Google reviewers rate the shop 4.8 out of 5 based on 477 reviews, highlighting knowledgeable staff, healthy livestock, and reliable installation services. Customers frequently praise punctuality and communication during home visits, though some note that equipment prices are higher than competitors. Recurring criticisms in lower-rated reviews include inconsistent in-store service, unresponsive communication regarding orders, and unexpected fees for water testing.
Google rating: 4.8 out of 5 from 477 reviews (88% five-star).
Reviews on this page: 477 Google reviews (326 with written comments, 17 with photos).
Owner responses: the business replied to 16% of reviews.
Most recent review: October 4, 2026.
Service: Aquarium Setup Service serving Bloomington, Minnesota.
Data from Google, last updated October 25, 2026.
Photos
Customer reviews
4.8
★★★★★
477 reviews on Google
5★420
4★28
3★14
2★4
1★11
Reviews from Google, shown as published (original wording, unedited).
KH
Ken HansonLocal Guide · 149 reviews
★★★★★
Cesar and Dylan came to my house and set up my. new waterbox 110.4 aquarium. They set up all the controllers and equipment and transferred fish and coral from my older 70 gallon tank. It isnt possible to say how happy I am with the results. The guys were on time, and did a fantastic job!!!
Also, I cant say enough good things about the store, fantastic coral and fish selection at reasonable prices. Absolutely my go to fish store.
Thanks Jen and team!!
Response from the owner · 2 weeks ago
Thank you so much for your kind words! It truly means a lot to all of us at New Wave. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of your aquarium journey, and I can’t wait to watch your tank continue to grow and become even more beautiful in the years ahead.
Jen the owner is very experienced. I consider myself quite experienced and I needed a second eye. I utilized their aquarium services to come out and help me. I didn’t really need continuing services but I couldn’t figure out my problem. Jen arrived with a bucket and siphon. Went right to business focusing on what was important and spent zero wasted time. The price was really fair considering I had feelings of wanting to give up on the tank. I took all advice given and my tank hasn’t looked this good not only a week later in almost 2 years!
Response from the owner · 2 weeks ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this—it truly means a lot to me! I know how frustrating it can be when you’ve put so much time and effort into an aquarium and just can’t figure out what isn’t working. I was so happy to help get things headed in the right direction, but you did the hard part by taking the advice and running with it! Hearing that your tank looks better than it has in almost two years absolutely made my day. I can’t wait to see how it continues to progress. Thank you again for trusting me and New Wave with your aquarium!
Best around honest and reliable, very healthy fish and corals
Response from the owner · 2 weeks ago
Thank you so much! We truly appreciate your kind words and your support. Keeping our fish and corals healthy and providing honest, dependable advice has always been incredibly important to us. We’re grateful to have customers like you who recognize the care that goes into what we do. Thank you for being part of the New Wave family!
On of my favorite aquarium stores I have ever visited. They have amazing display tanks and great coral and fish collection.
Response from the owner · 2 weeks ago
Thank you so much! It means a lot to hear that New Wave is one of your favorite aquarium stores you’ve visited. We put a lot of love and care into our display tanks, so it’s wonderful to know that it shows. We truly appreciate you stopping in and hope to see you again soon!
Thank you so much! Healthy fish and happy customers are what we’re all about! We truly appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Amazing "little" saltwater shop! Although its small by sq footage its huge in quality and sheer awesomeness. If you want to see a Conspicuous Angel in person stare into one of the amazing display tanks long enough.
I was in town from Kansas City and stopped by. But I would make the drive up there just for corals. The selection of Torches has to be the best in the midwest. Also dry goods are well stocked, well priced. They carry things like BRS supplements, full line of Red Sea stuff, Hanna reagents and even Polyp Lab genesis blocks.
Guys working there were super nice and even gave me a little cooler to get my corals back to KC. Looking forward to making another trip soon!
Response from the owner · 2 weeks ago
Wow—thank you so much for such an amazing review! We may be a “little” shop, but we definitely try to pack a whole lot of saltwater awesomeness into it! 😊
It means so much that you made New Wave a stop while visiting from Kansas City, and hearing that you’d make the drive back for our corals is an incredible compliment. We take a lot of pride in our coral selection (and yes… we may have a slight Torch obsession!).
Most of all, I’m glad our team made you feel welcome and got your new corals safely packed up for the trip home. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’ll be looking forward to your next trip to Minnesota—and we’ll make sure there are plenty of Torches waiting for you!
Jen and Doug are fantastic and New Wave is by far the best LFS in the twin cities. They specifically won multiple awards recently for best LFS nationally. Side note....if you are a serious reefer, have them install one of their custom water changing stations. It will change your life! Side note #2.....Regarding a previous review.....the only "coral eating starfish" are the crown of thorns starfish. If the rock was infesting with them.....that must have been one big rock. They are the size of footballs. lol.
Also....If you are seriously into this hobby, you know the cords are a problem. Dosers, pumps, controllers, lights, etc....It can turn into a real mess. If you have a mess on your hands like I did, they have a guy named Ceasar who is a genius at organizing cords and making the back end of your system look amazing. Hiring him was some of the best money I have ever spent!
They have nice stuff and beautiful coral but I have been here three or four times now and every time can barley get anyone to acknowledge me...and then when inquiring about coral prices I get completely inconsistent info and talked to like "I probably couldn't afford it anyway." They dont know how much I have to spend or my experience level. I finally decided to drop a pretty penny on some coral and feel a bit swindled. Last time I was in this orange mushroom was $25 and now it's $50 and less than dime sized. Same with the orange Ricordea, asked last time and they were $45, today $49. Ok I will take them anyway. Then she saws off the tiniest one from the rock to sell me. Really not a great experience. Also the small amount of rock the corals were on were completely infested with tiny coral eating starfish!! Yikes!
Very knowledgeable and helpful staff!! Nice selection of corals and marine fish. Good selection of supplies for your reef tank as well! Store and Tanks are clean . Highly recommend
