Shrimpin’ might not be easy in a Tri-Cities climate, but the opening and expansion of an aquarium shop aims to make it so.

Shrimpin Ain’t EZ sells hundreds of varieties of freshwater aquatic plants, colorful neocaridina shrimp, fish, fish food and aquatic supplies. The business also offers aquarium and pond cleaning services.

Thomas Dobbins, owner of Shrimpin Ain’t EZ

The popularity of aquariums nationwide and locally has been good for business, said owner Thomas Dobbins. Shrimpin Ain’t EZ, which has been operating for seven years, started as a home-based business but it’s already outgrown its first brick-and-mortar location in Pasco and soon will be moving into a bigger shop in Kennewick.

Dobbins said the store at 120 Vista Way felt like the right place since it is across the street from the former Aquatropics shop, a locally-owned and -operated aquarium store that closed in the mid-2010s.

Despite Shrimpin Ain’t EZ’s name, “plants are definitely my forte,” Dobbins said. The store sells more plants than anything else. It stocks about a hundred different species of aquatic grasses and leafy plants to outfit aquariums.

Dobbins said he looks forward to expanding his offerings at the new 2,000-square-foot Kennewick shop as his former 176-square-foot space off Argent Road limited what he could stock.

Though he’s been in the business since 2018 and continues to do the bulk of his business shipping plants and shrimp nationwide, he opened his original storefront a year ago to provide more space for his tanks and has since established a growing local and regional customer base.

“My biggest successes have been building a reputation for quality and customer service … I believe in treating people with respect and building long-term customer relationships,” Dobbins said.

Dobbins said that he’s looking forward to branching into rare plants such as those that require an infusion of carbon dioxide into the tank to thrive.

“A lot more people are getting into more advanced (aquarium) stuff,” he said.

The store also stocks a few fish species and has a breeding program for a vibrant array of neocaridina “neo” shrimp with names like Blue Diamond, Red Cherry, Snowball, Orange Sunkist, Green Jade, Amano, Black Rose and Blueberry.

Shrimpin also is the only reseller in Southeastern Washington of Edmonds, Washington-based Aquarium Co-Op products and the only carrier in the region of Extreme brand fish food, according to Dobbins.

“We source our plants from sustainable farms that use only the best practices. Our shrimp are raised in clean, well-oxygenated water, and our plants are grown in rich, fertile soil. We also have a strict quality control process in place to ensure that our products meet our high standards,” according to the Shrimpin website.

From hobbyist to breeder

Neo shrimp are known for being relatively easy to care for and suitable for beginners just dipping their toes into aquariums.

“As a kid I was into fish and lizards and that kind of fun stuff. I had a couple of tanks as a kid,” Dobbins said. “It’s very niche. I’ve been into the (aquarium) hobby for a long time, but I never really kept shrimp. I kept seeing it so I decided to get some shrimp back in the day when Ebay was getting popular.”

Dobbins said that at the time there was just one guy on Ebay selling live neo shrimp in different colors.

“I started doing the math based on his past sales and realized this guy was making a ton of money,” he said.

Recognizing the opportunity, the FedEx driver by day started to investigate what it would take to begin his own online live aquarium shrimp business, including watching videos created by the owner of Aquarium Co-op to learn the business.

“About the time I started getting legit, other people started importing and undercutting everyone. The importing really killed off the market for U.S.-bred (shrimp),” Dobbins said.

“So, instead, I started adding a plant or two to test it out and that kind of snowballed; the plants really took off,” he said.

Shrimpin Ain’t EZ specializes in high quality freshwater plants, aquarium supplies and, of course, shrimp. Shrimpin recently moved from its former Argent Road location to 120 Vista Way in Kennewick.

| Courtesy Shrimpin Ain’t EZ

The Covid-19 pandemic delivered a boom in business as folks began honing in on hobbies and developing new ones that they could enjoy from the comfort of home.

In addition to his Kennewick storefront, he sells on Amazon, Etsy, Ebay and through his website, shrimpinaintez.com.

Most orders ship within 24 hours and arrive within two to three days.

Dobbins’ new shop at 120 Vista Way formerly housed the Livin’ the Dream Stop & Shop before it shifted gears away from a brick-and-mortar business model.

He said he plans to use the eight-room layout to organize themed rooms for an enhanced shopping experience.

He said that due to the hard-to-find product lines that he carries, he attracts customers from Yakima, Moses Lake, Pendleton and in between. He hopes that expanding the Aquarium Co-op and Extreme fish food offerings will help get more people in the door.

“My vision is to create a community space with workshops and classes,” he said.

Aquarium, pond cleaning

In addition to the retail side of Shrimpin, Dobbins also offers aquarium and pond cleaning services on a limited basis.

“I’m trying to grow that side of the business and hire some people. It’s a service that’s missing here in Tri-Cities,” he said.

For tanks, services include algae cleaning and removal, draining and refilling, filter maintenance, substrate cleaning, water testing and adjustments, inspection of pumps, heaters, lights and CO2 injection and plant care.

Prices vary upon consultation based on tank size and complexity and how often service is required from $80 to $800 and up.

On the pond side, services include pump repair, winterizing, application of special chemicals, dredging, draining, cleaning and water testing and can range from $450 and up to a few thousand dollars based on complexity and features.

Dobbins said that a big misconception about live aquarium plants is that they are more work than plastic plants.

“People put a lot of fake plants in there and they have no benefits. If people were to mimic nature and use real plants, it really cuts down on the work it takes to maintain the aquarium,” he said.

He cited one client whose 125-gallon tank he services. “When I go in there to maintain it, most of the time I’m just changing the water, I’m not having to suck everything out. I have a lot of aquariums and I’m able to keep up because I have all the plants. If I didn’t have all the plants, I wouldn’t be able to keep up (with the maintenance).”

Dobbins invites people to come in and ask questions before buying anything and to do their research. He also has a blog on his website devoted to “everything you need to create a thriving underwater haven” that can also serve as a resource.

Shrimpin Ain’t EZ plans to reopen to the public no later than Oct. 1 in Kennewick once all plants and critters have had a chance to settle in from the move.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 1-7 p.m. Sunday.

Shrimpin Ain’t EZ: 120 Vista Way, Kennewick, 509-795-2525, shrimpinaintez.com.