks, coral, and a whole selection of tanks. Great place to just browse, you can get so close to the fish with a great display. No need to pay for Newport Aquarium (Cincinnati), when you can come here. You will leave here wanting to start an aquarium!

Very helpful friendly staff would definitely recommend exspecially if you have any questions

Awesome place huge selection of decorations, fish fresh and salt water also tanks and more

If any of you own a fish aquarium salt or freshwater this is the place to go they got everything you need plus any fish you're looking for

Huge selection for saltwater and freshwater, supplies and food.

This place is amazing! A huge selection and great staff!

Great place helped with all my fish needs and the staff was very knowledgeable.

Horrible. Coral don t look healthy purple tangs look like they have hlle. I won t come back. Also customer service is sub par!!!

I am awestruck! They've got it all! Great service too.

This place has an amazing selection of fish. But the best part is how great the staff is. They are full of knowledge, they will take the time to answer all your questions.

Knowledgeable staff .. wonderful fish choices and live plants. It's my favourite fish store. Their salt water fish selection is outstanding even tho I'm a fresh water person

Although fishes are little pricey their collection is awesome

Very knowledgable and always friendly! They have a great variety of saltwater and freshwater.

Been coming here for 20 years and the place just keeps getting better

Best selection of salt and freshwater fish and everything else you could ever need for an aquarium

Huge variety of freshwater & saltwater fish, you pay a little more than you would at a regular fish store, but the fish are always healthy. The staff is very knowledgeable & will help you pick the right fish for your tank.

The employees were very helpful and knowledgeable about the fish that we were interested. They gave us copious amounts of tank and fish advice that kept us from making and poor choices in the long run and will improve the environment for the fish! Highly reccomend this location for fish or tank help!

UPDATED 10/26- I called the store and asked to speak to the owner about the issue after I got no reply from a BBB complaint I had sent in. The owner was very happy to work with me, and was very helpful. He helped me work through the situation and I appreciate it greatly. I bumped up my
review to four stars for a reason.

Original review: Every time I go into the store, Gerber has beautiful corals and fish. But looks can be deceiving. I bought a fish, brought it home, and put it in my reef tank. Everything was fine for about a week and a half, until my tank came down with ich. I called the store and talked to the manager, who seemed to doubt my knowledge on marine ich/marine life in general, and was not much help at all. As more fish died, I started to notice something was up. I went to another LFS for a second opinion and the employees looked at the pictures of the dead fish. They all were surprised I had any left. I have a nasty bacterial infection that I am treating for along with ich. The bacterial infection must have come in with the purchased fish, and the ich likely did too. When the face of your fish peels off, and another's skin starts falling off like dandruff, it's not pretty. I'm now out over $200 due to one fish. Most fish stores will not doubt your experience with fish unless given a reason. I was not asked about water parameters, how I'm treating the fish, or anything. All I was told was that there was "No way I got ich from them," and talked down to in a slightly condescending manner. The situation was not handled like it should have been.

Love this salt water and fresh water fish store always has great specimens and all the necessities to take care of them.

Very helpful and knowledgeable the place to go for any type of aquarium needs.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Quality selection and decent prices. We love this place

Great place even to visit and look at fish. Amazing.

Found a young man and asked him who I talk to about buying some fish and he said "Any one of us, but I'm busy right now." He did not point me in the right direction or find someone to help me. I will take my business elsewhere. Their prices are way to high, the least they can have is great customer service. Good selection but horrible customer service(if you want to even call it that) and high prices. I try to support local business's but in this case I will shop at the closest big box store. I recommend you do the same.

Dayton's only saltwater fish store. Great selection with reasonable prices and knowledge staff. They've helped me through the initial stages of starting my first ever tank, I'll continue to use them for years to come.