Edmonton Fishshops

[IrishReefer]

Hi all,

Does anyone know of a place called Big Als on the Southside? Is there an address or a web address? I have been to AI in Mayfield and am keen to visit any other good stores in the Edmonton area? I have just moved from the UK having sold up my 70 g tank and am keen to get back into it again.

Also if anyone needs a hand at the weekends moving fish stuff etc. - give me a shout.

Cheers,

Brian :question:

[kuatto]

Welcome to the board :biggrin:
Try this link for big al's http://www.bigalsonline.ca/

[Dez]

Welcome to the board....

Interested in getting back into reefing with a 180 gallon? There's a killer deal in the buy/sell/trade section here...

Welcome to pop by my place any time..

des

[mr_alberta]

Welcome to the board! Big Al's is on the south side near 34th Avenue and 99th Street. The fish selection there is much larger than AI, but their coral selection is quite pathetic really.

[IrishReefer]

Wow,

Thank you for your responses. I was told that their coral selection wasn't up to much ... still I will check it out. Dez, you are speaking my language - Its the missus I've gotta convince! I would look to come over and have a look if its convenient?

So far on a price comparison....

Lighting is v expensive - smart pendant dual 200w halides and actinics about $900 in UK

Fish - about he same both more variety here

Inverts - cheaper

Additives - Cheaper - $20+ for Kent Aditives
Pumps - not sure - in UK i would pay $50 for a Maxijet 600
Filters - In UK Fluval 304 about $110

I have got cold turkey now having sold up my setup in the UK... My tongue was hanging out and I kept a box of kleenex handy! :biggrin:

All the best and thanks for responding


Brian

[muck]

Hello Brian,

Welcome!! Always happy to see new people on the board!! :biggrin:

[Pisces]

Welcome! :biggrin:

[Dez]

You're welcome to come over tonight.... 436-0766

des

[IrishReefer]

Hi Des,

Thanks for your kind offer but I won't be able to make it tonight - We are only about 3 weeks in the country and I have a stack off stuff to do before I can do anything as enjoyable as that!!! Your tank sounds fantastic but unless you can divide your asking price by oh about 10 :mrgreen: i will not be in a position to take it tempting thought it is. :-)
I would still love to come over somethime to have a look if thats ok?

And thanks for all the responses to my post - I feel like I have mates again :eek:

Cheers,

Brian

[Arty Morty]

Hey Brian, welcome to Canada!! and the board. If you are in stoney, you should have a look at the store in Devon. it isn't that far for you, closer than Big Al's anyhow. Just take highway 60 south from hwy 16 to get there. They don't have a ton of stuff, maybe 6-7 tanks with Saltwater fish. Not really anything for corals, but the price on the fish are great, and the people are nice.
________
Hairy Live (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/webcam/hairy-girls/)

[bulletsworld]

Hi Brian,

Welcome! :mrgreen:

[IrishReefer]

Thanks again ... But what have you done with the weather???????

:cry: Brian

[Bob I]

Thanks again ... But what have you done with the weather???????

:cry: Brian

If you don't like it up there (and who really does) :question: :razz: , you might come to Calgary where we have had no summer at all. :sad:

[fortheloveofcrabs]

Biran,

Welcome to the board! You do know, however, by being offically accepted to this board, you have no choice but to get back into the hobby.

I'm not kidding... We are reefers, we know where you live... :lol:

Welcome aboard!

-Pauly

[IrishReefer]

Cheers Pauly,

The only snag at the moment is my wife. She seems to have different priorities than me.... She is currently under the impression that we should get beds etc before thinking about a tank... How screwed up is that???! :mrgreen:

Brian

[Arty Morty]

Are you anywhere near the golf course out in stony? Not a bad course if you are into that sort of thing. It is not that big of a city out there, but you may be out on an acreage...
________
PREGNANT BLACK (http://www.****tube.com/categories/902/black/videos/1)

[IrishReefer]

Yeah,

We are renting an acerage just north of Highway 16. Its lovely there - so much space after the UK. We have found deer and porcupine tracks in the garden so we are just waiting to catch sight of them. I have only played golf a couple of times and I really enjoyed it in spite of nearly killing that duck in flight :lol: So I need to start playing golf, learning how to skate and ski.......

Brian

[Rick_B]

Welcome! What did you find wrong with AI? I have found them to be the best. Just to clear things up, Bigs Al's just crams more fish into a fewer number of tanks, they don't have more per say, and then there is the whole quarantine thing. Just look at the quality of product.
Rick

[Bob I]

Welcome! What did you find wrong with AI? I have found them to be the best.

Is that because you work there :question:

[IrishReefer]

No - I loved AI - I wasn't so keen on Big Als - In one tank all fish had Ich!!! And I don't like the idea of those order sheets for fish - I think you should have a member of staff helping you choose and finding out what else you have in the tank and size etc.
But AI's had nice coral and a good QT section and nice staff too.

