Crystal Aquarium brings fish, reptiles to Coshocton

• Robb Bush opened the Crystal Aquarium about a month ago at 531 Main St.
• He sells reptiles and fish, used equipment and tanks, healing crystals, feeders for reptiles and more.
• Bush hopes to expand to a larger location to offer more animals and new equipment and tanks.
• Bush said he opened the store because he and other reptile owners had to leave the county to finding reptile food.

COSHOCTON — Robb Bush has always had a fascination for fish tanks since he was a kid and now he's turned that interest into a new business unique to Coshocton. 

The Crystal Aquarium opened just over a month ago in the new Thompson Duplet, 531 Main St. The space owned by Jason and Carly Thompson will also feature other businesses and upstairs apartments in the future. 

In 2010, Bush started buying reptiles and found there was no place to purchase crickets for feeding. He and others were going to Mount Vernon, Zanesville and New Philadelphia, among other cities, to get reptile food and supplies.

Then, more than two years ago, he found himself out of work due to injury and started thinking about opening a pet store.  

"I've probably heard 150 to 200 times, people thankful they don't have to go to Zanesville or somewhere else now," Bush said on community feedback. "They say I'm a blessing for coming here for people." 

The shop offers different types of reptiles and fish and some other creatures that can be kept in glass tanks, like scorpions. Also sold are healing crystals, feeders for reptiles and some used tanks and equipment. Bush buys used equipment and tanks for cash or store credit.  

He hopes to expand into a bigger location in a year in order to offer more animals and new equipment and tanks. 

Bush doesn't have any employees, but some friends help him out from time to time. He has accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years just from owning different fish and creatures and has conducted research online. His brother took aquariums as a 4-H project when they were younger.

"That's when I started with the guppies and stuff and learning to take care of the fish," Bush said. "I like the sounds of them. I like to watch them. Not as a kid, but as I got older, it became part of my meditation. The TV's off, everything's off, and it's just listening to the sounds of the fish tank." 

He's glad to be on Main Street and filling a store front that was recently renovated after being vacant for years. Several new businesses have popped up on Main Street recently and work to remodeling buildings is underway, such as the current Selby Building project among others. 

"Now that I'm here with a store on Main Street I'll get to see it all up and coming and going again," Bush said.  

Find more about the Crystal Aquarium at its Facebook page or call 740-294-8474. It's open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.