i have not had any problems with any of the fish i have purchased at petco or petsmart, just the employees
Petsmart fish??
- Thread starter jennypoo
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It all depends on each store and who is taking care of the fish.....I have been in big LFS witheverything going for them except the was they take care if there tanks and fish. On the other hand i have see little mom & pop places that would blow your mind on slection and care.
There is one walmart in town that the kid working there told me that he gives all dead and dieing fish to the puffers (That Sucks!)
On the other hand I buy from pet smart, pet co and a differant walmart all the time andhave great luck. Just watch what you get, how all the tanks look, how all the fish look and QUARANTINE everything you get! Jay
There is one walmart in town that the kid working there told me that he gives all dead and dieing fish to the puffers (That Sucks!)
On the other hand I buy from pet smart, pet co and a differant walmart all the time andhave great luck. Just watch what you get, how all the tanks look, how all the fish look and QUARANTINE everything you get! Jay
I guess this is an odd thread to make my first post in, but you gotta start somewhere right?
Anyway, there's a couple of reasons I personally like to buy from a LFS as opposed to a "chain" store. First, there are more reasons than one they call Petcos and Petsmarts chain stores. Aside from the obvious fact that they have multiple locations across the country, their aquariums are basically one giant divided tank. It's a huge system that circulates the same water through all the tanks. If they add a diseased fish in one tank, the same water that fish swims in will eventually make it's way into the same tank your new fish was in. There is a Petsmart not far from here that I can always count on having parasites, regardless of the type of fish. The LFS usually has individual tanks. Although illnesses are still very possible from a LFS, they can at least isolate a sick tank.
The second reason is I would MUCH rather pay a little extra and support the little guy. He's basically one guy competing against giant companies. Even if he is 15% higher or so, big deal. The little guy is usually the one you can count on for the best selection, best quality fish, and overall customer service.
Case in point: Not long ago I was in the local LFS and noticed a dead common pleco in a tank that another customer had just picked out a fish from. All the other fish looked very healthy. The employee apparently didn't see the dead fish. I quietly pointed it out to him when the other customer wasn't looking, and he proceeded to dump the healthy fish he had just netted back into the tank. He wiped off the price tag from the tank, and told the other customer he would have to pick out another fish from a different tank. This one was going back under quarantine for a week to see how the other fish do. The LFS risked loosing that one sale in the interest of making sure their stock was healthy. That same LFS also got in a huge, 500+ , shipment of Cardinal Tetras about a month ago. I think about 300 of those were spoken for before the shipment arrived, but he still wouldn't sell any to me or any other customer until they had been in quarantine for several weeks until the owner was satisfied the fish were healthy and they had acclimated properly. You'll never find a chain store that does that.
My point is that the little guy is the one who provides a quality of service that the big chain stores can't even begin to match.
Didn't mean for my first post to be a soapbox rant, but I'm a BIG supporter of small business.
Anyway, there's a couple of reasons I personally like to buy from a LFS as opposed to a "chain" store. First, there are more reasons than one they call Petcos and Petsmarts chain stores. Aside from the obvious fact that they have multiple locations across the country, their aquariums are basically one giant divided tank. It's a huge system that circulates the same water through all the tanks. If they add a diseased fish in one tank, the same water that fish swims in will eventually make it's way into the same tank your new fish was in. There is a Petsmart not far from here that I can always count on having parasites, regardless of the type of fish. The LFS usually has individual tanks. Although illnesses are still very possible from a LFS, they can at least isolate a sick tank.
The second reason is I would MUCH rather pay a little extra and support the little guy. He's basically one guy competing against giant companies. Even if he is 15% higher or so, big deal. The little guy is usually the one you can count on for the best selection, best quality fish, and overall customer service.
Case in point: Not long ago I was in the local LFS and noticed a dead common pleco in a tank that another customer had just picked out a fish from. All the other fish looked very healthy. The employee apparently didn't see the dead fish. I quietly pointed it out to him when the other customer wasn't looking, and he proceeded to dump the healthy fish he had just netted back into the tank. He wiped off the price tag from the tank, and told the other customer he would have to pick out another fish from a different tank. This one was going back under quarantine for a week to see how the other fish do. The LFS risked loosing that one sale in the interest of making sure their stock was healthy. That same LFS also got in a huge, 500+ , shipment of Cardinal Tetras about a month ago. I think about 300 of those were spoken for before the shipment arrived, but he still wouldn't sell any to me or any other customer until they had been in quarantine for several weeks until the owner was satisfied the fish were healthy and they had acclimated properly. You'll never find a chain store that does that.
My point is that the little guy is the one who provides a quality of service that the big chain stores can't even begin to match.
Didn't mean for my first post to be a soapbox rant, but I'm a BIG supporter of small business.
chain pet stores don't care for there fish as much a normal pet shops. they keep them crampt in small tanks that sometimes you can find fish eating dead fish, so im pretty sure the fish are sick for the most part
For experienced fish keepers it shouldn't matter where you buy your fish from. If you like the fish and you like the price it shouldn't matter. You should know what to look for and what not to.
I have bought from walmart, petco, and petsmart. I think they have great deals and I know what to do with the fish I buy from there.
I have bought from walmart, petco, and petsmart. I think they have great deals and I know what to do with the fish I buy from there.
Definitely have gotten Petco fish that had parasites. Jestes makes a good point that tanks in chain stores tend to be plumbed together. I took some time to talk to the aquatics guy at Petco recently and was told that each bank of tanks is run to a common sump so any disease or parasite in one of the tanks is going to be in all of them. That said, I have spoken to Petsmart/Petco employees who were fairly knowledgeable and had healthy tanks (although quite small) and I have been to LFS where the employees did not have clue 1 and the tanks looked awful. The best solution is to familiarize yourself with the individual stores in your area and determine whether the tanks are well cared for. Quarantining new fish is always the safe way to go as well.
