Fish Aficionados

Since 2005, Premier Aquatics has served Tulsa’s fish and aquarium needs with exceptional experience, knowledge and customer service.

Since 2005, Premier Aquatics, located at 61st and Sheridan, has served Tulsa’s fish and aquarium needs with exceptional experience, knowledge and customer service.

“We carry freshwater and saltwater fish, food, filtration products, accessories and tanks,” says owner Scott Kosciolek. “We make salt water easy – we carry purified, pre-made salt water. We have a 3,500 square-foot store, we’re open seven days a week, and we have over 3,000 gallons of water on display. We get weekly livestock shipments in from all over the world – Indonesia, the Red Sea – from a dozen different vendors.”

Kosciolek has considerable experience in aquatics. “I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years,” he says. “I worked on the wholesale level and the manufacturing level for a variety of companies in the industry. I’m constantly attending trade shows all over the country to make sure I’m up to date with the latest technology. And in 20 years, I’ve been able to identify some of the best wholesalers to be able to provide the best quality animals that will last the longest in your display. You can’t go to school for that kind of knowledge and experience. When you go shopping, you’re at the mercy of the owner and employees of the store you go to for their knowledge and skill levels. That’s the problem with some of the big box stores. The person bagging your fish might have been stocking dog food an hour before. You just don’t know. One of the things we’re most proud of at Premier Aquatics is our staff.”

The Tulsa incarnation of Premier Aquatics has been in business since 2005. Before that, Kosciolek ran Premier Aquatics for six years in Atlanta, where it was the city’s largest aquarium service provider. “I moved to Tulsa, and I wanted to buy a fish tank. But when I looked for one, I was disappointed in the stores that Tulsa had to offer. So I opened up Premier Aquatics here. When we opened, we took off with a bang.”

Premier Aquatics isn’t like other stores. “There are a couple of unique things about us,” says Kosciolek. “Our quarantine and acclimation procedure is unique. When we get fish in, they are all held for a minimum of 48 hours and medicated according to their needs. We want to make sure the fish are in good condition. Most other stores will sell you a fish as soon as it comes in. We also like to see a sample of your water first, to make sure you have a good environment for the animal. We warranty all our fish, and I’m proud to say that in three years of being in Tulsa, we’ve only had about 40 dead fish come back to the store.

“In everything we do, we’re concerned with keeping our customers satisfied. We’re more interested in keeping you as a happy customer for a long time than seeing how much we can sell you on this visit. To that end, if an animal doesn’t look good, or if we aren’t sure it will do well in your tank, we’ll tell you so. It’s important to identify sick fish and make sure they don’t go out – one sick fish can infect your entire tank.

“We also keep a database of our customers, and we track all of their purchases. We can look at what we sold you and see if the fish you want today will do well with the fish you already have. We also have a water testing program, and we keep a record of the samples, so we have, in effect, a date-stamped history of your aquarium.”

Premier Aquatics can also bring its excellent service to your home. “We live in a busy society, and some people don’t want to take care of their fish tanks on their own,” says Kosciolek. “We’ll clean your fish tank for you. We’ll come out, clean it, feed the fish, medicate them and maintain your filter. We also have a vacation service – we’ll come out, check on your tank and feed your fish while you’re out of town. We service tanks from 10 gallons to 13,500 gallons – that’s the largest tank we’re servicing currently. We’re the maintenance provider for Bass Pro Shop in Broken Arrow.”

Premier Aquatics is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. You can visit Premier Aquatics on the web at www.premieraquaticsok.com.

For more information, contact

Premier Aquatics

(918) 497-1212