Best Aquarium and supplies store in Calgary advice

[tirebob]

Hey all,

My wife had a decent aquarium for years before we got married and she moved to Canada, so obviously she left behind her aquarium in the US. We never got around to setting up another proper one but the time has come she would really like to get back into it, so I was wondering if the Beyond aquarium gurus and guide me to where the best places are in Calgary to get set up with good stuff at reasonable costs...

Fresh water is probably the way we will go and we would like something decent (ie not looking for a 20 gallon box with a few gold flish lol) and can budget accordingly. Not looking to spend 10k or anything ridiculous like that, but 1 to 2 thousand all in is in the realm of reality, but the less we have to spend to get exactly what we want is always better. So far we pretty much have just checked out places like Petland for ideas, but I am sure there must be better specialty stores out there that can provide better options...

Soooooo.... Any ideas Beyonders?

[Disoblige]

Riverfront Aquariums.

Never disappointed, deal with the owner for best results.

[jdmakkord]

Golds over in forest lawn. I used to have a 140 ga tank back in the day. He was the best for prices and healthy fish.

[MK1GTI]

Originally posted by Disoblige
Riverfront Aquariums.

Never disappointed, deal with the owner for best results.

X2 Wayne is a great guy :thumbsup:

[rookie101]

Not sure if this is the style or type of set-up you're looking for, but there is an aquarium for sale in the marketplace.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/347221/fs-50-gallon-fish-tank-w-stand-and-acc-/

[96integra]

Im a saltwater guy but this is what I know for freshwater:

Golds aquarium (usually the cheapest for fish)
Riverfront
Big Als
Pisces

As for equipment and a tank, I would try to grab a used one off kijiji. $2,000 is a lot to play with.

[adidas]

Is there a product that automatically dispenses food at a particular time/day?

[Disoblige]

Yeah.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/TPautofeeders.htm

Some names for example.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I normally get my supplies for my freshwater setup from Pisces as they're quite close to my house, then Golds if I need something specific they don't have. I went Riverfront once and the guy working there was an asshole, I never went back.

[Tik-Tok]

For convenience, you're work is walking distance from Pisces, Bob, lol. And just down the street on 32nd is Big Al's as well. As said Riverfront is good too, but out of the way for me.

[AllGoNoShow]

Riverfront is over by Barlow an 16th now, havent been to the new store yet but the old one was wicked

[Mr_John]

Originally posted by jdmakkord
Golds over in forest lawn. I used to have a 140 ga tank back in the day. He was the best for prices and healthy fish.

:thumbsup:
I would also recommend Golds.

[D'z Nutz]

Gold's is easily my favorite.

[tirebob]

Went and checked out Riverfront today and they have some crazy fish! Wow! Talked to Wayne and he seems like a decent guy. The prices seemed decent enough (around what we were expecting), but we wanted to check around some more...

Then we were on our way to go check out Pisces and went down 32nd and just happened to notice Big Al's as we were driving by so we just sorta stopped in. I have to say at first I thought it was going to be a bit more "Walmart'ish" but the manager Brandon (I think) seemed really knowledgeable on his products and definitely did not give me any sort of greasy salesman feel, and I gotta say the pricing was stellar! The exact same setup we were looking at from Riverfront was literally $500.00 cheaper from Big Al's. I am comparing apples to apples here too. Not just a cheaper brand alternative etc...

Unless something else comes along to change my mind, this may be where I go to get my setup. That being said though, I think Riverfront had a way crazier selection of fish and I won't hesitate to go there again for that. I want to still look around some of the other recommendation everyone has given.

Thanks all!

[roll_over]

I've had a few angelfish in my time they grow quick and look nice but are very territorial.

They had a store on 17th ave and 47th street SE but im not sure if its still there behind the pizza hut. The cheapest at the time but its been years and i couldent see it on google street view.

