Reviews of Big Al's Aquarium Supercentres (Fish Shop)

Charles

Good starter store for aquarists

Kyra Freer

Adam the sales guy is super helpful and knowledgable on products!

Susanne F.

Nice place for an outing if you like to look at fish. Kids will!

cars1750

Bought all my aquarium stuff here, very good store

North Painting

My Wife Came home very Happy over the customer service she received at this Location. The staff were very knowledgeable and sympathetic to the circumstance that was put on us by Pet Valu. Big Als really stepped up and earned themselves loyal new customers. BIG THANK YOU TO TYLER AND BLAIR! YOUR customer service went far beyond the call of duty! GOOD JOB!!! JUSTIN & EVE ORZY

Cass W

Excellent service and wonderful and helpful staff very clean and organized amazing job social distancing and making sure proper masks are worn

Matt Galbraith

Good, knowledgeable employees!

Brian Wallace

An hour's worth of entertainment for the little one looking at all the aquariums.

Dan Sanders

Everything you could need for an aquarium. Huge variety for fresh or salt water.

NSmodelertim

Great service and the best part extremely quick online ordering. A lot of stores could learn from Big Al’s with their online ordering process. Great job Big Al’s.

Madison Byrnes

Nice facilities.

Brittany Gosse

Awesome store with friendly employees. I go there all the time and it's great for the kids to walk around too!

Terry Crosbie

Great staff

Julia M

the employee who was helping me wasn’t very informative on what I need for my new tank. Gave me info on what kinds of fish are good with others and that was it. I told him I was getting back into aquariums so I needed a refresher. The guy helping me was also winking a lot at myself and my mom which was really weird and uncomfortable and it seemed like he was high. I had to ask the guy at the front desk on what else I needed for my tank. I’ve also purchased some mollies and platys from this store recently and discovered they don’t last long, I think some of the fish are just old and/or ill, maybe just not good quality. They also only have a 5 day guarantee and they only replace half the value of the fish when Petsmart has 14 days and give you a full replacement. But I think I’ll be taking my business to Petsmart from now on.

caled c

Very good fish shop but unfortunately it doesn't sell zebrafish

Kristy Coyne

Always shop here. Staff is always friendly knowledgeable and helpful

Brent 77

Mostly knowledgeable staff, wide selection of fish and anything you could need for your tank. Unfortunately the prices are usually higher than most stores for the accessories but the fish are competitively priced and all are well taken care of. We have purchased a tank and several fish from there.

Jenna Hayman

Lots of fish and fish supplies. Huge supply of tanks and tropical species. There was even a shark!

Mike Wilson

Do you long to take a underwater adventure? Well look away. At this big Al's location we take the fun out of anything aquatic. Our staff will always be there to make you feel depressed. Want to be greeted when you walk in the door by the kids at the register? Who are you the queen? We will happily mutter hi unenthusiasticly while looking st our phones. Do you have any questions? Well don't come here then. We pride ourselves on making you feel like a idiot for not knowing anything about our products already. Want to teach your children about the facts of life come on down. We have lots of dead fish floating in the aquariums to teach the little ones about death. Also if you don't have a lot of money, don't bother coming we boast some of the most expensive products on the market. Not because it's the best... just mainly because were all you have and we know it. So if you want to have your day ruined come on down to big Al's barrie location. Smiles not included.

Annalinda Iustic

Very clean good amount of fish to pick from ...tanks are kept clean fish look healthy

Blaine Smet

Amazon is definitely cheaper for most things, bit there expertise is bar none!

Dylan Simpson

Love the selection of fish and aquatic plants. They have some really exotic fish too and it always makes for an interesting visit

Anna Drexler

Amazing place, the best in Barrie if you are looking for fish, marine life and supplies. Great selection, friendly staff, fair prices, my go to place!

salman naeem

Nice place to show your kids a shark, always buy my fish products from here

Wally McFarlane

Nice people, friendly service and clean place. Full of information too

Dalton Moreau

Considering its like the only fish place around its pretty good. Helpful staff

cory james

awful staff,amazed they are still open.......

Michelle Heavens

Great place staff is very helpful

Paul A

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE - Just left me on hold for 10 minutes to tell me an Emerald Crab I just bought 3 days ago that died is my issue and they do NOTHING to rectify. I have spent hundreds of dollars at this store. My water is perfect, I have things thriving in my tank. LOOKS LIKE I need to find another aquarium store. Any suggestions?

Justin Downham

Was dirty and looked a little run down. I use to go often when I lived in town but my last visit might keep me away for more of my fish needs.

Jesse Shwiftty

Awful customer service/sales staff. One of them nearly knocked my small child over while dripping fish water from a net on her head while we were waiting 5-10 minutes for someone to assist or acknowledge us. Pathetic. Ended up leaving and going elsewhere, recommend you do the same.

BeautyFashion Vlogs

I loved big als there fish are in really good condition

Ted Holotuk

Even though crazy busy still made time to help out .and carry out the stuff to my car .very pleasant staff

Ken Berenz

Stopped sale of terta min, top quality food that I have bought for 50 years.:-(

David Kooi

Always romantic. Great date spot.

Far K

Friendly Staffs.

Cory

Ok prices. Nice selection of fish and accesoried. Nothing to be excited about.

B Finch

This place is great and the kids love checking out all the fish. The shark is cool to see as well but seems like it needs more space.

Jeffrey Nelson

They have a great assortment of fish and products and very knowledgeable staff.

evan hunwicks

SO MANY FISH!!!!! Ihad to leave early cause I ate McDonalds and needed to poop

Susan Laycock

Fun for kids to learn

Dino Pantelidis

Amazing staff and service. Always a great selection of fish and corals. Highly recommended.

Archit Arcot

Wide range of fish and fish products!! The staff clearly explained me how to handle and maintain my fish tank!! Now I am satisfied having a fish as a pet at home

Celine Mac

Very friendly and helpful staff & service.

Nora Szemethy

it Just a really nice place

Sal Jiwani

Tons of fish. Lots of stock. Ok prices. Great place to bring your kids to see the fish.

Jason Regular

This place has been really efficient during the past few months I've been purchasing everything from fish, live plants and aquariums, and the fish and plants have all been healthy and thrived in there new enviroment and being a beginner at that. There also very helpful and quick when ordering online as my orders have been ready for curbside pickup within 30 minutes. Also you can just drive up to the store front and someone will come out to assist without leaving your warm car. I'm not sure if there watching like before as you are able to shop inside, but you can call on your arrival and let them know.

Mike Coleman

Lots of cool fish and nice ppl

Tracy McFall

They have great selection of fresh and saltwater fish. They have everything you need to build an aquarium for your fish. They are also quite knowledgeable. I just bought everything brand new about a week ago and the staff helped decide which fish were best to start and which one should now go into a new tank right away. This is the only place I will buy fish.

Julie White

Aquariums are clean, fish healthy. Lots to choose from

Andrew Geddes

Big Al's is fantastic. Sure, if you go to a big box competitor you may save fifty cents, but you're not going to get the help and guidance these guys provide. They do everything they can to help and offer free water testing. Best quality, variety and service. You can trust these guys!

jeff haze

thought the salesman was just not interested, but now I think he was just trying to get us out a quick as possible. Trying to get rid of returned merchandise perhaps? The Bulb we purchased lasted a day and a half, the fixture was missing parts, and when I asked him the wattage rating, he read off what the socket said, not the overall fixture.

J-pres jeff preston

Friendly staff great place to fund your next pet!

Sugar Sammy

Been coming here for I don't know how many years. Petsmart has a decent selection for fish/fish stuff, but personally I've always been coming to big al's instead. I used to be heavy into salt some years back and then I went heavy into fresh as well and everything I bought, was from big al's. The points system is also good for rewarding repeat customers.

Mike Tremblay

Always helpful and honset

dana Jordan

Awsome place to shop

Noah Striker

Fantastic service, and very knowledgeable staff.

Jimmeh Brew

One of my favourite stores to visit, even if I don't purchase anything.

Eric Geiler

Great store north of gta.

Marcel Heaton

Knowledgeable staff!

