Meet The Staff at Aquariums West.1262 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. 604-669-9249..................
Aquariums West Ltd. has been experiencing the many colours and seasons of the West End for over 30 years. We are located at 1262 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. and have been supplying pets and their supplies since 1980. Our specialties include quality freshwater fish, aquatic plants, saltwater reef aquariums, and captive raised reptiles. We also carry supplies for dogs and cats, birds and small animals and are constantly updating and adding to our inventory of pet supplies.
A great deal of care, time, and effort goes in to the selection of our livestock. We attempt to supply farm-raised, cultured , and captive bred items. We try to keep the wild imports at a minimum, and we are continually searching and testing new suppliers for unique and healthy livestock. Our goal at Aquariums West is to share our passion and knowledge of the animals we carry and encourage the keeping of aquatics and exotics in environments that closely replicate their natural environment. If you appreciate quality and expertise you'll love Aquariums West.
My name is Jeannie Lister and I have owned Aquariums West since 1980. In this time I have made every mistake you can make and learned from each and every one of them. I was the child with $5.00 of baby sitting money in my wallet, taking the bus all over Vancouver on Saturdays visiting pet stores looking for the perfect plant or the fanciest guppy. From the time I was 12 years old I have enjoyed the beauty of an aquarium and it still delights me to this day. I am constantly learning new things (many from my customers), and am amazed by the things I don't know. It is such a treat to have access to the Internet now where there is a website for every imaginable thing. I encourage customers to research as much as they can about any of the creatures they keep and share their information with us! I love to try new things in my business which includes looking for innovative products to feature and I am open to any suggestions by my customers. I like to test and compare products so that when I say I use it and recommend it.... I really do!
I have accumulated many pets over the years including my husband.
Cam McOuat, who now has 24 years of experience in getting his hands wet. We work together taking care of the store and taking care of the best pets in the world, our two remaining teenage children (one has already left the nest and is actually an adult). Cam is a gourmet cook and dedicated guitar player. He loves to chat about these subjects (although he should be talking about pets!) and can offer up recipes, guitar licks,and jokes all the while advising how to set up an aquarium. He is quite the entertainer and has kept me laughing for 27 years. Cam and I have been so fortunate over the years to have accumulated a stellar staff. Each person has many years of experience in the Pet trade. Whatever your question, one of us will do our best to answer it for you. If not, we'll just Google it!
After all this time, I still love to stand back and admire a tank I have just set up….and my husband and I still love working together.
One of us is always there Monday through Saturday.
A pre-requisite for working at Aquariums West is a great sense of humour!
Kreig LeBlanc is back working at Aquariums West after taking off some time to heal an injury. Please don't ask him to pick up anything heavy! We are so glad to have him working in the store again! For those of you who don't know Kreig, he had worked for Aquariums West for 10 years until he injured his back. He has had lots of experience running his own business in Halifax Nova Scotia where he sold exotic reptiles and merchandise prior to moving to British Columbia. He ran the exotic reptile department and the salt water department at Aquariums West. He is an expert in both of these fields and is sought after by many animal organizations to assist in their animal care husbandry. He can help design beautiful custom aquariums or terrariums. He is very fussy and his attention to detail is much appreciated by our customers. For specialized assistance from Kreig regarding the design and setup of a salt water reef system or a exotic reptile environment, please call to make an appointment at 604-669-9249 or email Kreig. Kreig’s honest, sincere approach and soft spoken nature make him one of Aquariums West’s best assets.
Kreig works all day Wednesdays, Thursday, Saturdayafternoons and all day.
Katie Marcia attended the Emily Carr Institute of Fine Art and received a Bachelor of Media Arts in Animation. One of her characters in an animation film she created is a Siamese Fighting Fish, so you know just how much she loves fish! Katie has been a keen fish keeper for 8 years and is constantly doing research on new species of fish, reptiles and small animals. We are so lucky to have her working with us. She is full of energy and enthusiasm and will research any new species of fish, aquatic plant, coral, reptile or small animal that she is unfamiliar with. Katie is patient and thorough in her dealings with customers and is doing an exceptional job at Aquariums West. She is currently successfully breeding Black Skirt Tetras.
If you want to check out Katie's website click here.
Katie keeps both fresh and salt water aquariums and is becoming an expert in both. She also has a keen interest in reptiles and has recently acquired snakes.
Katie is now offering her Tank Maintenance Services to customers who need someone to care for their fish in either their home or office as well as Betta Sitting Services.
"Going away on vacation? I will look after your betta and treat him/her to only the best food and daily water changes! Drop him/her off at Aquariums West and I’ll look after the rest. Your Betta is guaranteed returned to you in the same or better health that it was given to me or full refund."
Katie is getting married this summer in California and will be off for 3 weeks so if you have questions for Katie, ask them now!
Katie works Sunday right through to Thursday.
