Big Al's Aquarium Supercentres - Ottawa

Really disappointed, I took a trip out here with my son to buy some fish etc.and the selection was awful, every third tank was empty or were unavailable to buy because they were sick - I ordered 6 neons and paid for 6 neons, but only received 3. I drove 45 minutes to come to the store, so there is no way I am going to drive again to pick up the 3 fish they forgot. Since it was their error I thought they would be able to credit my credit card - unfortunately they are unable and only offered a store credit. In this day and age, that's unacceptable. I won't be back and wouldn't recommend the store at all anymore due to selection anyways.

Not what it used to be kinda a shame. Take the day off work if your looking for something from the tanks!

Not helpful at all. And they gave me infected fish that killed my hole tank. Now I got to start over. I had 100 dollars worth of fish, I got 6 more fish from Al's and it killed all my fish. When I went back to see what they would do for me. They did nothing but replace the 6 they first gave me. I will never go back to Al's again. Piss poor service

Great customer service but the hours of operation are inconvenient. Not a huge issue with PetSmart located next door. We were surprised they don't open until 11 am so we went to PetSmart and found some awesome sales. Luckily the food we wanted was cheaper at PetSmart so it worked out!

Friendly service and very knowledgable employees, its your on stop pet shop. My kids had lots of fun gathering stuff for their puppy and fish.

Great variety of products and fish, they also have rocks and roots for aquascaping, I found some Tropica plants wich is great in Ottawa and for a nice price, you can find almost what ever you need there, the lady at the cash is very sweat and always joyful and smiling, I think the other guys there should do the same and take her exemple cause it make customers experience better. I'm sure i'll go there for more stuff

Good staff at the front, but feel rushed or not valued in the fish room. My experience has been okay, but an anaenome that was the size of my palm roughly I paid 34.99$ for I go back less then a month later and similar size they no classified as large and was 74.99$

Heres some info:
At Big Al, you will find:
1) african cichlides,
2) south american cichlides
3) huge selection of reptiles and all their necessities
4) James (he is awesome), great customer services, he knows so much
5) salt water fish
6) plant for aquascaping
7) all you can think of for reptiles and aquarium hobby

I absolutely love this place! This was my first time going, and from the reviews, I expected a really rude, dirty environment, but it wasn't. All the animals in there were well taken care of (tho, my mom thinks the shark needs a bigger tank), the staff was friendly and well mannered. They have a lot of tanks and decor for sale, the fish are fair priced and theres lots of variety. Lovely place, definitely recommend

Just went to visit for food and general questions after purchasing a bearded dragon. I myself did some research before buying the little guy so I know the basic needs. When talking with the worker, he mentioned that the twobearded dragon he has, one was over a year and feeding him as a baby only 3-5 crickets a day. They are so small. They should be at least double in size. This is really sad to see. I wish they were more educated to take care of the reptiles. He also mentioned that they do not need a UVB light, only feed them calcium he says. It is completely false. They are daytime reptiles who need daily (uvb light) for around 12-14 hours per day.

Upsetting conditions for some of the animals, specifically the larger one like the shark (who is not for sale and will likely live its who life there). Although there is a large selection, it is hard to look past many of the overcrowded, unenriching tanks animals are stored in. Like most chain locations, it is probably best if you avoid buying animals from them.

The store was nice but someone left a paper plate on my car window that park like an ahole, I was in the lines and not next to anyone so I don't know what the big deal was?

Love this place but not really good for trade ins the staff are amazing the fish are very healthy and they have a shark which is awesome definitely suggest goin

The staff here is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I've gotten many plants, fish, and aquarium accessories here over the years and have always been very happy.

Waited for over half an hour for feeders. Woman working in reptiles was busy with a customer.no one even acknowledged that we were there or were waiting. Meanwhile 4 employees were just standing around at the employee area chatting. Finally went over and asked if any of them could help in reptiles. We were concerned as closing time was coming and we needed a larger feeder order. They seemed reluctant but called someone over. Once we got someone everything was great. Meanwhile lady working reptiles got done and took over. She was a real sweetheart. Very helpful and apologized for the wait. With so many just standing around this young lady really stands out. You could use more like her.

Terible Service in the back, there only 1-2 staff that are nice, some of them u cant even ask a polite question too its so unorganized it sucks! Used to be my 1# pick spot they fell off on customer service and saltwater fish care.

Great place for new comers or experienced reptile owners they also have a good selection of fish as well.

The staff there are friendly and have knowledge of what there selling.