Jason Cymbaluk

Great selection of exotic fish and supplies

Blain Richards

The kids love this store. Good variety of fish and knowledgeable staff.

Mark Drisch

Easily ranks in the top 3 of all the aquarium stores I have been to, including the GTA and Toronto ones. Super nice, knowledgeable, and helpful staff and they are starting to bring in more rare/hard to find fish, which is incredibly exciting. Store is kept very clean, and not a single fish I have bought at this location has had anything wrong with it! All around a great experience!

Jake McGowan

Very knowledgeable staff and a huge assortment

John Thompson

O ly been there once but was impressed with the knowledge of staff and.friendly to deal with

74N14 M1L0

This place is just depressing. I've bought so many sick fish from here over the years (and spent literally thousands of dollars in treatments trying to save these fish) before I realized it wasn't me and they just tend to stock fish who are unwell. I raise betta fish these days and stopped in to get some water conditioner recently and was reminded of why I avoid this place now. Two dead bettas in their tiny bowls and one that was dying and practically begging for help. It was so hard for me to walk out and leave the poor little guy, but I can't keep quarantining and trying to fix fish from here :( the sales people are constantly cleaning the tanks here, but they don't tend to have much knowledge about the animals they're selling, and sick animals aren't treated properly.

casey hollema

Lots of selection. Knowledgeable staff

Richard Pichurski

good people and good products.

M Kellington

Best fish store in Barrie that I know of atm

Dustin Bouchard

Friendly staff and have everything we need for your aquatic pets.

Simon Oliver (Psymon)

Great selection of fish, tanks and aquarium aesthetics

Medium Jodi Jones

Such an awesome selection of fish! And there's always really good music playing.

Jesse Leonard

Excellent selection of fish

Evan Lynch

Always love going here they have a great selection of fish, enclosures (for fish or reptiles) and so much more.

Moderately Orange

It had a wide variety of fish to choose from and the customer service was very helpful! I found exactly what I wanted and it was a quick process. I bought 30 goldfish for $7.89 and it has been a month, they are all still alive! They take really good care of their fish and other amphibians. All in all, 5 out of 5! Great store and I will definately be going again!

Azaeal K

Lots of variety of fish and supplies but prices are abit high so...

Kathleen Tilcox

love all the unique fish, however the staff is very useless you ask them a question about a fish and they dont have a clue out of 7 people working not one person knows anything about the fish. Everytime you ask them for help its a huge inconvience

Shourtney E.

One of the best aquatic pet stores I've ever been in! Sometimes the staff doesn't always know some simple info about the fish in shop, but I get it, lots of fish and it's hard to know info on all of them especially when you're a new employee and only need 5yrs of fish keeping "experience" to work there lol

Kris I.

Great place for fish supplies and all kinds of fish, friendly staff real knowledgeable!!!

Amanda Johns

There fish look sick

Rick Talbot

Best place for tropical fish and accessories in the area. They have a curbside pickup website now, for Covid purposes.

Sunflower Nathan

Bad service. Asked question and got ignored many time. I do not recomande this place at all. PetSmart is better.

Jeff Meades

Fantastic place for all your Aquarium necessities with a beautiful array of live marine life to view as well.

Samantha Remo-Couto

We took our son to choose the fish he wanted and he enjoyed doing so

Matthew Lewis

Very upsetting there turtles are in very bad condition and not well taken care of one has its tail missing and bleeding and all there shells are vent up meaning nla bad diet very upsetting

Sean C

Started up my very first aquarium and i bought my first 16 fishes from here. Prices were quite high on all of the small decorations but the staff ufront was super nice and easy to talk to. However the staff in the back were quite rude, and at points it got pretty embarraing asking them to get a fish out after being ignored twice. It seemed as if they didnt want to speak to me, and as i stood there at the counter with a clipboard, they walked out the back room and passed me. Overall i would come back as it's got quite a variety of fish.

Matt Surrey

A lot of different variety of fishes, and other salt/fresh water animals including large sharks to plants.

Cory Bouchard

Has all necessities for your fishy needs, went here as a kid to buy and look at cool fish.

Stephan Jonk

Love the variety of supplies for anything to do with aquariums. The staff is very knowledgeable with anything to do with them too.

HELP

Amazing experience ????

fps timberguy

Lots of fish

Sean Patterson - Dyce

One of the best aquarium shops you can go to they have everything well set up and are very helpful staff I go in any chance I get as they have great prices and a large stock to choose from.

amber b

10/10 for equipment I now have a population of Bladder Snails and Water Fleas due to some anubis I got from big al's, and though they are beneficial, I hate looking at them. My betta came with some minor fin rot I was still too new to identify, so the loss of finnage is on me. So far, the Nerite snails I bought are the happiest thing to look at in the tank. I have made sure not to overfeed, but the death of one of my plants from Big Al's caused a population explosion. I'm deciding whether to accept my life or make a trap.

Shawn Kent

Staff was rude, snobby, and overall unpleasant. Horrible experience, would never go back. Staff were completely rude, seemed off put by our questions and ignorance. Until today I never knew there was such a thing as a fish snob. Not too mention they even recommended we buy fish to kill them as a way to prep the tank. WTF? Went to Pet Smart around the corner. Found a guy named Jai, super nice, super knowledgeable and walked out of PetSmart smarter, with over a hundred bucks in gear. Skip Big Al's, Pet Smart may be a big block, but they will treat you with a modicum of respect.

Denis R. Potvin

Big Al's in Barrie is a great place to shop for all of your aquarium needs. From quality products to quality livestock, you can find it here. I've spent a small fortune here setting up my marine tanks. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and their products and their livestock. I've had them successfully order rare and hard to aquire marine livestock. Their prices are quite reasonable.

Joe Mariano

Place was clean, staff were great! Enjoyed my visit there...

Paul Rogie

Prices are no where close to the lowest. That needs to be adressed. As for the staff, it all depends who you deal with. There are some very good helpful people there, there are a few I dont even bother talking to. 3 Star rating and that is mostly based on their pricing.

Alex Kuczak

Everyone is very helpful and knowledgeable

isabella knuth

Very helpful staff

Malcolm Robinson

Sexy workers

Tiffany Horodecky

The people thar are realy nice and over all its esey to find what you need but i think the prise should go down a little

Shaun Moon

Lots of help from the staff. Bought a betta, and he is very happy :)

Gawie Delport

What a fun place to visit. All the fishy stuff you just might need in one place.

Builder Tips

They have pretty much everything your aquarium needs and loads of freshwater and saltwater species for sale

John McDowell

Good selection

Black Rabbit

Great place. Really know their fish.

Norm Petroff

Love this place! Friendly staff and the best selection of stock north of Toronto.

Ty Leslie

I went in there 2 days in a row for their 20% off sale, first day they were overwhelmingly busy and were still able to help with my needs. Second day I came in for information as I am just venturing into salt water, they were very helpful and friendly to me. It is definitely the kind of place where you can go and not fear to ask questions as they are very understanding and helpful. All staff are very knowledgeable and friendly people. I do not write reviews awesome and im usually irritated when I write reviews but I am very satisfied with this store and recommend them or any of their branches to people getting into the hobby.

Michael Nokes (Holiday)

They have everything you could ever need or want for your aquarium, fish, food, tanks, materials, etc! The prices are a LITTLE higher than a standard pet store, but you get ALL the knowledge and specialty! Even if you wanna go in to look at the fish for a few minutes (especially with kids) they don't seem to mind! Very nice and knowledgeable people!

Linnea Whitcroft

If you need advice talk to Christian! We bought a betta fish at the Big Al's in Vaughan a week ago and noticed our fishy doesn't look too happy. We went in and explained our worries to Christian and he helped us figure everything out!

Henning Golle

Great variety!

Kookie Bellafontaine

I love this place...so clean, such good staff. Friendly, and helpful. I love all the big al locations! I really recommend this place for the fish geek enthusiasts.

Scott Montgomery

They have sharks!! What more do I need to say?

