Pet Zone Tropical Fish Reviews 924

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

2.7

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 74 reviews, most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Many customers expressed dissatisfaction with the products received, noting issues with quality, such as fish arriving weak, dead, or with health problems like ich. There were also frequent complaints about orders, including incorrect items, missing products, and unfulfilled orders. A significant number of people also reported difficulties with delivery services, citing issues like improper packaging, delayed shipments, and items arriving in poor condition due to transit. Furthermore, a strong consensus among reviewers indicated poor experiences with customer contact, as many found it hard to reach anyone via email, phone, or website messages, and often received no response or unhelpful replies.

What people talk about most

Product

Consumers find product quality and availability to be ambiguous. While some reviewers praise the healthy... See more

Quality

Users describe ambiguous interactions with quality. Some customers report receiving healthy fish and shrimp,... See more

Order

Customers had ambiguous experiences with order. While some reviewers praised quick deliveries, with orders... See more

Delivery service

People report ambiguous experiences with delivery service. While many customers praise fast shipping and... See more

Customer communications

Customers consistently note negative experiences with contact. Many reviewers report significant difficulty... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Fish looked very weak upon arrival. It’s recovering but very slowly. I question the quality. I requested more on the larger size bc they said between 4-6 inches. I expected 5-6. If you cannot a comod... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

4/6 of my fresh water clams died, one came dead, three were seemingly okay, but died close to a week later with great water parameters (yes I checked with the API master kit) and the tanks had always... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I ordered several fish for an Easter tank, but unfortunately, the website’s inventory wasn’t up to date and many were out of stock. When the first half of my order arrived, the bags were only a quar... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

At first I thought your website was good. I found what I wanted, and placed the order. I received a verification notice with order number after I completed the order. The next day I received an updat... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Pet Store

Information provided by various external sources

Online Tropical Fish Store & Pet Shop serving the San Diego area. We specialize in Aquascaping, Flowerhorns, Arowana, Cichlids, Rare Plecos, Discus & many other rare & exotic Tropical Fishes from all around the world! We also carry a huge variety of f...


Contact info

2.7

Poor

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

924 reviews

5-star
4-star
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1-star

Replied to 85% of negative reviews

Typically takes over 1 month to reply

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Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Mislabeled frog and bad communication

I ordered one of the platinum dwarf frogs from this website and it came in fast, alive, and is doing well. However, the frog I actually received is a blonde dwarf frog instead of the platinum. I emailed the help email and they responded in a very unprofessional manner (I had to email again for clarification to understand what the first email response meant) and told me that the blonde and platinum frogs are the same, even though they're listed as 2 different frogs on their website.

8 October 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Stefani — sorry for the confusion and for any frustration caused by our email communication. We’re glad the frog arrived safely and is doing well. Please message us with Reference #34607 so we can review the order details and the listing/variant and help with a resolution.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Aquarium fish

Pet Zone has many many fish to choose from and useful info on each one.
I received them quickly and they were all healthy and ready for their new home.

19 October 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always request overnight shipping.

Second try, with overnight shipping this time and all fish are ok after a couple of weeks now.
It is recommended in the webpage and in the guarantee's statements. It might be useful for first time buyers a flag if overnight shipping is mistakenly not chosen.

3 October 2025
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Worms were shipped without ice packs

Worms were shipped without ice packs. Whether by mistake that the store won’t take responsibility for or on purpose which is very unethical- cruel even if they are worms. Packaged correctly with cooling, priority mail arrives quickly enough, no need for overnight. However, if they had arrived DOA packaged correctly with ice packs then I would take responsibility for the selected shipping. These worms never had a chance , again either by mistake (hopefully, but own it) or with full knowledge, which is very poor business practices.

7 October 2025
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Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Steven — per our Live Arrival/DOA policy, USPS (bare minimum) shipments are not guaranteed for live arrival, and that shipping method was selected for this order. Policy here: https://www.petzonesd.com/live-arrival-guarantee/

If you message us with Reference #34617 and photos of the packaging, we can still review the pack-out and respond directly.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I thought I ordered 4 pieces of…

I thought I ordered 4 pieces of manzanita wood. I think ordered 2 pieces XL and 2 pieces L. What I received was a box of 4 pieces of single branches, no side shoots, approx 12 inches and a bunch of pieces all 2-3 inches. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this. I suppose it technically meets the description but is definitely not what I was hoping for.

10 October 2025
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Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Joseph — sorry it didn’t meet expectations. Manzanita is listed as assorted and piece shape/branching varies; the photos on the listing show examples of what can be received, and the pack-out reflects the selected size tier and price point. Please message us with Reference #34651 and a photo of the pieces you received — we can review and help you find a better fit. For more specific/branchy “show” pieces, we also have WYSIWYG options (exact piece shown) at a higher price range.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

There were no worms in the bag

There were no worms in the bag. It was a single plastic bag that smelled rancid and whatever liquid was in it leaked all over the inside of the box.

