J&L Aquatics

Long time customer, feels like a second home.
Hardware prices are unbeatable in Canada.
Knowledgeable team.
They even have a store mascot, John.

Fantastic customer service from Brent. There was a casualty in my first fish purchase (a newly arrived batch) for my first ever reef rank, and he was kind enough to not only replace it, but personally picked out one whom he has observed to be healthy for a long time. This is how you secure a returning customer. I shall be doing business with these folks again for sure.

Brent, the sea master, is beyond par of service! Very friendly and patient in answering my queries.
I highly recommend J & L Aquatics for your aquarium needs.iJ and L will always be my no. 1 pet fish store.

I have had the pleasure of coming to JL Aquatics since the start of my reef keeping hobby over a year ago. It's always a pleasure to be at the shop and get the help from such an amazing staff. Thank you John for all the help and friendly service over the year. Amazing staff, awesome stock, overall fantastic shop!

I have been shopping here for over 15 years and I have always returned for the service I receive from all the staff. The one person that stands out over the others is John and he has been there over the entire time I have shopped there. Any business that keeps a great employee for that long is doing things right! I will always bring my hard earned money here because of this great service! Keep it up J&L! And thanks John for your continuing great advice!

Best place to get reef supplies at affordable prices, only downside is their hours opening late at 12: 00pm.

Clean, helpful and friendly! All tanks look well taken care of and employees show great enthusiasm being there! Prices are reasonable and can sometime catch a great deal!

J&L always has the parts and equipment that I am looking for. They also have a great selection of fish and corals.

Awesome staff, great variety for saltwater hobbyists. Good deals on livestock. Reply quickly to email inquiries. Much better than Aquariums West

Always very helpful through the years I live in Burnaby. This time I needed help packing some cichlids for moving, they helped me and 23 of them arrived AB all alive!

I have been going to J and L for over 10 years. It is the best place for all your salt water aquarium and fish needs near Vancouver. Staff is always knowledgeable and helpful.

I recently bought my newest reef tank plus all the equipment from J&L and my experience from their team has been exceptional.

After having an issue with a skimmer I had purchased, John, was extremely patient and helpful with trouble shooting the issue. After exhausting all attempts, we together selected a new product.

I went with an Ultra Reef skimmer and man I was not disappointed what so ever. Amazing next level build quality, simplicity and best of all it just dropped in and the skimmer worked flawlessly with zero break-in or fuss.

I can’t say enough good things about John and the staff at J&L! Their passion for the hobby shows and they have been fantastic to work with. Highly recommend shopping with them. First class team and facility! Well deserving of a 5 star review!

The staff at JL are amazing! They are all so knowledgeable and helpful in answering any questions about their livestock and products. As someone new in reefkeeping, they made sure to clearly explain what I needed in troubleshooting any coral/fish issues I had run into. Their selection of dry goods and corals is also very diverse, prices are also very reasonable and fair. I’d definitely recommend JL aquatics as a one stop shop for anyone looking to get into the aquarium hobby!

I've been dealing with this Store for over a decade And I've never had problems with the livestock or their equipment the staff are always willing to help. Prices are a little higher here but but it is worth it do to the quality and organization I would give them a 5 but unfortunately They only have one location And I have to drive across 2 cities to get to them.

Had a slight mishap in shipping my parrot fish must have bit the bag. But because of fast shipping he survived the trek. I shared this information with Jl and got quick response with legitimate concern for the fish and was impressed. All the fish look great they won’t ship something that’s not healthy enough to ship and I really appreciate their level of concern for the well-being of this beautiful animals

Any time we bought a fish from them it had white spots on its body and it died shortly after coming home. Their fishes are almost sick and contagious. They spread their bacteria to whole tank fishes

March 2022 update: still the same J&L - one of the things you can count on with all the crazy stuff going on!

Original review: Really close to me so it's one of my first stops when I need supplies like airline tubing, pumps, filter media, ferts and chemicals for my planted tank; they specialize in saltwater but carry enough general aquarium supplies that all aquarists need.

Knowledgeable and engaged staff are friendly helpful! Prices are competitive and reasonable. Plenty of parking in front of the store. Website is useful and easy to use too.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff. I've always gotten good advice here as I have grown in the hobby.

