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Asia Gift & Aquarium
763 S 38th St, Tacoma, WA 98418, United States
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Asia Gift & Aquarium
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Ra
Review №1

Super friendly mom and pop store with a big variety of different items. Truly a gem! Theyre very knowledgeable and super helpful, especially with fish!

Os
Review №2

Fish and Asian gifts and more! Not a huge selection of anything but lots of random stuff. I wanted a comfertor set. It was priced way to high. I asked him what he could let it go for and he didnt answer. Wouldnt deal. Judging by how old the price tags looked it had been there awhile. Oh well. Not spending 100 on it. Wasnt like it was well made. Selection of fish is good but nothing super rare. I went there for flower horn food. Specifically for that breed of fish. Not a easy find in a physical shop so I bought 2 and Ill be back for more.

Er
Review №3

Cute little store. He has a few things that are a rarer find.Some have said that it wasnt the cleanest but I feel like most aquarium stores with rare finds arent immaculate.

My
Review №4

Great, knowledgeable owner. Healthy fish. He’s helped me with a lot of questions along my journey into this hobby.

Pa
Review №5

Owner is very personable, helpful, honest, and knowledgeable. The Koi selection is excellent. Top notch!

Ad
Review №6

Always has great fish at great prices.He has a great selection of African Cichlids, fancy goldfish, oddball, and hard to find fish.I love to support local businesses, so if youre a fish keeper, you need to check them out.

JJ
Review №7

Very nice man that was very knowledgeable and attentive to us. The fish are healthy and doing just fine. Unlike other aquariums Ive been to that sell you sick fish. I will definitely come back!

Do
Review №8

I got tired of going to the big box stores in the area and decided to visit a few local stores, the gentleman in there was so helpful and informative and wouldn’t sell me any fish that was too small or too skinny. I let him pick out most of the fish and each one is beautiful and healthy. The assortment of fish in this store is amazing and you can tell he really cares about the hobby. I’d recommend trying this establishment out before going to a big box store.

mi
Review №9

The couple that runs the store are so helpful and just amazing. They helped me pick out bamboo for an assortment and even were kind enough to show me best how to arrange it. The array of fish that they have is astounding. They are all healthy fish and it shows how much effort and love they put into this store. They dont deserve 5 stars, they deserve 6.

Ri
Review №10

Came in lookin for fish, good variety and they were super friendly! It was great coming there. Will be visiting more in the future for sure!

Aa
Review №11

They did a great job building a custom order for me! I am very satisfied!

Su
Review №12

Every time my husband and I come here, we go all out and buy multiple fish and gifts! Sweetest couple ever and very helpful.

ch
Review №13

Hidden jemSuper friendly

An
Review №14

Beautiful Asian clothing and an amazing variety of fish! Best place to go for outfits for weddings, proms, and any other formal event! You should honestly stop by yourselves to see the wide variety of exquisite Asian items and fish!

Ro
Review №15

Nice little Chinese mom n pop gift shop n aquarium store. Pretty interesting store. Worth checking it out.

Jo
Review №16

Great place to buy fish and accessories. The owner seemed like a really nice guy and was great with my 8 year old.

Nh
Review №17

Overpriced. I bought a 5-gallon fish tank for $95 just to find it at $65 at Petco hours later when I came to Petco to buy some stones (I have all receipts and photos to prove). They have a 2.5 gallon tank for $75, which is more than 70% than what Petco sells for similar tanks. This is ridiculous and a very bad business practice.

ki
Review №18

Bought these 2 beautiful dumbo betta fish today. Cannot find this style at petco or petsmart! Soooo many to choose from and are healthy! So hard to pick because they are all soooooo pretty! GREAT SELECTION! Duper nice people that run it! Will definitely go back!

Mi
Review №19

I love that place

Mi
Review №20

Ive been looking everywhere for aquatic plants and they had a few! Also a bunch of cool fish and fun gifts. Also the owner was so sweet. Ill definitely be buying all my fish and plants here in the future.

Tr
Review №21

Has a few things other stores dont seem to have. Prices are a bit high; but I understand it is tough to compete with big box stores. The man that runs it is knowledgeable and genuinely cares about the fish he sells to customers!!

Mi
Review №22

They have all types of koi, goldfish, tropical fish, etc that are very healthy. Nice helpful staff and reasonable prices. They also have healthy aquarium plants and items for outdoor ponds. If you arent looking for fish they have tons of oriental gifts, incense, and jewelry. They also have a FB page

Al
Review №23

The owners are very friendly. They have very good deals.

Ju
Review №24

Great knowledge of the fish! Super helpful.

Ch
Review №25

Cute neighborhood store, has Asian gifts, clothing statues and such. It also has an array of fish and aquarium supplies.

Ju
Review №26

Nice little shop divided into two halves, one being an aquarium and the other a gift shop with Asian housewares and clothing. If you’re looking for a housewarming gift or wedding present you could definitely find a gem here.I didn’t come here for aquarium supplies but can never resist the hypnotic lure of watching fish; I spent more time staring at the tanks than I probably should have. The fish looked very healthy and well fed.The co-owner (it’s a literal mom & pop business) was very friendly and upbeat.

