Will someone do something!!!!boycot wal-mart fish tanks!!!

[Michael_G]

im really pissed off today. i went to wal--mart and i noticed that they had 1'' oscars in their tanks. i ussually keep my mouth shut in situations like this and i didd until this 12 year old kid with his momma shows up with one of those cheap 5 gallon bowfront tanks.they look around and just that poor fishe's luck they pick a liitle itty baby oscar. i know why people like thenm with the black and white patterns.anyways they ask this old lady that they chucked in at that section if the oscar would be ok in that 5g. i almost spontaneously combusted when she said it would be fine andd even tried to sell her some neons to go with him. the old lady got called off for a few minutes so i took the chance and walked up to the lady(she got scared the firt few seconds ,i happen to be 6'4. )i explained to her that the oscar gets about 30cms long and that even neon wouldnt be ok in the 5g (imagine chucking neons in an unheated uncycled tank)i hink the oscar sighed of relief when she left and put the 5g back on the shelf where it should stay. maybe i should have made a suggestion like a betta with cories and a snail or whatever. anyways when the fish hag shows up while im deciding which betta i rescue she asks me where the lady went . i tell her and boy was she pissed. she told me to get out of her section ( :argue: :rant2: :rant2: :argue: which i did with pleasure(after gettin a gorgeous purple and blue crowntail betta).now was i in the wrong? i dont think so.every time i got to a wal-mart im really sad for the poor fish in there(including the ones decomposing in the filter intake). shoulnt someone d some thing. what do you all think of this?

(every time i got there i end up with high pressure and a headache.)

[Swimfins]

a crown tail betta at walmart? really?

sorry, the walmart thing has been hashed and rehashed and hashed again....
and the fish keep coming. :mad2:

[Michael_G]

a crown tail betta at walmart? really?

sorry, the walmart thing has been hashed and rehashed and hashed again....
and the fish keep coming. :mad2:

i was surprised too . saw the same one (not as pretty))on aquabid for 100$ maybe a mistake from their suplier

so im not the first person that thinks wal-mart should stop seling fish?lolololololololololololololololololoololoolol ololololololololololoolololololololololol
i mean they cant even design a filter that works(have you seen those things?)

[pikwik]

I went to Wal-mart a couple days ago and I swear there was a dead fish in almost every tank. You call for help and someone comes from the perfume section to help who knows nothing about fish. I love shopping at wal-mart but they should not sell fish!!!

[TipStylez]

I went to Wal-mart a couple days ago and I swear there was a dead fish in almost every tank. You call for help and someone comes from the perfume section to help who knows nothing about fish. I love shopping at wal-mart but they should not sell fish!!!

/\ Amen to that!

[ashdavid]

This topic has been done a hundred times and will probably be done a hundred more, the fact is that there are lots of people out there that are unhappy with the situation there. If your unhappy with them, you should write a letter or e-mail them and tell them the situation. If they were smart they would realize that dying fish is not good business, nor is selling fish that will probably die in the first couple of days. :)

[f8ldzz]

As bad as it is, the local Wal*marts bring in some of the more hard-to-get fishes I've ever come across.

I got my two corydoras metae from Wal*Marts.
I loved those things.
One died so the other is now lonely. :(
I can't find another one from any of the LFS' around here. :(
Mail order is a ***** and a half into Hawaii due to DoAg rules.
I've only seen ONE auction for the metae on AquaBid, and it's from a SE Asian country!

I've seen medium sized blue dolphins at Wal*Mart.
No one else brings in stuff like this!

Sure, they can keep their stock better, but some of the other LFS' are not that much better than them.
The Wal*Mart employees get paid dirt - see news stories about Wal*Mart and unions in the media.
I don't expect them to have top-knowledge of all fishes.
I do find it refreshing that the Wal*Mart brings in stuff that's not normally available down here.

[Haymarket]

I think the vast majority of oscars sold in the hobby, Wal-Mart or otherwise, end up in horrible conditions. One large LFS I go to has at least 300 oscars in stock at a time, and they move out. Every LFS I see has at least 20-30 oscars. There just aren't near that many tanks over 50 gallons out there. Probably 90% end up in 20 gallon tanks (or worse) to suffer and develop severe HITH. It is just the way it is.