Brian :lol:

[Rick_B]

I chose AI as the best long before I even considered a job. Come on up to Edmonton and look around. We don't have as many retailers of salt as you guys in Calgary have. We only really have AI and Big als as major suppliers. Big als is only concerned about the sale, not the end result of the tank, trust me, if big als really cared they wouldn't have order sheets to fill out, they would give you a staff member. AI gives each customer the time of day.

BTW, thanks to all you Calgarians who gave me the info on where the good stores were. Oceans and Wai's were my favorites!

Rick

[Quinn]

The problem with AI is that they can't seem to hold onto their best staff members. :neutral:

[Rick_B]

Define "best" and who?

[Bob I]

BTW, thanks to all you Calgarians who gave me the info on where the good stores were. Oceans and Wai's were my favorites!

Rick

Sure Rick, but we are talikng about first impressions, and brief ones at that. Visit each store more often, and most importantly talk to the owner. You might find you only have one left. I did. :mrgreen:

[Dabbler]

Welcome to Edmonton where all our beer is cold :mrgreen:

I also find AI to have the best selection of corals and there fish seem to be a better quality. But that said Big Al's does have some better prices on some equipment. I shop both stores but it mostly livestock from AI and equipment from Big Al's. The people are great at AI. They do have the time to talk "fish" and they do Q all there saltie fish (I like that) I bought my Power Blue tang from there and I was able to watch him for 3 weeks in QT. It had gotten ick and they wouldn't let me take him/her home untill he/she was better, thats what I like about AI. Big AL's has only been here in the city for 2-3 years AI has been here 10-12 years I think. AI does have a staff turn over but so does Big AL's. You can't just deal with one store you have to keep looking around and catch the "BIG SALES" when you can. Good luck

PS. Whats wrong with a sleeping bag and a milk crate for a tv stand? :confused:

[Quinn]

You can't just deal with one store you have to keep looking around and catch the "BIG SALES" when you can. Good luck


I disagree. Being the idealist I am ( :rolleyes: ), I shopped only at AI, while I lived near enough to get there. I don't believe in supporting stores who I feel engage in unethical practices.

[Dabbler]

As many people here know I do stand up and buy alot of my stuff from AI, but when some products (always equipment) are $20-$30 cheaper on a $50 item I tend to go for the cheaper one but if it is only $2-$3 I will just buy it where I am. I live close to AI in the west end and going to Big AL's on the south side is a planed trip. I don't cheap out when it comes to my fish and tanks but if I can save a few bucks I will. This hobby/lifestyle is expensive, I sat down once and figured out what I spent on tanks and stuff for them..... well you all know the answer to that one :biggrin: I have only been in this hobby for 2 1/2 years and it all started with 2 Betta's now I have 5 tanks and over 300 gal's of water and 75 fish ( fresh and salt).

Sorry just had to clarify my point.

[jgoldsney]

I find it difficult to support local stores when they price them selves out of the market. I look at prices at AI and Big Al's and some of them are so far out of line it's not funny. I have seen items $30 - $40 more than online retailers (and this is on things priced less than $100) and even more out of whack for higher priced things.

I do like when ever possible to support local businesses but I only have so much disposable $$ and I have to consider what is best for my tank.

I wish places like AI or Big Al's or even the Family Pet Center in Sherwood Park would keep an eye on what things were going for online and try to find ways of evening things out for the customers who give them their business.

[Glampyre]

Hi guys,

I've seen lots of comments on costs of products at LFS versus online retailers and had to though in my two cents. Local shops (and lord help me even chain stores like AL's although they have it alot easier, volumn buying creates great discounts) will never be able to out price online retailers. Simple math on this guys. Cost of website and a telephone to set up tranship from a manufacturer, versus cost of retail store front, staffing, inventory and operating costs (We've all seen that little jump in our power bills from a 180 gal, imagine running 20 of them!) LFS's do try to monitor what online retailers are doing, but the costs running a store have to be factored in somewhere. Most stores are more than willing to work with their customers to everyones benefit. If there is a drastic price difference, let them know. If there are products you see online that aren't available here, let them know. They may be unaware of the demand for them or have reasons that you aren't aware of for not carrying them (CSA standards are a BIG factor).
I have no problem with online shopping, most of my motorcycle collection came from JP's online. Just try to compare apples to apples when looking at pricing.

[jgoldsney]

Ahh but I guess that I would counter with the fact that if it is so cheap to set up a web based store why don't they do it to.

Both JL *& SaltwaterConnection have local stores as well as online sales and they are very competitive.

[Quinn]

Exactly. Many people have noted before, online retailers don't just exist in the form lines of binary code floating around inside a hard drive somewhere. They still pay for power, water and their time. And in the case of almost every online retailer that anyone on this board deals with, they have an actual physical open-to-the-public location. So the argument that they have lower operating costs is completely invalid.

I think the real reason they have better costs stems from the fact that some of them are in Vancouver, to where apparently it's cheaper to ship just about anything, and because apparently two reasonably large retailers in that city are engaged in a long-term price war, and the people in the rest of the country benefit. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.