The Barrier Reef

07/12/2024

Vadim has been in the hobby for decades. His knowledge is top notch and he is a pleasure to talk with. Stop by and say hi and see his fish!

09/02/2023

Happy Labor Day weekend. We hope you have a relaxing holiday weekend. We will be running 10% off any item $150 or greater (dry goods and livestock). Sale is Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (9/2/23-9/4/23). Excludes clearance and already reduced items. Monday hours are 12pm-4pm.

06/11/2023

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Sorry for any inconvenience, but we will be closed tomorrow, Monday June 12th 2023. We will be back ope on Wednesday for our regularly scheduled hours. Thank you.
Management

03/08/2023

03/04/2023

Loaded with the most livestock we have had all year. 5 saltwater fish and invert shipments, 3 coral and frag shipments, freshwater fish, live plants, and African cichlids. Great selection across the board. Come check us out. Happy weekend.

09/28/2022

Sending prayers to the west coast. Stay safe everyone. The store will be open today. Closing time will depend on how the weather breaks down, but we will aim for 530. 2 saltwater fish shipments came yesterday. Fw, maybe tomorrow. Plants tomorrow. Clownfish Thursday or Friday. Thank you to all the police and firefighters and military personnel and fpl workers. And even the meteorologists who are keeping everyone informed. Be well and safe.

07/09/2022

Starting tomorrow, July 10-24, city of Boca will be adding free chlorine to city water. Must use 4x the amount of dechlorinator if adding tap water to tank or using for water change.

07/04/2022

Wishing everyone a safe and happy July 4th. In observance of the holiday, we will be closed on Monday. The store will resume regular hours on Wednesday.

07/02/2022

I'm saddened to say that we have lost another Barrier Reef family member, Pauline Fairall. For those of you that have been shopping here for a while, you know what an integral part of our success she was. She worked here for 35+ years, gave us 150% everyday, and wanted nothing but the best. She is in so many of my childhood memories. She was a tough bird, and you didn't dare call out sick to her. She loved her animals and she could plumb a tank with the best of them. Computers were another one of her specialties. Stubborn, but loyal. No nonsense. She liked you or she didn't, but you never questioned where her heart was at. She would have done anything for me and my family. She started as a customer and turned into the most reliable employee/manager. I'm saddened our relationship with her didn't stay strong after she left, and the proverbial " I'm too busy, or I'll do it tomorrow" always kicked in; Until now. Tomorrow or I'll get to it are no longer feasible. Thank you Pauline for everything you did for us. Thank you for all you did for my dad and my family. We are sorry we didn't give you enough of us at the end. You will be missed and we hope you have found peace. A special thank you to MaryEllen. She was a great friend to Pauline, and helped her so much these past few years. Rest in peace, Pauline.

06/04/2022

Good afternoon. As the weather clears up, we will be open Saturday from 12pm-5pm. Please drive carefully as the rain will still be upon us. We should be regular hours on Sunday. We are running with a shorter staff, so please be patient. Thank you.

06/03/2022

Due to the upcoming storm, I hours for Friday and Saturday will change. Safety for the staff is important and most of them do not live near the store. We plan on being open until at least 3pm today, maybe 4. Saturday,as of right now, we will be either closed or running extremely short staff and minimal hours. As long as the roads are clear by Sunday, we will be open regular hours. Please call before coming. If we do not answer, try one or two more times. No answer would mean we are closed. Stay safe and sorry for any inconvenience.

04/19/2022

Our bamboo shark hatched today! Super cool. Amazes me still how something so big comes out of something so small!

04/17/2022

Happy Easter. In observance of the holiday, we will be closed Sunday. With a shorten staff on Monday, the store hours will be 12-4pm. We will reopen Wed with regular times. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Passover to all as well. Hopefully it was a day filled with laughter, family, and friends.

03/26/2022

Received an awesome shipment of corals from a new supplier and back in stock are clams.

03/12/2022

Please help one of our dear friends. He is TJ's teammate and friend and they have lost so much. Their dog, zeke, ended up at an emergency vet and in an o2 chamber. He is doing slightly better. Coach Pat is a single dad of 2 and works from morning to night to provide. The fire was the result of an adjacent neighbor, which ultimately spread to 3 other apartments. The smoke damaged almost everything. Thank you for any help.

https://gofund.me/bba17ff8

Hello everyone. We need your help. There was an apartment fire in Boca Raton early this morni… Ken Muller needs your support for Help the Fucci Family

01/21/2022

The following is a notice from the city of Boca. Make sure you add 3-4 times the amount of dechlorinator when using tap water for your tank during this time.