The angelfish I have now came from petland 130th and have been alive for two years now. They were dollar size when they first came home now are all three inches big

[relyt92]

I like riverfront for fish, they also do 50% off fish on the second saturday of every month so if you time it right you can save a ton of money on the fish. They are more expensive on equipment though unless they're doing a sale on it. big als is pretty reasonably priced for equipment, and I've got the same feel on the manager there, actually took the time to talk to me about what I wanted and suggested things without being pushy or trying to get me to spend a ton of money on things I didn't need. If you're going to do live plants I would say riverfront and pisces for that, as I've never been impressed by big als plant selection.

Originally posted by roll_over
I've had a few angelfish in my time they grow quick and look nice but are very territorial.

They had a store on 17th ave and 47th street SE but im not sure if its still there behind the pizza hut. The cheapest at the time but its been years and i couldent see it on google street view.

The angelfish I have now came from petland 130th and have been alive for two years now. They were dollar size when they first came home now are all three inches big That would be Golds which has been mentioned in this thread. I've been a few times and despite how cramped in there it is they've got a nice selection of fish and they always look healthy.

[jsn]

Originally posted by 96integra
Golds aquarium (usually the cheapest for fish)
Riverfront
Big Als


These are the only one's I go to. Although, it seems like riverfront is abit more expensive than it use to be, but it's still fairly reasonable. Like mentioned, Wayne's a good guy to deal with. Used to give my dad small discounts all the time because he was a regular customer. Riverfront is my favorite if I'm just browsing for kicks. They have a golden arrowana with papers. I forget the exact price, but I remember you could buy a car for the amount they were charging for that fish. Close to $20000 or something insane.

[relyt92]

Originally posted by jsn


These are the only one's I go to. Although, it seems like riverfront is abit more expensive than it use to be, but it's still fairly reasonable. Like mentioned, Wayne's a good guy to deal with. Used to give my dad small discounts all the time because he was a regular customer. Riverfront is my favorite if I'm just browsing for kicks. They have a golden arrowana with papers. I forget the exact price, but I remember you could buy a car for the amount they were charging for that fish. Close to $20000 or something insane. Riverfront does seem to be a tad more expensive for fish, but the ones they have there are usually healthier looking than I find elsewhere so it's well worth the extra few dollars. If you become a member there which costs you $40 upfront, you get 20% off all fish and plants for the next year so if you're going to be spending a fair share on that it's worth it to do.

Edit: consider joining albertaaquatica.com too, it's a fairly active forum that is local, and there are always tanks and fish up for sale on there if you want to keep this a bit cheaper/

[kevie88]

I just set up a new 30 gallon tank I got used from a friend of mine, he works at Big Al's part time and a lady surrendered it after not being able to sell the tank on Kijiji. I got the tank, a Fluval U4 filter, heater, a UV sterilizer, decorations, a top light and cover, and every cleaning product and water conditioners for $40. I couldn't pass it up!

It took a shit ton of cleaning to get it all back to good again (tank was neglected for a LONG time) but new gravel and some new fish and I am good to go.

To make a long story short I'd have a look on Kijiji ect and see what's out there used.

Big Al's does have some CRAZY deals on tanks tho, I can't believe how cheap the tanks are..

[4bier]

golds by far has best quality, i ve dealt with dennis for years and best prices have not been to the new riverfront but the old one i did not care for very pricey but good service also try
albertaaquatica.ca lotsa good deal there to

[Mar]

Riverfront. I just got back from there.

[sillysod]

Originally posted by Mar
Riverfront. I just got back from there.

2 fish tanks in our house and definitely riverfront is the place we go for fish.

1+ riverfront

[bignerd]

Pics of tanks? We never had fish when I was little but enjoy seeing other peoples tanks.

[01RedDX]

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[01RedDX]

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[stevieo]

hey bob, check out golds as well. I grabbed two filters from there a rena xp3 and xp4 (cheaper than pisces and big al's) but i usually stop by pisces, big al's and golds just to look at fish from time to time and make my livestock purchases.