View Full Version : Wal*Mart
Bryanfykes
11-07-2004, 3:33 PM
Is there anything wrong with buying Fish from Wal*mart? I know its stupid ?,but i thought id ask.
mayreee
11-07-2004, 3:47 PM
Most people say, and I have seen this myself, that walmarts fish are very unhealthy. I wouldn't buy one from there myself.
Indigo
11-07-2004, 3:59 PM
I think it really depends on the walmart. Some have great fish departments with healthy looking stock in clean tanks. Some (most probably) have dead fish in various stages of decay & extremely unknowledgable staff.
If the walmart in your neighbourhood is more the former than the latter, I'd say go for it, but quarentine the fish if you can.
biogirl361
11-07-2004, 4:24 PM
i'd go in and assess the tanks and fish you want and then decide for yourself what the situation is at the present time and at your local store. like the above poster said, it all depends on the store and probably even varies within individual stores from week to week. go in and look. if they and their tankmates look alright to you, then they probably are... if the tank has dead or sick fish in it or the fish you specifically want looks questionable, don't do it.
SnakeIce
11-07-2004, 4:35 PM
here is my thoughts on Walmart's fish. Walmart uses the cheapest supplyer that they can find that can deal with the volume of sales they drive.
for fish that means thier supplyer( the fish farm) cuts corners which affect the overall health of the fish befor they get to Wal Mart. then you have thier non separated display that spreads the pathogens a fish might have come in with to all the fish in that display. I know some people at wal mart that really care about the fish. but every shipment comes in sick and they do thier best by maintaining constant medication and dealing with everything they are given.
that said you may have a walmart that doesn't fit that example I have seen and it would be fine to get fish from there. but you get what you pay for. pay alittle more to the lfs that has decent supplyers and you get better fish.
Bryanfykes
11-07-2004, 4:38 PM
I ask because everyfish ive bought from my LFS gets sick and dies within days. the few that i have bought at WM have seemed to last longer... maybe a SURVIVOR! effect going on here?
Bryan
victimizati0n
11-07-2004, 4:59 PM
I ask because everyfish ive bought from my LFS gets sick and dies within days. the few that i have bought at WM have seemed to last longer... maybe a SURVIVOR! effect going on here?
Bryan
Probably pH, or water quality.
If they go from good water quality to bad water quality, the fish are gonna die, but if they go from bad water quality to good water quality, they will mostlikely live (longer)
Swimfins
11-07-2004, 11:16 PM
I bought 3 and all survived but one. I think everyone needs to put pressure on the stores to educate the staff and point out bad things as you see them in the store. If enough people demonstrate a good knowledge of fishkeeping, they will be forced to improve and provide better care. If your animal dies, take it back and bring a sample of your water along with it. Even if its a 99 cent goldfish, get your refund and complain. If its loud enough it will be heard.
I pass by my walmart fish department regularly and chat with the stock people. I ask them questions about the fish, and keeping them and pass on what I know (which isn't alot). If doesn't hurt to remind them that people are watching the conditions of the fish. Chances are, if they've had the fish awhile, they have a better chance of living longer I'd think. But this is the same for any LFS. Someone told me not to buy fish from a new shipment, wait a week, go back and see how they're doing.
My LFS, a good one, got in a shipment of about 12 discus. About 8 of them looked in bad shape. The guy working there told me he would give them a chance, and move the sick ones to a hospital tank. They were worth 140 dollars each. Last I saw, there was only one left. Perhaps they were sold, I don't know. But I think alot were lost. Sooooooooo, its not only walmart that has deaths. Some LFS are more knowledgeable and better at hiding things, perhaps. I'm sure they didn't tell the innocent discus buyer, that half the shipment didn't survive. What you see at Walmart, is what you get.
I've got 2 X 1.87 dojo loaches from Walmart, that are superb. And an African Butterfly that is doing fine as well. I''ve had them for 2 weeks now, so who knows.
jenny cookie
11-08-2004, 1:22 AM
i really think it definatly depends on the store. i once got fish for my cycled tank (from both walmart, and the chain petstore down the road from it), and then went home and put them in the aqarium (properly). within a few days i noticed the fish from the fish store had white "flecks" on them (being new, i didnt do anything until the next day, which was probably too late) and before i knew it, all my fish store fish were dead :sad and my walmart fish were starting to get sick. they all died within 20 days. I went back to the fish store with my mom, and we inspected the tanks and all of them, every single one of them had at least 1 fish with white spots on them, and all the fish were still for sale. and then we went back to walmart, where the fish were fine, not a single dead one.
Thinking back i noticed how the fish store, when the emplyees were getting fish out of the tanks, they used the same net for every single tank, for even getting the heavily fuzzy dead ones out, and then getting a fish for a customer. While strangly, they have a little tub, beside each tank, with a net in it, at the walmart.