Great choices in fish, decors, accesories, plants. Customer service is good. The shark tank is a bonus if you have kids

I've been dealing with Big Al's since the 70s. I miss having one in the West end of Ottawa, so now my visits are much less. Every now and then I need my Big Al's fix.

If I could give 0 stars I would, ya like one other reviewer I also think this is a bad shop. I've been there a few times and each one I was pretty much ignored, I was trying to find something and none would help me and when I was trying to purchase a betta fish I couldn't get the proper help. I had questions and no one wanted to help me. I also feel the fish are in such poor condition and to see a shark in one of the aquariums, is down right abuse the poor thingng could only go in small circles which would drive me insane if I was a shark. They are meant to live in the ocean. Not as someone pet. This place is a terrible shop. And I for one won't be shopping for there.

I would love to spend money here, but the employees treat you like an inconvenience and the manager/owner/whoever he is will literally give you attitude while you pay. To be completely fair, two of the younger employees in the fish room have been extremely helpful multiple times. You just roll the dice every time you show up. Seems like a toxic workplace.

Very helpful staff and a very large range of products for any aquarium or vivarium setup you have. Staff are always happy to give advice and extremely helpful. Love coming here.

Every single one of their fish are sick. Its really sad to see. The bettas are usually rotting alive, and every other fish I have purchased comes home with ich at the least. Every tank will have clearly sick fish in it, or a bunch of dead ones. Its a shame as its the only local fish store, and they do have a great selection. But the condition of the fish and the conditions they live in are horrible. My local PetSmart sells healthier and happier fish.

The first place I go to for my snake’s food and tank accessories. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

This store and specifically this location is very unprofessional and in clear violation of human rights laws. They do not care nor do they provide an alternate means to purchase reptile food for those that are truly medically exempt. They are mean, aggressive and belittling. Myself and my cousin were both refused service on a day that no other store had the proper food and could have led to our reptiles demise. They are very clearly in the wrong. We would have gladly placed our order online for curbside pickup but were unable to and told to come in. We only have come here maybe 4 times and each time was met with the same unprofessional and condescending attitude. It's a shame this business is even allowed to operate. They do not adequately care for their wildlife. This place just fills a long list of cons and should be avoided at all costs. Plenty of other low cost places to get quality reptile food, this place is not the place to go.

Cutest little frogs, and the staff was super fun and helpful even though the store was pretty busy.

I wish this place would get shut down. The past few times I want in to Big Als Ottawa I was shocked. I can’t believe the dead marine fish and inverts, many look like they have been dead for days. It’s 100% unacceptable.

How this place has any stars is beyond my comprehension. I have been involved in the fish scene for many years now both in fresh and salt water. I had to stop coming to this store because of the conditions I would see the fish in. It was literally like walking down death row. So many beautiful fish dead, or lying on the bottom gasping and breathing heavily dying. Fish with parasites, active infections and so on. Don’t buy from these places out of guilt because then you are contributing to problem, the second you buy that fish to save it your signing another up for doom, and ultimately you keep the cycle going. This place needs to bough over by a new management team cause it’s deplorable. Please do not shop here even for dry goods!

I wiuld move in if i could. I live fish stires and especially ones where the staff evidently know and care about the subject

We love going here. Such an interesting place to go visit as well. They have lots of great things here for aquariums and aquascaping.

I love exploring and looking at nature and Big Als is so much more than just an Aquarium Superstore. There are all kinds of fresh and salt water fish even reptiles to choose from, live and packaged fish and reptile food, display enhancements and enclosures too. It is a full service store well stocked to meet all of your fish, reptile and backyard pond needs. There is even a live shark in an aquarium to look at.

I love going to this place and it is really hard going to this store and not buying a ton of stuff. The staff are friendly and the core staff are very knowledgeable to help you start and maintain your aquarium, terrarium or backyard pond.

So if you feel the dawning of aquarist and like my reviews, videos or photos, why not hook up a Big Als thumb's up.

It's been a long time since I kept fish. So long as the internet didn't exist in the way it does now. So when I bought a new type of plant and forgot to ask about it, called the store and was provided with much more info than my simple question. As far as I'm concerned, the guy who helped me went out of his way to make sure I knew how to deal with what I had just purchased.

It is so hard everytime you call this location in Ottawa to talk to someone, once you finally get someone to pick up they put you on hold and conveniently hang up on you!

Incredible service and knowledge staff. I broke my canister filter. Completely my fault. They took the time to figure out how to fix it. Ordered the new part and let me buy and take the part from a new open box so I don't have to wait for my part to come in. Made my day a whole lot better.