[FishSeller]

I would suggest not buying ANYTHING from Wal-Mart if your convictions go that deep. This goes from laundry detergent to new aquariums to tires to groceries. Unfortunately, the people looking at the bottom line in the Wal Mart fish department don't really care if you bought a fish to "rescue" it or if you bought a fish because you thought it was pretty. They also know that the odds of buying just one betta while you were in the store are pretty slim. You probably bought more merchandise. Ash is right, write letters. Write real letters, not emails. Contact your local dept. of agriculture. Your state may have guidelines for keeping fish in a retail environment. Whatever you do, DO NOT GIVE ANYTHING TO ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS! These people have one goal- eliminate all interaction between people and animals. PETA has tried continually to pass a bill requiring ALL animals shipped on an airplane or sold in a retail environment to have a certificate of health and a certificate documenting the animal's origin. This would mean a bag of 500 Neons would need 500 seperate documents. This could eventually shut down the domestic and/or ornamental animal trade.

[Michael_G]

i dOnt reallly have time to call an mail wal mart and the agriculture dep. plus why would they care?(in reply to ashdavid)also for some reason people keep buying fish there even if there are dead ones in the filter intake. no sensible aquarist would buy fish from a tank where 90% of the stock i in advanced decomposition.the boycott thing was more of an expressin to show im pissed and really hope they shut down at least the tanks.as for the other sections i buy lots of stuff there.. i get lots of cans of whatever same as the groceries but half the price.has anyone gotten some horrible experience with fish at wal-mart?

[Dark Phoenix]

about 4 years ago,before i started fishkeeping i saw these fire belly newts(ever so cute). i asked the guy what i needed to care for them . he gives me a bowl and some giant turtle pellet. you can imagine the rest. when i went to get a refund on the newts they asked me how i took care of them. i told them and they said it was only my fault and that i should have taken bettter care of them . what a bunch of !"/$%&?**())__)()(*(?*%&$?/?%?(&)(*)&*$?$/?$%$&?(*&)*_(_)(_*(*?&?%?%/%"$"!%$/?%$&?%*(&?(*&)(*_*()(&(*?*?%&%$&?%*?%*&?((*&(*&)/"&)(*$)(*$)(&%)(*&*/(&)"*'s !!!!!!!!!!! i would have slashed their tires had i known which ones were theirs

[NatakuTseng]

I agree with you completely Fishseller. The best thing you can do is just give out good advice, wal mart's paintball section for instance sucks and since my family owned a paintball proshop I'd give people I saw there lookin at guns and stuff our business card and explain to them why wallyworld's stuff was bad. Fortunately the wal mart in our town doesn't carry fish. That being said though, the two LFS in the area are probably worse than wal mart and all they care about is selling fish at about 200% mark up and gettin their money.
Its really not gonna change, but you can change what you do.

[Emg]

Each store is different....depends on the manager. There is a walmart in my area that stopped selling fish. I can only assume they got a manager that was clued in that if you can't keep it well, it's better off not kept at all. A great choice in my opinion....kudos to them ! :thm:

Meanwhile another walmart nearby has the usual ugly fish section that you all have been griping about here...lol...dead fish all over the place every time I go in there. I don't buy the other fish in there, but I will pick up a betta if I find one there that is unique or unusual.

[Raskolnikov]

I don't buy anything at Walmart b/c it only helps fund a conglomerate that eliminates specialty shops through undercutting. What you have left, eventually, is a substandard store chain that sells a wide variety of cheap crap rather than many specialty stores that cater to specific needs with a greater choice of quality goods.

[PurpleSmurf]

Walmart is only good for bettas and DIY materials as far as I'm concerned.

[Michael_G]

i wonder how much money they lose from dying fish. prbably not enough to surpass the profit margins or else they would stop selling fish. nonetheless people dont want to come bck when they see dead fish all over . not good bussiness thinking

[jagarundi]

While we're at it, let's boycott buying Pacu's. I'm sure by now everyone has read my sticky post about my beloved Pacus.......

[Michael_G]

yes they should. obviously wal-mart is not the only fish ethics issue.

[ashdavid]

I agree with fishseller totaly that involving PETA could possibly prove fatal to the hobby that we all love. And lets face it we are all in it because we love to keep fish and if that right was taken away what would we do, I know it would be a sad day for me. Thats why I think education amongst people in the hobby would be far better, if we could somehow educate people on the facts about fish keeping, to better inform them on what they are getting into would be a much safer approach.

[led_zeppelin]

im not sure if guys noticed but meijers has been getting pretty good about fish, they still stock them ten times past the tank limits but under neath the tanks they have little cards with a picture of the fish and underneath them they say certain things about the fish like, temperment, full grown size, livebearer or egg layer, diet, and compatibility. It isnt as good as it could be but everything they say about the fish are true (including size). The employes are also pretty good about cleaning out the dead and sick fish. Like i said not the best but definately getting better. But they still say bettas only need a quart sized tank :sad: .

