I come here for years now and ai would say that they are awesome. I went today and there is this guy by the fish section with the piercing on his nostril seems unfriendly and impolite. He didn't even say thank you or welcome to me. I'm a little disappointed for that. read more

I think I have been going there for almost 40 years. Excellent prices and the peoples know what they're doing. They won't sell you anything unless you need it and they ask a lot of questions. Look for the weekly deals . read more

It is like returning to childhood when I visit this store! My son has a 10 gallon aquarium and we love to come to the store to choose underwater plants and sometimes fish. The choice is really vast! You can find literally ANYTHING in there. I'm still not ready to switch from freshwater to salt aquarium but if this finally happens I know where to go and who to ask about a proper setup! read more

I love this aquarium store. It is on my way home, tucked away in a corner of a small plaza. I was surprised that I found parking. I visited it on my way home. There are some pretty cool restaurants in this plaza that I'd like to try. Big Al's is huge. Take your typical two aisles of fish supplies that you get at a regular pet store and multiply it by 20. That's Big Al's, without including the fish! I looked at the various live sea creatures and fish there. Do you want moss balls! Yep, they are there? Betta fish? Sure! Lots of variety. I stood there looking at them for ten minutes. I am thinking about getting another one now. There are plenty of fish food, tanks, accessories, and toys for your pet fish. It is an amazing store. Prices are decent. I'd come back here for more fish pet supplies. (92) read more

Big Box store variety, stock and availability, but boutique store feel. Beautifully and thoughtfully laid out display area. Beautiful quality livestock. Some unique stock that I haven't seen at other stores. Great coral section, too! They honoured a sale price on an anemone, I made the mistake of thinking was part of a sale. It's worth the drive for me from Etobicoke! read more

Big Al's Aquarium: This place is an undersea adventure just north on Steeles Avenue! I have been going here for the past 10 years and I am always impressed at the quantity and quality of the marine life they collect every week. I started with a fresh-water aquarium, and the staff were incredibly helpful and were able to effectively tell me what fish go well with each other, and other very helpful information that helped me get started! I am actually such a fan of this place, I actually casually go as a visitor just to look around (I mean AQUARIUM status, they are that good!) This week alone, they have Jelly Fish, Sharks and Lionfish ready to have a home. If you go during main holidays like Black Friday they have amazing deals like 'Buy 1, get 1 for $1'... ONE FREAKING DOLLAR for top-quality fresh or salt water marine life. Starting an aquarium or just want to be a tourist on Steeles Avenue, GO HERE! read more

This was definitely hard to find... It's in the plaza with the Pizza Pizza, and it's all the way at the end called fish store or something lame. But yes it's a Big Al's. It's huge here. Love the large selection of marine fish. Walking through the fish isles of any Big Al's is always a ton of fun (to me anyway, I love colours tehe) but this location just seem bigger! They have more coral tanks (the Oakville Big Al's used to be great for corals too but it's closed down now). Chris is the marine expert there, you can even phone and ask for him for whatever marine questions you have. He's a fun guy, down to earth, and he knows everything about saltwater stuff. I actually really like this location for its size and the many coral tanks! But their selection of corals for sale doesn't have as many as the Missisauga location... yet sometimes nicer though. Yes I've been to a few :p P.S. it's actually a fun place for a date. I know, a fish store.. I must be crazy.. But if you love going to zoos and museums, go to Big Al's too! There's enough in there to make you roam around and stay. Ask to touch a snake. Oh and they open on most holidays too. I remember going there on Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic... read more

The location, as my fellow reviewers have mentioned, is finicky. Make no mistake, it IS worth the hunt. This is a 4 (the interior size is amazing) I'm from Kingston, and I acquired my centrepiece angelfish from them. I was provided excellent care by James at the store, also Tom over the phone was very helpful. Some of the other staff made me feel as though I was bothering them, or otherwise inconveniencing them. So their customer service ranges between a 2-5 Product selection is a solid 4.5 Enjoy your shopping experience here. I know I did. read more

The staff at this store are fantastic. Knowledgeable, patient, and kind no matter who you get. I see a comment here about "the guy with the tattoos" being rude - that gentleman is awesome and helped me out of many jams. I highly, highly recommend this store. read more

