By Jess on June 6, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

Today I got everything I needed to finish my betta tank and I am super happy with the outcome! Went from boring to bright! They have everything you need and more! Even little extra!

Super happy with the lady Joe at the store today she was helpful and suf-fish-ent and had great pick my snails had beautiful shells and she picked them well I looked for decor! The plants look very healthy and didn't leave behind any residue or concerns! My shrimp are lively and colorful! Super happy! Couldn't be any prouder of this mini DIY with the help of big Al's anytime I have any tank idea or reptiles in mind big als is the place to go! Definitely going to miss toothless!

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By jenna nelson on May 21, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

The customer service is impeccable!
I am preparing my first fish tank ever and they staff were very helpful, knowledgeable, kind and patient with my hundreds of questions!

Karen and Marlon, Lex and Michel helped me, and I felt welcomed and cared for :)

I will give updates and photos as progress with my tank and go to the store more, I highly reccomened stopping by for any aquarium/terrarium necessities or just for a fun visit :D

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By clint butler on April 2, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

Plenty of parking. Mostly a fish store with a healthy selection. Some invertebrates and reptiles as well. The staff seem caring about the animals. They do what they can, and I respect that, but the nature of the business is there's going to be many hoses randomly across floors, so watch your step. It's a great place to see some fish up close for sure and get your supplies. It can get a bit crowded at times. They would do well to implement a donations counter at the front as many guests are tourists there, the amount of in-demand foot traffic, they could do something good about that. :). I look forward to hearing about the suggestion.

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By Spencer Ekman on March 7, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

You can tell as soon as you go in how passionate and knowledgeable everyone here is. I feel like I went in knowing nothing and by the time we left I was a tetra master with a beautiful 20gal coming home to be setup for a good few days before the glo-party started. Thank you guys we look forward to our next visit.

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By Susanna Donato on February 27, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

We've been going to Big Al's for years... My husband and son specifically but this year I got my own small tank!! They are professional and personal and very knowledgeable. They also have so much choice for you and the family.

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By jenna nelson on February 23, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

The customer service is impeccable!
I am preparing my first fish tank ever and they staff were very helpful, knowledgeable, kind and patient with my hundreds of questions!

Karen and Marlin helped me, and I felt welcomed and cared for :)

I will give updates and photos as progress with my tank and go to the store more, I highly reccomened stopping by for any aquarium/terrarium necessities or just for a fun visit :D

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By sina ghazali on February 7, 2026 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

As a freshwater aquascaper, I’d say this store offers a very solid selection of soils and substrates, including Tropica Aquarium Soil, Ultum Nature Systems (UNS) Controsoil, Fluval Bio-Stratum / Plant & Shrimp Stratum, and Seachem products.

When it comes to aquariums themselves, the selection of high-quality freshwater brands is limited. The only premium brand I noticed was Red Sea, which is mainly focused on saltwater systems.

For filtration, they carry most of the top-tier brands such as Oase, Eheim, Sicce, and Fluval, which is a big plus. They also have a great selection of aquarium wood at very good prices, although the variety of rocks is somewhat limited.

They keep tropical packed plants in a refrigerated display, priced between $16 and $30. Anubias and Bucephalandra are around $30, while most other plants are $16. They also sell some regular (non-tissue culture) plants at reasonable prices, but I personally wouldn’t recommend those.

Lighting options don’t include premium aquascaping brands like Chihiros, ADA, or ONF (which are my favorites), but they do offer several medium to decent-quality lighting options.

In terms of fertilizers and additives, they stock many high-quality brands such as Fritz, API, Seachem, Aquavitro, and Tropica. For CO₂ systems, they carry Ista and Tropica mini kits; for larger cylinders, it’s best to ask staff directly.

They also have a good range of filtration media, covering most of what you’d need for planted tanks.

Regarding livestock, shrimp prices are on the higher side but the quality is decent. Their plecos are well-priced, mostly smaller species. Other fish are reasonably priced as well, and if you follow their flyers, you can often find excellent deals.

They also carry saltwater, reptile, and insect supplies, which are outside my area of expertise, so I can’t comment on those.

Overall, in Ottawa, they offer some of the best prices and brand variety available, making them a much better option than PetSmart or Pet Valu. As with any store, especially when supporting smaller businesses, it’s best to evaluate items individually.

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By madeline malette on December 19, 2025 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

I have been going here for years purchasing fish and plants for my tank. Since Last year I have been purchasing feeders for my spiders. Crickets are half dead and within a few days they are all dead. Spoke to the manager and he said there was nothing he could do about it. I will definitely be going elsewhere for feeders as they will probably last longer than a few days. SHAME that they cant even get people who know how to care for the animals they have there. A few of them who are now gone were my go to people for anything there. 2 stars and no more

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By David on November 25, 2025 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

First time visiting Big Al's today had a great experience. We did not make any purchases as we were just visiting to learn this time but the variety of products and animals was remarkable. Additionally the staff, especially the girl with blue hair (I forgot to ask her name) clearly knew alot on fish care and honestly was more helpful than we could have ever hoped for. With our new knowledge well be coming back to set up our aquarium shortly!

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By Nepal Chandra Nandi on September 29, 2025 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

Highly educative, informative, and household pleasure aquarium anim, plants and maintenance styles are praiseworthy.

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By Mickael Filion on September 5, 2025 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

I got out of the store at closing time and one fish was already dead. The guy who served me didnt know anything i asked him. And now the day later one snail is also dead. Very bad place to buy your fish, go shop elsewhere. They dont even take the time to reply to my messages.

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By Tasha McDonald on July 22, 2025 Verified by Google Big Al's Ottawa East

I love these guys. Best aquarium store in Ottawa with the best selection of cichlids. I added a few new ones to my tank and they were so patient while I picked my favourites from each tank. They made sure I got exactly the ones I wanted. My tank is happy, no aggression, just perfect harmony. Thanks Pierre and Big Al’s.

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