[Michael_G]

i agree with you ash .people should definately get well informated before puchsing fish. i think that most of the problem is little kids going i wanna have that fish and the parents giving in instead of getting info and seeing what happens in the long run. they also dont realise that a tank requires maintenance.it really would suck if the animal rights group took away our fih keeping rights. on account of the people that get fish whithout getting proper info or the stores that dont take care of their stock

[ashdavid]

i agree with you ash .people should definately get well informated before puchsing fish. i think that most of the problem is little kids going i wanna have that fish and the parents giving in instead of getting info and seeing what happens in the long run. they also dont realise that a tank requires maintenance.it really would suck if the animal rights group took away our fih keeping rights. on account of the people that get fish whithout getting proper info or the stores that dont take care of their stock

If only there was a way that a education program could be successfuly implemented and used by pet shops, fish shops and maybe even public aquariums. I know that public aquariums already have programs set up, but it dose not include much information on your average aquarists and fish keeping.
Just a thought.

[Michael_G]

i think before buying a fish you should fill out a test explaining the bacteria cycle and basic concepts. i know this would never work but it would be awesome for the poor fish that get chucked in 10'gs whe nthey need 55's

[FishSeller]

There is a program sponsored by the State of Florida as well as the FTFFA as well as several other aquarium industry interest groups called Dive In!. Marketing and care info can be provided to pet shops free of charge. This program is still in its beginning stages, but it is making strides to promote good water quality and proper selection of fish. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Studies show that the average life span of an aquarium owner is 12 to 18 months. It can be argued that this is due to improper care and impulse buying on the customer's end, both recipies for disaster. Personally, I would like to see some type of accrediation amongst retail workers (similar to the MAC). It is difficult to find good help. It is more difficult to find good help and pay them what they're worth. As a result, quality fish store workers come and go rather quickly. I would not want to see something like this become law for the simple reason it would be one more foothold for animal rights groups. I think it would, however, give store owners the ability to pay qualified employees more and begin to eliminate much of the misinformation and improper care of live goods.

[daveedka]

While in theory I would have to agree with you Fishseller, in practicality I doubt it will ever work. Those who wish to be informed generally become so and the rest remain ignorant. Trust me on this. I know too many ASE certified mechanics who can't troubleshoot a blown fuse. My biggest fear with informational training is the perpetuation of myths. there are so many in our hobby that are fuel by marketing, and the manufacturers are generally the ones who fund educational information. It's almost a cinch that Doc Wellfish is not going to support education that tells the truth about Salt in Freshwater aquariums. So as a rule there are very few Programs that can exist without compromising accuracy

dave

[daveedka]

Oh yeah I was also going to say that wal-mart has been boycotted. I don't shop there.
Dannon yogurt, K-mart, "ben and jerry's" ice cream, planet hollywood and a whole list of other companies have also been boycotted. I do what I can when I belive in certain things.


If everyone else who cares would quit shopping there (that includes beattas, fish food and 55 gallon tank kits) then wal-mart would eventually notice a decline in sales and probably re-think their stocking levels. each beatta you rescue will cause wal-mart to stock at least one new one. if you rescue enough they will increase their stocking levels. So if you really want to boycott them stay out of the fish section don't even look, and whatever you do don't buy from them. if you just want to rant, then as said it's been done here plenty of times.

As far as the horrible big box attitude, we live in a country where majority genrally rules except of course for political issues :eek: :D . If Wal-mart was not beneficial to the majority of consumers in an area, they would not remain open. and the specialty shops would still be there. I don't like Wal-mart, I don't shop there, but I don't complain when they bring low priced consumer goods and jobs to an area. I would be upset if I lost my buisiness because I was unable to compete with Wal-Mart, but that isn't wal-Marts fault that is mine. I would have done the same thing to them if I could.
Dave

[saturday]

If the person who started this thread really cared about how fish were treated in Wal-Mart- they would take the time to write a letter about it, and not shop there for ANYTHING until Wal-Mart took action and changed to their satisfaction. If you have time to write on this forum, you have time to write a letter. And folks, Wal-Mart is really only cheaper on the cheap junk from China that nobody really needs. The five bucks you save a month buying stuff you need there is not worth supporting that kind of organization. So if you care, act on it, not on this forum, but where it counts.

