Liem's - International District

Overall Experience - 3
Cost - 5
Quality- 2
Variety - 3
Service - 5

Overall Experience 3.5
Cost 4
Quality of Fish 3
Variety 3
Service 5

Overall Experience 1
Cost 5
Quality of Fish 1
Variety 2
Service 5

Overall Experience 5
Cost 5++
Quality of Fish 5
Variety 4
Service 5

wow! i love this store. fish were very cheap. first time ever i saw a flowerhorn that i wanted to buy.

Overall Experience 2
Cost 5
Quality of Fish 3
Variety 2
Service 5

Interesting. Thats all I gotta say.

Overall Experience 3+
Cost 5
Quality of Fish 4
Variety 2
Service 5

Interesting location down an alley. Made me feel like I was in the middle of the movie Blade Runner. Happy ol guy let me catch my own fish and had the best rubber band technique to tie off the bag.. and easy to remove. A different little store for sure. The whole place is maybe 10x30 feet. Note the tanks are the farthest from any clean show quality you could possibly imagine, but I got a few happy fish there.

Overall Experience - 2
Cost - 5
Quality- 0
Variety - 4
Service - 4

The guy is pretty nice although he doesn't speak much english and the prices are dirt cheap but I try not to support this store if at all possible. The conditions in which he keeps is fish is absolutely NASTY! Wish I still had some of the pictures I took from there. Fish that were probably 12" plus in water that wasn't even covering their whole body. Ive seen garbage and wrappers in the tanks, plastic silverware. It disgusting and I feel horrible for all those fish.

I can't find this place in any form of search on yellowpages.com. If anyone would like to offer me the address I would be most grateful. I must see this dark alley hole of a store for myself. I shall bring clean water and santi wipes for the the poor finned swimmers while sending evil eye vibes at the owner--pft pft--

its in chinatown in an alley, thats all I can tell ya lol HAs cheap fish though!

It's very close to King's Discus, just two alleys west of there.

King's is on King Street, and the alley is off King Street between Maynard and 7th Ave.

I swear he has some Mogway hidden in there somewhere...

Thanks GoodnNUff for the where abouts.

Overall Experience - 5
Cost - 5
Quality- 0
Variety - 2
Service - 5

WOW! We went here yesterday. It was amazing. I never saw a fish tank with dirty dishes in it AND a flowerhorn! AWESOME!

Oh and I would NEVER buy a fish from here.

international district. Off of king down an alleyway. Sketchy as all get out but rad place. Just got 14 cardinals for $15 and 7 Emperors for $10. Tons of great stuff hanging from the ceiling for great prices. Also bulk food.

Overall Experience 4
Cost 5 (great prices
Quality of Fish 2(small fish) 5(large fish)
Variety 4
Service 5

Its actually "Liems" (:
Overall experience 4
Cost 5 (good prices for diseased fish)
Quality of fish 2-3 some of the convicts and bigger fish ive seen there for MONTHS, could just be they are hardy fish
Variety 3
Service 5

overall experience 5
cost 5
quality of fish 4
varity 5
serves 4

coolest place ever!

overall experience 4
cost 5
quality of fish 2
varity 3
service 4

Overall - 1
Selection 2

I must have gone on an off day because these scores are way higher than I would rank them. Didn't see anything special and the place was kinda sketchy. Was kinda waiting for a trap door to open and get grabbed and have my organs harvested but that's prolly just my paranoia and not really a fair appraisal of the place.

overall experience 3
cost 5
quality of fish 3
variety 5
service 4

shop is in alleyway, has large selection of fish but is eally cramped and messy.

Overall Experience - 3
Cost - 4
Quality- 3
Variety - 3
Service - 3

Nothing impressive here, though there were some deals. Kind of a neat "hole-in-the-wall" type of store, really cramped.

