FOLIO
Words by Savanna Stillwagner
Jacksonville’s fish store scene is more than just tanks, guppies and bacopa; it’s a community of passionate people all supporting one another.
The community that is created in the Jacksonville fish store community is branched through every strand of guppy grass.
Despite the connections they all hold, each fish store has its own unique brand and style for all areas of the Jacksonville community. We spoke to the owners of each store and are sharing what they provide the Jacksonville aquatic community.
Floating Sea Aquatics: The Non-Profit
Even though Jacksonville doesn’t have a visiting aquarium, Floating Sea Aquatics is the closest thing to it. The purchasing of the fish is actually their side gig. FSA’s main focus is its nonprofit.
FSA-RECS — for Rescue, Education, Conservation and Service — stands as the theme of FSA. They also have the FSA Cafe.
Despite there being so much to embrace at FSA when customers first walk in, their focus can hardly stray from the indoor pond and the bridge to walk across so children and families can look at fish from a different perspective. There are waterfalls built with rocks and stones. As the fish swim, children tend to drift their eyes to a purple curtain on the left.
In the remodeling process, a sensory wall is located behind the curtain. With moving parts, different felts and textures, wooden sea creatures and raised artwork, the sensory wall is built for visitors with varying disabilities such as those who are blind, deaf, are on the autism spectrum or have other disabilities.
Along the back wall of FSA’s building, more artwork can be seen and enjoyed, and past the pond and bridge, there is a small stage with many sea decorations.
This stage is made for open mic nights FSA hosts. Open to all, the poetry open mic nights are held the first and last Saturdays of every month from 7-9 p.m.
To the right of the stage, the cafe sits with games at tables, an open library, and local creators’ knickknacks for sale. There is also a food bank for those in need.
Back to the main walkthrough of the shop, reptiles are featured in large cages and small ponds behind the stage. Turtles, pythons, bearded dragons, spiders and more are seen through the wires and glass of the cages.
Children and families have the opportunity to engage with these animals on the last Friday of every month from 7-9 p.m. during their Creepy Crawly Chronicles event.
Isa Landa, an FSA Cafe employee, is an ambassador for Snow White, an albino ball python rescued by FSA. As an ambassador, she is someone who is able to tend to Snow White, take her out of her cage and feed her.
Snow White is blind, but she shows recognition of Isa by sticking out her tongue when she feels comfortable.
Throughout the rest of the shop are materials for setting up a fish tank, rescued fish from tank owners and fish themselves for purchase.
Meredith Mormann, a first-time customer and previous choir teacher of Landa’s, said, “I like that they have more than just fish. There’s way more of a variety.”
AJ Johnson, Mormann’s son, added, “This is the best time of my life,” after having the opportunity to touch Snow White.
FSA isn’t just a fish store — it is a force of change in the community, representing and supporting children of all ages, those with disabilities, those in need and simply a place for those who need a small escape from reality and a chance to dive into the deep blue sea.
Orange Park Aquatics: The Teachers
In a different fish scene, located in Orange Park, this mom-and-pop shop will answer all your fish questions no matter the level you’ve mastered or if you’re just building your fish tank skill set.
Jason and Teresa D’Arpe opened Orange Park Aquatics on Blanding Boulevard in November 2010.
In addition to a variety of freshwater and saltwater fish, Jason is knowledgeable in the activity, behaviors, needs and diagnoses of fish of all kinds and is happy to answer questions.
“People come in for a lot of advice,” said Jason D’Arpe.
He misses the days when clubs and activities were present.
“There used to be clubs around here. People used to meet and it used to be very different than it is now where people meet and go to people’s houses and stuff like that,” he recalled. “They’d go to the stores all the time. I don’t know why the clubs died out.”
The community used to be stronger, but after COVID-19, it fell apart and no one meets up anymore like they used to.
Now, the D’Arpes greet their community with a smile and answer any questions they have.
On our second day of exploring Orange Park Aquatics, KJ Reyez came in with three buckets, asking for saltwater for their aquarium they set up three months ago with advice from Jason and Teresa.
“They’re good people,” said Reyez. “They help me out on everything I needed to know.”
The knowledgeable couple’s words of wisdom spread to so many fish tank owners in Northeast Florida and beyond.
Aqua Bot Jax: The Parents
Despite the typical mom and pops of the Jacksonville fish community, Aqua Bot Jax, opened in 2022 on Normandy Boulevard, has truly taken on the role of being the mother and father of not only the fish community but hobbyists of anime, manga and more.