Ordered 10/1 and received "item" on 10/14

1 October 2025
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Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Gerald — we’re really sorry to hear that. A leaking bag and arriving empty is not acceptable, and we understand how frustrating that is. Please message us with Reference #34397 and photos of the box/packaging as received so we can review it with our shipping team. For transparency, this order shipped via USPS, which is not covered under our Live Arrival/DOA guarantee. You can review the policy here: https://www.petzonesd.com/live-arrival-guarantee/

That said, we still want to look into what happened and respond directly.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

One of the fish was dead before arrival.

One of the fish was dead before arrival.

7 October 2025
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Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Max — we’re sorry to hear that. For transparency, this order shipped via USPS, which is not covered under our Live Arrival/DOA guarantee. Our policy is here: https://www.petzonesd.com/live-arrival-guarantee/

If you message us with Reference #34526 and include photos of the packaging/contents as received, we can still review what happened and respond directly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The black worms arrived dead and rancid…

The black worms arrived dead and rancid and sent 2 emails and no reply

27 September 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Thomas — we’re sorry to hear that, and we also apologize if your emails weren’t answered in a timely manner. For transparency, this order shipped via USPS, which is not covered under our Live Arrival/DOA guarantee per our policy: https://www.petzonesd.com/live-arrival-guarantee/

Please message us here with Reference #34249 and photos of the packaging/contents as received so we can review what happened and respond directly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I will admit I was skeptical about…

I will admit I was skeptical about ordering the fish online. I was extremely pleased with the Chinese Banded Hi-Fin's when they arrived and they are happily acclimated to their new 2400 gallon home.

27 September 2025
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely terrible experience

Absolutely terrible experience, I ordered one shrimp and one snail. My shrimp came alive but my snail showed up with an empty snail shell. The box was completely full of random trash, it was the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen. My shrimp was shipping to me for over a week when it said arrive in 1-2 days. Will I be sent a new snail? Since I paid for one and never received it.

26 September 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Ash — sorry to hear this. Our packaging includes protective insulation/materials to keep livestock safe in transit, but we understand your concern. If the snail arrived as an empty shell, please message us with Reference #34228 and photos of the shell and packaging so our team can review and assist with the appropriate resolution.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

1/3 animals ordered arrived DOA

1/3 animals ordered arrived DOA. Shipping was fast, but animals were improperly packing for being sent to a region with 90+F weather. No cooling pack was in the box, and when opened the bag containing the crabs was very hot. When we tried to contact support about the DOA they said it was not available because we selected USPS when ordering, but we selected the only option available which was FedEx. The tracking number for the order was only ever through FedEx. Customer service was confusing and unhelpful, and did not reply in coherent sentences. Won't buy from this place again.

27 August 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Madalin — we’re sorry you had this experience, especially in hot weather. We understand the concern about packing and we also apologize for the confusion in communication. For transparency, this order shipped via USPS, which is not covered under our Live Arrival/DOA guarantee per our policy: https://www.petzonesd.com/live-arrival-guarantee/

That said, please message us with Reference #33767 and photos of the box/packing materials as received so we can review what happened on our end and respond directly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dead upon arrival …

Ordered California black worms and they died in the mail. Seller should have contacted us prior to shipping to emphasize they are not confident in shipping alive. Seller refuse refund

28 July 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi there, Very,

We’re sorry to hear that the blackworms didn’t arrive in good condition. Live blackworms are extremely sensitive to transit conditions, and while we always do our best to package them for survival, they are a delicate item with a known risk when shipped.

Our live arrival policy, which is agreed to at checkout, does not cover blackworms due to their fragility and the inconsistency of delivery conditions beyond our control. This is also clearly stated on our product listing and shipping policies.

That said, we are always working to improve transparency and communication, and we appreciate your feedback. If you have any further concerns, feel free to reach out to help@petzonesd.com.

—Pet Zone SD Customer Service Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Horrible I was gonna buy a puffer fish…

Horrible I was gonna buy a puffer fish they recommended I get an Oscar with the puffer fish I paid the $70 have it shipped to my house Oscar ate the puffer fish horrible recommendation I then called them and explain to them what happened and they said somebody would be reaching out to me ask for my email and phone number And that has not happened as of right now I do not recommend this company I feel as they have horrible fish techs that don’t know what they’re talking about as it goes for fish and what to put other fish with

25 July 2025
Pet Zone Tropical Fish logo

Reply from Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Hi Aaron,

We’re sorry to hear that you were dissatisfied, but we want to clarify a few key points for the record. At no point did our team recommend keeping an Oscar with a puffer fish—this request was made by you, and we simply honored your request after explaining typical compatibility concerns.

We also want to note that your original shipment was scheduled for Monday with standard overnight delivery. You requested a last-minute Saturday delivery, which incurs a weekend surcharge from all carriers. To accommodate this, we canceled the original label and created a new one for Saturday—explaining this clearly during our communication.

While we always try our best to provide top-tier service and support, we also take note when interactions become hostile or unreasonable. We stand by our team’s handling of this situation and their professionalism throughout the process.

If you’d like to resolve this further, you’re welcome to reach out to our team at help@petzonesd.com.

—Pet Zone SD Customer Support

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