12/31/2021

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. We will be closed 12/31/21 and 1/1/22. We will be open Sunday 1/2/22 from 11am to 5pm.

12/24/2021

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year. Thank you for being loyal customers and we appreciate your support. The store will be closing at 4pm Christmas Eve. We are closed Saturday 12/25 and Sunday 12/26. Stay safe and happy holidays. Thank you to all the men and women who cannot be with their families because they are serving our country and keeping us safe. Thank you police officer, firefighters, doctors and nurses. This Christmas will be our first without my mother and I would like to thank everyone who has had kind words and thoughts and messages for me and my family. We miss her every day. And lastly, thank you to all the Barrier Reef staff. They are the the best. They have worked this entire time through covid, mom's passing, construction, remodel, and all the craziness. We are so grateful. Thank you for showing up. We look forward to 2022!

09/06/2021

In observance of labor day, we will be closed today (9/6/21). The store will be open regular hours on Wed 9/8. Hope everyone has a good holiday. Happy New Year to all who will be celebrating this week.

09/03/2021

Super cool and rare japanese dragon eel. So pretty. Look at those teeth. And the biggest blonde naso we have had in 3 years.

08/29/2021

We received 18 boxes of saltwater animals on Thursday. One of our largest shipments of the year. Two shipments of freshwater fish. It's a good weekend to stop by.

08/29/2021

Just want to send our prayers and thoughts to all who are in the path of Ida. I woke up to see how much the storm had intensified over night and my heart is aching for Louisiana. Ida, please be kind.

04/11/2021

Today, heaven gained an angel. My mom has been battling lung cancer for 10 years. She recently had a stroke that caused her left side to be paralyzed and she lost the ability to swallow. Several days later she came down with aspiration pneumonia and couldn't recover. My parents just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary and have been together for 60 years. They opened Barrier Reef in 1975, have 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. My mom is the definition of a warrior. Lung cancer, lung surgery, chemo, radiation, brain radiation, broken hip, rotator surgery, doc appointment after doc appointment. Never complained. Through it all she would go where she needed and say yes dear. My dad is my hero. He gave his family an extra 10 years (3,600 days) with my mom and we will be forever grateful. He made unbelievable sacrifices and put his life on hold. He picked her up when she needed help and he was her rock. If you know my dad you know his life was my mom and his love for her will inspire generations. They went through good and bad and stayed with each other every step of the way. Thank you to every customer who has come in the store and asked about my mom, prayed for my mom, hugged me and my dad about my mom. Thank you to every employee who has worked for us over these past years. You allowed my dad to be able to keep my mom going. Mom, I will miss you more than words. You were a great wife, the best mom, and the bestest grandma.

01/11/2021

We are currently out of saltwater for sale. The water delivery is scheduled for Wednesday. Sorry for any inconvenience. Also, a reminder the city of boca is chlorinating their water. Please remember to quadruple the amount of dechlorinator you use if using tap water.

01/04/2021

We do not have saltwater for sale until Wednesday afternoon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

01/02/2021

Big shipment of coral with great prices. Good size pieces starting at $60 and up. First come first serve. Happy shopping. Store will be open 11am-6pm.

01/01/2021

The city of boca will be super chlorinating their water from 1/6/21-1/20/21. During that period, if you use tap water for your fish, please remember to quadruple the amount of dechlorinator you use.

12/31/2020

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. The store will be closed on 1/1/21. We will be open regular hours saturday 11-6pm. New years Eve the store closes at 3pm. Stay safe and thank you for everything.

12/22/2020

We will be open today from 12-5 to help aid in last minute holiday shopping. We are expecting an african cichlid and saltwater fish shipment. Don't forget gift cards make a great stocking stuffer!

12/09/2020

Today is a sad day for The Barrier family. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Solomon family. Sadly, Mike Solomon passed away yesterday. He and his family have been shopping at the store for years and we will miss him terribly. There are some people that can walk in a room and their personality fills it and he was one them. I loved the conversation and humor and his laugh was contagious. Mike loved his family and took every opportunity to talk about his sons and grandchildren. His wife is battling medical issues and we had shared several tears, both good and bad. He loved his fish tank. He was a fairy wrasse guy and couldn't get enough of them. His go to Christmas gift was a barrier reef gift card. He loved disney. He was a passholder and an enthusiast and couldn't wait to get back there. He loved a good night at the casino with a good drink. His stories of who he saw in concert and met backstage and hung out with were always entertaining. He was so generous. He went out of his way to procure a sponsorship for my son's baseball fundraiser from some of his vendors. He loved to tell jokes (never clean)! I will truly miss him. We are so fortunate to have known him and he will always have a place in our heart. He was one of the good ones! We will miss you Mike. Rest in peace.