# Favourite Big Als Location?



## ChuckRum (Sep 11, 2010)

ive never been to north york location, although it the second closest to me.
My favourites are newmarket for their prices and care, and scarborough for the huge selection.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

ChuckRum said:


> ive never been to north york location, although it the second closest to me.
> My favourites are newmarket for their prices and care, and scarborough for the huge selection.


Do Big Alls have different prices

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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

sig said:


> Do Big Alls have different prices


Some are the same but most have different prices. For example last week Whitby BA has the small redtail tinfoil barbs on sale for $6.99 each but Scarborough BA has them on sale for $1.99 each. IMO Whitby BA is the most expensive and Mississauga BA has the best prices.


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## ChuckRum (Sep 11, 2010)

sig said:


> Do Big Alls have different prices


yes, they price them as they wish. In vaughan, adult oscars and adult red belly piranhas go for 30 bucks, in newmarket they go for 15. Their cichlids are also much cheaper and they take care of their tanks the best IMO.

btw, anybody seen a bay snook for sale? i dont care which kind, im looking for one.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

ChuckRum said:


> yes, they price them as they wish. In vaughan, adult oscars and adult red belly piranhas go for 30 bucks, in newmarket they go for 15. Their cichlids are also much cheaper and they take care of their tanks the best IMO.
> 
> btw, anybody seen a bay snook for sale? i dont care which kind, im looking for one.


Scarborough BA has lots around 3.5" to 4.5" red snooks for $12.99 each and they also have a few big ones too.


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

Hamilton is by far the best fish store i have been in. The Hamilton location is constantly getting new and interesting fish and have just recently fully revamped their fish room with lots of upgrades to their marine section. In the last six months they have had dragon gobys, freshwater rays, 2 types of gar, 3 different types of freshwater eel just to name a few things. As for their marine selection i cant really say much as i dont have any salt water tanks but im always impressed with their live corals, invertebrates and live stock.


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

i was their today and they had some mudskippers and mandarin crabs now they've got me thinking of making a terrarium  a few months ago they has archer fish, every time i go in its a treat


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## GT3 (Nov 24, 2010)

Scarb, friendly and knowledgeable staffs, fair price. I go there every week, staff knows me well


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## dynamite07 (Oct 16, 2010)

I don't really have a favourite location. In regards to pricing Alto Comps about June last year at BAs Vaughan were 18.99 each. BAs New Market had them on sale for 11.99 each. I remember that specifically.


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## J-Miles-21 (Sep 25, 2010)

i've been to North York, Scarbs and Sauga, and out of all of them I think i like Scarbs the best. THe marine section in North York might be bigger, but scarborough always has some pretty unique fish. Last time i was there they had a dwarf marine sting ray..and i was VERY close to getting it

i was pretty disappointed with BA sauga. I was very unimpressed with the marine section at the time. Im guessing it was before a shipment arrival cuz the tanks seemed pretty empty.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Best big al's I've been too: Scarborough
Worst big al's I've been too: Newmarket


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Only been to BA (Scarborough, NY, Oakville, Vaughan), out of those I like BA NY, closest to me I guess


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

<---- is watching the thread.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

I'm really surprised any one would say the Scarb store is good. The selection is good sure but the health of the fish is garbage. I have never had a good buy from that store and even worse is the Missasuaga store they cant keep a minnow alive IMO.
Newmarket is the absolute worse store out of the big al's I've been to. I would never go back there. After the tank full of miurus puffer I saw eating each other I was more than sickened. They should be shut down. Plus who ever is running that place must have their head in their ... 

My favorite location is NY the senior staff know what they are talking about prices are negotiable and I have never had a bad buy from them. This is the only big al's I trust buying fish from. 
I've been burned by the others I've mentioned more than a few times. 
FYI if you prove your case big als does give a cash refund. There was no way I was going to take store credit when they sold me fish who were bound to flop in no time. IMO this store credit crap is ridiculous and should not be allowed. They have the customers by the jewels.


