Big Al's in Tamarac, Fl. changing hands

One very large reason as to why we may not have as much selection of corals as some of our other competitors is that we only deal with suppliers that have proper cities permits, as well as harvest fish and corals through safe and legal methods. We have had to turn down many suppliers over the years because of cyanide caught fish and dyed corals etc. We also deal largely with aquaculture focused suppliers to try and keep our natural reefs safe.

We will only deal with responsible suppliers who can meet our demand for quality animals and volume (all of our 17 stores in the USA and CANADA order together).

We are still working on finding an Australian supplier who can meet our needs, and we hope to have one very soon.

 

that would be great if you were able to arrange something like that. ive always enjoyed the fush that come in, and the stores service i go to is awesome. its just the corals that are a bit bland. soem nice aussie stuff would be great. good luck .

 

Any updates about the Big Al's store in Tamarac? It is my LFS too.

 

Nothing new to report on what their intentions are. I'm going out there tomorrow and if I hear anything new I'll let you know.

Special thanks go to Big Al up in Canada for his input. It is reassuring to hear about your fish suppliers not using cyanide. Hobbyists need to feel that the fish have a fighting chance on their own. We have enough problems introducing new fish to have to worry about a fish that doesn't have much of a chance. I just purchased a rare mated pair of Painted Anthias aka Pictillis Anthias from Australia. Absoluely gorgeous coloring.

 

No problem! We are hobbyists too for the most part (some of the younger staff at the stores are part-timers; mostly high school students) and we really care about our livestock. We purchase products and livestock from our stores as well, and we wouldn't sell anything to anyone that we wouldn't buy for ourselves. That includes the fish!

 

Big Al's name is gone in Tamarac, Florida and the new name is All Fish Emporium www.allfishemporium.com. I spoke to one of the managers who said the ownership hasn't changed: well it could be but I'm not going to etch that in stone. Their website offers discount coupons on anything that's NOT on sale. The front of the store has changed but the back remains the same. So all is well.

 

I'm so happy someone has brought this subject/retailer up. This is a very touchy subject for me. I want to dive in and start ripping them a new one but I will try to refrain from that and control myself. First, Big Al's in Tamarac started with a lot of potential but over the years they have gone nowhere but down hill fast IMO. I'm sure people that work there visit this site too and if you have any useful inside info that would make understanding why they do the stupidest things that they do, then please enlighten me.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Their customer service is below pitiful. And their pricing is riditulous! About 2 years ago I tried to buy the beautiful Atlantis tank that they had on display for about 5 years. I guess nobody wanted to pay the 20K sticker MSRP price. I loved that tank, I used to go in there just to stare at it like it was a Ferrari or something. Then I finally had a chunk of change to spend and I really wanted that thank. So I started talking with the manager and he set me up with a "sales rep". (This tool was no sales rep at all but I'll give him the label just to stroke his ego.) I expected them to knock a little of the top of the price and deliver/install it for free.I didn't think I was asking for a lot. I was shelling out ten's of thousands for a fish tank! But No this was Big Al's/Living color I was dealing with. So after they rejected my more than fair cash offer I went home. Then next weekend I was back in the store and the Atlantis was gone!! My heart sunk. Where did it go??? I asked the manager and he said he thought I bought it. I said no the sales rep wouldn't budge on the MSRP. I asked how much did it sell for? And he went and looked it up in the books. It sold for the same price that I offered to a "friend" of theirs in the fish business!! I was so angry. I negotiated a good price for somebody else and lost my dream tank. I will never forget that experience and every time I go back to look around I am reminded of the the major disappointment.

Fish:
They do have a nice selection on fish. They are a little more expensive than other places and about 1/2 the fish I've bought from them died in the first 24hrs. or had ick.

Tanks and stands:
I would think that since Living color is behind the store that they would always have the discovery collection available. But they don't, just your basic retail pet store, glass crap.And if you want something from the Discovery line you have to go through Living color directly and they don'y budge on the movie star pricing.

I hope this new name change brings good things to the store. I am always in the area on Saturdays and usually stop by to see what I'm not missing. You never know they might have that dream tank waiting for me. Usually I go to The Barrier Reef for everything. It's a nice place to shop. I know most of the staff by first name. The manager has givin me a discount on expensive fish. And the give me a nice credit on fish I bring back to the store. They have givin me leads on fish guys to help me repair my tank when it broke and water was gushing everywhere. And they have givin me lots of useful knowledge .

What are some other good LFS in the Broward county area? I'm always on the look out for a cool fish store.

 

Well, Motley Mick I just don't know where to start.. I think you might want to enroll in anger management as we're talking about a commercial LFS and not the Barrier Reef. I purchased a 120 All Glass and a 210 All Glass at Big Al's and by far it had the best price. I also got a good deal on stands and canopies at Barrier Reef. I've spent thousands of dollars at each store. I don't know about this Atlantis tank your talking about so I can't comment on that.

I agree that the Barrier Reef is the best for serious information. I've been going there 20 years. I've been dealing with Pauline and Robin and they always talk the truth and they have great live rock, live sand and a variety of corals. Their fish are good and they post the date the fish came in on the sticker which is exclusive to them. All I can say is you live and learn.

Yes, I'm a little cagey about some of the fish at Big Al's but I still have for over a year a Sohol, African Hippo and Purple Tang that are gorgeous along with 5 assorted orange Anthias. I've also had a group of purple anthias that died and a mated pair of Pictilis Anthias that died. In most cases I blame myself for making a bad judgement with my purchase by not making sure they're eating and if they are compatible.

Some of the stores I go to besides the aforementioned is the World of Tropical Fish in Deerfield on Federal Hway where the owner Scott does water changes for my 210 with saltwater from the Gulf Stream. I like the corals and fish he has there and snails and crabs are reasonable. It is a small store so variety is limited.

Exotic Aquatic on Oakland Park Blvd is where I stop every once in a while. The store is always in disarray but they are knowledgeable. I bought a Solar Wrasse there that I've had for over a year. There are other places but I don't frequent them very often. That's about it for now.

 

I'll have to check these out. Have you been to Ocean World Corals in Lake Worth at all? Worth a saturday drive up to check out. They have a HUGE frag propagation tank there and a larger selection of 10$ and 20$ frags. The owner is also really cool and will custom order anything under the sun for you fish-wise. I had him get me a pistol shrimp and a yasha goby for that symbiotic relationship deal they both love. Both were in great condition and I've had no problems with either. I'd have to say their my LFS of choice at the moment.

 

Did this ever happen?