Celynne

Friendly staff, though often it seems as though they're understaffed, especially on the weekend, had to wait almost half an hour just to get one betta fish. Prices are reasonable depending what you're buying. Their animals are definitely a lot healthier than any fish you might get at Petsmart.

Emily Brady

Staff were very helpful and informative

tr3nt1nat0r

The best store and service when you have questions or need supplies for any size aquarium!!

Pac Man

Good selection and price. Sometimes takes a while to get feeder fish if there are a lot of curious customers.

Dave Ghezzo (CEREAL KILL3R)

Helpful staff. If an employee doesn't know the answer to a question, they ask someone else in the store that does. Knowledgeable and friendly.

Jenn Raftis

Great atmosphere, cool fish, & awesome people! Even if you're not buying, a great place to spend some time with the kids!

Daryl Rines

Great place to get aquarium equipment. Service is great and emplayees are super friendly. Over all great place.

Sarah M

Great selection of fish, knowledgeable staff, and great selection of products.

Mandie Copegog

The fish are so beautiful to look at. Cant wait till i get my aquarium i will most definitely be back to get my fish friends here

Michael Barzo

Very professional. Knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Rank Study Consulting

The best customer service I have received in any store in Barrie. Super knowledgeable, they take their time with you and make sure all of your questions are answered. There is always someone experienced working with the younger team... and even the younger members of the team are great to speak with. If you get a chance, ask for Drew and no matter what you are looking for you will be in great hands. He has been helping us (patiently haha - we ask a lot of questions when we go in) for a year and half. We started with a fresh water cichlid tank and recently added our first salt water tank. Not only have they been tremendous with helping us get fully setup and helping test our water, etc... they even stopped me from buying some expensive fish to ensure I waited the right amount of time and to ensure I didn't start with fish that would be hard to deal with. How many companies downsell their customers to ensure they get the best overall experience. Again... by far the best customer service and team in the city. Try them out, you won't be disappointed.

Anthony Willem

Some awesome staff. Kevin is great in the fish room. Andrew also helpful on the sundries/consumables side. Best store in Simcoe that I know of. Selection is mediocre, some/few uncommon species. Staff generally gets answers to curve ball questions that turn out to solve problems. Ended up with a MTS infestation from their have moss buckets (my own fault for not quarantining?)... I shop here often because it's the best store in a 20km radius at minimum

X_REDEYE_X

Very knowledgeable. Thank you for helping my 3year old pick out fish and plants for here new fish tank.

Ken Goss

Always fun ace to take the kids on a rainy day

Timmi Campbell

Store was great. Employee was eager to make sales.. however he was not great with my kids. He was hyper. He didn't allow children to be involved with specified fish. Another employee was bejindnon duties and we were made to wait until.that employee was ready to assist the man making the sale Seemed unprofessional.

Julie Campbell

The live fish and plant stock is incredible and very healthy. The staff in the live fish section of the store are friendly and helpful and are willing to go out of their way to make sure that you get what you want. I will only buy my fish from Big Al's The stock of aquarium products is about average compared to other large pet stores and the staff at the cash and in the rest of the store is rude, impatient, and aren't all that willing to help, even when you ask a specific question! I'd pretty much rather shop anywhere for non-fish products than here.

Tea-Lynn VanDyk

New fish owner here. Staff was fantastic about answering my questions and helping me pick out a tank and accessories. Recommended to anyone looking to properly take care of their swimming pets!

Fawn Gillard

Love checking out the sharks and various fish.

Tony Salvagna

Awesome place to take my son

Janet Cunningham

Lots of different fish . Great return policy.

Otto Maan

Nice sharks!

Steve Weis

pretty good selection of saltwater fish this visit

Steven R

This place is great. They have almost everything you would need to run any kind of fish tank.

Tony Nova

Overpriced shrimp

Shawn Haines

Great place for kids

Roger Thomas T

Hi quality, and great service

mike batz

Awesome place to buy your fish.

Chantal Stone

Beautiful rainbow shark very fair price

Junior Stephen

Friendly and helpful staff, great selection of fish and products

Sarah Schofield

Bought 2 female bettas and they both died with in the first 3 weeks. Very disappointed

Rob Dossantos (dosrob)

Manager is great! Very accommodating and knowledgeable. Only place I shop for fish and accessories

chris sellers-mccaw

Great store with very helpful staff.

Tonya Frenette

The staff are always helpful and friendly. They have a great selection of fresh and saltwater fish and equipment. I have been shopping here for all my supplies and fish for over a year and would go no where else.

Matt Neves

Great people to deal with and great selection and really clean store

Eric Mckenzie

Love the place seeing all the defferent fish Awesome!!

Scott Rance

It is enjoyable and calming watching fish

Dubz C

Amazing staff, great selection, clean premises, lots of tanks and supplies, really the best go to spot for aquarium needs.

Rachel Haines

Great place to browse and amazing selection of aquarium supplies and many different types of fish.

Meaghan Woolridge

Very helpful service. Great selection of fish

Jakey_P97

Best place to go to for your fish and fish needs. Their products will reduces the risk of any snail infestations in your tank. Fish are kept at a healthy standard. the staff and team are welcoming and nice and knowledgeable about your needs. A definite must if you're a first-time fish owner, they have great deals for aquarium sets as well as an awesome option for extended warranty.

Jolene Edwards

Love going here just to look at the fish

Jessica R Newhook

They don't hire women in the fish room because "women belong on cash because cash can be replaced. The fish room leads to business, and women aren't competent enough to handle that"

Cameron McArthur

I love it here, always a variety of fish & products.

Dmitri Tsvetkoff

Nice place. Friendly. Have lots of stuff. With pants I brought from there snails and detritus worms.

Isaac

Crazy large selection. Best fish & tank store in Barrie hands down

Julie Tutic

This location is clean and very helpful, we come here everytime we come down South.

Fiona Haller

Just returned from purchasing a betta fish with my daughter. The COVID protocols are enforced well and they offer various options for purchase/pickup. I had emailed earlier in the week regarding a specific colour and they emailed photos of different fish. We arrived tonight and they brought 3 different ones to the door. We left with a fish and a heater. I've shopped there previously and the staff are knowledgeable, the store/tanks are clean and the customer service is excellent.

Sean Morhan (Snakeman69er)

Amazing selection of live fish and accessories, aquarium's and supplies

UndecidedHobbies

The place to go for aquarium stuff

Pro Weirdos

Always an amazing selection

RICK Rosa

Little on the expensive side when no special are on.

Ayla Brombach

Awesome if you are into aquariums. Their fish selection is superb.

Christopher McMahon

Amazing selection of supplies and and fish for aquariums. Very helpful and friendly staff. Good prices also. My favourite store for fish by far. Thank you.

Gordon Losey

Helpful and polite staff

Joe Fat

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Went to pet value and an independent store and they had no idea. Asked about water clarity and new fish and they had all the answers. Great job!

Jesse Richardson

Friendly Knoweledge staff, ok selection of fish, lots of accessories

Karen Clewer

Great place to visit, even if you're not buying. We can always find what we're looking for and spend a long time just looking at all the fish!

Angie Touchette

Great service. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Always so helpful and kind. Great products and decent pricing.

Nick Smith

They didn't have the product I was looking for. Super worms for my bearded. Only HD dead ones he hates eating dead worms.

Brandon Parliament

Lots of fish and sharks, healthy and happy

H Banks

The big box of aquarium supply stores. A place for experts and newbies. Friendly staff with the experience to help anyone. Well stocked clean store. I come for the deals usually leave with more.

Dave Irwin

Great selection of products but quite pricey compared to other pet supply stores.

Alucard

Great place, lots of variety.

Taylor Jones

Love the staff here, very friendly. Great prices !

Luigi Stallone

Quantity and variety of fish was good. Information concerning fish should be improved (too dark and too small to read easily).

Ariee Cupcog

Love this place. Even if your not buying anything always so fun to look at all the fishies they have

Sean Rees (Sean Reads)

Great shop! Like going to a little version of Ripley's aquarium.

Tina Nason-Cirone (DUTCHESS)

I love Big Al's !! I've been a customer there for many years ???? Customer Service is always cheerful and knowledgeable. ..thanks Big Al's!

mark gabriel

I am a big admirer of Cardinal Tetra and in Barrie only Big Al have them.

