# About Marcus & Gulf Coast Aquatics | Sarasota

> Marcus Chen opened Gulf Coast Aquatics in 2019 after 25+ years of fishkeeping and running aquarium departments at chain stores. Here

URL: https://gulfcoastaquatics.locuspilot.com/about/

Locally owned since 2019

# A specialty shop built by a fishkeeper

Marcus Chen has kept fish for 25+ years and previously ran aquarium departments at national chain pet stores. He opened Gulf Coast Aquatics in 2019 around one rule: don't sell a fish that won't survive in your tank.

![Marcus Chen, owner of Gulf Coast Aquatics, standing in front of a reef display tank](/images/misc/friendly-middle-aged-man-marcus-in-casual-tshirt-s.webp)

## Why GCA exists

At every chain store Marcus worked in, the pattern repeated: untreated livestock arrived sick, staff sold incompatible species by accident, and customers quit the hobby after losing a tank to disease. Most of it was preventable.

GCA opened in 2019 to run the store the way Marcus would want to buy from. Every fish goes through a two-week quarantine before sale. Staff keep tanks at home. We'll tell you a fish won't work in your setup before we sell it to you.

Twenty-five years of fishkeeping built the instinct. The store built the protocol.

How we run the store

## Three rules we won't bend

Rule 1

### Two-week quarantine

Every fish, every time. Copper, formalin and Prazipro as needed. Sick fish go back to the supplier, not to your tank.

Rule 2

### Honest stocking

We won't sell you fish that fight, fish that outgrow your tank, or corals your parameters can't support.

Rule 3

### Free water testing

Bring a sample. We'll run the panel and recommend the fix before recommending product. No upsell pressure.

## Meet Marcus Chen

25+ years of fishkeeping. Started with a 10-gallon goldfish tank as a kid and never put it down. Spent more than a decade running aquarium departments at national chain stores before opening GCA.

On the floor most days. The fastest way to get a real answer about your tank is to come in and ask. Bring a water sample and a tank photo if you can.

-   • 25+ years aquarium hobbyist (freshwater and reef)
-   • Former aquarium department manager at a national pet retailer
-   • Florida retail business owner since 2019

![Marcus inspecting a freshwater display tank with a flashlight](/images/features/marcus-chen-working-at-the-freshwater-wall-inspect.webp)

The store

## What you'll find when you walk in

![Gulf Coast Aquatics storefront on Bee Ridge Road](/images/misc/storefront-exterior-of-gulf-coast-aquatics-on-bee-.webp)

### Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota

Free parking on site. Walk in any time during store hours. No appointment needed.

![Dedicated coral room with SPS and LPS frags](/images/misc/dedicated-coral-room-with-vivid-sps-and-lps-frags-.webp)

### Dedicated coral room

Best coral selection between Tampa and Fort Myers. Soft, LPS and SPS frags ready for your reef.

![](/images/misc/wide-shot-of-specialty-aquarium-store-interior-wit.webp)

## Come talk fish with Marcus.

Bring a tank photo and a water sample. We'll run through what's working and what's not. Free, no pressure.

Visit the Store

[/contact/ →](/contact/)

 

Call (941) 555-0178

[tel:+19415550178 →](tel:+19415550178)