An
Review №27

This is the only place my husband goes to buy fish. Nia is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Ir
Review №28

Cool store, great selection.

Je
Review №29

My favorite place to get fish, always helpful and really nice. Id definitely recommend this shop over any of the others Ive been to.

Se
Review №30

Wont buy fish anywhere else

Ly
Review №31

Really nice and helpful people. They helped with some recommendations for our tank and future koi pond. We have already planned to return.

Mi
Review №32

Great place to get knowledge and fish.

To
Review №33

The store owner is such a sweetheart. The store is fun to go into. I miss the talking bird though. All in all a great experience to go inside. The store is not the most clean and tidy but still worth stopping in.

Ka
Review №34

I LOVED going here today! Great help, beautiful fish. I purchased two exquisite koi fish and I cannot wait to go back for freshwater aquarium fish. This is a great place to go. Parking is a little tricky but well worth it!

Ro
Review №35

Best place to purchase live fish.

Aa
Review №36

They did a great job building an order for me.

Je
Review №37

I was impressed with the very healthy fish! Active and vibrant! Yes, they are higher then the box stores but the quality and various species of non common fish is well worth the couple of extra dollars! Parking is challenging but still worth the walk!

Pr
Review №38

The guy who works there is super nice, friendly and helpful. Also great prices.

Cr
Review №39

I pass this store everyday for 20 years. I decided to stop one day to see if they had any real plants for my aquarium, WOW! did they, they had many kids of plants, and fish. They had fish that I have never seen or even heard about. The prices are better then your big box stores. This may be Tacomas best kept secret.

Li
Review №40

They have a great selection of fresh water fish for a good price. Fish were very healthy and packaged well. The couple running the store are cute as can be! Huge gift selection too.

Ly
Review №41

Very friendly and informative. Ive been going here for years. Great fish stock. Some unusual specimens. Weve had our clown knife for a couple of years.

GE
Review №42

Very friendly owner. They have a great selection of fresh water fish . Fish were very healthy and packaged really well. Really good price

Jo
Review №43

This is a great fish store. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, and the selection was wonderful. If youre looking for a local store, not one of the machine-like chain stores, this is the place to go!

Ke
Review №44

Good selection and healthy fish.

Ki
Review №45

Small but nice. Great selection of fish that other stores dont always have.

To
Review №46

The same guy has ran this store for 29 years. His fish are good quality and have a bigger price tag then the major pet stores, but the man knows what he is talking about. He grows his own floating and plantable aquatic plants too. But thats only half the store. The other half is full of house gifts a d decorations, jade jewelry, fountains and even those kimono dresses.

Ni
Review №47

Place needs updating. Large variety and selection of fish. Overcrowding? Tanks need to be a bit cleaner. Prices are not competitive vs other pet stores. Sometimes more expensive even. Hardier stock due to importation?

Vi
Review №48

Such a great visit with the owners today! So knowledgeable and kind.

ja
Review №49

Nice little mom and pop shop they have fish and supplies and other asian type gifts

Hi
Review №50

Some of the tanks could be better maintained but overall I had a great experience in this shop .I only went it to check it out and left with a beautiful paradise betta and a couple floating plants I can wait to visit again to get a female for my paradise betta .and definitely some more plants

Jo
Review №51

They had some unique fish that other fish stores dont carry but the place is very unpleasant. There was a stale smell that made it almost hard to breathe and the lighting towards the back of the store was quite dim. The entire time I was in the store I was uncomfortable and was very relieved when I left. It gave me a very sad feeling for some of the fish.

Cl
Review №52

In response to the reviewer who described this place as dimly lit and stale smelling...of course it is. This is a 30 year old business in an area with a Chinatown type vibe. I dont know what they were expecting but it wont have the polish and sterility of a newly constructed strip mall. What it DOES have is a very nice owner who runs a gift shop with half a store dedicated to his hobby of fish keeping. While he does not have the vast selection of a typical fish store, he does have an eye for quality. He had one of the nicest flower horns I have ever seen and excellent fancy goldfish. I picked up a calico oranda and a red cap that were show worthy. Also, his selection of half moon Bettas is outstanding and his prices are better than the chain pet stores in most cases. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for traditional Chinese gifts or quality tropical fish.

Cr
Review №53

Great store with friendly management! They carry fish that not a lot of other pet stores have such as Rummynose Tetra and Cardinal Tetra. Theyre picky about the supplier so they only recieve the best fish. The Asian gifts are also highly notable. Very intricate and beautiful at decent prices.

St
Review №54

Owner was super cool. Nice selection of fish good prices.