L Johnson

Many variety of dishes to choose a bit pricy great staff knowable and willing to help

mark english

Grew up going to this place on weekends. You need fish? They got fish. You need aquarium? They got aquarium. You need light for aquarium? Guess what? They have that too.

Ryan Foster

Always great service..never feel like I am being "over sold" or "up sold" on products...listen to your needs and provide proper product

Maxx Bonnefoy

Fantastic care taken of facilities and livestock. Very good Aquarium supply store

Tha Night

Best place in Ontario to purchase fish

Niknik Onyx

Great deals

Rose Henderson

Who doesn't love big Al's. Nobody

Natalia Ospina

Great place for fish stuff.

Jason George Photography

Great selection.

GrenadeMagnet

This place is great! Staff are all extremely helpful and polite. There are a couple of younger staff members that might not know as much becuase they are still learning, but there are always older members of staff available to answer any harder questions you might have. The supply of fish and the amount is normally pretty good, but if you really want a great selection, the best days to go in are right after they receive an order which is usually weekly.

Stephen Dolson

Great staff, very friendly and knowledgeable

Matteo Gpro

Great place clean knowledgeable and kind. Good selection. ****Ken is the man with the plan. Need help advice he's truly amazing guy! Look forward to see him when I'm around.

Errol Williams

My granddaughter loved it and got some fish there.

Nathan Daggett

Sad state. Used to be an amazing LFS.

Maxime Boulanger

Lots of fish and good service

Jason Lessard

Went in to purchase a Beta fish for my 10 year old son. Gentleman who helped us was very knowledgeable and pointed us in the right direction for all the accessories that we needed. They have a great selection of both fish and aquarium accessories as well

Rattiest Boot

Literally love this place everyone is so nice it’s such a cool place to go even just to look at what they have

Dylan Henson

Absolutely fantastic service. Each person who works there is extremely knowledgeable with regard to aquarium and terrarium keeping. Highly reccomend if you have any issues with your current aquariums, wish to purchase a new one, or if you want new fish. I trust this place with my fish lives.

Michelle Q

The staff is very knowledgable and helpful. Store is well stocked and organized The variety of everything beats any other fish store.

jessica lawrie

Favorite place to buy all fish and aquarium needs. Travel from muskoka just for the store

Patricia Menary

Wonderful to shop in. Great variety of fish

Neal Jensen

A great place to buy fish. A gentleman who works there by the name of Mike is super helpful and knowledgeable. He alone gets 10 stars. Thanks Mike for all that you do.

Chris Panting

because they have great stuff and everything u need

Sarah Blackley

Specifically thank you to the young woman in the back that helped me out yesterday. My son was having a really hard time listening to me, running off every time I turned my head to look for fish. She was so gentle and sweet with my son. She took the time to talk to him, let him pick out our fish and saw that he was so drawn to the kio( I had questions that she answered all of as well. But what really stood out is she let my son feed the koi. My wee man was so delited and was amazing for the trip home. All he talked about was feeding the fish. Thank you so VERY much for being an observant person and realizing when a parent needs help. Thank you thank you thank you!

Gord Ducharme

Wonderful staff and selection!

Kennith James

Fantastic service, knowledgeable and friendly! Helped solve fish food issue, tank cleaning inquiries and light bulb replacement.

Jennifer Olver

Great and friendly employee's, huge selection of products and livestock. Has everything you need! You can earn points towards product purchases/discounts. Garenteed to have LOADS of new or different livestock available! Definitely raises the bar in other competitive companies ???????????? A must go to store. Highly Recommended to everyone!! Hard to walk out without a purchase. Also is a happy and satisfying place to work!

SUNSETNHL

Staff are very helpful and they have an amazing selection of fish and reptiles

Paul Bondy

Beautiful store they had a lot of very different types of fish. Our son loved seeing all the different coloured fish. Most importantly the store was well kept the tanks were clean and all the fish looked healthy.

Stephen Schattin

You wake up wanting to put together a fish tank. Your first stop should be here. Realize you are not buying fish for a month though. Bad for the fish.

Jessica Hunt

Great selection, not outrageous prices and knowledgeable staff.

Hayden Hollis

Great people and are willing to help with any problem

Sharon Hulmes

All kind of neat things in this store with a wide variety of live fish.

Rico De Riddler

They don't have as much of a variety of saltwater fish But still ok for supplies and quality fish

Warran Grin

What a fantastic store with a lot of stock, however we were very disappointed with the level of service we received. Coming into the store, we were not greeted, and the people behind the front desk were on their phones texting. Sadly, this was the only place in town which had the cichlid food we needed. We purchased the fish food, but we probably won't be back unless the level of service changes.

John Connell

We just rebuilt our pond and needed some fish to put in it. We showed up, told the young man what we wanted and he made some suggestions ended up walking out with 12 fish and three plants. Staff always seem very knowledgeable about their products. We really enjoy going in there. Would recommend this store to anyone.

Barbara Viklen

Has a good selection and decent prices. They will try and get stuff in for you so ask if you can't find it.

Keith Gruchy

good buys

Emily VL

I’m guilty of going in the first place as I don’t usually like to endorse exploitation of animals. At first it was interesting to see all the tropical fish. Tanks seemed clean and well kept but the reality is we shouldn’t be robbing the ocean of these beautiful creatures. They don’t deserve our exploitation and for the love of god please put the poor beta fish in something larger than a cup. Come on guys. Is money really worth the cruelty.

Tim Lascak

Friendly and knowledgeable staff, have most things enthusiast want.

nate kaplinski

Amazing best fish store in town . Wouldnt go anywhere else

Leigh Payne

Got helped out by a young guy. Very knowledgeable and informative. A really big help and a credit to your staff.

Rebecca Trumble

Staff are knowledgeable

Hadi Servat

I was not expecting this veriety of fishes in Barrie, staff were nice and our little fish are still happy

Alison Harrington

Best fish store

Freya Warrior

I have come here for my turtles amenities. Honestly, this place is sooo nice! It has great prices, and exceptional deals. I used to go to Petsmart before this, but when I came here for the first time, I was very shocked because Big Al's has more choices for reptiles and fishes than in petsmart. Definitely reccomend Big Al's to others.????

Mark McLenaghan

Knowledgeable staff. Good quality products. Fish are hard and long lasting.

Mandy Branham

This place is a great stop with kids. Lots to see and look at. The staff was great and very friendly. We picked up more items that we had went in for and the experience was what it was all about.

Gavin Steiner

Some staff can come acoss pretty "too good to serve you" but most are friendly and the stock is great.

tanya vandalen

Friendly place lots of fish . staff pretty knowledgeable

kyra moreau

Best place to go for all fish needs. Has a MASSIVE tank full of all kinds of big fish that everyone can enjoy!!

Christine Lovatt

I had to replace a fish and they did with no problem! Good service and nice staff.

Desiree Pennells

Great place to get stuff for my saltwater tank. However if your looking to buy a tank, go to petsmart, you will save a lot of money.

Theressa Starr

Amazing shark tank!!

Stephanie Robinson

Great place to shop for aquatics. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Always helpful.

Lauren Collins

Love this store. Great quality. Great service.

Lindsay Black

Love the service here. Very friendly staff

craig maidens

It was fun went to buy a Beta fish and products.

Jamie Thomson

Great staff purchased a tank stand light and lid and they kindly without being asked helped and loaded everything into my car even with the active snow.

Jennifer Berg

Best Big Al's location yet by far. I have shopped at many locations but the Barrie store exceeded my expectations. Clean, friendly and all the fish looked healthy. Not one dead fish spotted. I'm going back this weekend to buy more fish. It's worth the 80 minute drive.

P S

Love this place. Great staff and very informative and helpful. Very clean and great selection of fish!!

Jeffandozi Jones

They only carry starter products, nothing for intermediate advanced hobbyists.

Diane Mitchum

I could live here.

Ali Khaky-Kazzazy

Awesome store and exceptional staff; friendly and competent and always ready to provide correct information/ stocking suggestions. Great store to start the hobby or just to check out the sweet fish!

