Living Sea Aquarium - Park Ridge

Shop Address: 811 W. Devon
Shop Website: http://www.livingseaaquarium.com/
Reviewed By: Tom Dawiskiba
Date Of Review: February/2006
Overall: Excellent
Times Visited: More Than Ten Visits
Freshwater Selection: Excellent
Saltwater Selection: Excellent
Stock Selection: Excellent
Staff: Very Good
Prices: Very Good
 
Comments: Living Sea Aquarium is a large store (spanning more than 1/2 a neighborhood block) that features a large freshwater selection varying from week to week (including discus and cichlids), it has 3 brackish water aquariums (puffers, mollies, gobies, eels, scats, monos, and archers), a very large saltwater part (about 1/2 of the store with corals, inverts, fish, live rock, live sand, etc.), a shark lagoon (with over 3 sharks), a saltwater tidepool, a saltwater curved tank (built onto the ground in a "C" shape with fish such as puffers and cowfish), a 100 gallon tank (with many large saltwater fish), a stingray/arrowana pond, a stingray lagoon (with over 5 stingrays), a 1000 gallon saltwater tank (with a large moray eel), a 100 gallon cylinder tank, a small selection of reptiles and amphibians (including freshwater crabs, geckos, swifts, frogs/toads, anoles, newts, and hermit crabs), a koi pond, a turtle pond, and a aquarium showroom. They can special order fish /corals /supplies /reptiles /etc, they do water tests, they have guarantees on their fish, they can do maintenece and set-ups, and have a very friendly and knowledgeable staff (that includes me).
 
Living Sea Aquarium has installed the saltwater tanks in all Rainforest Cafes in Chicago that have a saltwater tank and have set-up many larger tanks privately and commercially.
 
The only bad thing about the store is that it is a bit pricey when it comes to supplies and reptiles becuase they usually buy them in small quantities, the only have one store, and have to pay bigger taxes than in many places, making it more expensive (whereas stores like Petco and Petsmart buy bulk for all of their stores, not just one usually, and are usually located near bigger cities, not suburbs)
 
Pictures and text © Tom Dawiskiba

few observations after shopping here 3 times.
+the good+
great selection
super friendly and helpful
-the bad-
expensive
*make sure you're charged correctly
*return policies not customer friendly

Overall the store is worth a visit as they have a great display. Prices are too high on many items. In many cases you can order the same products from DrsfFosterSmith.com (and other online companies) for much cheaper even when you include shipping and handling. Shop around before purchasing from here as you will find Living Sea Aquarium is rather exprensive.