Badmans Pet Shop Directory, Canadian pet shop reviews

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Pet Shop Directory

To add you comments to this Directory please use the Pet shop form

Please note: All the opinions stated in the proceeding pages are not the opinions of Badman's Tropical Fish or the Badman. This is an open form based on the opinions submitted by our visitors during their visits to the stores.
I always will gladly accept any store owner rebuttals and will gladly post them by the comments

Canada

Ontario

Store name:
Big Al's Aquarium Services
Address:
16 Kennedy Road, South Brampton, Ontario Canada
Telephone:
(01)(905) 454-1174
Web Site:
Aquarium Services
Comments:
This Brampton location has the best service I've ever had. I moved about 50km away last year, but I still always go here for my supplies, services and fish/plant stock. The staff are VERY informed and know their "stuff" inside out. They have saved me from making mistakes and are excellent guides for the beginner or expert aquarist. If you need specialized items or fish not normally stocked, they will find it for you. I've often asked for a specific fish or product. At one point I was about $20.00 short on my order as I had forgot my wallet. The staff member paid the shortage out of his own wallet saying. "You can return it to me whenever your're in again". (This was after my third visit here! I call that unexpected service!! ALL types of marine and freshwater fish are carried here. If they didn't have it they were able to get it for me.

Store name:
Aquarium Services Warehouse Outlets
Address:
140 Centennial Pkwy.
N. Hamiliton, Ontario
Telephone:
905-560-1000
Comments:
Great fish store... They have a wide selection of cichlids, African and South American. They also carry a great aquarium and accessories depot.

********************

In response to the guys remarks about how good aquarium services are. They may be good with fresh water fish but are not with salt water fish. It is because of fish from there store that I lost my predator tank. I bought fish that they don't quarantine and it infected my whole tank. I lost hundreds of dollars worth of fish.

Store name:
P.Js Pet centres Ltd.
Address:
3401 Dufferin Street
North York, ON
M6A 2T9
Telephone:
416-785-9991
Comments:
They are very helpful with freshwater fish but very limited in saltwater. In fact few shops in the area seem to have much experience in salt tanks. I'm currently in debate about setting up a salt tank due to this.

Store name:
PetsMart
Address:
170 Gateway Park
Kitchener, ON
N2S 1A1
Telephone:
519-650-9786
Web-site:
PETsMART
Comments:
Petsmart carries most of the everyday fish and a few exotics. I do not think there is any saltwater fish. The staff are nice and have good knowledge of the fish and the store. The betta's are not very healthy.

Store name:
Roys Pet shop
Address:
1999 Middle RD. Kingston, ONT. K7L5H6
Telephone:
613-546-2709
Comments:
"Full line of Pets and Pet Supplies. Specializing in Tropical and Marine Fish" -----------------------------------------
Hey, I just stumbled onto your website. Having recently setup a saltwater tank, I am always browsing for info before I buy. Saw the blurb on Roy's in Kingston. I have to say I was referred there by a complete stranger who was listening in on me asking questions at an aquarium shop. Kinda looks scary when you pull in the driveway. A small place in the middle of no where, but once inside, truly an oasis in the desert. Some of the most knowledgeable and friendly staff out there. Great selection of fresh water community fish, African cichlids, and saltwater fish. The best live rock in my tank is from there. Super competitive prices and always willing to find what you're looking for. If they don't have it, they'll get it for you.

Store name:
The Pet Store
Address:
Cataraqui Town Centre,
Kingston,
Ontario, Canada
Telephone:
613-634-4462
Comments:
This store has a medium sized selection of a variety of fish and accessories. When I first got into the hobby, on one occasion they sold me 2 tinfoil barbs (grow to be over a foot) and on another 2 iridescent sharks (grow over three feet) for my little 25 gallon tank telling me these fish don't get very large at all. Enough said about them. Just watch out if your a newbie!

Store name:
Pet Paradise
Address:
292 Bath Rd. Kingston,
Ontario, Canada
Telephone:
613-531-0717
Comments:
A large selection of tropical fish, including all of the common species as well as many African Cichlids. They also carry an assortment of Marine and Brackish fish, as well as large selection of accessories and supplies. Most of the staff of knowledgeable and helpful-- as a newbie I wanted to purchase an expensive fish that would have done poorly in my tank and they advised me against it

Store name:
Superpet
Address:
420 Vansickle Road
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 6P9
Telephone:
905-641-9899
Comments:
They have a variety of fish. The full-time fish guy is really good. We have four different stores in our area. I prefer this one the best. They have a 14 day return policy on fish, which is the best in the area. They will test your water if your fish keep dying.

Store name:
Mayer's Pet Shop
Address:
3038 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Telephone:
416-694-5342
Comments:
They carry tropical fish and lots of supplies for goldfish and tropicals. Saltwater equipment and supplies are limited in the store, but they order them in specially at great prices. Good selection of filters, pumps, foods and meds. Can purchase online too. Quick delivery. Staff is quite knowledgeable and very helpful.

