The problem i have with them is that they just shouldnt sell fish at all it just looks really tacky and no matter what store you go to there will always be this bad rap over any walmart. they have green spotted puffers there and its just terrible seeing them in those conditions. the last time i went to walmart i took the net out of the guys hand and netted the fish myself. I guess if you know what you are doing and have faith the fish isnt going to keel over right away you can quarenteen him first in a nice aquarium salt dip for a few days. the quality is where you run into issues. in most cases store bought fish are line bred with genetics in mind. except some breeds like the black moor (which is horribly inbred for its black color)
buying fish from wanlmart
- Thread starter jason23erb
- Start date
Walmart keeps live fish just to indirectly promote their products. Lets face it. How many of you have seen somebody buy their fishes and get everything they need right there and then. Seen it many times with their spongebob and novelty tanks they carry.
Ive never had any problems with Walmart fish. I was even able to stock a friends tank completely with Walmart fish and no problems. I guess its just a matter of taking the same precautions we would if we were buying fish anywhere else. Ironically my two worst Ich outbreaks were from LFS that were highly regarded in the areas they were at 
My local meijer is nice though. 
I figured out which days walmart gets fish shipments based on how sick/dead they are. Oddly enough, the 1 or 2 days right after they get their weekly shipment they have some of everything and some of it isn't about to die! (give it another 2 days)...
I also was specifically told while looking at them one day -by the "pet care associate"- how horrible those dragon fish are.. Having owned one for a few years still considering it a freakin' awesome fish, I asked her why she would randomly spew such information at me.. According to the employee (and another joined in to verify) "dragon fish" are evil fish that jump out of the water and try to bite you with their sharp teeth when they are hungry. Yes, that is seriously what they told me. They both told me with vigor and bugged out eyes how they jump out of one tank and into another in attempt to bite you and if they get you, OMG, it's horrible!
They also claimed that they eat a lot of the (adult) mollies that were in their tank.
I attempted to explain that I'd already owned one of these fish for 2 years and that it lived with little bumblebee gobies and snails with no problems.. they insisted my fish terrorizes those gobies. I suggested that the removal from their natural habitat, stress of shipment, poor water, improper feeding and a COMPLETE lack of hiding places (which they certainly crave) led to them jumping from one tank to another and thus, causing the scares they hated them for.. I was told I was crazy and these fish are simply evil. When I talked to a manager they told these were carnivorous fish and the workers were not wrong to advise me about their "dangerous teeth".
I'm sorry, even aside from the convos about the GSPs, walmart can go F themselves up the A every day they continue to THINK about selling live fish and anyone who buys their animals is getting exactly what they paid for.. WALMART LIVESTOCK. They don't even care enough to have a single person on staff that knows ANYTHING about fish.. Like they could ever expect to sell a healthy one.
I got told 3 weeks ago that hose water was fine for my fishtank, in fact, I should "probably run the hose in the fish tank for at least 20 minutes to flush out any toxins that have built up" 'cause the garden center happens to be right behind the fishtanks at my walmart. Well trained, they are. Well trained.
I also was specifically told while looking at them one day -by the "pet care associate"- how horrible those dragon fish are.. Having owned one for a few years still considering it a freakin' awesome fish, I asked her why she would randomly spew such information at me.. According to the employee (and another joined in to verify) "dragon fish" are evil fish that jump out of the water and try to bite you with their sharp teeth when they are hungry. Yes, that is seriously what they told me. They both told me with vigor and bugged out eyes how they jump out of one tank and into another in attempt to bite you and if they get you, OMG, it's horrible!
They also claimed that they eat a lot of the (adult) mollies that were in their tank.
I attempted to explain that I'd already owned one of these fish for 2 years and that it lived with little bumblebee gobies and snails with no problems.. they insisted my fish terrorizes those gobies. I suggested that the removal from their natural habitat, stress of shipment, poor water, improper feeding and a COMPLETE lack of hiding places (which they certainly crave) led to them jumping from one tank to another and thus, causing the scares they hated them for.. I was told I was crazy and these fish are simply evil. When I talked to a manager they told these were carnivorous fish and the workers were not wrong to advise me about their "dangerous teeth".
I'm sorry, even aside from the convos about the GSPs, walmart can go F themselves up the A every day they continue to THINK about selling live fish and anyone who buys their animals is getting exactly what they paid for.. WALMART LIVESTOCK. They don't even care enough to have a single person on staff that knows ANYTHING about fish.. Like they could ever expect to sell a healthy one.
I got told 3 weeks ago that hose water was fine for my fishtank, in fact, I should "probably run the hose in the fish tank for at least 20 minutes to flush out any toxins that have built up" 'cause the garden center happens to be right behind the fishtanks at my walmart. Well trained, they are. Well trained.
I don't know about everybody else here, but I would much rather by my fish from LFS or even chain pet stores than wal-mart. When I walk into walmart, I don't expect to have intellectual conversations about fish keeping or disease. I expect them not to be knowledgeable about the fish.
Think about it. How big is Wal-mart's fish selection, and then how much other stuff do they have in the store? How many fish do they sell each day? I'd be surprised if they sold to two different customers a day. These people aren't fish keepers and trained professionals. The truth is, if you go to walmart and ask them about the fish you are the ignorant one in that situation.
Think about it. How big is Wal-mart's fish selection, and then how much other stuff do they have in the store? How many fish do they sell each day? I'd be surprised if they sold to two different customers a day. These people aren't fish keepers and trained professionals. The truth is, if you go to walmart and ask them about the fish you are the ignorant one in that situation.
If they consistently have dead and dying fish (as do most walmart stores), then I would think common sense would be enough to answer that question...