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## vaporize (Apr 10, 2006)

I like BA Scarborough best
Mississauga the second
Hamilton guys are nice

other ones are general to good to acceptable

The worst ones is Brampton, shortly following by North York


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

I think all BA's are flawed. From over pricing to mis named animals to general health and upkeep of the animals they're selling depending on the time, place, etc... Having said that, I've had decent experiences from BA scarb most recently - but they still suffer from massive over pricing on certain live stock. BA mississaugua used to be the best place about 8 to 10 years ago, but have since changed for the worse since then. Now it's among the worst. Which is a shame cuz its one of the biggest as well.


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## Byronicle (Apr 18, 2009)

honestly if I was to go to one, I would go to the one in Scarborough. Its the best because well its near other fish stores and it has cheap prices but fish are pretty risky, and i find that in all the big als i have been to so really since we are comparing big als with other big als, the health of the fish is not really a factor since all of them are the same in terms of fish health. so the only way i could judge really is fish selection, prices and location, so Scarborough in my opinion is the best.

but i havent been to a Big Als in almost a year 

I would go with the hopes of seeing something new, but its always the same stuff, just general things nothing crazy or eye popping


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Ok, cleaned the thread up. Everything should be on topic now!

Consider this a warning: if your post was removed/edited, don't continue down that road. Stay on topic!


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## balutpenoy2oy (Feb 17, 2011)

sig said:


> Do Big Alls have different prices


Yes they have different prices ,they operate independently as per Steels and Yonge BA associate. Just to me any one of them who has good price they are my BA


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

they also choose their own stock so make sure you check around.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

I've only been to Mississauga, Whitby, Newmarket, Vaughan, North York, Scarborough, and of those, the Scarborugh store is the best. It's abit cramped compared to the other stores, but there's lots of stuff there.

Livestock is pretty decent, and they get some semi-interesting things here and there. I like their marine section - I've found a few gems there as it's off the radar of most of the other hardcore SW folks.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

the worst one is london. They were at a pitiful location on Wellington road, and looked simply awful in there. Huge space, but the livestock quality was crap. Also the dry-goods inventory in the London store was rotten. I used to live in London, and I think I would find it hard to move back there, what with the complete lack of good aquarium stores. Apparently they've moved to a new location, and my dad went into it, and was completely unimpressed. He also thinks that the stores in London are crap.

Then I came back home and went into the BAs in Scarboro. Wonderful store, especially compared to the London thing. Maybe BA's Scarboro is smaller than the london store, in square feet, but it's well organized, has pretty good staff, and the fish room and dry goods are head and shoulders above it. Case in point; Over 5 models of Eheim cannisters in stock, and most of the common parts. London: one model of eheim filter in stock and only one of that unit, and almost NO parts.

Apparently the Scarboro location is a company store, and the london one is a franchisee. That explains it, maybe?

The vaughn one is okay, and since the livestock selection differs from store to store, I stop in there when I'm already up that way, just to see.



W


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> I've only been to Mississauga, Whitby, Newmarket, Vaughan, North York, Scarborough, and of those, the Scarborugh store is the best. It's abit cramped compared to the other stores, but there's lots of stuff there.
> 
> Livestock is pretty decent, and they get some semi-interesting things here and there. I like their marine section - I've found a few gems there as it's off the radar of most of the other hardcore SW folks.


+1 on BA Scarborough. Divo, the manager of the SW section is great and v. helpful.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*big als*

+1 to the scarb store . Devo is a great guy knowledgable staff , and andrew upstairs is a great guy , like all stores they do have there duds but once u know who to go too u relize they are pretty knowledgable 
tom


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## missindifferent (Jun 25, 2010)

I like the Scarborough store too. It's a corporate store and they won't sell sick fish. But we've seen North York with several tanks with ick and the fish were still for sale.


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