The staff are great even carry my stuff to car cuz I walk with cane help me find exactly what I wanted

Lack of stocks … more likely due to pandemic. The store needs a lot of TLC … very humid and not very clean. Empty tanks and dead fish in a few tanks.

Great variety. I have shopped at big Al's for at least 30 years. Even when they closed Ottawa west location I still travel to east from Bayshore area. Well worth the trip.

Do not buy anything from the store. They are a total rip-off. I have bought light bulbs that did not last even half the time that they were supposed to. I most recently bought a black fly culture to help feed my praying mantises and it was active the first day. I paid $20 for this culture and naturally I got rid of the receipt because there was some activity for a little while. When the Mathis has hatched from the sack I put a couple holes in the culture and nothing came out. And because I did not keep my receipt because I did not feel it necessary after I open the culture they will no longer give me my money back. They tell me that they will only trade for another culture in a week's time. This does me no good because in about a week's time my praying mantises will have gone too small size crickets. They even told me that they knew the culture was no good. Yet they went and sold it to me. You will not only find that you will get ripped off in the store but you will also find that the manager is totally ignorant. Stay away if you know what's good for you

STOP bringing your children. With limited store capacity they say to limit 1 person per household, yet they let in a parent with a gaggle of kids, making the line up terribly long for people who actually need to buy fish supplies.
Please don’t bring your kids to come look at the fish, wait until covid is done and bring them to an aquarium so customers who may have emergencies can get in and get out quickly.
Big Als, please enforce the 1 person per household rule.

Only giving two stars because of the one employee's who has always helped me but this time, I got treated completely different by a different person and finally experienced what everyone is talking about. I called today to ask about a enclosure and not a cheap one at that, and if you had it in stock I was going to buy it BUT.you're employee answered the phone and asked ME to call HER back in 30min-1hr. Yeah no, I moved on and found one elsewhere you're staff really need to be trained on how to deal with customers properly and not rudely answer the phone like I was bugging her. I won't be back into big Al's in Ottawa, I can find my stuff elsewhere.

Ended up buying 5 black Molly's. Upon inspecting them I noticed they had white spots and didn't think much about it. A few days later it got worse and worse, till my entire tank was infested with ick. Unfortunately all the fish ended up dying rapidly. Also, my tank along with everything inside is now contaminated. I've also bought dwarf water lettuce from big als which was snail infested.

The only reason I would give a 2 star is for their wide selection in fish accessories. Other then that I would never buy anything that's alive along with plants.

Great store for aquarium supplies and livestock. Knowledgeable and friendly staff with good rotating selection of stuff. I've been using them for about 20 years now.

This place is really hit or miss depending on the day. There are some days where the staff are helpful and kind, and others where it seems like the staff don't get along and you can feel the tension. I have overhead on a few occasions staff speaking negatively to each other.

Other than they don't seem to ever answer their phone anymore I love this place. I use to be able to call up with any type of question I had and they would help me, however I have noticed this changed. Last time I called to get info on a water issue I was having, the male basically blew me off and said he can't help me. Otherwise this would have been a 5 star rating. They seem passionate about their jobs and it's not a lot of high school kids who know absolutely nothing about what they are selling. Other than customer assistance has gone down in the last year I'll still choose this place over the big brand places.

Sadly the shark tank water wasn't impressive, used to seem better kept ans clearer, he also seemed happier.probably because there also used to be a bit of a sound veqrier created in front of his tank.it's a shame the young lady that over a year or so ago worked there no longer does, as she really kept good care of him and also did wonderful feeding and knowledge about his type of fish etc.demonstration which would be wonderful for small field trips for stay at home learners right now. March 2021

These people are always helpful, and the pricing seems fair.
I've set up a turtle tank and an axlotl tank though them, and all of their plants/fish/supplies have been top notch.
Worth any lineup they may have.

Our fish tank had the case of green water and instead of recommending a $150 uv machine to cut the algae. The staff recommended a blackout and a product to cut down the growth. My tank looks amazing. Knowledge staff and fun environment if you want to have aquatic fish!

I recently bought fish from Big Al’s. Two dwarf gouramis, along with cardinal tetras and shrimps. (I had no other fish in there yet) One gourami died within 24 hours and the other had ich and infected all the fish in the tank. My parameters were fine. 1 gouramis and tetras still alive, but i'm still fighting ich and it's costing me.