Overall experience-5
Cost-5
Quality-4
Variety-3
Service-5

Every time I visited the I-district as a child, I went to this store. Mr. Liem has not changed that I can tell in 30 years, but the economy/legality of fish stores sure has. There used to be turtles, doves, amphibians , eels, banty chickens and of course cool fish. The selection of fish has certainly diminished, but it is really surprising what you can find here. If you are O.C. or a neat freak... don't waste your time... this store will freak you out. If you want to eat off the floor.. go to Petsmart.. and stand in the sterile light of the overhead flourescents. However, if you want to walk into a store that mimics a Hong Kong or Bangkok market stall.. go visit Liem's. The watersprite he has growing outta all those tanks is the best nitrate sponge you will find; buy 5 bucks worth, plop it in a 10 gal tank, and you will have a an instant superslurry of live goodness to feed to newborn fry. You can often get blackworms or even live tubifex in small quantities from him. Make sure and look up, because there is more cool stuff hanging from the ceiling than you can shake a dust mop at. The store smells like someone left the lid off a big can of flake food in a closet, for about 50 years, so maybe wait to eat that big greasy Dim Sum meal until after you visit! The fish are hardy ... that being said... don't forget to quarantine everything you bring home from anywhere. I don't know who he is going to pass the torch to, so if you are in the area make sure and pop down the ally and visit this store before its gone. ( sorry I exceeded the 5 lines)

I had an awsome feeling like , big trouble in little china ... lol ... he had an awsome black eel ... and i bought water sprite and a callaptera and a arowana for dirt cheap ,

Found the place but they are closed till Nov 21st...Damn..

he went to catch fish , lol

overall experience 5+
cost 5+
quality of fish 3.5
variety 4
service 5+

awesome store!! in a dank chinatown alley with just a koi kite hanging outside and a little chinese man inside. make sure to quarantine! great fish and prices and just a really cool place!

Overall experience: 4
Cost: 5
Quality: 4
Variety: 2.5
Service: 5

Mr. Liem is an extremely nice man who speaks a fair amount of English and is always willing to give you a hand. I visit this store every once in a while since my girlfriend lives a couple blocks away, and the variety hasn't changed much between visits. Sure, the tanks look gross and what not, but the fish all seem to be very healthy. My girlfriend says the place reminds her of a haunted house, so she hasn't joined me since our last visit together, but overall it's worth checking out.

Overall experience 4.5
Cost 5
Quality 4.5
Variety 3
Service 5

I imagine this is the type of shop one would exprience in 1960's Hong Kong? Clutter, tight isles. Unique approach. Great for such a small shop. Prices are right and lots of young fish. I've had some very interesting finds in this shop. Liem is a nice guy.

I love to visit Liems', though I do have to prepare myself a bit mentally before. The tanks are waaay overstocked! He does get some interesting fish and the prices are really cheap. He has some really nice gobies, awaous flavus ... labeled "dragon gobies", but I have no room for them at the moment. I assume all fish are infected with everything possible & therefore quarantine & treat accordingly. Liam is very nice & speaks very good english IMO.

Overall experience-5
Cost-5
Quality-4
Variety-4
Service-5

First time going there, it was closed. 2nd time, it was open! When you're lucky enough to visit the store when it's open, it's like walking into a mystifying land of fish that I've had such a hard time looking for, the Rummynose Tetra! Currently selling them at $1.50 each, if you buy 5, you get two for free. Wowza!

overall experience 3
cost 5+
quality of fish 3 1/2
varity 4
service 4

Neat place. its kinda messy stink and theirs spider for a girl that's gross! I would not make the trip up if you live more than 20 minutes away the guy was nice. I bought one fish and got to scoop it so its good and not good!

Overall experience - 5
Cost - 5
Quality - 3
Variety - 5
Service - 5


Went there with L J, he has an AWESOME deal on neons!

Overall experience - 4
Cost - 5
Quality - 4
Variety - 3
Service - 4.5

Neat little place, wouldn't be surprised if a mogwai jumped on my shoulder while there. Liem is a super friendly. Prices are as low as they can possibly go. I know Liem is notorious for his "sketchy water", but honestly both times I've been there I did not see a single sick or dead fish in any of his tanks, barrels, buckets, or whatever improvised container he's using. Not a big variety, but not much could be done about that given the limited space he has. And like BillHN said, awesome deal on neon tetras: $1 each, or 15 for $10, and they were some dang nice looking neons too! Added bonus for me: it's just a 10 minute walk from my place, woot!