I've bought plenty of livestock over the years here as well as one of my tanks. I went in today to buy another clownfish and the girl in the back was useless. She wasn't helpful and I ended up walking out the door disappointed without buying anything. Way to expensive and poor service. I'll go to king Ed's tomorrow and buy my fish. Its very unlikely I'll return to j and l aquatics.
Derrick

It's really good place to found what you looking for but my last visit was really bad one of staff she's come to me & ask me you need any help I said no thank you then she's went to my brother asked the same & he tell her no thank you then she's back to me same question.me & brother we never felt comfortable because she's keen walk around & looking at me & bother like we are shoplifter & in our Frist visit we spent $40 for living plant and second visits we spent $37 it's really not nice they judge you by color.

J&L is definitely the best salt water aquarium store in town. Brent is the most knowledgeable salt water master you’ll find. He’s brilliant, friendly and professional! He patiently answered all the questions I need. I highly recommend everyone who’s looking for salt water fish, corals or equipments to shop there!

Top quality salt water fish and
Corals. Lots of supplies. But
Anemones way overpriced.

Great customer service. Brent is very knowledgeable and very nice to deal with. All store staff are helpful and willing to share their experiences with all customers!

While I can understand the existence of supplier shortages, I find it difficult to forgive the fact that I was not informed of this shortage for months until I as the customer took initiative in pressing for more information. For over three months I was kept in the dark about the status of my order (see first image). Compare this to another company I have just ordered from following my order cancellation here: I am to be a given a step-by-step status of my order (see second image). Unfortunately, this other company had to be out of province so I cannot support a local business as was my goal. Again, this is not so much a criticism of your company on the grounds of your competency in sourcing items as it is an expression of my disappointment as a customer.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff that understand the value of customer service. Great store for saltwater aquarium hobbyists and collectors.

I have to say these guys really look after their livestock. Very informative and don't mind being asked lots of questions. When asked to see the fish feed they have no problem demonstrating eating habits. They use quality lighting for the frags and ensure when you buy they are in good health. Very happy shopping here

I love coming to J&L. Prices are fair, and cheaper than most Aquatic stores. The store is neat and organized and the staff are wonderful, and passionate about the fish. The fish themselves usually are very healthy, with well kept tanks. Great store all around.

Primarily for salt water tanks. But I did get a few nice pieces of manzanita wood and some rocks.

Our AI light died one week over warranty so John looked at it and emailed a guy to see if he could get it covered anyway. Within ten minutes he told us that we could have a new light free because they had covered it. It was a pleasure as usual visiting J & L. The staff always go that extra mile. Thanks John

This is one of the few places that carries aquatic hobby plumbing parts. Bulkheads, barb fittings, strainers, hosing. They're a saltwater livestock shop and have some really nice fish in really good condition. Everytime I've been there, the staff is never idle in the fishroom. They are either doing maintenance or cleaning the glass on all the displays. It's easy to see why their livestock is in such good condition. Massive invertebrate selection. Good selection of all aquatic supplies, and even a Tropica plant display. Lots of frozen foods and extensive dry goods. I asked for advice about flow rates for a gravity fed moving bed filter and the person helping me answered without hesitation. It's nice to deal with a shop that really knows their product. Thinking back, it was a pretty obscure question and he even related flow concerns because of the strainer and barb fitting I had chosen. Great shop. Easy to recommend.

The store is awesome and fully stock, but wish some of the front staff be more welcoming, every time i go in i feel so unwelcome, a smile goes a long way!

Excellent store, many quality products if your a beginner or experienced reefer. If you can’t make it into store they have an excellent online store. Website is very well designed and very easy to order products. Quick and easy checkout. I have purchased many products, shipping is fairly quick. I have ordered fish online and there packaging and shipping were very good.
I’ve had to return only once in dozens of products shipped. Very reliable.

If you need Marine Aquarium supplies, this is the place.
They have all the stuff you thought you would never find but they have it.
Frags, fish, and hardware.

This place is the best aquarium shop I’ve been to. They only sell the best quality stuff and their prices are always better than anywhere else. Wish they had more freshwater stuff though!

Very disappointed by customer service

Update, visited a second time thinking the first visit was a fluke. After asking on question I was again met with rude customer service. Staff not willing to assist customers, definitely shopping elsewhere from now on.

Saturday September 19,2020 - quite a long line up to get in. They only allow a handful of people in at a time due to protocols re covid19. Staff wearing masks came outside and helped customers shop for items they were sure they wanted to buy right away. This helped with the wait times and kept everyone happy. Also sharing conversations while in line made the wait worthwhile.

Rave to the customer service we had yest from two young guys who went above and beyond to service us yesterday! Tanks were clean and it’s so worth buying from this store! We hit up a few salt water stores in Van yesterday from Kamloops and they had the best selection and service!
We didn’t catch the names of the two guys but I wanted to make sure they were recognized for their service keep it up
We will be back!

