Inventory Selection:  

Whether you’re looking for chillers or filters or fish food, you are shown this sites’ wonderful selection. With over 100 medications for your fish, Big Al’s wants your fish and tank to remain healthy, and their concern doesn’t end there. The water treatment supplies, which includes algae control, dechlorinators, liquid pest controls, and water clarifiers, number in the hundreds. Whether your fish are smiling or frowning, this site has the range of health products to keep them smiling or turn the frown upside down.

Aside from products to support your aquarium, this site also has a large library of books. Choosing the right one can ensure a base of knowledge to support your hobby for years to come. Who couldn’t use “Aquarium Care of Fancy Guppies?” And if something in your aquarium empire should break, check out the parts section on the site. Literally thousands of parts for all of your aquarium equipment are ready for ordering. Whether you need tubing or a sealing ring or bushings to cap a stubborn leak, Big Al’s has it for you.

Apparently aquatic livestock is not available on this site, but everything else for your aquarium tank can be found in the well stocked categories of aquarium supplies. With almost a thousand decorative items, you can find everything from an Amazon Sword plant to Midnight Sea background to Zanusa Mystic Castles. Your fish will be delighted with their environment and you’ll be able to create seasonal designs within your tank to match your mood.

Ease of Use:  

One of the nice things about this site is that after you choose your supply product area, the site displays the product breakdown allowing you to quickly decide the specific product area you need to view. Also, the site allows you to shop by manufacturer. What we didn’t see was the option to sort by price (or product size). It’s great that this site has such a large volume of products, but it is somewhat difficult to focus on comparison shopping at the top level. What is nice is the “Top 5 Amazing Deals!” that shows up on the screen. We like deals.

Payment Options:  

Big Al’s accepts major credit cards, money orders, and PayPal. Gift cards and e-gift certificates are redeemable. Orders are tracked by the shipping vendor. Customers need to check and make sure that their order can be shipped to their location. 

Security:  

The security of one’s information is strong, including the use of thawte which is checked daily. The site’s BizRate rating is exceptionally strong at 9.1, thus indicating overall customer satisfaction despite a lack of individual customer product reviews on the site itself.

Customer Support:  

Telephone customer support is through a toll-free number manned Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. EST and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on the weekend. Email and Fax customer support is also available.

This is a great site for its varied product offerings. Aquarium enthusiasts can hardly go wrong shopping here. How do other leading Online Aquarium Supplies sites compare to Big Al’s? Read our reviews of That Fish Place, Drs. Foster and Smith and PETCO for details.