The Aqua-Dome, for those who may be wondering, is named as such because the building is in fact a monolithic dome. Built in 1986, the structure was first opened as a fish and exotic bird store called "The Reef". Current owner Gary Coffman purchased the location in 1998 with plans to consolidate his many pet business ventures into his masterwork- a no-holds-barred tropical fish store. Located in 78704 south Austin and being such an odd building, the Dome was truly the perfect spot to begin creating Austin's most unusual fish store. Using his ties to industry distributors in Texas and tropical fish importers on both coasts, Gary soon filled the Dome with the most effective filtration and accessories and a selection of fish Austin had never before seen. The Aqua-Dome has continued to build upon this idea, constantly changing to accommodate more and rarer fish, and evaluating and changing our dry goods selection to present our customers the most useful and valuable of the world aquatics industry's product offerings. We keep fish ourselves, and we stock fish that we would love to have in our home aquariums. The Aqua-Dome staff is here to help interested hobbyists make sense of the information presented online and by other retailers and choose a fish keeping system that is affordable and practical. We also pride ourselves in being able to acquire exotic live animals at a fraction of the cost of online or local retailers.

Gary earned his BS in Zoology from the University of Texas at Austin and became one of Austin's pioneers in the retail pet business. Any central Texas retailer worth his salt has dealt with Gary at one point or another. The Aqua-Dome is the culmination of his many successful business ventures. Gary has encountered many techniques for keeping fish in his years of dealing with hobbyists. With a base in science and a little luck, he says "the only wrong way is the one that didn't work".

Teri first worked for Gary at the "Pet Corral" in 1994. She managed the Pet Corral at South 1st and William Cannon from 1999-2004 so Gary could get the Aqua-Dome underway. The Corral was a full line pet store where Teri groomed and studied animals of all kinds as well as bred the amiable bearded dragon lizards. Teri now oversees all things freshwater at the Dome. She has 3 cats, a blue and gold macaw named Strider, and 2 aquariums.

Let me introduce myself as this site's webmaster. Or web-attempter? While earning my BS in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, I became an avid hobbyist, frequenting many local aquarium shops and sponging up fish knowledge. After working weekends for Gary from 2004-2008, I began full time work at the Dome centered on the marine livestock section. I try my best to help customers keep these animals, some of which are among the most misunderstood in captivity. Learning to keep these creatures will be invaluable to medicine and science. With changing global climates, our success may prove crucial to these animals' very existence. I currently keep 5 fish tanks at home along with my cat.

Michael is from Houston, and has been helping out at the Dome part time. He keeps many fish tanks as well as a dog that trips him down the stairs often resulting in major injury. He operates his own maintenance company, Oceans of Austin.