Maidenhead Aquatics  Reviews 467

My negative rating refers to the quality of the livestock provided and the level of knowledge shown by those working at the branch.
I purchased 6 guppies and 4 pearl gouramis one of which had clear signs of fin rot when properly examined at home on arrival. The fish were purchased from the Chester branch.
Within 3 days 1 guppy was dead and the entire tank (6 cherry barbs and the above new fish from Maidenhead Aquatics) had developed fin rot within a few days, the guppies were flashing and rubbing on the sand and the gouramis were swimming very close to the glass with their sides rubbing it. 3 days later 1 more guppy was dead.
I spoke to the shop on the phone regarding the issues and was told they'd replace 1 guppy. On arrival at the shop no one was aware of my call and I had to make a case for not paying for the fish I'd been told would be given as a replacement. Made me feel like a beggar and it was apparent the shop assistant believed he was doing me a favour, when in reality the replacement was agreed upon on the phone.
The replacement guppy is now dead and I have serious concerns on the quality of the livestock and the level of care provided as 43% of the guppies I bought have died, and the fin rot came from the fish at Maidenhead as the cherry barbs were healthy, showing no signs of illness.
Also regarding the care promise on your website which states you will help solve issues and provide advice: I brought in a water sample as required and all the assistant did was so a dipstick test which I can easily do at home, nothing else was done, no actual advice or help. Basically your care promise is empty if your staff's level of knowledge is the same as that any amateur fishkeeper can acquire by doing a Google search.
I would urge the public to not be taken in by the variety of fish on show and the flashy nature of the livestock, in my experience the fish are not healthy and the staff are not more knowledgeable or expert than you or I could be through a simple online search or through reading a fish keeping manual.

These people sold me diseased Rummy Nose Tetras that infected my tank with WhiteSpot. Absolutely appalling, a report has been submitted to Trading Standards.

The staff pretended they quarantine their fish, which they DO NOT.

Avoid at all costs.

Bought 9 gold fish 1 survived, had water checked, girl charged a pound even after I said fish were dying. Water was fine .
Won't buy from there again.
Had some from a friends pond all healthy and growing. Don't waste your money at percy throwers.

Tong Garden Centre, Bradford. Bought tropical fish from here for the first time last week. Really good service, and the fish great. Bought 6 Odessa Barbs, 3 Black Ruby Barbs and 6 Rosy Barbs, all good healthy fish. Highly delighted, will definitely use them again in the future.

I bought a fish tank from them. The filter became noisy - and contacted customer services. Sent them videos and sound recordings. Fish tank 2 months old

There response. send the filter in is the only thing we can do.

Errrrm - the fish will die - how is that in anyway a resolution.

Terrible customer service - do not buy from them!!

I have been dealing with the Thatcham outlet for the past fortnight.

My Oase 5500 pump was working intermittently and I went in for advice. Regrettably, after ordering in a new impellor, it still failed to run properly, so I bought a replacement pump of identical capacity. At £235 it's a fairly major purchase but the pond is dead without it.

Darren honestly could not have been more helpful and the other staff were all pleasant, polite and interested as I tried to fix the issue.

It's so easy to go the larger chains and just buy a new pump - yes, it would have solved it, but I'd have wondered if I was giving up on my old one too easily!

Thanks once again - excellent all round.

I've bought from the Burton Latimer store multiple times and been in on several occasions when I did not buy. Some of the staff are very helpful but most of them are not. Today, the woman I was redirected to was down right rude. She became snarky and aggressive when I asked about a store credit for bringing in fish. It was unnecessary and caught me off guard after I had already been led to believe bringing in fish would lead to such an exchange. She implied I was a liar when describing the individual who lead me to this belief and then stormed off. She's not the only woman working in this store that has been unpleasant, but she is the worst. Only 2 men have ever been truly helpful there.

i wanted a living coral.the prices marked was very confusing .£50 £70 £80 the one i wanted was at the back of the display .when i asked for that one i was told it was £140.i asked about the price tags and was told it must have fell of .so i picked another one in the £80 rack but was told that was £100 and the price tag had fallen of .i didnt buy any .i then looked at the marine fishes and there was a puffer fish clearly in distress with most of its tail rotted away .the tanks were not of a standard i would expect from a specialist marine retailer .i wont ever go in there again .i have spent hundreds of pounds in the norwich shop but never again .dont waste your time going when the livestock it poor

Bought 12 new guppies, 4 male and 8 females. Before I bought them I had them checked my water and they confirmed the water is perfect for guppies. Within 48 hours 4 female and 1 male died. After 1 week 3 guppies left!
Shop in Littlehamton replaced them with and on my request I asked for swordtail instead of guppies are these are over bred and therefor weak. Not buying ever again as the quality of the fish are just not good.
Service in the shop is perfect, no complains about that!

