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March 2024 by Tony B.
Went to buy corals and an anenome. Had signs showing a sale asked for help , guy said oh that sale isnt any good, we have new signs. He walks half way down the aisle for a different anenome saying no these are whats for sale. Same price half the size. He tried to say that the highlighted part of the one i asked about was it being crossed out. Sorry but if thats the case why not tale down the paper sign. Won't be shopping there again. And i was a customer there for the past 7 yrs.
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March 2024 by Dominic Y.
Great selection and wonderful staff highly recommend this place if you are new in the hobby or have been doing it for years.
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February 2024 by Bob F.
Picked up some corals this month, there selection was incredible and the prices couldn't be beat. I live east of Cincinnati where there are three decent saltwater fish stores, but made the long trip to Dayton on the advice of another reef keeper. Was worth the long drive!
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January 2024 by Richard Bailey
Absolutely shocked and horrified at this place! As someone who has been in the tropical fish/saltwater fish/ reef hobby for 40 years, seeing a dead fish in a tank here or there happens. I was however not prepared for what I experienced. Walking in, the smell from the reptile section is enough to make you want to vomit. I’ve never had reptiles but when seeing others comments on here, I know the smell cannot be normal. I used to waste my money on fish here like most people, only to have them get sick, cause my healthy fish to get sick and then everything dies. I used to like to look here every once in a while at the live plants, which is what I was there for. I decided to look at the fish and there were lots of dead fish swirling around the tanks. The condition of these fish were as bad as anything I have ever seen. The fish in my pictures were covered in ich and fungus.The ones that were still alive were struggling to hang on. The livestock in this store are clearly suffering. One would think the owner would be ashamed of himself but he clearly doesn’t care because although my last visit was utterly the worst, all of these comments and nothing ever changes. All the tank water goes through the same system so whatever is in one tank is in all of them. This is not a tropical fish store- this is animal abuse and neglect and it’s time authorities shut it down permanently. For those that need me to state the obvious, I will not be coming back to this place!
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January 2024 by Darcy Ryane
Saltwater and freshwater , he's even got scaly things now ! He also has all your needs, tanks, additions, food, everything you need. John is great and so is his staff. Highly recommend. Very knowledgeable and if you're having problems, great recommendations for additions to your tank . Beautiful fish and quality, you don't have to worry about bringing any sickness home. Highly recommend this place if you're a new or seasoned with the aquatic lifestyle!
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January 2024 by Thomas Everson
The staff was not very helpful,friendly but not knowledgeable,at least the younger guys working last night. Thursday the 18th. Nice selection tho. Managed to land a lot lizard after talking about my one eyed trouser snake. They loved it. Pure albino.
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January 2024 by Ann M.
I was shocked at the conditions many of the fish tanks were in. Cloudy, unclean tanks, some dead fish, water all over the floor, a terrible smell throughout the store. I walked in, saw the situation, and walked right back out. I think management needs to take a look around and make some drastic changes!
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December 2023 by Emma
At first, I thought Gerbers was a decent place. I bought my first bearded dragon from there. He was healthy and everything seems fine. I would go back to stock up on food. I notice other dragons they have there one was a donation that was full grown with a nice enclosure and they were trying to charge over $1000 off of a donation and that poor dragon sat there for months. Also I went back and noticed a little dragon That could not walk and was deformed. They told me he had a seizure. I felt so bad I could not leave him there. I ended up taking him home with me. Come to find out they tried to charge me full price for a sick Animal that has Melabotic bone disease. One of the employees took a male full grown dragon out of his enclosure and put him in was a female and thought it was funny to let them breed ,That was disgusting and repulsive. The workers there are completely irresponsible, uneducated and rude. The owner is just as bad, I do not recommend going there for any type of reptiles. They don’t clean their cages like they should and they don’t have proper lighting and most importantly, they’re only in it for the money they don’t care about the welfare of the animals
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December 2023 by Sarah H.
I run an aquarium club for kids at my church. We came to Gerber's when we received our first tank three years ago. If you are looking for a mall pet store, this is not the store for you. If you are looking for knowledgeable staff that is friendly and excited about aquariums, this is the store. The front part of the store is simple to modern complex tanks, equipment, decorations, and chemicals needed to start this hobby or care for an existing advanced hobby. They have Nanos, reptiles, insects, and arachnids in this area. Yes, if you go in the back, there is water on the concrete floor, and in some spots, there are puddles. It only smells if you consider sanitizer a fragrance. The tanks are clean, the fish are healthy, and I have gotten very few snails in their plants. The plant price and selection are phenomenal; they have sea anemones, starfish, etc. It is a great place to take children to see the equipment, the fish, and have a great day just picking things out. We have a few children in this program who cannot have a pet or afford an aquarium. We started with five goldfish, two tetra, two gourami, and five mollies. Excluding the fish our largest goldfish ate(we have an aggressive fish), they are all alive three years later. I have had to isolate said fish. I am trying to figure out how to change its behavior, but this punk goldfish ate two plecostomus, a tiny snail I added, and the most miniature goldfish. I run a farm tank to place plants and new fish in so as not to contaminate our sixty-five-gallon tank. The snails that come off the plants remain in the farm tank, but in three years (sending up prayers, I don't jinx myself), the plants have not died, the fish have not died, and my tanks are lovely. The goldfish are very hard on the tank, but Gerber's have helped me find plants they don't eat, so I the fish have a more natural environment. Gerber's has helped me with dealing with the punk goldfish along with so many questions. This store exist off Dryden Rd in Dayton it exist mostly by word of mouth. The way I found it was through a friend of a friend. I grew up with fish and many different freshwater varieties so that is what I deal with. I have bought used tanks from them also which personally find preferable to using Facebook. I bought a 55 gallon tank used from them for a 130.00 with wrought metal black stand. I have had not an issue. I will say I have never had to return anything so returns can not speak to but I also can say I have never wanted to.
