# anyone bought substrate from www.bigalsonline.com?



## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

i'm wondering .. have any devoted plant tank members bought products from this website?( *www.bigalsonline.com*) is it a reliable website?..i'm not sure if this topic should be in here. anyway i saw the price of flourite. it's pretty cheap...*$9.99* per bag rather then *$14.99* at* www.drsfostersmith.com*


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## pjhaddock (Sep 21, 2004)

I have bought many things from them, but not substrate. Not sure how much shipping would be for smoething that heavy. But yes, very good place to deal with IMO...

Philip


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

thanks dock. yeah the substrate from that website is on sale. a little high on shipping but it still cheaper then drsmith website.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Make sure and get a shipping quote on the substrate before you order though. I live on the left coast and shipping was something like $11 a bag which makes it more expensive than the LFS.


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## pjhaddock (Sep 21, 2004)

Yeah, the LFS here sells it for $25/bag. I think you could still get it from them shipped for cheaper than anywhere else.. But as Rex said, get a quote first

Philip


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## oldfarmhouse (May 18, 2004)

The price is right and the place has been great with me. Very fast and reliable. I usually call the order in(toll free). Then you will know exactly what it will cost.


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

get a quote...because that extra $10 per bag is in addition to their normal shipping charges. It may still be cheaper than going to the LFS and having to pay sales tax though. I just want you to know all the 'hidden' shipping charges.


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## bshuff (Aug 24, 2004)

My LFS cut me a deal when I needed several bags of flourite at once if they could order it for me. So they added my 4 bags to their weekly order stock order and called me when it came in. That way they didn't have to tie up any shelf space, their inventory, etc and it built some good will with the LFS. I looked at several places online and it seemed that the price that *I* could find for it delivered was around $17-20/bag. The LFS was in that range after they discounted it.


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## pineapple (Jan 22, 2004)

I just received two bags of Flourite from Bigals to NYC and the shipping was $5.95 plus $11.16 for oversized shipping. It arrived fast.

Andrew Cribb


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## Bonsai (Jul 26, 2004)

if you live in the midwest, petsolutions.com (Ohio) will match that price and shipping may be cheaper .... every time I order from them (before 2pm), the stuff is shipped that day and arrives at my doorstep the next ... think proximity!


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Yup, shipping was one of the factors that I had to contend w/when I ordered my equipment from them awhile back (picked up my Eheim and the Hagen CO2 kit from them). As for the fluorite, I found it cheaper to pick it up from my local fish store, which sells them for $11.99 a bag.


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

mann too bad most of the lfs here dont have flourite or enough equipment for plant tanks. suck....and worst of all most of them dont know jack about plant tanks.


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

most LFS's don't deal a lot with planted tanks, especially the high light, co2 injected ones. its a niche of the aquarium hobby, and the small LFS's have a hard enough time competing with petco, petsmart and wal-mart...they cannot afford to carry a bunch of regulators and CF fixtures.
I know i know more about plants than the owner of my favorite LFS...and unfortunately 90% of what he can order for me, I can find 25% cheaper online, including shipping. But I buy from him when I can, and keep a good relationship with him. I was able to get 4 bags of flourite for $15 a piece when I setup my 75gallon tank. SeaChem had a retailer sale, and he ordered extra bags for me since it helped on his freight charges.


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

Drifting from online sources into buying locally, I surprised no one mentioned that PetsMart sells flourite. @ $25/bag it isn't much better. BUT, many and I included have brought in printed internet ads and they do price match them. Like ordering online without the shipping.

Actually I'm really surprised no one mentioned this route. :icon_conf Is it a moral crime for us to get flourite at $9.99/bag + no shipping? :icon_roll :icon_roll


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## JCSharp (Sep 29, 2004)

Well.. The one problem with my local Petsmart is they only carry one or two bags at a time. I don't think it's a big seller with them. I am sure they would probably order a larger quantity if I ask the right person. I am in the market for about 6 bags myself... Would like to find a shop that has enough so I only have to make one trip. Maybe if I am lucky, I can find 6 bags between my lfs and petsmart.


