Big name pet stores are primarily concered about making sales. They ONLY house fish temporarily for quick sales. I myself prefer to spend a little more at a private fish shop and get a healthy fish rather then risk buying a cheaper sick/unhealthy fish.
Poor oscars
- Thread starter Derexan
- Start date
I think it really does depend on the employee and the supplier. I've seen really crappy PetSmarts/PetCos and I've seen really exceptional ones. It was all related to the employees knowing what they were doing and the like....
another thing that I found out from my local guy here is that alot of the big corporation pet stores will not allow their employees to treat sick fish because it takes too long and costs too much money.
it all depends on the people running the fish departments at your local petsmart, petland, petco... whatever it might be. if the care and know a little about the fish then they will be able to properly care for them but if they dont then you will end up with fish that won't last.
it all depends on the people running the fish departments at your local petsmart, petland, petco... whatever it might be. if the care and know a little about the fish then they will be able to properly care for them but if they dont then you will end up with fish that won't last.
I agree it depends on the store...the petco and the petsmart close to me manage to keep their fish pretty healthy.
There are 5 fish shops around here and two of them are private. The commercial places like petsmart and petco overcrowd but they do move a lot of fish to good homes (so I hope), so they get in fresh supplies regularly and don't look too bad. I think it has to do with the quality of employees taking care of the fish more than anything.
Probably!
Unfortunatly MegaStores like PetSmart view their stock as simple inventory. The people who care for the fish at these stores may or may not know what they are doing. I avoid them like the plague. I used to go to my local PetSmart because the aquarium manager was very, very knowlegable. Unfortunately, she left when she got married and the new manager knew only what PetSmart had taught him about fish.
I realize it may be inconvenient but try to locate a reputable aquarium store in your area, develop a relationship with the staff and pay the couple of bucks extra it may cost for the increased level of knowledge and service they provide.
Unfortunatly MegaStores like PetSmart view their stock as simple inventory. The people who care for the fish at these stores may or may not know what they are doing. I avoid them like the plague. I used to go to my local PetSmart because the aquarium manager was very, very knowlegable. Unfortunately, she left when she got married and the new manager knew only what PetSmart had taught him about fish.
I realize it may be inconvenient but try to locate a reputable aquarium store in your area, develop a relationship with the staff and pay the couple of bucks extra it may cost for the increased level of knowledge and service they provide.
When I worked there. Rarely the oscars ever came in looking really ****ty. The big ones rarely ever faught. Mostly they'd scare the **** out of each other and jump straight out of the tanks. It's very crowded though. PETsMART wanted enough of each type of fish, to be able to sell them for at LEAST 6 weeks straight. Just incase the fishery ran out. That's a lot of fish. I ordered something like at least 500+ neon tetras a week. 
You should just go in and talk to the specialty manager.
They have to listen to your opinion and fix the problem, otherwise they get written up.
If they don't do anything that day you call the PETsMART Care Line.
3 strikes and they're out.
You should just go in and talk to the specialty manager.
They have to listen to your opinion and fix the problem, otherwise they get written up.
If they don't do anything that day you call the PETsMART Care Line.
3 strikes and they're out.
