As I am new to the hobby, I have tons and tons of questions. I also need help that sometimes seems like needing a miracle. When my newly set up fish tank started to show some issues I walked into upscale aquatics hoping to find answers. From the second I walked in to the second I walked out, from the owner on down, everyone was super helpful. They shared their experiences and they shared their knowledge with me. I know that is the way you are supposed to conduct business but you also know when people go above and beyond. I appreciate all the help and advice they had given me in the several times I had gone into that establishment. I am grateful to them. Other big box type pet stores maybe somewhat helpful but when you have to narrow it down to a specific issue there is no doubt in my mind that there is nowhere else to go but upscale aquatics. You will not be sorry and you will leave better than when you walked in. Good luck

Smaller-shop but with a surprising selection. All of the staff are also knowledgeable and friendly. The place is pretty tight and usually rather busy but that is to be expected with quality stuff. Only downside is their corals and inverts are crazy expensive... but in fairness that is market driven. They helped me move over to freshwater though and Im loving having (almost) the same cool tank look without all the maintenance and hassle of salt.

Love, love, love this place!! Only complaint is..I wish they had of ordered more for Labor Day weekend the tanks were almost empty

The store is cramped and crowded and most of the staff and customers do not wear masks. I went back for a second time anyway because they really do have a wonderful selection of fish. Unfortunately, all 3 of the tetras I bought yesterday broke out with ich spots today. Make sure you quarantine your fish.

It’s a wonderful, calming and exciting experience to visit Upscale. Saltwater fish and Freshwater are on opposite sides of store so you’ll know what kind of fish you’re looking at or for. Nearly everything in the store supports a Live aquarium, not a lot of fake decorations; go for the real thing! Beautiful rock to create your seascape, so many live plants to nurture and give your tank a dynamic flow. Anyone in the store will make you feel like you’re the only customer shopping ; I personally like Alden. He’s very patient, and has really cool creative ideas. The staff here are your partners in helping you achieve the tank experience you’ve been wanting!

Great selection and somewhat helpful... wish they would have been a bit more friendly/thorough, but just a one off experience! Hopefully next time there will be a bit more patience with a newbie trying to learn a little before choosing

Friendly staff with extensive knowledge. Would recommend to anyone visiting this store first before buying fishes.

I’ve been out of the hobby for about ten years, and decided I really wanted to dive back in. One of the managers, Phillip, was really friendly and talked with me for about half an hour as well as giving me resources to bone up on my knowledge. Most recently I bought a digital thermometer that didn’t work when I got home. I had lost my receipt, but they were able to verify the purchase and were more than willing to work with me. They were out of the thermometers, but they gave me store credit. The staff are knowledgeable, not on everything, but they can hum the tune to stuff they aren’t as familiar with (I.e.freshwater vs saltwater). Everyone is friendly and helpful. If you go in there on the weekend or may take a little longer, but that’s because they get busy. 10/10 recommended.

I love having a local aquatics store near by! Awesome selection of fish and plants, and seem well taken care of. A bit cramped inside and lots of staff, but not always the easiest to catch their attention.

Best in Charlotte. Great selection, helpful people. Only downside is the small space, hope they can upgrade but doesnt take away from anything.

Great location and friendly staff. Excellent variety of salt and fresh water aquatic life. They do carry axolotls as well. Could use training on logical add-ons to create a more complete sale. I.e. food, feeding tongs, aquarium decorations

These guys and girls have been nothing short of awesome! I just bought a tank for the first time and they have been incredibly patient and helpful. Great group for any beginner to work with and im sure the same can be said for more advanced people! Quick to answer questions and help trouble shoot any issues ive got!

Great place to find some cool fish, worth the drive and always friendly people to help. Can get really busy on the weekends

Impressive store!This store has a tremendous variety of fresh water and salt water animals including fish, snails, crabs, spiders, lobsters coral, sponges, etc. They also have a huge variety of tanks, aquariums, heaters, filters and filtration equipment.The staff appears to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The customer is constantly engaged by the staff with questions, or just bits of information. All in a friendly, non-pushy manner.It has been over 10 years since we invested in aquariums and housing fish. So there was a lot of refreshing of knowledge as well as learning about special aquatic life that we had no experience raising in the past.Becoming the owner of aquatic life is not cheap. It is not something one should do lightly. Many of these creatures can live for years and years if properly cared for by an owner.I strongly encourage potential customers to do yourself and the animals a favor... Invest time in learning about this process. Consider setting up a tank for two weeks before you pick up animals. Make sure your tank environment is in good shape before risking the lives of animals.A second good suggestion is to establish a quarantine tank. This is one where you temporarily home new creatures before adding them to an existing tank. This one suggestion could save an entire society of fish from possible contamination.Lastly, bring a sample of your tank water with you when you are buying new fish. Testing before you place fish in a new tank is just smart. You want the new fish to have the best chance of survival. This store will test your water for free.Cheap insurance for your investment.Comparing prices this store is comparable on the basics with most other stores including the big box stores. Perhaps a little more in some areas.

