Fourteen days in quarantine
New arrivals spend two weeks in separate tanks before moving to the shop floor. Anything that is thin, shy or spotted stays behind until it recovers.
Aquarium shop and water lab · Mount Pleasant, Vancouver
Healthy fish start with water you have actually tested.
Tidepool Aquatics keeps its own stock in quarantine for fourteen days, tests every system twice a week and sends customers home with a plan for their tank rather than a bag of fish and a shrug. Come in with a sample of your water and we will read it with you for free.
Bring a clean jar of tank water on Saturdays for a free test.
Care you can see through the glass
Every fish in the shop has been fed, watched and checked by someone who can tell you what it ate this morning.
Reef and coral specialists
Saltwater is our weakness. Two staff hold marine biology degrees and look after the copperbands, tangs and anemones that other shops avoid.
Natural caves and planted tanks
Our display tanks are set up like home aquariums, with caves, rocks and live plants, so you can see how the fish really behave.
Captive-bred where we can
Clownfish, angelfish and many freshwater species come from breeders in British Columbia and Alberta, which means hardier fish and fewer wild catches.
Free water testing
Drop off a sample and we measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, hardness and salinity, then explain the numbers in plain words.
Set-up and servicing
Our technicians install tanks in your home or office and return every month to clean glass, change water and check equipment.
Fish ready to take home
Search by name or filter by water type. Add favourites to a reserve list and we will hold them for forty-eight hours.
6 species
Bred locally in long-finned colours. Each male needs his own tank of at least 20 litres with a heater, gentle filtration and plants to rest on.
Round-bodied oranda and ryukin varieties. They need a roomy tank of at least 100 litres per pair and strong filtration to keep water clean.
The king of the Amazon, kept in small groups in soft, warm water. We recommend them for owners who already have experience with water changes.
A calm, curious fish that learns to take food from your fingers. It needs a tank of 300 litres or more as it matures.
A hardy starter for a reef tank, bonded in pairs and happy in an anemone or a corner of rockwork. Requires a cycled salt system.
White and orange koi for outdoor ponds of at least 3,000 litres. We deliver and release them with you, after acclimatising them to your water.
Starter tank kits compared
Each kit includes the tank, a hood with light, a filter, a heater where needed, substrate and a bottle of water conditioner.
| Desk betta kit | One betta or a few shrimp | 20 L | 129 CAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community kit | Tetras, rasboras and corydoras | 60 L | 249 CAD |
| Goldfish kit | Two fancy goldfish | 120 L | 379 CAD |
| Planted showcase | A planted tropical community | 200 L | 649 CAD |
| Nano reef kit | Clownfish and soft corals | 90 L | 899 CAD |
| Reef display | Mixed reef and larger fish | 300 L | 1,699 CAD |
Tidepool by the numbers
- Species in the shop at any one time
- 140
- Quarantine for every new arrival
- 14 days
- Marine biologists on the floor
- 2
- Free water tests carried out for customers
- 5,000
What customers say
“I killed three betta in a year before I came here. The water test showed my tap had far too much chlorine. Mine has now lived for four years.”
“The staff talked me out of a reef tank I was not ready for and into a freshwater one I could actually manage. I respect that.”
“Our koi arrived in a sealed bag, floated in the pond for half an hour and have thrived ever since. The team even returned to check the water.”
The weekly arrivals list
Every Thursday we send a short list of the fish, plants and corals that have cleared quarantine, plus a maintenance tip for the weekend.
Before you set up a tank
How long before I can add fish?
A new tank needs four to six weeks to cycle. We provide bottled bacteria and test kits and will check your numbers before you add the first fish.
Do you guarantee your fish?
Healthy fish are guaranteed for fourteen days, provided you bring in a water sample from the tank where they live.
Can you take back fish I can no longer keep?
Yes. We rehome healthy fish through our community tank programme and never release anything into local waters.
Do you ship livestock?
We deliver within Metro Vancouver on Tuesdays and Fridays with heat packs and oxygen. We do not ship by courier.
Visit the shop
2840 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 3E5
- Tuesday to Friday 11:00–19:00
- Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00; closed Mondays
+1 (604) 555-0192