Oddball Pets and Aquariums

Category:	Pet Supply Store
Address:	262 Joseph St, Pittsburgh, PA 15227, USA
Phone:	+1 412-884-2333
Site:	oddballpets.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	12–8PM 12–8PM 12–8PM Closed 12–8PM 12–8PM 12–6PM

Location

Photos 55

Reviews 8

301whitehall

Living in the North Hills its hard to come by a quality aquarium shop, most of the time having to drive 45 minutes plus. So after doing some reading around, I found Oddball Pets and Aquariums. I stopped in for the first time about a year ago and was very impressed with the selection of fish, different aquascapes they had throughout the store, selection of products, and also their prices. The staff was very polite and willing to help, which is always a plus. Unfortunately, during this trip I was only there to browse. Today I decided to finally make the drive down and browse their selection of fish to see if they had what I was looking for. After checking online and seeing that they were open until 6, I headed out of the door. I pulled in the lot at about 4:30 and noticed in bold letters on the front of the building that they were only open until 4 on Sundays. There was not a soul in sight, which lead me to believe that was true. After already stopping at another shop and getting what I needed, I finally thought to call to confirm if this close time was true or not. Sure enough, they are open until 6. Other than misleading times, everything else seems to be great about this store. Maybe next time I am in need, I will give it another shot.

Veronica Anderson

Will not visit this place again. I come from California and Im used to having fish shops around everywhere. Some good and some bad, but I have never been in one like this before. It is poorly lit, super cramped, tanks had algae all over them so it was difficult to see the fish and just overall dirty/dusty. I literally walked around with my hands locked in front of me, trying to avoid accidently touching anything. NOT TO MENTION that they have a water system that runs over head and started leaking all over their cockatoo and the couple that was looking at him. One of the associates said "looks like we have a leak again," and proceeded to try to sell some light bulbs to a customer. No one else was in sight. Also, their website led me to believe that it was a nice shop that was the best place to buy aquariums from mini tanks to over 1000 gallons. Well all I saw were a few 10 gallon tanks that were all the way in the corner, which of course had a layer of dust on them. This place needs a thorough cleaning of the facility, tanks where their fish are in and products theyre selling. But if you dont mind getting dirty or wet, this might be the shop for you!

Brian Fleming

I have only been to Oddball Pets once. I wasnt entirely impressed with my visit. I followed directions on my phone to the store. When it said I had arrived I wasnt sure if I was at the right place. Some better signage out front and on the door would have helped. When I walked in, the store was very dark. The fish selection was nice although they did not have what I was looking to buy (they were currently sold out). I was greeted by an employee, but since I had never been there I wasnt quite sure it was an employee or a fellow fish enthusiast. She informed me that they had just received an order and were currently re-stocking tanks. Oddball is a little farther from my house than another LFS I really like and I just didnt have a great enough experience to make another visit. I will visit again at some point when I am in the area.

S S

This USED to be my favorite fish store in the whole world! But I have to say the new owners leave a lot to be desired. I made it through the entire store and even walked by the lady in the non-fish area and no one said "Hello" or "Can I help you?" Not friendly at all. The fish selection has really gone down as well. I have bought many African Cichlids from this store in the past, and walking around to see them all was like Christmas for me, but now the selection is meh. The bigger and most colorful cichlids are in tanks labeled "Not for Sale." Boo! Couldnt believe I only saw 2 small Discus! I used to love those tanks! Lots of very tiny fish now which I cant buy because they will get sucked into my filters. Limited live plant selection. Limited bulk filter media. Guess its time to find a new fish store. That makes me sad.

A Private User

THE BEST FISH STORE IN PITTSBURGH. The management has changed. Dave and Stephanie now own the place and the place is still the same goodness I have known for the past 3 years. VERY HEALTHY fishes. I can tell you this much, I have bought fishes from many places, but the ones that survive and thrive are the ones I bought from them. Excellent selection of fishes, very reasonable price and Dave & Steph make it a special place. It is a place that if you visit, you will go there for the rest of your life. The African Cichlid collection is really superb and so are other fresh water fishes. They have a wonderful collection of some exotic reptiles and amphibians too. Visit this place, this is not your every day chain store, this is one of a kind and I am glad its here in Pittsburgh. I am proudly, a member for a lifetime!!

justin joyce

great store. dave and steph are always very helpful and extremely knowledgeable. theyve helped me quite a bit over the last two years building and maintaining my reef tank, and provided an expert set of eyes on my rig while i was away with a very reasonably priced vacation service. always happy to order any specialty items that they may not have in stock, great prices on dry goods and livestock. they tend to be a good bit cheaper than the other major area aquarium stores, and they wont waste your time with high pressure sales tactics, selling you erroneous items, or bashing other stores for no reason (all things i have experienced at other local aquarium specialty stores).

Adam Foxson

Of all the many pet shops that Ive been to in the Pittsburgh area, Oddball Pets and Aquariums is the finest. The owners are incredibly welcoming, friendly, helpful, fair, and knowledgable. My wife and I are repeat customers of around two years and have always had overwhelmingly positive experiences. Prices and selection are fantastic. Since theyre within an older building the appearance of the store itself isnt the absolute prettiest, but weve always found their tanks and fish to be healthy, clean, and well-maintained. I understand that theyre preparing to move into a new location within the next few weeks. I really cant recommend Oddball enough. They are a real gem.

Charles Guenther

As a lifelong aquarist, I have been to many different stores in my lifetime (Im now on the other side of 55) - but none of them compare to the knowledge, care, attention and of course, fish that I get at Oddball. I will not buy my fish anywhere else. Also, the fish that I get there tend live to their full lifespan, so I only buy new fish when theyve got something that catches my eye. But it is a rare day that I stop in and they dont have something that is hard to find or that I have never seen before. If you keep aquariums, do yourself a favor and take a trip to Joseph St in Baldwin - support our local small business people - especially those who go above & beyond!