A.
Review №55

Ive been here a few times over the years and highly recommend it. Over the past three years, Ive set up three aquariums with fish from this store containing about 20 fish and live plants and have only had one fish die (which I will admit I probably had something to do with me) and the owner was extremely fair in giving me a discounted price on a replacement.The best feature of this shop is the knowledge. The owner has operated from this location for nearly 30 years and clearly knows what hes talking about. Hes especially great at knowing how different fish will cohabitate and can talk forever about their characteristics. All of his knowledge concurs with countless reputable resources Ive read regarding tropical fish care. I absolutely trust his word, and my happy fish are living proof. You wont find this knowledge at a chain store with high turnover where most employees dont even have a year of experience (and theyre trained to sell/upsell, not to worry about your fish or their reputation).This shop also has an exciting assortment of fish, some of which I believe are bred by the owner. It may be a lot smaller of an aquarium shop, but the selection of fish is very intriguing. He has more live plants than artificial ones, and if youre a pond person, he has fish, plants and supplies for you too.To address the bad reviews here, Ive read them and theyre irrelevant. If you read them yourself, youll notice not one complaint of a dead fish, bad customer service, or any CUSTOMER dissatisfaction; just a lot of judge a book by its cover type reviews from people who havent shopped there.- Yes, some prices are high, but this is mostly on smaller items and is offset by savings on more expense items; tetras cost a bit more here than PetCo or PetSmart, but Tiger Barbs are less (and bigger) AND you get better value for your dollar. Ive also noticed that replacement filter media is less expensive than elsewhere (for my filter). And keep in mind, this is a small business, he doesnt have the bulk purchasing power corporations do to pass the savings on to you.- No, the tanks arent dirty, in fact the water quality is great. The tanks are just old and have seen years of commercial use; if anything, theyre a realistic preview of what your tank will probably look like if you dont lose interest and get rid of it after a couple years. Keep in mind, a fish tank is nature in your home and nature is never clean--a healthy fish tank is filled with bacteria and microscopic life we usually sanitize.- No, the fish arent mistreated. Theyre genuinely happy! Ive never bought fish from elsewhere that seem so unafraid of and interactive with humans--any time I put my hand in my tank, the fish come up to say hello. When youre actually in the store, a lot of the fish will come up to the glass and follow you.- No, the building isnt stale. It actually just smells like a healthy aquarium and if it smelled any different Id be concerned.- Yes, its a bit dark inside, especially toward the back where the fish tanks are. Have you been to an actual aquarium and do you know the first rule of a fish tank? Theres supposed to be less light outside the tank so you can see the fish, AND TOO MUCH LIGHT GROWS ALGAE.

Jo
Review №56

Friendly store owner and rare/ unique fish selection

Wo
Review №57

Im not sure what the other people problems are, complaining about the quality and fish and so on. Got a few plants and supplies from this place and it is a wonderful place. Yes it may be a bit dimmer then the popular pet stores, but its better then other small businesses. The fish and plants are amazing, and the owner us very kind and friendly.Ill be going back there more often when I need somethingIn my opionon, if your looking for exotic fish, betta, turtles or just good deals on plants and supplies that are in excelent quality and condition you should really stop by there. It gives a warm welcome.

Jo
Review №58

I loved this store and great fish too.

Ke
Review №59

Has A-lot of exotic fish and very affordable like Clown Knife and red tail catfish and others for less then 30$

Li
Review №60

Great selection of Asian chotskys and fish for the aquarium..

Ul
Review №61

Owners are really friendly and shop was well kept.

Ta
Review №62

Fish aint healthy

Co
Review №63

The gentleman the owns the place is very nice, the fish tank are really dirty.

He
Review №64

Friendly owner and interesting things here.

Sh
Review №65

Very friendly, kid friendly as well, and great prices

Ma
Review №66

They treat the fish really poorly, there was some beta fishes living in red cups (some of them were probably dead). The tanks just look disgusting

Tr
Review №67

I enjoy this place the bettas and varies is amazing the owners are friendly i will support this shop

De
Review №68

The stock was very low the owner choosing to wait untill after the holidays to bring in a shipment of fish and plants impressed me I did not get what I needed but I will return as I was impressed by his care for his aquarium section of the store.

Co
Review №69

Great service.

Li
Review №70

Manager very kind and helpful

pa
Review №71

Dont buy fish from here. All pets for sale in really bad condition

ju
Review №72

Really cool fish!

Ch
Review №73

Lots of things to look at.

Pa
Review №74

Nice helpful staff

Le
Review №75

So overpriced it makes me think the store is a front for something shady.

Je
Review №76

Eclectic.

Cu
Review №77

Lots of great fish

Ro
Review №78

Great ob peacocks

Ar
Review №79

Awesome owner

Je
Review №80

Cool fish

sh
Review №81

Animals in bad shape

To
Review №82

Old

Information
50 Photos
82 Comments
4.3 Rating
  • Address:763 S 38th St, Tacoma, WA 98418, United States
  • Phone:+1 253-473-5842
Categories
  • Gift shop
  • Aquarium
Working hours
  • Monday:11AM–5PM
  • Tuesday:11AM–5PM
  • Wednesday:Closed
  • Thursday:11AM–5PM
  • Friday:11AM–5PM
  • Saturday:11AM–5PM
  • Sunday:11AM–5PM
Service options
  • In-store shopping:Yes
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair accessible entrance:Yes
Planning
  • Quick visit:Yes
Payments
  • Debit cards:Yes
  • Credit cards:Yes
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