I was hesitant to buy live plants for my new aquarium but these plants are amazing. They were growing in the store in a package under lights which I've never seen before. The plants have grown like crazy and you can almost watch them grow. This place is more for Saltwater Aquariums but plants here are great.

Excellent service they helped me out a lot with all my CO2 questions and needs. Definitely recommend coming here for all your aquarium needs. To bad this place is 45 mins away from me or I'd come here more often.

Great selection of dry products and livestock. Quite knowledgeable staff as well. Sonia in livestock knows her stuff and will always give an honest recommendation. The manager is a stickler for returns, even if you spend $20,000 and want to return a small item. I would encourage him to consider his loyal customers in these feedback systems as many other great stores around BC (Canada Corals, Shoreline Corals, Blue World Aquariums) and out East (Candy Corals, Fragbox, Reefsupplies, etc.) are adding growing competition to the market. I would love to see a quarantine option for customers seeking to minimize disease risk, as well as a purchase point system for valuable customers in line with the competition. Overall, a quality store with good folks who work hard on the front line. Happy to support J & L.

Called shortly before a same day shipping deadline to place an urgent order. Not only did they have the impossible to find tank stand I needed but they hustled to get it shipped out that day for me. It arrived sooner than expected to me in the USA. Fantastic customer service!

Really close to me so it's one of my first stops when I need supplies like airline tubing, pumps, filter media, ferts and chemicals for my planted tank; they specialize in saltwater but carry enough general aquarium supplies that all aquarists need.

Knowledgeable and engaged staff are friendly helpful! Prices are competitive and reasonable. Plenty of parking in front of the store. Website is useful and easy to use too.

The sales person in J&L waited for me past closing time as I was late getting there. Friendly staff. I purchased a CO2 tank there. The price was lower than Amazon and any other place in the Lower Mainland. The store was very clean and well organized with lots of supplies. Would definitely recommend shopping there.

Great group of people. Thanks for always going the extra mile. I appreciate your hard work more than words can describe.

Best price, good service, knowledgeable staff.

Healthy livestock, in the last 10 years I’ve been going here I have never seen a tank in anything but good health.

-1 for less selection on small fish and invertebrates than they use to have, would love to see more of them back.

The staff here are always so friendly and knowledgeable! They’re also amazing at riddles because I have no idea what anything is called and they have always figured it out!

J&L is the quintessential LFS. They are everything a reefer wants. The place is CLEAN. Always well stocked. Their price lists are in full view for all customers, no secrets. Quality fish, quality coral, quality products and a quality staff who run the place like a top.

I had an issue with a part that broke off of my skimmer due to weight as I was moving the assembly to my sump. They said to bring it in, they contacted the manufacturer to see if it could be warrantied as a defect, and they sent me away with a replacement skimmer body.

Excellent service, and they stand behind their product and vendors.

Great store. Found an amazing mesh lid kit that allows for a lot of options for a unique setup. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

If you have Saltwater aquarium you need to see this place. The prices of the hardware and equipment seem to be better than most places. It might even compete with Amazon.

I checked them out on Mar 14'20 while on route to April's for some new fish.

I'm from Edmonton and I shop at J&L Aquatics online. Seriously, I have found the best pricing here that is why I shop J&L. Usually, they are the first store I check when I need something. I've experience great customer service even though I haven't visited the actual store yet. In 30 minutes after placing an order online, they will call me right away if there are any issues with my order to resolve them. My orders are shipped the same day I placed them as well. Thank you!

Best company, great customer service and will only order from them from now on. I am from Quebec and there is no company as dedicated in customer service and making there customer happy like them. Thanks again for responding to all my email and helping me out like you guys did!
Customer for life!

I loved this place. They have a variety of selections for your fishes needs and a beautiful setup in the back with lots of fish and plants.

The premier SW livestock and supply store in the lower mainland. Been saying there for many years. Today I was there for FW supplies which they conveniently carry as well.

The service is awesome and they have a great selection of supplies and live stock. The staff give great advice and are always helpful.

Awesome marine aquarium store, but freshwater aquarium supplies too. Reasonable prices, plentiful stock, great service.

Bought my first reef tank from them and they were really knowledgeable and helpful. J&L is amazing, would highly recommend.

I was just there and there was no customer service. I waited for 30 minutes to get some finish. No one helped even after talking to the boss. I will be spending my money there again.