Paul is very knowledgeable and kind. The fishes are more exotic in color and size , yet the prices are the best I’ve seen. Same goes for the aquarium plants.I’m happy to know that the store is still around, but moved from the location I grew up with on Manhattan years ago.

The gentleman that owns this place is so friendly. He sat there for 30 minutes. Talk to me, answered about 1000 questions. So appreciative the time he spent with me. Definitely will be coming back there. Thank you.

Editing review because don't want to be mean. We were disappointed to drive across town to see this store. Very little saltwater fish maybe 3-5. Would say 95% percent of store is freshwater. We seen multiple dead fish in tanks and also wasn’t greeted by any staff.

A South Tampa staple. A family business with over 50 years of serving people. Superior selection of fish and supplies. Extremely knowledgeable. Paul is a Guru that could teach Aquaman a thing or two. I highly recommend going here if you want to do things the right way.

Always a great experience with Paul. He has so much knowledge and is so willing to help it’s unreal. I was really impressed with the amount of live plants in his tanks. All the fish I’ve gotten from him have done great. It’s a small store but a wealth of information. His prices are also arguably the best in the area, super reasonable.

Great local shop . It might not be a flashy store with big display tanks but Paul makes up for it with amazing live stock . You truly will not find a better price in tampa bay . Everything in my tanks come from West Side Aquarium!!!!!!!

This is a small business run by a hard working and honest man. The owner is very knowledgeable and reasonable. Bought a few kois and goldfish here. They are all healthy with a reasonable price. Love to support local small business, especially when it’s tough for small businesses to survive nowadays.

Paul is a good guy. He is helpful and will spend what ever time it takes to help. His prices are very good compared to other shops. Just like the way he conducts business. I have read all the reviews about what a bad and dirty etc. place it is. It's a fish store and I can afford to go and buy anywhere, I choose Westside. Nuff said!

I visited this store for the first time on a whim. Large variety of fish—very nice selection of angelfish among others. No dead fish in any of the tanks, unlike the chain pet stores, so not sure why the negative reviews. Prices very reasonable. I will definitely make the hour drive in the near future to stock my tanks.

Paul has great knowledge of the hobby. He humored as many questions as i had specific to my tank and community. He pointed out where i might have some problems with different spiecies of both fish and plants as well as what paremeters each species thrives in. He also told me the best products & practices to use to maintain said parameters. Went on to give me a deal on the fish i purchased and some free food to top it off. He also took my number and a list of the fish i was looking for so he could check with his suppliers to see if he could help me out with the whole order. All of these 1 star reviews coming in withing hours of eachother seem fishy to me. Pun very much so intended. Been 2 weeks and all the fish i purchased are alive and well. Will be back to stock the rest of my tank.

The owner is highly knowledgeable and helpful. It is evident that he cares for the health and welfare of his fish & aquatic animals. Like many others, I also commute about 45 minutes for my aquarium needs. My guppies are beautiful and provide me great joy. Thank you, Paul!

Not like your neighborhood pet mart. This place is packed with amazing fishes and Paul the owner is encyclopedic. Don't be put off by the self service option or the fact that the place is a bit dirty. This store is my favorite fish shop in Tampa!

S Tampa fixture for 45 years that I know of. If your a Seinfield fan, you might think the sell soup... But knowlegable sorce of freshwater Aquarium items, so saltwater, and pond building.

The best and most knowledgeable aquarium fish store around, with the best quality fish. Hands down. It’s not real clean, doesn’t smell great, but I don’t go there to lounge, I get great healthy fish at competitive prices. Go to the other guys for over-priced sick fish in a pretty store… come here for good deals on good fish.

Paul is incredibly knowledgeable and kind. If you’re looking for anything regarding your aquarium, this should be your first stop.

Paul is so helpful, he will recommend the correct type of plants and fish for ypur aquarium. Great variety and service.

I meet Paul years ago at his aquarium store and never regretted, his very helpful on anything concerned at marine or freshwater life and also you can do special orders thru him and very honest and modest man.

The owner has always been very pleasant very knowledgeable of all the fish overall I would recommend going to the fish store

I had such a great experience at Westside Aquarium & Pets. A young gentlemen helped me find my pet beta fish Brooke and she is my bestfriend in the whole world.

Great little shop and the owner has been around for years. Paul can help with anything and he's a phenomenal pond builder. Highly recommend!

Very polite and helpful loved seeing all the Betta's were in a nice big tank and not in a small individual cup stuck in a corner. They were happy and healthy. Great place has everything you need.

Paul is great to deal with and very knowledgeable. We bought 6 beautiful angelfish recently and some great African peacock cichlid along with some beautiful Severums in the past. We drive over an hour to get there but well worth it. Highly recommend.

Best fish store around withe awesome sized fish!! We go here often and we live in lakeland! So worth the drive!

Best place to buy fish and any aquarium needs. Paul is extremely knowledgeable and nice. Will guide you if you are paring wrong fish together. Would rate higher if I could.

The absolute best service, knowledge and selection! A great small business and I will gladly drive 45 minutes out of my way to get there.

I just moved to Florida and found this place online. I couldn't be happier with the service I received here. Talked with Paul and he was super helpful and nice. Grate prices on the fish and everything. I will definitely be coming here from now on. Thanks Paul glad to know there is a old school mom and pop shop down here. I won't be going anywhere else for my aquarium needs.

I recently got into the hobby and as I have been establishing my two tanks I keep finding myself here rather than the 5 other places I have tried. I will be shopping at Westside exclusively now. No, the shop is not fancy. However, he has the healthiest fish in town at extremely reasonable pricing. Driftwood and rocks are also competitively priced. I saw someone groan about customer service. It's a one man show, he does it all, and if you ask a question the owner will spend lots of time explaining and brainstorming ideas and offering years of knowledge.

Not expensive and very friendly service.

Always helpful and very knowledgeable on fish. Highly recommend getting fidh here

Honestly I can’t recommend this place enough. Good selection of fish. The owner is very nice and actually cares about the health/ quality of what they have in stock. Answered all of my questions and they have a good selection of driftwood and other natural tank decorations! Also compared to other stores in the area their prices are great.

Extensive supply of exotic fish both fresh and salt water as well as marine crustaceans and invertebrates combined with great information coming from decades of experience.

Westside Aquarium has some of the healthiest-looking freshwater fish I've seen in the Tampa area. The tanks are individually filtered & oxygenated and larger than you find at chain stores. Paul is a self-proclaimed old school fishkeeper with access to a wide variety of captive-bred and imported species. He's very knowledgeable and helpful.

Super helpful and friendly! Great prices! I am new to the hobby and they were very gracious with their advice. They gave me a coral magazine to take home and told me about ReefCon next April in Orlando. I really liked them and will definitely be back!

Love this place. The owner is great and very helpful. Bought all of my fish and plants and basically everything from here. He has everything 9/10. If not. They’ll be coming in the following week! Great customer service!

Paul is amazing ! I read the few negative reviews. Seems fraudulent that the negative reviews came all at one time, from people in Australia, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, and California. There are larger, fancier stores. That said , are you more interested in healthy fish from a lifetime expert who is more interested in you…or looking to spend big bucks from an inexperienced retailer also selling dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and reptiles in a fancy plaza. Personally, I care about MY OWN tank and MY OWN fish. If your goal is to have your own great tank and great prices with free advice, go here. If you care about what you want, this is the PLACE. He is Focused on YOU !