Now i have been to some TERRIBLE walmarts, but i guess this must be backwards town :confused:
Im always weary of a place that has all of their "tanks" (cells) on one big central filter. It may not be their fault that an oscar comes in with ich, but it is whoever designed that system's fault that every other fish they have in stock is now exposed to it.
ryan
N8DOGG
11-08-2004, 2:29 PM
Im always weary of a place that has all of their "tanks" (cells) on one big central filter. It may not be their fault that an oscar comes in with ich, but it is whoever designed that system's fault that every other fish they have in stock is now exposed to it.
ryan
a lot of stores and people with fish rooms have central filtration.
Yes but most at least have a separate unit for each 4 feet, meaning that they can have africans in the 1st 4 feet, sa-ca in the next, livebearers in the next, etc. thereby at least suiting the needs of the fish. Walmart has ONE unit for all the tanks on each side of the partition, meaning africans, tetras, oscars, whatever, all on the same filter.
And I am weary of ANY store with central filtratration, before buying from anyplace with those units i check all the cells going into that unit.
ryan
Swimfins
11-12-2004, 12:27 PM
eyeballing the tanks won't tell you what bad bugs are in there, however
Kabong
11-12-2004, 3:00 PM
If you have someplace to quarentine go for it. There return policy kick's butt. So as long as your not going to throw them in with you healthy fish. Who cares. (unless your like my wife who gets attached to the fish very easily).
Craig66
11-12-2004, 11:54 PM
The cons:
Be very cautious about buying fish from Wal-Mart. I was talking to one of the kids who mainly takes care of the tanks at my local Wal-Mart, and he told me that, on average, 7 out of 10 fish that they get in, comes in with ich. He also told me that they does EVERY tank with ICH Clear constantly. I have bought a few fish from here, as this is the only place within 70 miles that sell them. I check them out real good first though. I did have 1 neon tetra that showed up with ich a couple of days after I got it home, and then died shortly after that. That was the only problem I had. Non of the other fish ever caught it.
The Pros:
The kid at Wal-Mart did tell me that they can order some fish that they don't normally stock. They have a big list of fish that they can order. You just have to let them know before Tuesday, and they get their deliveries on Thursday. However, they will not hold the fish for you more than 24 hrs.
They had some Sailfin Mollies in a few weeks ago. Benn considering having them order some in for me. They are a real pretty fish. Can't find much info on them anywhere though. If anybody knows anything about these, or has had any experience with them, please let me know if they are worth it. They run about $5 a fish.
Craig
Swimfins
11-13-2004, 8:16 AM
5 dollars each for a sailfin mollie? It seems high to me. Lyre-tail? The kind with the fan tail? Even those shouldn't be that costly. I'd say no more than 2 to 3 dollars each.
Mollies are easy to keep. Some prefer salt, but if your ph is above 7 they will do gr8 without salt.
Bryanfykes
11-14-2004, 2:11 AM
thanx Craig, i didn't realize that you could special oder from Wal*mart... they never told me that!!! :bowing:
well i bought a pleco from walmart, brought him home to my 10 gallon tank and 2 days later noticed my 3 black balas and 3 silver dollars fish covered with ich, immediately went and bought rid ich but to no avail and they all died. thats the last time i will buy from walmart, i felt so helpless
Swimfins
11-14-2004, 9:11 AM
Don't forget that ich can be picked up at the better LFS too. You should have did the higher temp an added salt route rathr than the meds. I know, hindsight is clearer than foresight. Sorry.
N8DOGG
11-14-2004, 9:21 AM
well i bought a pleco from walmart, brought him home to my 10 gallon tank and 2 days later noticed my 3 black balas and 3 silver dollars fish covered with ich, immediately went and bought rid ich but to no avail and they all died. thats the last time i will buy from walmart, i felt so helpless
it might not only be the walmart fish but the condition they are now in now. There is now way that those fish can live in a 10 gallon
Craig66
11-14-2004, 10:54 AM
5 dollars each for a sailfin mollie? It seems high to me. Lyre-tail? The kind with the fan tail? Even those shouldn't be that costly. I'd say no more than 2 to 3 dollars each.
Mollies are easy to keep. Some prefer salt, but if your ph is above 7 they will do gr8 without salt.
Not sure if these are Lyre-tail or not. Don't know that much about them yet to tell. They are a pretty fish though. The ones they had are red and purplish, light red, and another darker red. Went over last night to go ahead and get a couple, but they were gone. :sad Going to go over tomorrow and have them order me a couple. I want to see if they can request the same colors. I'll just have to check them out real good when they come in to see if they have ich.
I'm not sure if every Wal-Mart will special order fish or not. It just so happens the manager of the pet dept. here is pretty cool. If he has the fish on his list, he will try to get it for you. :D
montanaxvi
11-14-2004, 7:31 PM
just do not shop Wal-Mart period for anything, they are the devil, but I will save that rant for my union meetings and the such.
If you have no other alternative than to buy from them (from them overtaking EVERYTHING in your town and running them out) then I guess it would be no different from buying at any other shop or chain store. Never know what ya got till ya get it home.
Q tank would be a big must if you do not trust the fish you are getting.