Reviews

Six months ago I started with maybe six of these bad boys now I’m up to my eyeballs. It is extremely satisfying to watch them shoot out runners all over the place and just “take over” the ground cover. They are currently battling my dwarf hair grass, which I also got from here.

Imagine this, picking up the same aquarium hobby you had as a kid. However things have changed you’re an adult now and not only can you have an actual tank instead of a bowl but the world of fish keeping and aquatic plants are way more vast than that half dead gold fish your dad won you at the town fair.

This was me six months ago or so, I picked this hobby back up on a complete and utter whim. I was doing the usual shop here and there at big brand pet stores. But there was something missing from this hobby of mine and I didn’t know what it was at first. Throughout my endless hours of watching YouTube videos and chatting with people on fish groups in Facebook I met the owner of Windy City Aquarium. She started telling me about her business and what she has to offer me, then it hit me, this is what was missing! A local fish store! A store that not only cares about what products they are pushing but also making sure their customers are happy.

Fast forward a couple pay checks and I wind up purchasing a decent quantity of plants of all varieties, which by the way are excellently priced and all still alive in my tank! I ordered some Java moss, a handful of dwarf hair grass, handful of dwarf Sagittarius, guppy grass, hornwort, a couple of petite Anubis. I was excited as all get up to get this planted tank going. A day or two go by and they arrived on my door step alive and well, which was impressive for it being the middle of summer. Gabriella is outstanding she sent me a message asking how the plants were when I received them, if they were alive and healthy. A couple of weeks go by and I reached out to Gabriella asking what I can only explain as silly novice questions about guppy grass. She responded that same afternoon and with the knowledge I was looking for. I couldn’t pay for this kind of care and passion at a big brand pet store. This kind of care and passion only comes from local fish stores and from someone who actually cares.

After some convincing of my better half I wound up ordering some shrimp from WCA as well. Just a handful of cherry shrimp and a couple of Amano to spruce up the tank a little. After a short delay (I believe they were moving, completely understandable I hate moving) they were shipped out. She must of been tracking the package as hard as I was because once I got them she was asking me all the same questions again “are they alive? How are they?” And yes they were all alive and kicking. I drip acclimated them for a few hours and in the tank they went. All shrimp survived!! I couldn’t believe it. I kept in touch with her updating her throughout the week showing her the shrimp to which she always responded with positivity. Then tonight I notice while gazing at my tank right down in the substrate hiding peacefully under all the hair grass and Sagittarius is one lone itty bitty baby cherry shrimp. These suckers are doing so well they are reproducing and if that ain’t the coolest thing to ever happen in any tank then I don’t know what is. For not only is the cherry shrimp successfully reproducing but the Amano is also buried as well. Obviously Amano need a bit more work to help their reproduction but this review ain’t about that.

This review is to prove that deep dish pizza ain’t the only good thing to come out of Chicago. Out on the Chitown streets there is a local fish store that is willing to sell you not just a vast quantity of products but they are grade A quality too. They will answer any silly old question you have and make sure that your products get to you in a timely fashion and will get a hold of you to make sure everything is well with them on arrival. Honestly I’m impressed with every interaction I have with this store. I personally can not wait until I buy a bigger tank just so I can buy even more shrimp and plants from them. 12 out of 10 would recommend!!!

I initially got DM'd from the owner because I had made a post on r/aquaswap about needing some plants. They were really nice and understanding. The plants that I received are in excellent health - and I actually received a lot more than I was expecting. It was only $5 and i got 3-4 decent sized stems of water wisteria (that actually have submersed growth btw. For some reason it's kind of hard to find in its submerged state) - my fish/mystery snail were immediately climbing and swimming in and around it. It's a really nice feeling supporting a LFS that also obviously takes what they're doing seriously, so it's safe to say that I will be a returning customer lol. The customer service is excellent, there was a small hiccup but it was immediately corrected so I definitely recommend! ♡

Reached out to purchase a plant package for a new tank. Unsure of what I needed, Windy City Aquariums helped me not only identify ideal plants, but also took time to answer questions about their care and needs. The extra help that they provided made me more confident in starting a planted tank. The plants they sent also exceeded expectations. Plants were lush and colorful, and sizable compared to what I've seen at other stores. I would definitely purchase plants and supplies here again, and I'm looking forward to my next purchase!

I ordered three horned nerites from Windy City Aquariums and had a fantastic experience. They answered all of my many questions with expertise and helpful tips, held onto my stock for me as I finished cycling my tank (with their help), and even helped to schedule the shipping to give my little snail guys the best chance on their journey from Chicago to sunny South Florida in July. They were carefully packaged with a cold pack and insulation, plus plenty of padding. All of them arrived happy and healthy and are now making quick work of the algae in my tank. I am so grateful for this vendor and will continue to order from them in the future.

I was looking for a great plant starter kit to upgrade my entirely fake decor betta tank. That's exactly what I got. From frogbit to dwarf sag and coffeefolia. I got everything I needed and then some. If I ever have more plant needs this is one of the places I'll look to first. The plants arrived in great shape after 2 days of traveling in heat and were as fresh as if they took them out their own tank this morning before I got them.

I ordered some java moss and guppy grass, as well as 6 nerites. Im in Houston, so I also got the extra ice pack to give the snails the best chance of surviving COVID mail delays. Seller suggested waiting until the beginning of the week to ship to ensure it wouldnt be sitting in the heat over the weekend. Everything arrived in good shape. Snails got a nice long drip acclimation and are zooming around. Guppy grass starting to perk up, moss looks great. Great communication and product.

Their macro and micro nutrient fertilizers are Gods way of making you believe you can actually have a beautiful and lush scape. I dosed my planted tank (with skrimpies) and the next day my plants had grown like 6 inches! They were so strong and hearty! It was a beautiful sight. I cant say enough good things. The wonderful directions for every thing was incredibly helpful for a novice enthusiast as myself. 20/20/20 would recommend, buy again & spend all my money.