Big Al’s Aquarium

Pet’s, supplies and entertainment all rolled into one!
I usually don’t go into a pet/​aquarium stores with my hubby, I will wait for him in the car until he’s done shopping. I’m so glad he convinced me to go in and check things out. Big Al’s is HUGE 6,000 sq ft! On the main floor they have pet supplies, birds, reptiles, and small animals (You can pet the bunnies and they won’t run away!). They even have a pet grooming station.
Look for the directional signs on the floor that say «Enter the deep» and follow them to the basement where you will be amazed by the enormous fish tank that holds their resident shark and moray eel. If you’re there on Tuesday night at 7pm you’ll be lucky enough to witness them feeding the shark. They have two artificial waterfall installations that empty into koi ponds. They have rows and rows of fresh water as well as salt water fish, lots of variety to choose from. My hubby has purchased all his fish (tetras and fancy guppies) and all his live aquarium plants from here and his 40 gal tank has been flourishing now for a solid 4 months.
The staff are knowledgeable but not the warmest. Make sure to sign up on their website to receive their weekly livestock specials but make sure to go early because they run out of stock quick. You can even trade in your fish (if it gets too big for your tank or if you just don’t want it anymore) for 40% off of their retail value.
Take your time and look around at all the different kinds of animals in the store, there’s lots of interesting things to see. If you get thirsty there’s a pop machine in the corner of the tank room. If you get hungry then go outside and grab a hot dog from the hot dog stand on the corner right next to Big Al’s. Great place to bring the kiddos!

This is a 2 part review.
Do not buy dry goods from here, if you are buying maks sure you read the receipt and stipulations.
2 days ago I bought a small marineland filter for my backup tank as I had a fish that was in need of separation from my community tank and the existing filter stopped. I purchased the filter fairly late in the evening (8pm). When I got it home, to my surprise it wouldn’t fire up, tried multiple outlets all the good stuff, no dice. Seeing as though I had to utilize this tank, I was forced to head over to wal mart to pickup a similar filter to ensure the health of the fish.
Today I attempted to return the filter as I no longer needed it, to my surprise, they do not return product, only exchange or offer a 10% credit (good deal eh!!!). Stating that the product is used and they were able to get the filter working.
All in all, dry goods. Do not buy!
Second part… I’ve been dealing with Chris (shaver) in livestock extensively over the last month or so. His knowledge, personality, expert advice and experience sets him apart from anywhere else! If you are going to purchase livestock, definitely make sure you track him down!
In conclusion, I will no longer purchase dry goods from here. But will continue to shop with Chris for my livestock needs.

Boy, were these guys ever disappointing! We’ve been in the store many a times as we gawked over their collection of corals and salt-​water fish and planned to fill our 60 gallon tank with a beautiful salt water paradise we could admire and grow with.
However, we actually got our first real purchasing experience last weekend when we decided to get a small 3 gallon tank and a betta for our toddler for Christmas. We approached one of the sales staff and basically explained that we wanted every equipment/​tools to start a small tank for 1 betta fish. The young man who «helped» us was so ho hum with his knowledge of what we should be buying and doing for this fish. We really should have opted out right then. But against our better judgement, we decided to buy a tank, a plant, a betta and some water conditioner and food to start a small Christmas present for our little girl.
When we came home, we did everything we were told to do but the betta died this morning, 2 days after the purchase and one day before Christmas eve.
Asides from feeling sorry and sad for the little fish that died, I was very disappointed with the level of knowledge and customer service that Big Al’s associate offered. It’s disheartening to see a store like this one who claims to be the expert in one thing and hire someone so inexperienced/​not passionate about the product they were selling.
We ended up going out to a local PJ’s pet store and purchasing another betta, a tank heater, thermometer, a live moss, extra PH testing kit and an apple snail to ensure the new betta fish doesn’t meet the same fate as the last one. So far, the fish and the snail seem happy in their new home so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my little girl will have a happy Christmas morning.

I got really inspired after my visit to Big Al’s Aquarium.
No, I am not going to get myself a huge fish tank and start my little pet fish project. Though the colourful tropical fish looks so pretty swimming leisurely in the tanks.
Geckos! I want to have some pet geckos!
Big Al’s has such a good collection of different type of reptiles. They all looks so healthy and active and such beauties!
They also has tent sale where you can find discontinued items that is at a huge discount. How about a little stroller back pack for my dog for $ 15?

amazing aquarium/​fish selection. they also sell small live animals and birds, which i’m not crazy about happening, but their staff is very knowledgeable and small animal care nonetheless. I guess until selling small animals in pet stores is outlawed just like selling dogs finally was, we can’t expect businesses not to take part… le sigh.

If your into aquariums and collecting fish — this is the place to go. It’s a chain with many locations across the GTA. I do find some locations better than others. I prefer the Vaughn and Scarborough locations. The fish definitely last longer at these two stores. At a few locations, the fish died a few days later.
They have a great selection of fresh water and tropical fish at competitive prices. They carry a huge inventory of tanks and accessories. I find the staff excellent and very knowledgeable.
Kids would love a visit. You don’t need to buy anything, just look at the colorful fish. They also have a huge shark tank and shark with preset feeding times so people can stop by and watch.

This pet store is well stocked in comparison to Other local stores. The staff was friendly but they won’t come up to, you have to reach out to them. I love how organized, well lit and clean this store is.