Little motor in our Catit water fountain died. Phoned Big Al's, asked for a USB-1020, it was set aside for us. Went in, realized cord was too wide. One of the 2 friendly cashiers immediately found someone to help us. *BUT* the knowledgeable employee asked what the problem with our motor was, opened the motor, quickly cleaned it and voilà! We were out of the store minutes later with a working motor rather than replacing it. NO CHARGE. IMPRESSED. This will be the store we now buy supplies at. A little out of the way, but it's the competent "can do" attitude and first class service that will draw us there. Any other store would have upsold us a pricey replacement. HIGHLY recommend this well stocked store. And a bonus, as stated by another happy reviewer = the number of tasty restaurants to explore in that lil plaza! read more

Rudest staff. Guy with tatoos seemed confrontational the moment we started talking. Couldnt talk to him for one second before any criticizism. Completely different from petsmart. Would never return, taking my business elsewhere. read more

- really tough to see from the street, so just turn into the plaza and head for the left side and the rear. - the store is in a corner unit (with red signage) - this place definitely has all the goodies you need for fish and manner of aquatic life! read more

i went to big als and there fishes look good but after you bring them home they die so fast so it will live for 6 months in our fish tanks

Great store! The employees are knowledgable, they have a large selection of items which are all reasonably priced, and they are well stocked. I really felt the employees knew what they were talking about. They were very helpful and able to answer all our questions. Getting service was a bit different from other pet stores. Rather than going straight to an employee, you grab one of their clipboards and go to each tank, writing down the tank number, quantity and price of each fish you want. You then put the clipboard on the counter and an employee will grab it and call you up to get your fish. It's similar to a numbering system, only with clipboards. It is a bit hard to find if you don't know where it is. It's located in the corner of a little strip plaza. with giant red signage. The sign itself doesn't say Big Al's but rather says Aquarium Services, Warehouse Outlets, Tropic Fish. The store mainly specializes in fish but they sell products for reptiles as well. They also have a membership card which you can get to collect points on each purchase. The points can then be redeemed on future purchases. read more

the owner of the store did get backed to me with some back and forth emails. I simply told him I want an apology and a store credit for the difference of their tank and the Pets Mart tank which was about $20 dollars. I really did not care about the store credit but was more concerned about an apology from this manger so that my son can see that people are not always bad and make mistakes in which they apologize to you. Neither was granted which goes to show they really do not care about their customers. My suggestion is if you are starting any freshwater system your best bet is to go to Petsmart as they have the customer service to back you up. They show you how to maintain your fish tank properly and will guide you through your first set up. read more

I have a 7 year old 90 gallon African Cichlid tank, and the only place I buy fish and supplies is at Big Al's. If one of their stores does not have the product that I am looking for, I simply go to another location. They have the best prices and selection of any fish store that I have been to in the GTA Moreover, the staff have a lot of specialized knowledge, and they all seem to be confirmed fish fanatics. While I have not necessarily agreed with all of the advice that some sales reps have provided me, this probably just boils down to matters of personal opinion. Finally, I want to mention that I have had a number of personal dealings with Emanuel, who is the manager of the Steeles and Yonge Big Al's location. He has devoted a lot of time to helping me with several aquarium equipment emergencies, and he is personally responsible for saving all of my fish on at least two or three different locations. In sum, I don't know what I would do without Emanuel, or without big Al's aquarium stores. read more

Most knowledgeable staff that are friendly and greet you every time. A huge selection of fish and equipment. Its almost like going to the aquarium, its really fun and always look forward to seeing the shark tank. read more

Rarely do I write a review. I feel it necessary to explain a little about Big Als on Steeles. The people working there are serious nerd aquarists themselves. Wether you're looking for fish or plants. Like any hobby person everyone has there own experience and ideas. Ask 5 people their opinion and you will get five different answers and all of them are right. I started as a complete beginner and now I have a proper eco balanced planted aquarium with all my fish thriving. If you think you are going to make it work without a proper dedicated effort, forget it. There are things to consider. Water changes, quality of water, temp, filtration, and lighting for the plants as well as weekly maintenance. I happen to be able to do it in a simple hour or two a week. These people working at Big Als don't suffer fools gladly but are knowledgable and the nicest most helpful people I've met. I love going there and learn something every time I go. I wouldn't trust or go anywhere else. They are the best in the business as well as ethical. Treat them as your teachers and you will become a true aquarist. read more