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## TicK (Sep 30, 2004)

I ordered a bag of onyx from bigals a while back and instead of one bag the sent me two! :icon_twis 

Too bad I ordered boulders instead of sand...


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## JCSharp (Sep 29, 2004)

Rolo said:


> Drifting from online sources into buying locally, I surprised no one mentioned that PetsMart sells flourite. @ $25/bag it isn't much better. BUT, many and I included have brought in printed internet ads and they do price match them. Like ordering online without the shipping.
> 
> Actually I'm really surprised no one mentioned this route. :icon_conf Is it a moral crime for us to get flourite at $9.99/bag + no shipping? :icon_roll :icon_roll


Rolo - I took your advise and printed out the flourite ad on bigalsonline and took it up to PetsMart... I bought 2 bags of the flourite for $9.99 + tax per bag. Not bad I should say! Since I won't start setting up my tank for the next couple of weeks or so, I figured I could just check back a couple more times and do the same. Thanks for sharing that!


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## imnappy2 (Aug 6, 2004)

I also printed that ad from bigals, but the petsmart only had one bag of flourite  But still got it for like 10.72 total I think... UNREAL cheap. I told the LFS that I was able to buy seachem flourite for 10.00 a bag and the guy pretty much said i was a liar, and that I must have gotten ripped off on some regular gravel. I pretty much just did it to rub it in, they are always REALLY expensive. I think it rubbed him wrong.. I didnt tell him how I did it he said he cant buy it for 10 a bag.


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

ibn, which LFS do you get the Flourite from for $12?


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

My friend's store in the Central Valley.


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

You can try more then one PetsMart if there isn't enough. I just bought 5 bags and needed to hit 3 stores. For saving $30-60 over mail order I think the time is worth it.

I feel pretty cheap. :icon_roll


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

Nothing wrong with being cheap Rolo. geeh if i could save 30-60$ i would gladly do it. roud: great job.


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## aquaverde (Apr 15, 2003)

The difference in shipping made Drs. F&S a buck or two cheaper than BigAls for me. I ordered substrate from both of them in times past.

Gives a different meaning to the expression "dirt cheap". :icon_roll


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

I've done the Petsmart pricematch for so many things its getting rediculous! Six bags of fluorite, frozen food, filter media, Prime, medications, etc. In fact, I just grabbed another bag of fluorite the other day for $10.20something. The look on the manager's face is priceless (no pun intended).


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## alphozo (Jan 19, 2004)

i went to a petsmart in northern IL and the manager said they dont do price matches from internet sources. I think ive got bad luck


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

*That sucks*



alphozo said:


> i went to a petsmart in northern IL and the manager said they dont do price matches from internet sources. I think ive got bad luck


I wonder if the Petsmart stores are all corperate or franchise. In some cases a franchise owner can refuse a company policy like this, or the manager is clueless.

Thanks for the tips guys too bad I'm good on stuff for a bit. Wish I knew.


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## alphozo (Jan 19, 2004)

does anybody know if this is actually the stores policy or are you just tricking the managers or cashiers each time? anything that you cite when you go there asking for more than 50% off?


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## JCSharp (Sep 29, 2004)

alphozo said:


> does anybody know if this is actually the stores policy or are you just tricking the managers or cashiers each time? anything that you cite when you go there asking for more than 50% off?



You can probably contact PetsMart directly to inquire about their price matching policy. IMHO, I think the manager you spoke with must be unclear with their policies, or is trying to pull one over on you protect his margins. I was able to get price matching on items from 3 stores in my area with no questions asked.

I found the following contact information on their website:

PETsMART Stores
For questions regarding PETsMART Stores: 
Email [email protected] 
Call us at (800) 738-1385 ext. 2518 
Or write to:
PETsMART, Inc.
Attention: Customer Service
19601 North 27th Avenue 
Phoenix, AZ 85027 

For all other related issues, please call (800) 738-1385 ext. 2518.
Thank you for contacting PETsMART.