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November 2023 by They Watch
This is a hidden gem! A girl at pet supplies plus recommended I go here and I’m glad I did! They have tortoises and frogs and spiders and all types of fresh and salt water fish! Decorative items, tanks. Really this is one of the best and well stocked stores I’ve ever been to. The associates both times I went were very knowledgeable and happy to help or chat with you about the animals. I was pleasantly surprised by the large amount of space inside with room after room of tanks. It was great. I highly recommend checking them out! I was there a few days prior and they got new redfoot tortoises in so check in often to see the new creatures!
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November 2023 by Stephen Burton
Wow. I was absolutely blown away by the selection of fresh and salt water fish they had. Reptiles and turtles and everything in between. It's like a trip to New Port without leaving Dayton.
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November 2023 by Josh B.
The shop is kept in horrible shape, a half inch of water is always on the floor. You expect a fish shop to have some water on the ground but you actually slosh around. I complained on a local FB group and the owner called me and left me a nasty message. He banned me and threatened to sue me if I said any more about his shop online. Go to Dayton Ohio Saltwater and Reef Keepers group and you'll see the interaction and just how awful John Gerber is.
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November 2023 by Josh B
The holding bins for the fish are always covered in algae and there are frequently dead and half-dead fish out in the open. I contacted the owner to express my concerns. His reply was he was having a hard time finding help. I offered to come in and help care for the fish and was turned down. That was spring of '23, fast forward to fall and it's in even worse shape. I expressed concern on a Facebook group dedicated to Dayton Ohio Marine Aquarium hobbyists. I got a voicemail from the owner banning me from his store and threatening legal action. This is not a business is customer friendly.
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October 2023 by T. Muller
Great staff, TERRIBLE care of fish.I visited this shop on the suggestion of a local aquarist I work with to buy some meds and gravel. The staff were extremely helpful, and for this I'd have given five stars; However, I decided to look at the fish for sale, and was extremely disappointed in the conditions in which their large selection of fish and crustaceans are kept; I have seen better standards for fish care at Walmarts. Every single tank was overstocked beyond belief with dozens to hundreds of animals bumping into each other and vying for space at the bottom, many of the tanks were filthy (some to the point that it was difficult to view the animals inside), most of the crustacea did not have places to hide (which is a basic need for their well being), and I spotted numerous dead, sick, and dying fish throughout, including expensive gobies lying dead next to their $50 price tags. Some animals, such as the peacock mantis shrimp they had for sale for $150, were housed alone, but in completely barren and very small tanks well below the recommended gallonage for the species inside. As a professional animal behavior researcher that works with live fish on a daily basis and who is quite familiar with fish husbandry, I am not impressed, and I'm unsure if I'll return, as it seems that this shop values offering a very large stock over offering healthy, living animals.
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October 2023 by Erica Hamilton
My daughter turned 11 yesterday and the only thing she asked for on her birthday was a betta fish. I went into the store and purchased the fish on Wednesday. The young lady that helped me was so kind, friendly and knowledgeable and willing to work within my budget. (single mom of three living paycheck to paycheck) I did everything correctly and as soon as I got back to work, I changed the water in the tank, acclimated the fish (kept him in the bag) used the chlorine/water that she had given me and followed directions on feeding. (minimal amount and monitoring his intake) When my daughter woke up the next day, (on her birthday) I brought the fish down for her in the aquarium and he wasn't moving. He was dead within the day. (not even 24 hours) I spent $110 total and ended up with nothing for her birthday. I called the store this morning to see if we could get a refund or another fish and the young boy that I spoke with said it wasn't an option because I didn't keep the dead fish. Apparently (which was never stated) the only way they'll refund your money is if you bring in the dead fish. (I even had photos which he wasn't willing to acknowledge) First of all, I didn't want to continue to traumatize her by keeping the dead fish floating around the tank all day (unaware I would need it later) and second, I didn't plan on driving a dead fish 40 minutes back to Moraine. (I live in another town) To say that I'm disappointed in their customer service (with an exception of the girl that helped me initially) doesn't even scratch the surface. I don't usually leave negative reviews on people, only positive, but in this case...I'm left with an 11-year-old girl with no birthday present. Wish they would've at least tried to make it right for her sake. Disappointing for sure.
