Big Al's in Tamarac, Fl. changing hands

Here are some pictures I took at Big Al's today. I like the unicorn tang!

 

Very nice Annularis

 

Yes it is. It's about 8" long. Such a gentle fish.

 

All i know is that i bought gloves from the Tamarac store for $27. When I got home i looked online and saw them on their website for $15. I went back to the store the next day to get the price adjusted but the manager explained to me that they are not owned by Big Al's just using their name for exposure and that the prices are differant from the website. I agree if they clean up the tanks and hire people that will actually take time to explain things to you rather than lets make a sale knowing in the back of their heads i just sold these people a bunch of junk that would never work. on the plus side they have a really cool shark tank.

 

Seek and ye shall find. When it comes to fish stores I'll wait for the guy or gal that knows what they're saying. If you ask questions that you know the answer to and they tell you something else, move on to the next guy. I find myself helping fellow hobbyists in most stores. I could sell a lot of stuff if I could.

 

The problem was that I was just getting into the hobby and very wet behind the ears. They spotted me a mile away and I knew something was up when the manager not just a regular employee tried to sell me a freshwater setup kit after I told him I wanted to do a reef tank. His reaction when we questioned him was oh your right. Needless to say I have some lfs that i frequent that from day one have guided me in the right direction without trying to rip me off.

 

The store has potential to succeed even under a new name. They basically have everything you need right in the store. The lfs I shop maybe will carry one to two types of fixtures in their stores, where this store carries all differant types and sizes in stock. If they just improve on their customer service I would make the 30 minute drive to shop there more often.

 

whats their coral selection like at the store marlinman? id be curious to see the difference compared to the al's up here.doesnt prepay for their corals , they dont get the cool varieties. also they dont deal with aussie vendors because of bad experiences , mostly because again they dont prepay. also the stores up here are either owned corporateey by als' , or independently. ive been treated very well there and only deal with a few of the staff. the smart ones. lol.

 

In retrospect Big Al's is not about knowledge but more about variety in fish and abundance. They also are big on standard fish tanks and setups. Their coral selection is ok at best. They do get some nice live rock in their store. As far as the staff goes I don't bother with them as I've gained my knowledge from the old salts at the Barrier Reef in Boca Raton to coin a phrase. That's where I go for knowledge. Like I said before Big Al's is about selection of fish, All Glass fish tanks are the cheapest there, Living Color floss and supplies. Also they have great store hours open til 9 pm everyday except Sunday which is 7 pm. When you've got to get something now you go to Al's because they're usually open.

 

i know what you mean about the coral being just ok. its the same here. ive found other coral places here that i drive the hour to get to. and i dont mind the extra expense of gas and such , or the coral being way more expensive. its a shame really that they dont carry a better selection. thnx for trhe insight marlin