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## alphozo (Jan 19, 2004)

thanks alot, im gonna try a few other locations to see how they respond


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## alphozo (Jan 19, 2004)

so i finally got a manager to go along with it, she said that she usually doesnt like to match prices with online stores because they have no overhead but she did it anyway. I am so happy, i got 4 bags of the red flourite (they didnt have the regular stuff) that originally rang at 108usd for around 46 bucks. Cant beat that! Now only if they started carrying eheims and 600 gal aquariums... :icon_mrgr


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## Badcopnofishtank (Jan 20, 2004)

*price match*

I bought several bags of flourite from the local Petsmart by price matching which saved me about $60.00. A buddy of mine works there as manager and told me that their policy is to match internet prices on their website only and not other companies website and thus ended my fun.

I wrote to Petsmart via the above link...I'll post their response.


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## Badcopnofishtank (Jan 20, 2004)

*Petsmart not supposed to match others sites:*

Here is Petsmart's reply: 

Dear Petsmart Customer

Thank you for your recent email. PETsMART's vision is to provide Total Lifetime Care to Every Pet, Every Pet Parent, Every Time. 

We believe our everyday prices are lower than our competitors' everyday prices and in most cases, as low as or lower than their sale prices...but instead of making our customers wait for a sale, we guarantee that our prices are the lowest EVERY DAY.

To back up our claim of Everyday Low Prices, we offer to price match items of local retail competitors. However, we cannot match competitors advertised internet prices. If you do find an item on our website a www.petsmart.com that is less then the the advertised price in the store we will match our online price.
Thank You,

Jennifer

Petsmart
:icon_frow


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## Newkidonthetank (Apr 3, 2004)

Rolo said:


> Drifting from online sources into buying locally, I surprised no one mentioned that PetsMart sells flourite. @ $25/bag it isn't much better. BUT, many and I included have brought in printed internet ads and they do price match them. Like ordering online without the shipping.
> 
> Actually I'm really surprised no one mentioned this route. :icon_conf Is it a moral crime for us to get flourite at $9.99/bag + no shipping? :icon_roll :icon_roll


Moral crime i think of it as "smart shop" here in SE Nebraska... thats the best way to go! 20lbs of regular gravel is 7.99 but with a price match and a 40min drive i also get it at a petsmart for 9.00 a bag... but ok 1 maybe 2 bucks more with no shipping... you cant afford not to.... especially for us semi-tight budgeted people like myself... but i sure would love some eco... oh and might i add "lincoln, Ne petsmart ... 9.99/bag.. no q's asked...and they want like $30 or somthing close to that with our 7%sales tax..

Oh and for thoes who feel cheap.... That aint bad.. you get it for as low as you can... Quote: you have a brain Use it.. and use it wisely


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## FISA (Dec 3, 2004)

I bought Eco-complete from aquariumplants.com for $9.95

http://aquariumplant.com/cgi-bin/cart/SS695.html

Around 7 bags....it cost me a total of 140 with shipping I believe


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## New 2 fish (Dec 26, 2004)

I just paid 18.99 per bag, and drove an hour each way to get them... wound up with one bag too many! (Should have paid more attention in algebra!)
I thought I was a bargain shopper, but hats off to you!!


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Or used the substrate calculator here.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

I wonder, does anyone know if Petsmart will be going to stock EC anytime soon? Maybe then you could show them the 9.99 off of AquariumPlant.. :wink:


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## WolverineFan (Dec 15, 2004)

I didn't realize that petsmart would match their online prices at the store. I was looking at a powerhead that would have cost $34 at the store but their online price was $21! It was even cheaper at Big Al's however.


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

PetSmart doesn't carry EC, not even on line unfortunately. You'd think if they carry high weight items like fluorite and TMS that they'd carry EC but noooooo :icon_roll .


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