Store name:
Pet Circus
Address:
274 Bank st.
Ottawa, Ont.
Telephone:
613-234-8456
Comments:
Super good selection of rare plecos..The place for plecos in Ottawa!! Nice friendly staff, and knowledgeable..
Date of visit:
9/26/06
Your rating:
Very Good

Store name:
Purrfect Pet Supplies
Address:
3313 Lakeshore Blvd.
Etobicoke Ontario
Telephone:
416-259-0579
Comments:
Great little shop. The owner runs his own store and is quite knowledgeable. Although the collection is quite small the fish are well taken care of. Will definitely deal with him as he can get in fish if I want it and he doesn't already have it.
Date of visit:
July 13th 2007
Your rating:
Excellent

Store name:
Tails N' Teeth
Address:
77 Durham St. West
Lindsay, Ontario
Telephone:
(705)-328-0439
Web Site:
Tails N' Teeth
Comments:
Great selection of common species along with some very cool oddballs. Fair pricing with trade-in options. Clean "individually" run tanks with knowledgeable staff. Tanks are NOT overstocked! Good place for the beginner to shop. I have witnessed the staff instructing newbies on how to prepare their tanks. Solid advice! Pre-order options available - They post their suppliers lists in their web site forums. If they don't have it in the store, they can get it! Even though they deal in all kinds of exotics, they have staff which specialize in their respective areas.
Date of visit:
Regularly over last 3 years
Your rating:
Very Good

Alberta

Store name:
Francos aquariums
Address:
1935 32 Avenue Northeast 118
Calgary, AB T2E7C8
Telephone:
(403) 230-5501
Comments:
Date: 10/24/05 visit twice a week
Excellent!!!fish store. Some very nice south Americans,including a tank full of beautiful blue rams. A great assortment of Africans..But what I like the best is all the tanks are spotless,(good prices)and the fish are healthy. Never seen a dead fish in any tank.!Franco and his wife Linda are both very helpful and knowledgeable.

Store name:
DAD's Fish Room
Address:
9912 81 Ave
Edmonton, Alberta
Telephone:
403 433-FISH (3474)
Web-site:
Dad's Fish Room
Comments:
Lots of rare and unusual fish and plants. The staff won't sell you a betta for your african tank, they ask what you have and then tell you what you should buy.

Store name:
Big Al's Aquarium Services
Address:
8228 Macleod Trail S.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Telephone:
403-640-0635
Comments:
Reader comment removed under threat of legal action from the owner. What does that say?

********************

Date: submitted 2/23/06
Date of visit:October 2005
By:John Myers
Never in my life have I experienced such poor service and unreliable information. The only thing these guys cared about was taking my money. The equipment they offer is junk and the staff are not only ignorant to deal with, but almost ten years behind the current technology. The quality of their animals is nothing short of criminal. The fish are all beat up and diseased. To top this, NO ONE WILL TALK TO YOU AFTER THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY!!! Once the above points came to light I was greeted with ill mannered comments and apathy. Its unfortunate that this occurred as this was my first saltwater aquarium and they were supposed to be the experts. My advice to everyone starting out is to do your homework, and shop elsewhere.

Store name:
Gold Aquarium
Address:
4710 17 Ave. SE
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Telephone:
273-5567
Comments:
THE BEST FISH STORE IN CALGARY!! The store is run by one man and his wife. No other staff except students hired everyday to clean tanks. Never ever seen a dead fish in the store. All new fish are quarantined before available for sale. Tanks are spotless and all the fish are active and happy. The owner Dennis is the most knowledgable man I have ever met. He knows everything and anything about fish. He won't even LET me buy anymore fish because he knows I am having trouble with nitrites. The store is super busy and always has regulars there. Very small store. Must get there early in the day.

********************

Excellent place to get African cichlids. Cramped store but who cares. Best prices in town. No GST.

Store name:
Riverfront Aquariums
Address:
417 Riverfront Avenue SE
Calgary, Alberta
Telephone:
(403) 265-8157
Web site:
Riverfront Aquariums
Comments:
I walked in and I thought it was abandoned! The floors were horrible, roofs leaking, it was flat out disgusting! I was willing to give it a try, because I had heard good things about it. I could not find any staff for the first half hour... and then the staff I did find were not knowledgeable at all, or did not speak english. I had to wait almost an hour and a half to talk to someone knowledgeable.... plus there were alot of dead fish in each tank.. and the fish I had put on hold... and were told "looked great!", looked horrible, most were swimming on the bottom of the tank, lacked color and were swimming strangely. I will be calling back in one week, and if my fish do not look absolutely in pristine condition.... I will be taking my business elsewhere!
Badmans note: According to the website they are getting ready to move to a new location.
Date of visit:
07/04/09
Your rating:
Poor

********************

This store has it all... right from 15 cent guppies to $25,000 show fish. Staff is really knowledgeable. They have helped me recently to set up a brine shrimp production line for my fry. If they don't have what your looking for, they will find it. Nice and clean looking tanks; have purchased ALL of my fish there without a single problem.