Mike McKenzie

Glad the shark is gone. Could not find the specials...

Michael Bloomer

I've been going to Big Al's for a long time. Different locations all over Southern Ontario. Now I'm up in Simcoe County so Barrie is my go to location. I have nothing bad to say about any location. Very knowledgeable, good selections of fish and accessories. For all my aquarium needs it's Big Al's for me.

Kelly Thompson (Vic)

Great choice selection of fish to choose from.

Colin Jacobs

Beautiful place to visit. Friendly staff. Lots of products to choose from.

Jerry Branham

Visited here with my sister. Just took a look around. They have a variety of fish species there (including sharks), but I found it to be a little expensive.

The Mad Reviewer

Best place to get freshwater and saltwater fish and aquarium supplies. Fish and plants are healthy, and they will not sell new arrivals until they are acclimated. Most of the staff are knowledgeable, and are eager to help. Prices are better than most other pet stores and they have great sales. Why only 4 stars? Last time I was there I noticed a few tanks with dead fish laying on the bottom, which had been there long enough for the other fish to almost completely eat.

Olivia Stewart

A cool place just to come and look at the fish and shark. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Cameron Carpenter

Only place to get all of your aquarium needs. Staff is friendly and very knowledgeable aswell.

Lee CCA

Very knowledgeable people.

Elaine gilpin

Staff are unhelpful. They just assume you will know how to use and maintain their products. If you're new to aquariums they deny the warranty they encourage you to purchase with the product. They'll sell you a replacement bit don't acknowledge the emouees neglect and provide any sort of credit or discount on new product. Very disappointed

Nick Schembri

Nices one I been in ... very clean and maintain

Louisa Szymanski

Good store, attentive staff. Their fish seem well cared for. I've been buying aquarium supplies here for years and they do not disappoint; I will choose this place over PetSmart every time.

Bernard Wall

Large selection of fish & supplies!

Bryce B

great selection and amazing staff

Monique Levesque

Lots and lots of fish and they have a shark in the large tank at the back of the store.

Alex Smith

Amazing inventory of fish and tank needs. Also have a wide selection of food too. The staff was awesome and very knowledgeable. They were able to assist me in the 6 new Monos I got as well as the plants and able to explain abit of the fish nature too. I definetly will be going back to get more fish in the future too add to my tank. Plus they have an amazing tank set up to distract you while your product is being bagged

Ashley Mutch

Love visiting big Als. So much selection and very knowledgable staff.

Grant Peterson

Awesome food and good service ????

Ben African Cichlids

Knowledgeable staffs, lots of choices, All fish look healthy.

Erika Bermeo

Smallest big al's ive gone to. Inventory was lacking and the cashier (blond lady shoulder length hair) was rude. She cashed us out but was only talking to her friend behind the counter. And when we were done paying she didnt even give us our bag we had to reach and grab our stuff from where she scanned it behind the counter.. it was a disappointing trip

Ovcharka

Actually so amazing and massive and really cool products

Erik Crighton

The best fish place you can go in Barrie.

April Masson

Very friendly staff, helpful and they have a wide selection of fish, live plants and products for their care. Some items are a bit exp, but their sales are decent! We always stop here to get our aquarium needs!!

Brenda Boily

They had what we needed for our Beta, Frankie Two Fins, and helped us with some great advice.

Holly Sunderland

Theirs so much selections, and the staff are very helpful

tony morra

Best place for your fish needs!

Its Sid

Very helpful staff

Warren Broad

Lots of options

Laura Carter

Depending on the day of the week will be tank quality and service. My most recent visit was a huge change, helpful happy staff that seemed interested in what I really needed. Beautifully clean tanks with happy fish throughout the store! The young girl who helped me was absolutely amazing.

Sarah Taylor

The staff at Big Al's are very helpful and happy to answer any questions you might have! Whether you are going in to just watch the fish and the sharks, or to buying a fish for your child. They will answer all your questions!

Kemeko M

I feel bad because I've never bought anything from here. But when my partner and I had no money and nothing to do we'd have a little date and look at all the fish. It's beautiful there, and staff has always been friendly. I've owned fish in the past and although I've never bought from them I can say their prices are same as anywhere else. They have a huge selection of fish, plant life, and everything you could possibly need to set up a whole ecosystem at home.

ICEMAN -HOCKEY75

Very professional and have great knowledge !

Kelli Baker

We've had A LOT of issues with this place. It isn't all bad, there's some staff in the back who are great, but there's been some major issues. One time, yrs ago, we had run errands all day in Barrie, I was in several parking lots all over Barrie and all the parking lots were clear of ice. We saved Big Al's til last of course because we had planned on getting fish. When I stepped out of the car, as I put my foot down, I slipped on a huge patch of ice ( it wasn't even really a patch, the entire parking lots for them was ice. ) I grabbed onto the car door to try to prevent my fall, but I fell. I was in a lot of pain, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with multiple torn muscles and whiplash. I told Big Al's and they ignored me. I received NO response, no apology, nothing! Recently, with the pandemic, we've calling several times a day, no answer, ever, so my husband drove all of the way there, a half hr drive 1 way & waited outside for 20 mins as they got the 1 fish he asked for. He asked for a siamese fighter and said he'd like a regular priced fish, like 7.99, not a 20 dollar fancier fish, so they said they'd get the fish ready. The bill was for a $20 fish.

McKenna S

This place is the best and service is amazing

Danni Mote

Wonderfully helpful staff. All very friendly and knowledgeable. Despite being busy, staff acknowledged us and were timely. Great variety of fish and everything you could possibly need

Kevin

Lots of fish.

Jeremy Hoadley

Very knowledgeable staff

DoctorJT

You can expect high quality fish and reptile products sold here, but it can get a little pricy at some times.

Life Of B

Ordered a chiller from these clowns, went to pick it up when the delivery came and low and behold they didn't order it. Huge waste of time took two days of driving there and I just decided to order online. Terrible customer service. Won't be back. Well maybe to look at fish lol to buy elsewhere

Jessica Curry

Good variety of products, but does not carry feeders for reptiles. This location only carries feeder fish.

Ondred Ontario

Great staff, knowledgeable and friendly.

Konoza Services

Knowledgeable staff on pond products took the time to ensure we had the right equipment

Brody Wood

Sick place... but where did that shark go! Lol

Phil Muller

Great selection, knowledgable sales staff

jib jab hamers

Lots of products

Alexey Alekseev

Great place to buy a pet fish and any accessories. Staff is friendly and very helpful. Purchased my 5 years old first Betta and she just loved it!

Taylor Morton

This place has basically everything!

T “GU” W

The staff are incredibly rude, unfriendly and provide zero help whatsoever. If they even bother to acknowledge your existence, they act like they are doing you the biggest favour in the world by providing you with a modicum of their job required duties. I drive 45 minutes further away to a different Big Al's to get basic service, something the staff at this location have no knowledge of or care to provide. Petsmart is miles better than this joke of an operation and that says it all.

Rebecca L

Had an amazing interaction with Nathaniel today. Encountered his stellar service over the years, I've been a frequent shopper for a long while now. Although the staff here is always amazing, I hope that you are aware that despite our challenging times, Nathaniel always has a positive, helpful and uplifting approach to customer service. So pleased to see him still at this location. He is always a joy to deal with. Thanks to all of you during this time of trial, and thank you Nathaniel for always being there with a smile, even if it's behind a mask.

Adam Rotenberg

Very professional and helpful

Jennifer Hale-Sanders

Great friendly help and everything fishy

Chas Wink

Friendly people and happy fish!????

marilyn pruesse

Quick helpful service and very friendly Meant to ask if they knew that bamboo blooms in water

Robert Thomson

Fantastic

family mess ups

Great place for fish and fish knowledge

Gus Goncalves

Great fish store.

Ken S

Big al s is the only place I go the staff are great and informative and professional ????

Erich Braun

Always helpful, knowledegable, and friendly.