After beginning his hobby of fish and maturing to robot building as he got older, Greg Wilson, owner of Aqua Bot Jax, “started building this philosophy… these are miniature giant robots… and these are miniature slices of the ocean. They’re both taking something and miniaturizing it down and making it palatable for home, and that’s what both sides are. That’s what I really, really love about the two hobbies.”
Wilson, formerly on an episode of “Tanked,” a fish tank building reality TV show, and his wife, LaTica, opened their shop with the focus of making sure the fish they house and sell go to a healthy home.
“I want to have an honest conversation with you,” said Greg. “I feel responsible in trying to help them have the best setup… We’re here to help. We want to help, and that’s the way I see it.”
Through the Wilsons’ mission of educating and supporting, they have also become mentors for children and young adults in the area.
When customers walk in, it’s not unusual for one of two things to happen:
- Find Greg and a customer deep in conversation about the themes and characters in anime films.
- Get swept up in a deep conversation with Greg about anime, manga or fish culture.
When we spoke with Greg, we had no idea that we would be there for two and a half hours as the time got away from us — talking about his experience, his shop, the struggles he faces, the why behind his work, his passion.
However, the care and passion of their work has been, unfortunately, masked by the unsettling location of their shop.
“It’s a little rougher than I thought,” said Greg Wilson. “People were calling me and saying, hey, can you come outside and walk me in.”
There are, in fact, people standing outside of the shop that could make passersby uncomfortable. In addition, the location of the shop was previously known in the community for a “fish game” gambling site where people would participate in gambling activity, according to Greg.
It has been hard for Aqua Bot Jax, especially considering their similar sounding name to the fish game, to get rid of the reputation the community has placed on them. But now, they will be moving to a different location, tentatively on Cassat Avenue, with the hopes of as early as mid-July.
Greg’s hope for this new location is to build a home and a community where he can learn to play the “actual Pokémon card game” and help others set up their own fish tanks, in addition to selling their “grab and go” tanks they currently have put together for customers.
Toward the end of our visit with the Wilsons, two regular customers walked in. Here, we got to see Greg’s passion and care for his work come into play.
While Stephen Book was interested in purchasing a robot, Greg asked him a few questions about his commitment to it. Book took a look at the product to see how he felt, which opened the door for more conversation between Wilson and Book. All of this was happening while LaTica and Sofia Aguado were conversing and sorting through stickers and merchandise at the table where so many conversations have happened before.
Though the Wilsons were not able to have children of their own, they feel that Aqua Bot Jax is a way of incorporating their love for kids and helping them find their passion through fish and robots.
“Being able to actually see it changes everything,” said Greg. “Having a child be able to come in and see fish and see adults with their babies blows them away, and it’s awesome because that’s what I want. That’s the reason for the store. Same thing for the robot side.”
Aquatic City Aquariums: The Service
This mostly saltwater store on 103rd Street portrays a whole different side of aquatic home needs: the service side.
Mike Ginn, a former employee of Orange Park Aquatics and now owner of Aquatic City Aquariums, has serviced fish tanks since the start of his career. Specializing in saltwater and coral sales, Aquatic City Aquariums finds passion in supporting what their customers — and their family — love.
Displayed around some fish tanks and on the front counter are products for sale by Mike’s daughters. They sell crocheted sea creatures and baked goods. Paintings on display are also the creation of an employee’s daughter.
One of Mike’s goals is for the store to go online by the end of the year to sell his products — specifically those easily transportable, like coral.
Mike’s main responsibility is gathering materials for setting up or cleaning tanks in customers’ homes, which is where most of the store’s profit comes from.
A perk of their services is a warranty: Customers who choose to add fish to their aquarium can have that fish covered if something happens after it’s added to the tank.
Overall, Aquatic City Aquariums is a service-oriented fish store specializing in saltwater and coral needs, while also housing freshwater fish.
Natural Environment Aquatix: The Retail
While Natural Environment Aquatix has the helpful, advice-giving atmosphere of other local fish stores, its goal is to become a “household name,” according to Ronnie Burton, owner of Natural Environment Aquatix and Petco regional manager.
Knowing the ins and outs of the hobby since the age of 6 through a science project, Burton found himself unable to find the right kind of fish store his whole life.
“Something about walking into those fish stores,” said Burton. “I always wanted to create the fish store I never saw.”
With two locations — Dunn Avenue and Old Augustine Road — Natural Environment Aquatix has moved closer to Burton’s goal.
They clean fish tanks and a variety of other services — it’s all there for customer viewing.
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