Store name:
Nature's Corner Store (formerly DAD's)
Address:
9082 51 Avenue
Edmonton AB Canada
Telephone:
(780) 433-FISH (3474)
Web site:
Nature's Corner Store
Comments:
This used to be Dad's Fishroom on 99 Street and 81 Avenue---they moved to this new location earlier this year. There's alot more room, so alot more freshwater fish, plants, pond supplies & wild bird stuff. Excellent service--knowledgeable staff. Huge pond display instore which everyone should see.
Date of visit:
9/26/06
Your rating:
Excellent

Store name:
Imperial Aquariums
Address:
#101, 920 - 36 ST NE
Calgary AB
Telephone:
403-235-5077
Web site:
.
Comments:
This store sells cold water fish and freshwater tropical fish. The store was clean and the fish tanks were very clean and clear. They had some very very huge tanks set up and even those tanks were very clear with healthy looking fish. The staff was friendly and helpful, however we were looking for saltwater fish, so they directed us to another store, which was very helpful. If we were in the market for freshwater we would buy from there for sure.
Date of visit:
Jan 6 2007
Your rating:
Very Good

Store name:
Ocean Aquarium (Ocean City Ltd)
Address:
135-233 16 Avenue NW,
Calgary AB
Telephone:
403-277-8668
Web site:
.
Comments:
We went to almost every fish store in town this weekend and Ocean was the best. The store doesn't have a huge selection, but the tanks are so clean and the fish all look very healthy. All of the fish are marine fish. The owner was friendly and answered our questions easily. The store itself is very clean and bright with a huge selection of corals and such, and loads of stuff to meet all your fish's needs.
Date of visit:
Jan 7 2007
Your rating:
Excellent

Store name:
Riverfront aquariums
Address:
417 Riverfront Avenue SE,
Calgary AB
Telephone:
403-265-8157
Web site:
.
Comments:
Very large store with all types of fish (goldfish, tropical, marine). The store is dirty and smells, and the fish in almost every tank look ill. The tanks are very dirty to say nothing of the store itself, where I was petrified to let my small children walk around in the filth (dirty floors, poor dead fish on the tank lids and on the floor where they had jumped out to escape the poor water quality). There was at least one fish in every goldfish tank with signs of bacterial infection, the marine fish were dull in colour, and many are close to death if they weren't dead already. We went to almost every fish store in Calgary that weekend and this was the worst, we wouldn't even consider buying fish from there, and because of the horrible neglect of the poor fish we wouldn't even give them our money for anything else. Way to big of a store with way to many tanks, obviously to many for them to take care of.
Date of visit:
Jan 7 2007
Your rating:
Poor

Store name:
Petland Lethbridge
Address:
212-905 1st Ave S
Lethbridge, Alberta
Telephone:
403-320-0095
Web site:
Petland
Comments:
Staff very helpful. Fish/birds/others are sold under great care and knowledge - clearly marked sizes and compatiblity. Reasonable pricing.
Date of visit:
Constant
Your rating:
Very Good

British Columbia

Store name:
Big Al's Aquarium Services Warehouse
Address:
No. 3 Road,
Richmond B. C, across from Lansdowne Mall.
There's also another location on North Road in Burnaby.
Telephone:
604-244-0700
Web Site:
Aquarium Services
Comments:
Great place!!!! A different franchise of the Big Al's you've already listed in Ontario, so everything said there applies here as well. Huge selection of tanks, bowls, heaters, filters, ornaments - you name it. Both fresh and saltwater species. Very knowledgeable staff, and they're more concerned with making sure you've got a suitable, healthy set up for your fish than with making the sale. (I found this out the the night when I went in to pick up a heater for my newly set up 15 gallon tank. Having never used one before, I figured I could get the heater and some Angels at the same time, but they persuaded me not to get the fish immediately but to wait a day or so in order to have the tank ready so as not to stress the fish.) All in all, I'd call them the best aquarium store in my region (in my humble opinion).

Store name:
Animal House
Address:
5405 Argyle Street
Port Alberni, B.C.
Telephone:
(250) 724-3303
Web site:
.
Comments:
Carry good assortment of fish, will special order, if wanted, and their suppliers carry the species. The fish, however frequently get parasites, especially ick, and are left untreated, and still sold. The tanks do not have enough filtration, either IMHO. They tried to sell me cana's as "pond snail's". They also carry plants, but don't label them on the tanks, so do not know what plants are what. So go in there prepared. The staff can be rude, except for one employee, she is always honest, warm, and helpful. The store also carries a great selection of fish foods, and products like tank decorations, for a fair price.
Date of visit:
12/18/2006
Your rating:
Fair

Store name:
Kootenay Pets
Address:
223 Cranbrook St. N.
Cranbrook, B.C. Canada
Telephone:
(250) 426 3339
Comments:
Great Store with an excellent selection of both fresh, and marine fish. Store owner Phil, makes you feel at welcome every visit. Clean store with knowledgeable staff, who will not sell you incompatible species.
Date of visit:
11/07/2007
Your rating:
Excellent

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