Lindsay Stevenson

Great place good service lots to choose from

Trish T

I have a large tank iv have for some time and I have spent alot of money at this place, on a good day the service is ok. But 80% of the staff is rude!!!! Like so rude it's makes you feel like your not a paying customer but someone who is irritating to them. I purchased a fish for my community tank, they told me he would be fine(not aggressive) but the fish attacked all the other fish in my tank. So I brought him back before he killed someone in my tank and they gave me the hardest time saying I suldnt have put him in there BUT THEY SAID IT WAS OK. Anyways I spent 30 on the fish and they only gave me 5 dollars back..........sooooo upsetting. ..I think I will be taking my business elsewhere from now on.

Bob Dole

Some staff was not very helpful and kinda unwelcoming.

Michael Young

Friendly, helpful, great prices, and well informed staff.

Muhammad Shahid

Good place to buy fish stuff. Price little cheap compare to Toronto.

Katrina L. Evans

Great selection with knowledgeable and friendly staff

Conrad Sayer

Waited outside for an hour

Jerry Anthony

Pleasant experience. Friendly staff. Nice weekly specials

Angie Truax

Best place to go for fish and supplies

Mark F

Unimpressed with lack of customer service. Waited for over 20 minutes for someone to help us while looking at fish. Went and stood at the counter for a few minutes while two staff talked to each other not acknowledging us. Decided to leave, disappointing as we just bought our tank and would've been common customers at the store. The staff seem to think they don't need customers to keep the lights on

Tina Starr

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff

shivannaha persaud

Very Safe, friendly, kind & helpful ????

Anne-marie Hendry

Helpful knowledgeable staff..reasonable prices..healthy fish and plants.

Dave Norton

Very good service.fair prices and lots of aquarium supplies and fish.

Paolo Fiorini

Friendly and very helpful staff. Everyone was very knowledgeable.

Bradley Jutzi

Smells like fish, shocking.

Markus Aureliuz

Why dont they fix the broken alligator? It looks like no one cares. The whole place looks like the owner has lost interest. Compared to how it used to be.

Dave W

Disappointing experience after spending a few thousand dollars over the years. The staff didn't know the names of the corals they were selling, and prices were not accurate as a result. Most of the staff and owner are not friendly, there are a couple good employees. They really do not appreciate their customers at all, there are so many better places to spend your money.

Andrew Snow

great service

matt barton

Good selection

Stephanie Kellar

Aquarium staff are very helpful

Mike

Front of the store staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Fish room staff not so much.

Michael West

Good friendly staff lots of selection.

Breana Baldwin

Always a great experience ! Manager is awesome :)

Aaron Anderson

Friendly knowledgable staff

allison bain

Efficiently run during lockdown..Very pleased with curbside efficiency....

Haley V

A wide variety of fish. I like taking my son there to look around.

Claire Drummond

Amazing customer service, have a 50 gallon plant tank and when I came in Thursday evening, every question I had about plants answered in full. “Ty” was cute, and very helpful, and knowledgeable on freshwater plants! I love their plant section, not a pest snail in sight and I can actually receive feedback on which plants are more suited to different conditions. I dont usually come to big als because of prices from what I heard but they weren’t bad at all. Will definitely come back again. I just wish you had a reptile section !!

tabby goodall

Hoses across floor made it hard to walk with little ones

Jordan L

So many different fish that I got lost trying to find the one I wanted originally

Richard Shaver

great aquarium and fish store

Yulia Berkovich

Very nice stuff members

Jennifer D

On the expensive side but lots of options

Paul Caldwell

Good selection and service.

Giovanni Carlucci

Expensive

Jane McCarthy

Love Big All's.

Dean Mamiit

Nice little location. Good variety of fish and aquarium supplies. Staff could be a bit more welcoming and ready to help out but once a conversation's started, it's all good.

Gwen Roy

Great store very knowledgable on every product

Chris R

I visited big Al's in Barrie yesterday to purchase some Guppies and Molly's, only to come home after work and find them ALL dead in the tank, they didn't even last 24 hours, what in the actual hell ???. Tank was cycling for 2 days before adding fish, temperature and pH levels where absolutely perfect, and yet I have 4 dead fish in less than 24 hours, UNREAL. As I mentioned before I was there yesterday November 2, 2021, and judging by recent comments from people, you can clearly tell that those people are close with the owners and employees or friends of, because what I witnessed yesterday was a large majority of their fish tanks are overstocked with too many fish and plenty of tanks with dead fish in them, and plenty of tanks that are filthy. Not all staff members are knowledgeable in regards to what they do or where they work unfortunately, i had 4 to 5 items I was looking for on Big Al's website/Barrie location, to which I was told "I am not sure" and "I don't think we have it here". Nice ! Water hoses, when not rolled up and put away can become a tripping hazard, just a friendly reminder. Chipped and broken concrete on a floor with a "Wet Floor Sign" over it, does not remove a tripping hazard also, again just a friendly reminder. I would really like to visit this location again, but not right away.

Stephen Vaughan

Great place to get the kids some fish they have lots of knowledge

Paul Delahunt

Nice place and staff is always pleasant and helpful

laidoutgmc

Great staff and prices

Greg Stuart

My favorite place for fresh sushi/family pets

Marianne Turkington

Very nice workers

christine carter

Great variety in fish. I missed the shark but still great place to go for fish and fish aquariums. Prices are very reasonable.

N James

Good variety of fish and great supplies. Nice and helpful staff. Sometimes the fish from here are already sick and die off quickly even with perfect tank chemistry

Betty Mousseau

Great selection and customer service

David Boyer

Friendly people and can find everything u need

Peter King

Great place to shop. Friendly atmosphere great variety. A budget for all

Stephanie Matthews

Very helpful staff

Mary Anne Ronzonni

Excellent service and knowledge

Angela Roth

Helpful and knowledgeable staff.great environment for kids too

AF1 Wiring Zone 3 Sub Leader

Awesome

Johnny J

New to having an aquarium and this placed seemed to have everything you need. If you are a newbie you will have to seek out help and advice from salespeople.

DrakoWarrior

Their points reward system is not connected to all stores, something that needs to be fixed

Gage Mainprize

Awesome and helpful staff

Angie Doyle

Great place for all your fish and aquarium needs!

mark sunderland

It's a one stop shop for all your aquarium needs and fish.

Hasnein Mawji

Great! but very expensive

C J

Everyone here knows their stuff I have been going here for 10 years now

Chantal G

My husband adores this place. He could spend hours and all of our money there :)

Derek Versluys

Good place to take the kids.

Karl Meszaros

Pretty cool place

Chris Simpson

Extremely clean, full of bright, vibrant fish!

Danii O'Connor

I had a brilliant time today with adopting two additional fish to put in my aquarium! Blake was super helpful and knowledgeable with a notable passion for the fish and what he does, especially just having joined the team/ staff. Someone give that kid a raise. Above and beyond any staff I've had help me with fish at this location and answered all my questions.

C C

They were grate help.Lots of beautiful fish to choose from.Love my new healthy fish.

keith mitchell

Great staff and selection.. have been a customer of the chain for years..

Jess R

Best aquarium services available. I'm always looking forward to my next visit!

Alanna Cohen

Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Elise Crossman

Staff was very helpful.

Travis Middlebrook

Awesome! First time there for my son and I! Lots of selection ????

Kara Lackie

Wide selection, knowledgeable staff. Nice place to visit! Got all my fish from here years ago and they were very healthy little guys.

Saara Simard

Great store, staff us always ready to answer questions and the fish are always healthy!

Ashley Beck-Belanger

Best pleas around midland ont to get good fish. My daughter loves going in and looking at all the different fish and the shark

Katya Andrusyszyn

Great service and a wonderful visit as always!

Hollie Mclaughlin

Good selections,clean store,staff are very helpful

Marnie Newbery

Great knowledgable customer service.

Jashank Vyas

Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Patrick Casavant

The large shark in the back is gone now, but all other items you need are available.