I would like to thank big Al's for wasting $45 of my money, and 5 hours of my time on new years Eve day.
I called at 2: 30 this afternoon and placed an order over $100 of fish and food, informating the woman who answered I was coming from kingston, and it was a 2.5 hour drive. "Wonderful". Was her reply, "We will have your order ready when you arrive".
I then hit the road and drove two and a half hours to Big Al's from Kingston. I arrived at 5: 15 to find the store closed with two employees inside. I knocked on the glass and had a woman named Carrie approach. She refused to open the door, so we were forced to yell through the glass, as a heavy set Chinese man stood behind her. She informed me that I would not be able to collect my order because the store had closed early that day. (Strangely enough, she sounded exactly like the woman I had spoke to on the phone earlier) This early closing time was never mentioned when I placed my order and indicated my distance and time of travel. She had the audacity to tell me I had a responsibility to know when they close.
The store had been closed for 15 min, light on, debit machine at the front door, all set up. Having owned a retail store in the past myself, their excuse they offered that the debit was down for the day was a lie. It's pretty easy to turn back on and restart the day. I then told them I would not be leaving with out my order and would like to speak to the management. They stated there wasn't one there. They then went back into the store, assumingly to prepare my order and do the right thing. 45 minutes later at 6: 00 they both come out of the store, turn off the lights, turn on the security system, and lock the door, walking right past me. So I drive home with no fish for my kid, and food for my fish, with everything closed tomorrow.
I have come to find out the heavy set Chinese man, Ed, is the owner. Well Ed, you own $45 and 5 hours of my time back. This was my first, and LAST experience with Big Al's. You would think with business drowning left and right due to the pandemic, they'd be keen to do the right thing and take care of the people willing to support them.
Not Big Al's, and not Ed or Carrie. I'd suggest to them finding careers outside customer service and retail, because you clearly have no clue.
Happy 2021, I hope your business goes under!
Next time, DO THE RIGHT THING!

Love the store, staff is super friendly- but also very well informed. Would recommend! Purchased a leopard gecko, they have a much bigger stock/selection compared to your average PetSmart.

Great staff, lots of product with Knowledgeable staff, Ed in the fishroom, Karen in the product side,

AMAZING place for aquarium fanatics. You need it, they have it. Such an awesome variety of fish and aquarium hobby needs. AND they have a shark!

Way overpriced, dirty dying systems, poor service. OVERPRICED. Just keep your eye out for the underpriced mislabeled gems

These guys have great selection and can very probably sell you something to meet your needs.friendly helpful staff. Good place.

Nice and helpful staff! They have decent prices on their products. My only gripe is that I saw planaria in their cherry shrimp tank and that had me a bit concerned.

With this place, it really depends who you get served by. Some of the employees are extremely passionate, helpful, and will give you all the time you need. Others couldn't be bothered by the problems you're having with your tank.

It's a beautiful store. They have so many exotic fish to choose from as well as affordable supplies. Some very knowledgeable staff that go above and beyond to help. I just wish their shark had more room to swim.

When I lived in Ottawa this was my go to store. They allowed my border collie and my greyhound in the store with me.

10/10 I would highly reccomend anyone to Big Als. Well orchestrated aquarium setups, clean store and layout, and best of all amazing ideas and inspiration for any tank or aquarium enthusiast. Extremely knowledgable staff that will indeed go the extra mile to ensure you are fully educated on any fish or reptiles you would like to add to your ever expanding pet list!

An employee by the name of Ty was an amazing help in the fish zone!

You guys keep up the great work!

Bought a lizard, return policy is apparently only 7 days, it had scale rot from when we got it and passed away in 14 days with no refund, don't buy animals here seriously

Great aquarium store, good range of hardware and large selection of different livestock. Gets pretty busy on weekends, would suggest going in the evenings when it's quieter, especially if buying fish.

So many kinds of fish n sea creatures! I wanna go back n see the shark feeding frenzy on Tuesday nights at 7pm

I was in here for the first time last week as I had finally started my own own aquarium. The staff are super friendly and helpful and will guide you in the right direction for what you may need. The store is well laid out and the large aquarium in the back is always nice to go see as well.

Amazing place with lots of stuff for fish and fishtank just love it and my daughter is always amazed to see the live toothless shark in there

Love that you can buy prepared saltwater here. Good selection and variety, friendly staff. Some fish are a little pricey but they do have some great deals and sales often.

Not bad but could be more
I sure feel bad for those fish wish could buy all of them.
Friendly staff.
Good product at fair prices.
Should have real coral for the shark and puffer they have

Fantastic store! Purchasing fish was confusing since we didn't get to talk to a single staff member, but plan on returning! Amazing selection on all your aquatic needs

Fish were in pretty bad condition when I went a 2 months ago. There was a tank of shrimp literally decimated. The ones that were alive were barely hanging on. I could count at least one dead fish per tank in the freshwater section. I just hope conditions have improved since then, but I'm not going back there again.