There are quite a few of both of these stores in this town and I know what to expect when I do happen to stop into the nearest one,overpriced fish as well as everything else and I dont expect them to carry anything more exotic than an African butterfly fish.Then there are the other stores,the ones for the real enthusiasts and fanatics like most of us on here.Those big box stores cater to a certain customer just as the hobby level(lOVE THAT TERM)stores have their following.I have a good ammount of choices in this town and I know who has the baby silver dollars for twenty dollars each and who has the Tanganyican freshwater crabs for my African cichlid tank.
Whats up with the Petco Petsmart people??????
- Thread starter tlagoon
- Start date
I'm a bargain shopper with fish and supplies. Those chains are usually a touch cheaper with some things and I tend to shop there a lot. They may not be knowledgeable on things, but that's something that corporate has made peace with. I feel that as long as I know what's up, I don't need to ask them and since most of their stuff is common, I don't ask. Even though I go to a bunch of different lfs, I only go to 2 shops to ask questions because they're the most knowledgeable to me.
The best thing about petsmart is that they sell pacu that only need a 30 gallon tank...where as everywhere else only sells pacu that need atleast 1000
*Sarcasm*
*Sarcasm*
Wow, it is interesting to me how many replies this post got. I guess living in MD has us spoiled with lfs's. We have Tropical Lagoon, Scales, Tropical Fish World, Wintergreen Plaza Tropicals, House of Tropicals, Aquarium Center, and a few others. Well anyway glad to hear that at least if they are your only choice at least you have a place to get fish.
Well I'm from Maryland and I've been keeping fish for years, I've been a loyal shopper at House of Tropicals and couldn't be happier with their service. I will say that I have not found a better aquarium specialty store, in my experience, than House of Tropicals.
I've recently moved to North Carolina for graduate school and brought my tanks down with me. I researched all over the internet and went out to several LFS in the area. I went to all of these places several times to see the health of the fish, the stock and such, before I even considered buying fish. I would go to petsmart to get accessories, cheap stands, filter media, food, etc. Like many of you, I would always check on the fish first, then get whatever I needed. After checking out all the LFS in the area, Petsmart was the only place which constantly had healthy fish. No Ick, no dead fish in the tanks, clean tanks and well fed fish. The other LFS all had sickly looking fish, dead fish in the tanks, and tanks that looked like they haven't been cleaned in weeks. To top all of that off, the LFS were all much more expensive for smaller, unhealthier fish. While my Petsmart doesn't have any rare fish, it's got healthy fish. I'd rather have common healthy fish as pets than spend lots of money on an exotic, rare fish that doesn't look all that healthy.
I think all of this is based upon location. Two of the people at the Petsmart I go to, used to work at the LFS in town, but they came to Petsmart because of how horribly the LFS was run. If you have a Petsmart with employees who know what they're doing, it can easily become a better place to shop than the LFS.
I've recently moved to North Carolina for graduate school and brought my tanks down with me. I researched all over the internet and went out to several LFS in the area. I went to all of these places several times to see the health of the fish, the stock and such, before I even considered buying fish. I would go to petsmart to get accessories, cheap stands, filter media, food, etc. Like many of you, I would always check on the fish first, then get whatever I needed. After checking out all the LFS in the area, Petsmart was the only place which constantly had healthy fish. No Ick, no dead fish in the tanks, clean tanks and well fed fish. The other LFS all had sickly looking fish, dead fish in the tanks, and tanks that looked like they haven't been cleaned in weeks. To top all of that off, the LFS were all much more expensive for smaller, unhealthier fish. While my Petsmart doesn't have any rare fish, it's got healthy fish. I'd rather have common healthy fish as pets than spend lots of money on an exotic, rare fish that doesn't look all that healthy.
I think all of this is based upon location. Two of the people at the Petsmart I go to, used to work at the LFS in town, but they came to Petsmart because of how horribly the LFS was run. If you have a Petsmart with employees who know what they're doing, it can easily become a better place to shop than the LFS.
I am fortunate enough to have a lot of great independent shops around. After working at a petco for a few years part time, i realized that they have no business selling aquatics and herps. Therefore i no longer buy anything at chain stores, no matter how good one store is.
I buy things like filters and lights online...you can't beat coupon codes on already low prices. I figure with the money i save on those products, i don't have a hard time buying food, dechlor, meds, and other everyday use items in the private shops. I am paying more, but i know who i like to support.
Oh yea...and i also have to add that the ~60 fish i own, minus fish that were spawned, all came from petco when i worked there. Mostly mbuna, SA cichlids, polys, and a few community.
I can honestly say very few of those fish were picked up because they looked nice. Most were sick, injured, out of place, or the manager ordered them because the name sounded cool.
I buy things like filters and lights online...you can't beat coupon codes on already low prices. I figure with the money i save on those products, i don't have a hard time buying food, dechlor, meds, and other everyday use items in the private shops. I am paying more, but i know who i like to support.
Oh yea...and i also have to add that the ~60 fish i own, minus fish that were spawned, all came from petco when i worked there. Mostly mbuna, SA cichlids, polys, and a few community.
I can honestly say very few of those fish were picked up because they looked nice. Most were sick, injured, out of place, or the manager ordered them because the name sounded cool.
Now im in the trade i very rarely shop anywhere else 
Ill never shop at any of the chain stores though.
Ill never shop at any of the chain stores though.
Eh sometimes chain stores really get on my nerves, like when they don't regularly scoop out the dead fish and all the others are picking at its bloated underbelly. My lfs closed recently, and the closest is an hour away. I live in WV, so I go to MD regularly for their fish stores. Luckily I have all the fish I want atm , MFK can answer most of my questions, and things can be shipped that I buy on the internet. But today I ran into Petco for a new filter and a lady who worked their was trying to explain to a family that lionfish wouldn't go well with their 4 goldfish in a vase, but if they upgraded to 30 gallons it would be fine. It's sad, I know.
i go to petsmart often for fish but they are definitely not as good IMO than the LFS i shop at. Both have healthy fish and different fish ( Aquarium Solutions has different more upend fish) and prices are different on the same fish. So i solely use both of them in tangent. ex.. 1-2" Severum petsmart 6.49... 2-5" severum aquarium solutions 2.99
and i dont even shop at petco anymore at all... last time i went after maybe a 4 or 5 year break i bought a gold severum (had to bag it myself cuz the service is so good lol) a month later it died and gave my tank ich and killed 5 others
and i dont even shop at petco anymore at all... last time i went after maybe a 4 or 5 year break i bought a gold severum (had to bag it myself cuz the service is so good lol) a month later it died and gave my tank ich and killed 5 others
The worst fish store is Petcetera.
Worse than Wal-mart.
Only 4 wee surviving fish, three baby oscars and a skinny zebra danio.
25 dead goldfish.
Worse than Wal-mart.
Only 4 wee surviving fish, three baby oscars and a skinny zebra danio.
25 dead goldfish.