Joanies Treasures

Bought 3 Koi for my pond....seemed like a great deal until all my Koi died which I have had for years. I found out that all their Koi have Koi Herpes which is a death sentence. Cost me hundreds of dollars in lost fish...I will never buy there again !

acortuning

Big al’s Barrie, my 1st impression of it was really bad, staff that doesn’t know what they saying and looked like a favour they doing to us when we have questions. Really disappointed... thankfully we start dealing with Blair, on the fish section, today we have 2 marine tanks, doing 100% perfect due all the acknowledgement that Blair Gave and all his help. Thanks, Fred

Ben Green

Good selection of fish, lots of supplies for aquariums

kiki Thompson

Great selection of fish ,nice clean store,friendly staff

Andy Stewart

Only places for big tanks

Marie Lewis

Was there to pick up a particular filter setup and got exactly what I needed and at a good price

Marcus Freeman

Worst Big Al's store i have ever been to (3 total). 6 different staffers on the floor, not one hello or any approach to help me out. Noticed some mistreatment of a shipment of crabs. Staff is rude, never spending my money there again.

Priyal Christian

Love this place.. either you are first time buying aquarium or fish or you are expert, this place is for everyone...

Donna Masters

Staff wasnt very friendly or knowledgable . I find the new market store more serviceable

James Jolly

Fabulous selection of fish and aquarium accessories. Could use more Marine fish.

Bonnie Whitnall

Great service helpful was any information very polite interested in anything that you have to say your any questions more than willing to answer.

Estrella Chacon

Awesome variety of fish! Sometimes we go there for no reason, just to look at the fish!

Tiegra Gerhardt

Went today good sales and service

Helen Wolf

Great place to visit and shop!

Charles Tuopo

First impressions are everything

Fisher King

Knowledgeable staff. Great selection. Different sales all the time makes it hard to beat.

Chelsey Dupree

Not sure if I will be giving this location my business anymore. I've loved coming here past experiences and always felt comfortable, especially when talking and dealing with Nathaniel. Tonight however, was a different story. A couple weeks ago upon consulting with Nathaniel and another super nice man I decided to purchase an anemone for my tank... Two days go by and I notice the anemone was seeming super stressed, flipping himself over and so on. I decided with best interest that it wasn't happy in the environment he was in and went to bring him back. That was when I came in contact with the manager Drew for the first time. He said he couldn't offer any credit due to the fact that the animal was super stressed but if I come back on a few days and he's ok then he will be able to do something about it. Today I went in because I needed some things and figured I'd ask about the anemone. Nathaniel brought me over to Drew and we discussed the matter. He saidmy anemone died and that was that. My partner argued back and forth with him and Drew made me feel like an absolute monster and I was holding all of my power to not cry. I was so embarrassed and upset. He ended up giving me a discount on my invertebrates that I bought. When leaving a girl with pink hair and grown out roots was asked to finish the check out, she rolled her eyes and slammed things while bagging. As I was leaving she said "better luck next time" in a snarky tone (the way I'd get written up if I ever said that to a customer). That was the cherry on top. Nathaniel is such a hard working man and deserves more attention than he definitely gets. If I go back. I will make sure he is the only one dealing with me. As of right now I'm so embarrassed and feel like I shouldn't even show my face there.

Gary Laughlin

Get help they stand behind what they sell

Sureskumar Tharmalingam

Last off parking and very nice stuff like to help

Chris Horn

Great place, has a large live stock inventory. Anything from guppies to large predatory fish. They have a small selection of marine fish as well. They also keep a nice variety of fresh water plants and recently started selling corals. Staff is very knowledgeable and is always very helpful.

calvin hobbes

This store rocks. Great selection and the staff know their stuff.

Michael Warzocha

Great selection of fish and knowledgeable staff

Kevin Latimer

Best fish store around here

Ben Mountney

Top notch service and a pleasure to work with setting up our aquarium.

Steven Hunt

Quality service.

Ken Parkes

Best fish store in Barrie.

Perry Marcussen

Great selection

derek barnett

great staff very helpful

Dave McLellan

shark by far their biggest draw is gone no reason to visit unless you need fish

James Coombes

Always a good selection of fish and very friendly and helpful staff

Marie Hisson

Love the store and employees and they help and explain to u which fish r ok for ur tanks and ask what size of tank too awesome store

Cedric Simard

I've been going to big Al's for over 14 years now, although they have most of the necessities to operate any type of aquarium, I have to say their staff has always been very pompous and ignorant! Don't believe the information provided to you by the people there, Google search is a much better option to find good advice, in fact I've been lied to many times to for attempted sales and even more frustrating I witness the staff b.s. Newbies to the hobby or regular customers just to seem like they know what they are talking about! I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars there and yet the staff couldn't care less about customer satisfaction! I have found a few aquarist shops around the Gta that I much prefer to go to but sometimes the distances are inconvenient! Also I saw reviews saying their prices are good but in fact for the most part they are a lot more expensive then other pet shops, so do your resresearches! One last thing, yes they are great for selection of common easy to find fishes for the average hobbyist but you won't find too many oddballs and hard to find species there!

Nariman Farshadi

I spend over $4000 at big als the past 6 weeks setting up my tank. Every time I go there most of The staff is friendly except the old gentleman with the glasses . He was so rude the last time I was there . My water was going green and I was trying to ask him questions and he would cut me short and just sell me clear water solution that has zero relevance to my allege problem . Doing extensive research it turns out that a UV light system was all I needed and he couldn’t even mention that as an option . He told me how much he hates of people complaining against him . Perhaps you should do some self reflection on yourself first how you treat people based on the negative reviews I read. People keep saying how rude the place is . I am a Bussiness owner myself and I know how reviews are important for a local Bussiness but when I see that over 20 people feel the same as a Bussiness owner you try to get rid of the problem . The funny thing is I know the owners as they are a friend of a family . They need to know how their staff is managing their Bussiness and fix it. Over all I love the place but when someone comes to you for help and questions how to improve their tank be their for them and don’t brush them off with a rude attitude abs ask them to read the package for instructions. What you sold me was wrong anyways !

Kristy Tanguay

Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Pavel Silk

I got good tetras and cherry shrimp ???? here they are doing great

Amy Balcomb

Very friendly people..well stocked store

p K

Not the greatest service

Jesse DeHaan

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff

Kirk Wall

Great service usually and a great selection of aquatic accesories and fish. But refuse to go back there as I felt I was being watched like a shoplifter while there with my family and when this was brought to the lousy supervisor's attention, I probaby would be better off talking to the wall.

Raffie Kokaram

I bought a mixture of red guppies and some blue guppies from big Al's about 6 or 7 total ,about a year ago they we doing really good they reached the amount of appropriately 80 guppies but the blue ones died after a while so I decided last week to get another pair to keep the blue and red colors going then I noticed my guppies started dying by the handful so I took a sample of the water to big al's for testing they said the water is perfect no problems with the water, the only thing I did different was putting the two new guppies in the tank they said that could be the cause the new fish could have had a disease and spread to the other guppies in the tank i spoke to them and they said they wouldn't do anything about the situation now to me it's unfair that they sold me sick fish that destroyed all my fish and don't want to compensate me for my loss due to their fault.

Brandon C

Good selection on hardware. Pricing isn't too bad. Need more verity on live stock.

Dave0m Braden

Nice spot

Sam J

Cool place. Dont have fish but its nice to just look around. Kids like checking out all the different fish and reptiles. Tons of stuff in there.

Lucas Barcelos

Didn't purchase anything but it's a nice place with tons of different fish

Allison

Really nice staff and a great selection. Prices were good too - much better selection and price than the vaughan location that I usually go to.

Michael Basso

Great staff very helpful and knowledgeable.

hannah whiteside

Every fish I've gotten there has been sick and died. I'm no beginner- I have about 20 tanks at home. I bought a betta from them about 2 weeks ago... he still hasn't eaten. I called the store to ask if maybe they had a bad shipment. The worker on the phone was very rude and said "of course it wasn't a bad shipment you aren't feeding him the right food". I feed them the exact same pellets that they are fed in store. So I went into the store and spoke to another worker. He was VERY nice and said that the bettas from that shipment have all been a little wonky. Some of the staff is very nice, but some are very rude. I would strongly suggest NOT buying anything live from this location. The Newmarket location is absolutely amazing. Its very rare that a fish I buy from them is sick.