Great place to find tropical fish they have a large selection and friendly help. I will definitely come back!

Makes me want to get back in the Aquarium hobby. Place has a lot of tanks and some rare fish. I think their stock is low due to the virus affecting imports and shipping. Nice guys running the place. Knowledgeable crew.

The customer service is amazing, Ashlyn is the sweetest ever. The quality of sea life is fantastic. It is very clean, and the rest of the staff isnt bad LOL

Great freshwater selection rare an nano things too nice salt frags an corals knowledgable staff and fair pricing

Used to be a great store, last 2 visits have been a joke. Poor customer service all around! Will definitely be shopping elsewhere! Sad because I was always very pleased!!

Great LFSEvery time I come into this store I am welcomed, there is often an associate ready to help and if theyre busy they arent far by. When I ask if they can get a single fish, its there quickly.Each employee has quality knowledge to share, recommendations, and good advice.Matt the owner goes above and beyond as well to ensure you are happy, your fish are healthy, and you would want to return.Go out into the ether and compare the other fish stores prices and quality of species. Upscale is by far the most fair, they are flexible, and they have solid people working there maintaining the selection. Per the local area, call it 50 miles, no one comes close in quality yet theyll all charge you 3x.Matt you run a good business!

Best tropical fish store I’ve visited. Clean, modern style setup, and loaded with fish selection. So many different oddball fish that you can’t find anywhere else.

Came to Charlotte for 2 days to visit family randomly googled closest fish store where I was. Very impressed with the selection of fresh water fishes. Fishes look really healthy. Great selection on plants too. I bought a bunch of plants and a few fishes and they made sure and added a styrofoam box for the fishes because I was heading all the way to Atlanta.

Never a single problem with my tank for 3 years now suddenly after getting 5 fish from this store 2 died within 4 days, one had ich we didn’t see right away and now half my tank has it. Praying I can save what’s left but never again will I get fish here.In response to the comment below. I ended up loosing another fish (the night i posted this that was purchased from That store at the same time as the others...) I had contacted the store prior to posting and was told sorry we only provide a 72 hour replacement on fish if they die. Was told I could drive all the way up from concord to get my water tested. I have my tank back to running how it was prior just very disappointing.

Great place. Matt the owner is top notch. Great selection of fish saltwater and fresh.

Great selection of freshwater 3 saltwater fish, invertebrates, plants, corals and supplies. Knowledgeable and courteous staff. Everyone masked.

Great aquarium fish selection. I purchased the last albino corydora and some giant danios. Great customer service.

I went today for the first time and everyone was super helpful! If one person didnt know the answer they made sure to find someone who knew more about the question I asked. They were very welcoming and made it a personal experience, even though they were getting busy. They have a wonderful selection of fish and plants, and have very competitive prices. I will definitely be back in the future to get more fish!

The staff there are very helpful and knowledgeable!

Wanted to shop here but employees weren’t wearing masks. Won’t be back.

I love it I didnt even know what it was yet I work in the same shopping center. We had a fish store in PA and I was wishing they had one here I thought it was a place that taught swimming Im glad I stop in the one day,now Im there all the time. I love it.

Nice place ! The knowledgeable staff and friendly fish will have us come to visit often.

Nice place with a large inventory of both saltwater and freshwater fish and invertebrates. Tanks looked well maintained and the livestock healthy. Good range of supplies and I especially appreciated the variety of live plants. Staff was friendly and pricing seemed in line. Think outside the box. Support a local business and check them out.

Beware!! I read the bad reviews and I regret not taking their warning. I knew the prices were higher than other stores but that’s the least of your problems.I have had a tank running for a year with no issues. I spent hundreds on fish and inverts here. People are nice, but they will sell you fish that are too large for your tank or that will eat your corals. Always do your own research because they are out to sell. And make sure to quarantine your new fish!One fish had a wound on it that I only saw when I got home. The next day it was dead and one of the other expensive fish had velvet. This is the worst nightmare of the fish world. It will kill your fish and fast. Even after treatment I ended up losing everything because of their sick fish. It’s heartbreaking and a very costly lesson.

