Ark Pet Shop

Category:	Pet Store
Address:	2400 W Lincoln Hwy, Merrillville, IN 46410, USA
Phone:	+1 219-769-0661
Site:	arkpetshop.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–8PM 10AM–6PM 11AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

sacslc081868

Great prices, great service, amazing knowledge, friendly people. Im appalled by some of the reviews and comments Ive read about this store and heres why. Ive been going to The Ark sporadically for more than 28 years or so. Bought my mom a puppy there in 1987 when I left for the military. Yes they used to sell dogs! My wife and I got heavy into fish in the mid 90s and received most of our education in this store. Over the years weve gotten to know the owner Tom a bit and he and his staff have always been friendly and dedicated to good customer service. Ill add that while we have known him for a long time our relationship is just that of a long time satisfied customer. With that said I understand that he has a business to run and I never expect preferential treatment beyond good customer service. Ive seen some comments about terrible service and having to wait for someone to help them. Really? Been to Walmart lately? They are busy for a reason. Clearly they have great knowledge, friendly service and great prices or they wouldnt be packed every time Ive ever been in the store. And heres the best part. We have not been in this store for more than 12 years until just recently. We got out of the fish hobby when we started our family and built a new home. We packed up all of our tanks and equipment and just gave it all away. We recently put a 55 gallon African Cichlid tank together to go in our business. We bought the tank on a whim at Petsmart because the kit was on sale. We went back to the Ark however to buy fish for it. After all this time nothing has changed. Still the same great store theyve always been. For this reason we just set up a beautiful coral reef in a column tank with a stand and bought everything from The Ark. We did plenty of price comparisons because we were on a budget and The Ark was priced better than most of these big pet super stores and their knowledge surpasses anything youll get at these big chain stores. We also purchased a glass terrarium to house our daughters 4 land hermit crabs. Again their price was unbeatable. We own a small business and we understand how hard it is to compete with the big chains but The Ark has done their homework. Pair that up with knowledge and friendly service and Id say I have no reason to go anywhere else. I think some of these people have to get over themselves long enough to realize what really caused them to write a poor review of such an outstanding business. Sorry, I cant get upset when a small business has at least 5 or more employees and the owner on the floor on a Saturday all running around like crazy trying to service the 15 people in their store and doing it with a smile. As for the guy wanting the store to buy back his fish which is what the in store credit really is. Ive never known any store to do that except on the rare occasion that they are trading in something rare and of significant size and value. That is just too risky for any pet store to do in my opinion. Well there you have it. An honest review from a guy who has been going to this store for a very long time, who left for a long time and came back just as satisfied as when he left. Thanks Ark pet shop! Keep up the great work!!

A Private User

I had spent a tremendous amount of money in the saltwater section of the store, upwards of 2 thousand over the course of few months. This money was spent on livestock and rock, not lighting or anything. I also got my friends hooked on saltwater aquariums and suggested they go to The Ark. They have high quality coral and fish generally, and sometimes exceedingly rare ones. Naturally, the workers at the store got to know me on a face basis and generally cut a bee-line to me, knowing that I generally spend a lot there. The aforementioned information is the basis of my 2 stars. But there was a sort of falling out that takes away heavily from the store. Everything was friendly for a long time, but the problem occurred when I moved away. I wasnt able to take my saltwater aquarium with me because of how sensitive some of my livestock was. I had sold most of my inventory to friends, but there were some things they already had or wasnt compatible with their setup. I asked the Ark if they would let me trade in some livestock for store credit (a very common practice in the aquarium trade). They were rude about it, saying in a snarky tone "Were not a store where you just borrow things for a while." I was truly taken back by this because it was maybe $50 in store credit of livestock that they could sell for $100+. Especially considering I had spent thousands there. I had even explained the situation to them, and it wasnt like I was trying to con them out of something. I was simply moving and was looking for a home for the livestock I owned. Long story short, dont be fooled by their friendliness. Common in the aquarium trade are relationships built between store owners and aquarists. These guys dont uphold those values, have lost my friends business as a result, and have gotten this negative review written about them--all over $50 in store credit. I hope they learn and change so there people in the northwest Indiana area can have a saltwater distributor they can count on.

Smelly Face

This place is fantastic. The staff are very knowledgeable and take the time to make sure you are informed and satisfied with your purchase. They do get busy but that should be expected when you have a great business run by genuinely caring individuals who take time to answer questions and concerns about their animals or aquatic ventures. One staff member in particular when it comes to fish and plants is John (not sure his last name), he is fantastic and so knowledgeable about the fish, the problems that may arise with the chem balance in the water, and how to fix it. They test your water levels FOR FREE and help you to fix what may be wrong with your tank water. I wouldnt go any where else and advice anyone to go to The Ark when buying fish. They may be a little pricier than your average pet shop but they are worth it because they actually care about the animals there and their customers. No place is perfect, but The Ark is pretty damn close. Thank you John for all of your help! Much appreciated! - Marti & Rich (The guy with the tattoo sleeves and MANY questions)

Diamonte Oliver

I just went to The Ark last night to get some fish, with my aquarium buddy. We sent about an hour and half in there. I went home with 2 Bolivian Rams $6.99, 3 Otocinclus $1.99, and 4 Ghost Shrimp $0.50 = $21.95 I didnt think they were going to come out that cheap. They pack the fish very well for you, with just enough water. The fish itself were in great shape and was pretty health. When I brought my fish home I got them there at 8:46pm and let them out at 9:50pm. I acclimated them for about an hour and netted them out. (This is the fun part) I didnt take them know longer than 10 minutes to start exploring an cleaning. The next day (which is today) All of there color is perfect. I love The Ark and will highly recommend them!!!!!!!!!