Dustin Eriksen is the youngest member of the staff at Aquariums West who began working in the store when he was just 14. He is now 20 and we have watched him grown into fabulous young man over the past 6 years. He came with an enthusiasm for knowledge that we have never seen before. Once Dustin learns something he remembers it forever, he is a walking encyclopedia! Dustin never gets flustered and can be counted on to assist in the purchase of all pets at Aquariums West. He loves reptiles and snakes, spiders and frogs (having collected many in the Yukon and the Okanagan) and knows a tremendous amount about them. He enjoys designing planted aquariums and helping with Salt Water Reef setups. Dustin also works as an actor and model and has been in many movies and magazines. You can see him in the last movie Slapshot 3 playing a Russian hockey player.
Dustin is also a gifted comedian and keeps the staff and customers entertained with his outrageous skits. One day he may very well be the next Jim Carey! Until then he will keep us all laughing hysterically throughout the day.
Dustin's work week is Friday through to Tuesday.
Costin Andrei brings his experience of tropical fish keeping from Romania. He has a Salt Water Reef Aquarium in his home and is constantly researching articles, books and magazines on subjects relating to Salt Water Fish, corals and invertabrates. We have all been learning new things from Costin one of which is understanding his unique and entertaining sense of humor. With his expertise and advice, we have been upgrading our Salt Water department and are bringing in more shipments of fish and corals.. We are also carrying more Salt Water products including protein skimmers, filters, fish food and more. If you have any questions with regards to Salt Water corals or fish, talk to Costin. He set up and maintains the new Red Sea Max 130D in the store and it looks spectacular! Come and see for yourself.
Costin is an accomplished method actor having recently graduated from the Methodica Acting Studio in Vancouver. He has been in many plays in Vancouver's Fringe Festival over the past two years. He has also studied Public Relations and Communications in Romania, and can speak both English and Romanian fluently and understands French and Spanish.
Costin also owns the business AquaVibes. Contact Costine to set up and design your aquarium at home or in your office. He has an artist's eye for design and his attention to fine details turns his aquascaping into an art form. To visit his website (which will be opening soon) click here. www.aquavibes.ca
Costin works every Friday and Saturday.
Roger Gariepy began working at Aquariums West in 2009 although he has been a customer for over 25 years. He has a contagious passion for tropical fish, and aquatic gardening and is full of creative ideas. He has many tips to share with our customers which he has picked up over the years. Besides working part time at Aquariums West, Roger also works as a hairdresser, and as a gardener specializing in natural landscape designs and water features. I am so fortunate to have had Roger design our own beautiful garden at home. (He also cuts my hair!)
He can incorporate ponds and plants into any setting whether outdoors or indoors. His own patio is a gorgeous piece of art and his apartment is filled with exotic tropical plants! He is available to transform your balcony, rooftop patio or garden into a beautiful, tranquil oasis just like his complete with fish and plants. Call the store @ 604-669-9249 to set up an appointment with Roger.
Having owned a Freshwater Aquarium for many years, Roger has recently added a saltwater aquarium to his collection. It is as remarkable as his fresh water aquarium and outdoor pond. Stay tuned for more pictures and videos coming soon.
Camille McOuat(our oldest daughter) takes many of the photographs that you see on the website. She worked at Aquariums West for many years while she was going to high school and during her summers home from university. She graduated from McGill University in Psychology and is working on many projects in Montreal as a photographer. Her pictures have appeared in the Montreal Gazette. Camille now calls Montreal home.
If you want to visit her website or need to hire a photographer in Montreal for a project or event you can contact Camille by clicking here.
He ran the exotic reptile department and the salt water department at Aquariums West. 
He is an expert in both of these fields and is sought after by many animal organizations to assist in their animal care husbandry. He can help design beautiful custom aquariums or terrariums. He is very fussy and his attention to detail is much appreciated by our customers. For specialized assistance from Kreig regarding the design and setup of a salt water reef system or a exotic reptile environment, please call to make an appointment at 604-669-9249 or email 
Katie has been a keen fish keeper for 8 years and is constantly doing research on new species of fish, reptiles and small animals. We are so lucky to have her working with us. She is full of energy and enthusiasm and will research any new species of fish, aquatic plant, coral, reptile or small animal that she is unfamiliar with. Katie is patient and thorough in her dealings with customers and is doing an exceptional job at Aquariums West. She is currently successfully breeding Black Skirt Tetras.
If you want to check out Katie's website 
He has a contagious passion for tropical fish, and aquatic gardening and is full of creative ideas. He has many tips to share with our customers which he has picked up over the years. Besides working part time at Aquariums West, Roger also works as a hairdresser, and as a gardener specializing in natural landscape designs and water features. I am so fortunate to have had Roger design our own beautiful garden at home. (He also cuts my hair!)
She worked at Aquariums West for many years while she was going to high school and during her summers home from university. She graduated from McGill University in Psychology and is working on many projects in Montreal as a photographer. Her pictures have appeared in the Montreal Gazette. Camille now calls Montreal home.