Great people and very knowledgeable staff.

Lots of variety. Knowledgeable staff

Upscale has a wide variety of both Salt and Freshwater fish. The Saltwater fish are my favorite because of the bright and vibrant colors. The employees are always helpful when I asked for assistance. Knowledge about food, tank set up, and tank maintenance makes me confident in being able to maintain my own fish tank. If you need any help they even have a tank installation and maintenance services. Overall, great store, great help and great selection of fish.

SEE EDITWe looove this place! Every time we go they have something new (and maybe unusual). Very friendly and knowledgeable staff.EDIT: my husband and I were shocked when we visited last weekend. We loved this store especially because the people. This was not the case. Im not sure if there are new employees or management or what but we were not treated friendly or even had anyone happy to help. The guy getting our fish smashed one in a hurry which ended up dying that same night. My husband spent $100 by the way. He took the fish back the next day and they had an even worse attitude. They said our water was bad (which was fine, but why treat loyal customers rudely) and gave him a $25 store credit on a $45 fish. We will spend that $25 and never go back. I am so upset because we really loved this place. Shocking and confusing.

Good shop for fish keepers. They have cool fish Collection. Staffs are knowledgeable and helpful. Good collection of aquarium substrates and plants. They also do free water sample tests. I was happy to come to this shop for my aquarium needs. However felt prices are on little higher side. They do not do price match. On one occasion I requested for a price match for aquarium substrate. The owner initially agreed to give for little less price. When enquired about correct price match, I was told to check the shop who were selling for less price in a rude way in front of other customers and in front of the staffs. Decided not to purchase anything in future from this shop. Please be kind to your customers.

Very approachable owner, this store is seemingly always making tweaks for a better shopping experience.Has all your aquarium hobbyist needs whether its saltwater or fresh water, Exotics or something simple.I havent found a place that can beat his pricing, Ive been to most locations within 45-50 miles of Denver, NC. Majority of the staff seem knowledgeable at the very least friendly willingness to help.

An Amazing selection for any need! Plus a friendly and helpful staff! We will return.

Great guys helped alot with my new nano

To start off Im no hater of this place many fishes to choose from and the staff is very attentive the customer service overall is great and for my 1st time there I was satisfied till some stuff started ocurring. Now speaking of quality, the fish seem to be in bad health that being said I will elaborate we bought 4 tetras 4 snails 5 guppys and 2 plants. We got there saw all the fish spent maybe like 1 hr there like I said many fishes to choose from we maybe saw like 5 deadfishes while we were there didn’t really think much of it then we also saw a fish killing a fish again didn’t really think much of it still went an bought the fish.On the drive home we noticed out of the 4 snails we bought there was an empty shell in one of them so we went back and let them know they gave us another snail then on the drive home again one of the 4 tetras died in the bag then at home we noticed one of the 3 tetras left was acting weird and had small white stuff around his mouth so we quarentined the fish. Now the guppys out of the 5, 1 of them one was biting the fins off the other guppys so we quarentined him. The next day we went back and let them know again like I mentioned very great customer service we took back the dead fish sick tetra and the aggressive guppy no problem there. Later that day out of the 2 tetras left 1 of them dies we just threw him out didn’t feel like driving 40 minutes to let them know about another dead fish.Now today I noticed the last tetra acting weird I check and he has white stuff growing around his mouth which is commenly known as mouth rot disease which is caused by poor water quality, but he is currently in quarentine while we treat him. Out of the 4 guppys left one of them seems to also be in bad health so he is also in quarentine. So now my point is the fish in this store are in bad health i don’t feel its right to be selling sick fishes to the customers and having them bring in a water sample when we from the start dont know how your water quality is? Now to end this I own 20 fishes and have 5 tanks in my home and I have never multiple fish die in my tank in a such short period. Great place Great service just bad quality in the product which can destroy a tank if not caught on time.

Went in as beginners went home with great healthy fish guys there are very knowledgeable and helpful!

Always love the stocking, loads of cichlids and genuine helpful staff.

Sometimes bigger isn’t better. This place is smaller and kinda tight to move in but they have a diverse selection on both the fresh and salt water side. Even down to nano fish and hard to find things. Plenty of helpful staff!