Wild Lotus Floral Design

Great service and large selection

Bill Vaillancourt

this place is the worst went in for pricing on a saltwater aquarium, the displays on the floor were well priced, but when i asked for info the person working didnt want to bother answering any questions

Sylwia Cieplak

Staff was very helpful and knowledgeable about various products they carry in store

Jason Kaufman

Great place to get aquarium supplies and fish.

Julia Sotera

I cam here one day and it's spool cool

Rowdy Goudie

All you fishy needs

Jonathan F

Best selection for aquarium supplies

Wendy

Great customer service ,very knowledgeable

Janice Egan

Very knowledgeable staff!

Brian Lancaster

The store is nice, well stocked, and the staff are the friendliest ive ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I cant say the same for their so called "manager", I beleive his name was Mark. I was in a few days ago just to pickup some food and see what fish they had in stock with my 7 hear old son, and not only was the manager on his phone the entire time, but when I asked to speak to the manager I watched him just sit there on his phone for a good 5 minutes before he even moved. When I fi ally got to speak with him it was like talking to a machine. I couldnt get a word in at all and he was talking over almost every word I said. The entire conversation was one sided and you could tell he was just trying to finish up with me so he could get back to doing what he was doing. Funny enough, I stuck arou d the store for a bit and noticed that in the period of about 20 minutes, he was just standing by one of the tanks texting back and forth with somebody, and was back and forth between a stool in the back corner far away from all the customers likely so he could avoid us. He was dismissive, unfriendly, and from what I saw, downright lazy. He seems like an okay guy, but really isnt managment material if you ask me. The assisntant manager was running around doing all the work with the employees while he just sat in a corner.

Craig Morton

Always great there. Nathan is a vast of knowledge and is my go to guy there. They have everything you can need here ...plus more. And a great rewards peogram

Chris Chambers

Really friendly service!

Patrick White

friendly staff, knows there stuff and always willing to help! Recommend to anyone in the hobby

Samuel Sarvis

They risked everything to save Zeb my life is conplete thank you big Al's!

kindred spirit

Very knowledgeable staff. Grabbed some algae eaters for my aquarium due to an algae explosion on the glass of the aquarium. I have live plants so probably because of grow lights. Only way to fix is to introduce more algae eaters and staff were helpful in helping us solve our issue.

Cynthia Rosenberger

Blair was absolutely amazing! He was so knowledgable about our fish and helpful! He was very informative and extremely professional too. His customer service is exceptional! Thank you Blair for the unforgettable service! From two very pleased clients; Cynthia and Beau.

Jen Randell

This place was awesome. I went here with my photography group. The staff there were friendly and they answered all my questions. The shark was amazing. It's was incredible when I found out that the shark tank 2000 gallons of water in it. WOW.

Sarah Tasker Taskall Cleaning Company

Amazing place

Ivy Keith

DO NOT GO HERE! I bought a drift wood branch washed it put it in the tank and two days later I find bed bugs crawling around in the tank!!

miss kay

Amazing fish store

Rob Bell

They Cary everything you need,but alot of merchandise crazily over priced

LI

I used to love this location for all my aquarium needs. However, years ago I bought a large tank set costing almost $2,000. I was promised $50 worth of points for extra supplies only to find out the next day that the manager had cancelled the points for reasons of having sold the item with not enough profit. Since then and only due to a few honest staff members I only go to Big Al's Barrie if I can't find a needed item anywhere else. I check online and there is now competition in town, often items can be found there at more affordable prices.

Randi

Good selection. One of the better big Al's.

Richard McMartin

Great store.... African cichlids

Kirsten Smith

Went to Big Al's 5 days ago to purchase fish for my kids. I made it clear that I didn't know much about fish and wanted something low maintenance. I picked out my fish and asked what I needed to get. They pointed me in the direction of the little kids kits. After three days I needed to replace the water. They were so dirty. Those are too small clearly which I didn't know. I don't even know why they sell them. My son's fish died. So I called to see about a replacement. The girl said "didn't they tell you those were temporary tanks?". I said umm no. She transferred me to the fish area. They said to bring the fish in. When I said I flushed it they were very rude. So rude in fact I'd rather go buy a new fish elsewhere then even get a free replacement here.

Aaron Rose

Perfect for all your aquarium needs!

Jack Hoult

Awesome place if you love your aquarium, Al's is the place to go

Anton Sauschlager

Very helpful staff I went in to look not buy they still answered all of my questions

Armanda Gardiner

Only place I purchase my fish. Wish one was closer to me

Andrew Dekker

Good service and very knowledgeable. Love these guys!

Mike Waldock

It wasn't busy, but i had to seek someome to help me get what i wanted.

Steve Auger

Cool fish and accessories for your fish tank

Phillip Lee

Reasonably knowledgeable staff and good inventory, the best fish store in Barrie.

Jennifer Jodouin

Friendly and knowledgeable staff

Jesse McGee

Large selection and good knowledge

David Wynn

Great fish stock and lots of variety

Trevor McNabb

I shouldn't have to leave a comment

TIM CARDILLO

This is best place to go to get aquarium

Melissa Tulsie

They had a lot of variety of fish. As someone who is new to the aquatic world. The staff was hard to get a hold of, staff seem uninterested in their service... but I got a fish (beta fish) my two year old is hella excited about having a fish around.

John Graves

Boxing day, a few deals, but you had to look harder this year. Usually a few filters that are deep discounted, I must have missed that bin.

Ann Connor

Sales r good .quaruenteen tank good idea before you add new fish to tank.avoid ick

Victoria M

Love this store, getting all of the stuff here

Tim Evans

Great selection

Christine Goddard

This is a great spot to take the kids to see fish. Friendly staff

John Detta

Great variety of fish and equipement.. Good prices and helpfull staff

Lee

Lots of fish and cool stuff! The staff seem very uninterested in anything they are selling or serving customers. It’s a very awkward, uncomfortable, and unfriendly environment. If they could get some staff with better attitudes this would be a great store.

Ryan King tens

staff are quick and knowledgeable. amazing selection of tropical and saltwater fish. great place to create a starter tank or add to your collection.

Andria Iordanou

Staff is friendly and willing to take time for questions

Greg Domanski

Great place !

alfred john avery

They have live sharks in big tanks and a huge selection of exotic fish species and all the supplies you will need

Taylor Priest

The staff are completely rude!! I walked in asking for a fancy goldfish for my daughter the man came out with a black knife fish I handed the fish back and told him it was the wrong fish ... He replied with "well to bad you get what you get" which I thought was incredibly rude!! So I handed the fish back to the cashier and left absolutely ridiculous never going back there!

Melissa de Sousa

Great service

Nathan Milligan

Fun atmosphere. Great to bring your kids.

Dawn Horner- Tippett

I had called to ask some questions and I felt rushed.

stephan hall

Shark is no longer there :(

Northern Realness

Could do with more saltwater disk

Elana Emery

Sick fish. High prices.

Gavin Phillip

Great

Tanya Knickle

I love it there. So helpful. Wish there were more different fish for the non salt tanks.

Melissa Rooney

Always a great experience! Very friendly staff and great customer service.

mellywell

Some staff are better than others. I appreciate the ones that take the animals welfare into consideration, therefore a better experience for the customer, which turns a customer into a hobbyist, which in turn is return sales. When you get that employee, your experience is awesome and all benefit. The worst website ever.

Chris Kostyc

For beginner or first time aquarium owners, this is the best place to go to get what you need to start and be educated on how to start and maintain your aquarium. Very knowledgeable staff and if they don't have the answer on hand they will help find it. Great selection of fish and other aquarium animals, both freshwater and salt water. Best or competitive prices.

Greg Osborne

Big Al's is great . Go check it out

Diane Long

Got what we went for.

Dean Gray

Great services. Patience got what I needed.

Aleya Wight

Love coming here!

ISSAM HAMMOUD

They have gotten better, every week they have good special deals.

Betty-Joe Huffman

Always helpful and Knowledgeable staff!! Excellent experience each visit.

Kevin Scace

Awesome selection of fish