Petco guys

[VNCNT]

I was once an Aquatic Specialist at a petco. they hired me straight away as the aquatic specialist because of my experience, knowledge and expertise in the field. apparently, it takes a couple months time to be promoted to that position because of specialized training, classes and tests that one would have to take. the aquatic department at this store was in dire need of help and everyone there seemed excited to have someone working in the department that actually knew about fish. before me, the different managers rotated running the department so it was way out of whack. i did my best to turn things around and change the perception of my store's aquatic department. it took about 4 months to make tanks presentable, stabilize systems and even get suitable/compatible species together. it was a common occurrence for managers to order the most random fish and put them with other fish they shouldn't be with. sometimes, they would even leave fresh water running into the sump for the saltwater system overnight, so the next day, the marine fish would be in water that was barely brackish... anyway, what i wanted to say is that they aren't all bad. its been 5 years since i've worked there and i know a hell of a lot more now than i did back then. at the same time, i knew a lot more than the customers i helped and people i worked with. i like to think i helped and made a difference. you can't really expect these big name chain stores to know everything especially when aquatics is such a small part of their business. they don't even know that much about the big money pets like cats and dogs. most of those guys don't know jack about anything no matter what department they specialize in, but there are a few diamonds in the rough. i still talk to some of my old petco coworkers. one works as an aquatic specialist at another local store. he really knows his stuff, especially marine. if you really want good, accurate info, you have research yourself. i barely trust the info i get from the guys at my favorite LFS's...