Great products and a great selection of livestock.

Great place to find fish of all kinds. Huge selection of all kinds of fish, even ones Ive never seen before. Priced pretty fair as well.

Amazing, great selection of high quality fish, rocks and supplies. Better yet, the customer service is outstanding. Please support this local retailer and you will be rewarded with a great experience.

Best aquarium store on the east coast. Wisest selection and knowledge is top tier.

Always someone new that don’t know anything every fish I bought has died

This is what a fish store should be. Reasonable prices and absolutely jam packed with fish tanks and isles so narrow you can barely squeeze past people. They are definitely geared more towards freshwater than saltwater.

Awesome place to go for your fish needs. Staff very knowledgeable and helpful. My go to place for fish.

Love this place, they have everything you need!!!

Love this place. My husband and I come here very often. Great customer service and the staff are so very helpful.

We get all our salt water fish here! Best place around.

Upscale Aquatics is an amazing place! Very knowledgeable and kind staff. Premium fish store! With saltwater and freshwater fish. Matt can get anything that you want! All fish are well taken care of and healthy. Everytime I walk in I see something new that I want. Such a great selection of fish. Wonderful and knowledgeable staff. Has odd ball and exotic fish. I always go in with a lot of time because I know Ill be in there awhile!

Hands down. This is the best fish store Ive found in 20 years of being in the hobby! They do carry some basic fish at standard prices, but their selection of uncommon fish blew me away!! And they are reasonably priced for what you are buying. Yeah, a zebra pleco is $100. Thats market price. But they have them on hand, healthy, and you dont have to pay $50 in shipping!

A TON of different aquatic creatures.

My favorite fish store in the state! Its a smaller store but it is filled wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor with freshwater fish/plants/accessories and saltwater fish/corals/accessories. Always worth the trip!

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Large variety of fish and everything else you may need for your aquarium.

Definitely worth checking out all the different species of fish and coral. Services are great and staffs are helpful.

First time here, setting up a micro aquarium. Everyone was so knowledgeable and helpful. Made me feel extremely confident with my purchases. Prices competitive to online dealers which surprised me. Will be driving the 50 mins. again!

Beautiful setup with rooms seperating the different types of fish. We went when it was busy but were still helped by knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Amazing cars and amazing staff

They took my three goldfish and my clown plecowhen i couldn’t care for those high care needed fishthey were so nice about it when i left i felt good they were going to get the best care and best future homevery nice people and give you the right information on things for my next tank!

This place is awesome!!! Lots of cool and unique fish and plants. Staff is super friendly and they deff know their stuff when it comes to aquatics. Here is a piece of driftwood i purchased .... it looks perfect! I will deff be back for more stuff soon.

AWESOME PLACE.

The absolute best place in Charlotte for different types of fish and plants. Just very busy on Saturday. Staff is very knowledgeable and super friendly

This is the best place I have found to fulfill all my saltwater tank needs. Hands down will go here Everytime.

I recently went here to get some hillstream loaches but they werent in stock at the time, came back a few days later and there they were. I even ended up purchasing 2 other fish. They have a great selection of all kinds of fish and a lot of aquarium accessories to choose from!

Always a great selection, clean tanks and good prices. Matt and his crew do not disappoint

Coolest selection of freshwater fish that my husband and I have come across... and we’ve been to quite a few fish supply stores. They have a broad spectrum of Saltwater stuff also. They seem to be very knowledgeable in everything we were looking at, and made sure we knew what was required with the fish we bought. The customer service was great, and the fish looked healthy except one tank that they had a sign on and was taking care of. ️Overall Great experience, and will be driving our 2 hour drive to visit in the future again before too long, I’m sure.

Good variety of salt and fresh water fish. Also a decent selection for freshwater plants. I am starting up a freshwater tank and the staff was VERY knowledge about the plant growth and were able to help me choose the right plants for the aesthetic I wanted :D

By far the best selection (especially freshwater) of aquarium products and pets in the area.

Great store for all your fish needs. I have purchased fish and plants a few times and all have done well. Employees are knowledgeable and will answer your questions. Prices are too be expected. Certainly not overpriced and usually cheaper or the same as some other LFS. Good place overall.

Great place to go. People, especially Ryan, are Very knowledgeable . It is the cleanest fresh and saltwater Aquarium store you will find.

The prices are a lil high, but hot young boys are always great to look at

Insane selection. Amazing staff. Owner is awesome!

Lots of friendly and helpful staff. Good selection!