I was lucky enough to find a store that stocked what I wanted - but - more importantly, a Maidenhead Aquatics that could sell over the phone. Littlehampton branch manager Dave was extremely accommodating and sorted out my enquiry personally. Excellent service - thank you.

First time visiting the Cwmbran store, staff were inviting, knowledgeable and incredibly helpful but not pushy. Service with a smile, you can tell they love their job! Fish all looked healthy, tanks well maintained. Slightly higher priced than st melons store but not as expensive as Wenvoe store so mid range id say. Noticed when I got home that I was accidentally overcharged. Phoned the store and the staff were very apologetic, they offered a refund but as I wasn’t sure when I could get back up there to collect it they’ve offered to hand deliver it to my home. Outstanding service. Will definitely be back!

Stockton store - Scott & Andrea the staff are so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Definitely worth a visit.

Fantastic shop, with a great choice.

Staff are very knowledgeable and spend time going through any questions you might have (no matter how silly you might think they are).

Massive thanks to Gary who's helped with the set up of our new tank, explained what plants would be great for it and has gave us detailed information about the types of fish that would be good for our first set up.

We've a very happy tanks ATM and that's thanks to Gary's information and guidance.

Thank again you lot.
Emma & Kate

Just got home from the Bristol branch. WOW!! What a shop, couldn't fault anything. Huge shop, huge selection, fabulous knowledgeable staff. We were served by a lovely girl called Lucy who went above and beyond for us. We'll definitely be using them again.

We had a fantastic experience at Maidenhead Aquatics today 🤩 A huge thank you to Isaac, the store manager, and the rest of the team for their incredible service 😇 They were so polite and patient, providing us with a wealth of information (alot of information, actually) on different fish species, choosing the right tank, and essential aftercare. We felt completely supported and never rushed. We can't wait to return in a week's time and officially start our home aquarium journey thanks to their expert advice.
See you soon

Fishkeeper scotland,Aberdeen
Pretty shitty when alot of the fish are ill or neglected(marine section)
Especially the tangs,hippo tangs.
Should be quarantined ,not allowed to mingle with others.this isn't a one off .

My new aquarium was delivered on Sunday by Lewis and one other from the Basingstoke shop. This was above and beyond - Lewis wasn’t even working but living locally, chose to get the delivery made. This is excellent customer service - really appreciate it.

What a fantastic place! Visited the sheffield store to pick a full tropical set up. Chose a large cube with an oak cabinet and its exactly what I was looking for, its excellent quality. Rich was great in helping me pick upgraded options which would work with my tank and was extremely knowledgeable in advising me on the set up and maintenance of everything I chose. From substrate and suitable plants to maintaining the new filter and using my current filter sponge to boost the new. In fact all the staff there were knowledgeable, approachable and friendly. There's a great range of items to choose from too. Very happy with my buy and experience and cant wait to go back in a few weeks to choose a few new fish for my lovely new tank.

Great place massive range of fish , friendly and helpful staff and always lovely and clean . Been afew times and always been greeted with a smile

Bought fish at Cherry Lane Garden Centre. Kidderminster branch, seemed okay, so went back a couple of days later only to be told these fish had ulcers and should not have been sole. The young 'manager' then sold 3 other fish, 1 died overnight so went back, told had to bring a water sample. I said not told at point of purchase, nor were there any signs of policy, said as we had been sold ulcerated fish maybe that is why, he had no answer. He was rude with no customer service skills, he had no asked at point of sale what type of tank I had which he should when selling livestock. Now just waiting for all my fish to die in my established tank of 13 years, with some original fish of more than 10 years still in there.