I'm probably the a**hole here but still...
I had a good relationship with a salesperson at Animal Ark. In the old days I worked at least 5 years in fish stores, I know my stuff. I am a picky customer, new to the area, setting up new tanks. I guess I look like a square old Kingwood dad. :(
The Animal Ark salesperson I usuall dealt with was flexible, allowing me to catch and bag my own fish. Like I said, I'm picky.
Recently, I saw some new stock and wanted to catch and buy a few fish but the usual salesperson was absent. The new person refused, I appealed to the owner who also refused. I appealed again, and they mumbled some excuse. I shrugged and expressed that if I can't select my own fish and catch them (ensuring they are the right sex, etc, and in the condition I want them) then I would have to start looking for another store with this flexibility. The salesperson shrugged and said "That's fine."
I guess they don't need my business, which is too bad because that place in Atascocita is atrocious.
Looks like I'll have to drive to Fish Gallery or Houston Aquatics in the future.
Thanks for listening :) 

you tried this place on 242 on the way to the woodlands/conroe area? pretty big place and been there a while...

https://www.facebook.com/fishrushouston 

You could look for another place to buy fish...

or

you could go back when your preferred salesperson is working there 

ericb -- thanks for the suggestion! 

I like Fish R Us. They have good, healthy stock. But I doubt they will let you go "fishing". 

Self fishing is traumatic for the poor chased fish.

Get a life - and quit teasing the defenseless fish...jmho 

Get a life - and quit teasing the defenseless fish
You get a life - I'm better at catching the right fish anyways :) 

I am picky, too...but I have never had a problem when requesting a particular fish ANYWHERE...Animal Ark included.

To them you could be any ole dude with no clue what he's doing.

If I owned a fish store am I supposed to allow every person who comes in wanting to scoop their own fish to potentially harm them?

I don't think so.

I'd just kind of get over it...it's really not that big of a deal.

Not being rude, that's just my opinion. Anyhow, hope you found the fish elsewhere you were looking for. 

Lookie here. Jefro complaining about another business. Dude has some issues when he doesn't get his way. 

Guess you had to look long and hard to find a post from a year ago... I was in Animal Ark two weeks ago and that store is nasty and a fire trap. Could not even get down the aisles to look at anything due to things stacked everywhere. Smelled REALLY bad too. 

Agree Andrew!!! I used to buy mealy worms there- got tired of over half of them dead when I got home. The employees were insulted when I asked them to open them up so I could inspect them. Started buying them at Petco-self serve and I can open them up to make sure they are still alive!! And that "marine fish room"? They should be arrested for animal cruelty for the condition of the stock in there!!! 

Hey there eggplant, no I didn't look hard and far and wide at all. Just look in jefro's profile history. Pretty easy. 

Say what you want, but Animal Ark carries the best reptile supplies all around. No frills Mom and Pop operation without gimmicks, membership cards or other. Everyone is so quick to support the Private Business Man, and criticize them as well. If you are not happy with your purchases here or anywhere, as you would any Big Box store, take it back and give them the chance to make it right by you. 

They do have frequent buyer cards. Also, the staff is nice, but on the weird side. The store is very gross and dirty. The feeder fish always introduced illness to my tanks I don't buy from there anymore. That store needs an overhaul. Who buys all those bugs as pets anyway, get rid of that crap animal ark. 

I don't know if many of you remember this. There was a shipment of expensive koi that missed their flight connection from Florida heading West somewhere. In the heat of the summer, the fish were starting to die on the tarmac. There were hundreds of bags containing hundreds of koi of all types. Animal Ark owner rescued them. He housed them quickly into available aquariums but they were too numerous. Rather than let them die in an over crowded situation, the owner offered them up for adoption to the Kingwood public where they all found good homes. These were very expensive koi. Maybe he made a profit by the few he was able to keep. But he did the right thing for the ones he had no room for. 

*removed* ( by SiFigh)



Note: opinions are welcome based on experience but personal insults are not. 

Say what you want, but Animal Ark carries the best reptile supplies all around. No frills Mom and Pop operation without gimmicks, membership cards or other.


All of that has nothing to do with the fact that the store is VERY overcrowded, dirty and smelly inside. The can be and are very nice people and accommodating they just need to clean up a bit, QUITE a bit. It is a turn off to go into a place like that, 

Animal Ark is scary at first but I've had nothing but a positive experience going there. The staff is definitely unique, but they're always friendly. I go there at least a couple times a month. Plus, my kids love going there to look at the animals and the staff is always happy to let them pet and hold the animals. 

Just stuck, that was a different owner- the old owners had kittens in one cage- all of them were sick- it was awful- the store these days the place looks completely didifferent, and really nice- 

the store these days the place looks completely didifferent, and really nice-?


Maybe they cleaned it up in the past couple of weeks +/-. When I was in there the week of July 7th you could not even walk down the aisle to look at the dog toys due to the aisles being blocked by boxes and carts. 

It could be they just had a shipment- 

was it the old owner who had some employee complaints?