Knowledgable and friendly staff with alot of selection.

Great selection of fish! Plants and things can be pricey though.

Awesome inventory, knowledgeable staff, nice setup of the tanks and lighting, prices are good, they have a little of everything you could need or want for any of your fresh or saltwater needs. Sometimes it can get a little crowded, but thats just because its a great store. I would and do recommend this store on a regular basis because its the best store Ive found within a couple hour radius from home. Check them out, I promise you wont be disappointed!

Great variety of African Cichlids but for whatever reason the majority of them are always in bad shape. Sunken belly, ICK, etc. Do some quarantining or get your fish from a better fish farm. If you guys could clean up the health issues Id be giving you 5 stars.

Wow! This store is amazing!! The owner Matt and all the staff are extremely knowledgeable and experienced and are always eager to assist in any way they can. They will spend as much time with a customer as needed and never act like any question is too trivial or any task too great. The selection of both freshwater and saltwater creatures and plants is astounding and visiting this store is more fun and interesting than a visit to the marine section of Discovery Place. I have seen fish, corals and innumerable saltwater/freshwater animals than I can count many I never knew existed! Being an avid fish lover and aquarium owner since discovering this fantastic store I visit every week and often more than once a week and I have never been less than totally satisfied and happy with my experience. I cannot recommend this store and its wonderful staff enough!

Super impressed with the selection of fish, plants, and driftwood. The guys at the store were super helpful and gave me a great deal on driftwood!

Great place to buy fish and equipment. Very clean and well organized. Staff very well knowledgable.

They did a great job with the fish tank at work....

Really nice selection from corals to fresh and salt water fish to shark eggs

Great staff. Excellent selection of fish,plants, and aquarium supplies. Always a pleasure to do business with these guys.

They just do bad business with ppl, I wouldnt tell anyone to go there!

Upscale Aquatics has helped me through the period of stress and heartache, that all new aquarium owners have, so well. I have complete trust in them. You may notice that a lot of their staff seems young. Dont let that fool you. While each individual person there may not know about everything they stock (which is to be expected when dealing with a constantly changing stock), I have never been too far from someone who could answer any of my questions. They definitely made the right hiring decisions, and their staff seems to get along very well, that I never sense any drama or tension, which is a rare treat. Their return policy is very clearly stated in several places around the store, and while it might not be as good as Nordstroms return policy (But then again, whose is?), I believe it is standard for the industry.It can get a little cramped in there, but that is a good sign because people keep coming back. I have yet to be able to get Java Moss there, because they were sold out. While this might seem bad, this is yet another a good sign, because when I was was doing research before getting into the hobby I was told, over and over again, Any fish store worth going to, will probably be sold out of Java Moss. The stuff simply cant be grown as fast as people need it.

Great staff, lots of fish. Definitely going back!

Small crowded place but good selection of fish you dont get anywhere else.

Very friendly, helpful and the most knowledge fish store I have ever shopped.

Upscale has a very wide variety of fish. freshwater, saltwater and coral. Their staff are educated and fairly friendly.

Just stopped into the store this past Saturday as my family and I were in town for a cheerleading competition. I planned on coming back Sunday to buy fish from their amazing selection of freshwater and saltwater fish before my trip home. They literally had so many fish I had never seen in my own Local fish stores and I wanted them all, lol. Time didn’t end up permitting me to make it back but the staff had informed me they now ship and I’m only 3.5 hrs away so I will do that for sure. Anyways, my review is long but I was so impressed with the store, staff, and selection that it deserves a long review. I walked in and the store was pretty busy but right away I had someone offering to help me (wish I could remember his name, he had long hair in a pony tail is all I can remember) but this guy was great! Not only did he take the time to offer me help, he was friendly, informative, and really made me feel like I was a VIP customer. I was there for about an hour and when the first guy wasn’t helping me with the tons of questions I had, the rest of the staff made sure I was finding what I wanted and were very friendly and informative as well! This place is a very classy store with one of the best fish selections I’ve seen. The staff treated me great, made me feel comfortable and knew what they were talking about. I would give this place 10/10 if I could and would recommend them to anyone in the hobby new or old!! Thank you upscale aquatics for the great experience!!

Beautiful fish and coral. Friendly staff.

Great staff. Knowledgeable, friendly and great service. Selection is amazing and they maintain their tanks top notch!

Huge store. The selection is great

Tanks were very dirty. Wanted to buy a few frags but all were covered in algae.