[NatakuTseng]

Thats a really good program thats starting up Fish! And I agree with your comment about quality help in the LFS. I worked at a LFS in this area for a winter, then went to my summer job, when I wanted to come back in the fall the gal that owns it told me she didn't need my help, but the next week she has a goob in there that when I asked him if I could put an oscar in a 20gal with serpae tetras told me that they would be fine. Guess she didn't want me back because I told people how to do things practically and they didn't need all the chemicals she was pushing, and telling them not to buy some fish they asked about. Go figure... lol

[Larissa]

I saw pacus at wal-mart. how's that for a double whammy. you know wal-mart employees don't know jack about pacus. as for oscars in 10g tanks, every idiot that I know does that and then argues with me when I tell them that doesn't work.

[cichlidman]

mate u were totally in the right. wenever i go to shops and see fish bein treated badly i get disgusted to. keep doin what ur doin

[Liz]

I went to a newer super walmart and I was actually impressed with the fish section. I don't know how they are with advice and information but the tanks looked pristine compared to the walmart closer to me. They also had a pretty extensive selection of supplies.

Maybe when I am 18 I will work at a Wal Mart and I can do the fish section. It's pointless fighting Wal Mart, so maybe we could make the best of things and try to get people who atleast moderately know fish doing that section.

[led_zeppelin]

I went to a newer super walmart and I was actually impressed with the fish section. I don't know how they are with advice and information but the tanks looked pristine compared to the walmart closer to me. They also had a pretty extensive selection of supplies.

Maybe when I am 18 I will work at a Wal Mart and I can do the fish section. It's pointless fighting Wal Mart, so maybe we could make the best of things and try to get people who atleast moderately know fish doing that section.

thats what i plan on doin at my closest meijer. People will no longer be misinformed!

[JinxXx0085]

I've come to realize a long time ago... if you want to be a pet owner for a furry animal, fishes, reptiles, or anything that you want to take care of. Do some homework first. Thats what the people out there should do, do homework/research and then they would gain lot more knowledge of how to take care certain pets and probably reduce problems in future if they know what to expect.
I've learned that through my expereince :rant2: so now I know what I will do everytime I decide to take in a new pet.

[Michael_G]

amen to that. if people did their homework not a lot of people would buy those cute little oscars to put in their 10g's with tetras. also if people would do their homeork fish sales would drop by a lot since they would know what they get into. most of the fish sales are from total iggnaramouses(sorry if i spelled that wrong)no insult to non-fish people,they so dont know what their missing.

p.s they should sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo make a fish channel

[fishypoo2]

Believe it or not, Wal-Mart is this country's largest seller of live aquarium fish. Now that's a scary thought.

[cohazard]

fish sales would drop by a lot

And prices woud increase by a lot.


Serg

[Michael_G]

true . i didnt know about walmart. that is a scary thought

[ashdavid]

And prices woud increase by a lot.


Serg

If quality increased I wouldn't mind.

[Must4ng s4lly]

im really pissed off today. i went to wal--mart and i noticed that they had 1'' oscars in their tanks. i ussually keep my mouth shut in situations like this and i didd until this 12 year old kid with his momma shows up with one of those cheap 5 gallon bowfront tanks.they look around and just that poor fishe's luck they pick a liitle itty baby oscar. i know why people like thenm with the black and white patterns.anyways they ask this old lady that they chucked in at that section if the oscar would be ok in that 5g. i almost spontaneously combusted when she said it would be fine andd even tried to sell her some neons to go with him. the old lady got called off for a few minutes so i took the chance and walked up to the lady(she got scared the firt few seconds ,i happen to be 6'4. )i explained to her that the oscar gets about 30cms long and that even neon wouldnt be ok in the 5g (imagine chucking neons in an unheated uncycled tank)i hink the oscar sighed of relief when she left and put the 5g back on the shelf where it should stay. maybe i should have made a suggestion like a betta with cories and a snail or whatever. anyways when the fish hag shows up while im deciding which betta i rescue she asks me where the lady went . i tell her and boy was she pissed. she told me to get out of her section ( :argue: :rant2: :rant2: :argue: which i did with pleasure(after gettin a gorgeous purple and blue crowntail betta).now was i in the wrong? i dont think so.every time i got to a wal-mart im really sad for the poor fish in there(including the ones decomposing in the filter intake). shoulnt someone d some thing. what do you all think of this?

(every time i got there i end up with high pressure and a headache.)

Just ONE more reason I never shop at that stupid, behemoth, mind-numbing store! LOL!

[Must4ng s4lly]

I don't buy anything at Walmart b/c it only helps fund a conglomerate that eliminates specialty shops through undercutting. What you have left, eventually, is a substandard store chain that sells a wide variety of cheap crap rather than many specialty stores that cater to specific needs with a greater choice of quality goods.

^
|
|

AMEN!!

[cohazard]

If quality increased I wouldn't mind.


Neither would I; that's why I stick to LFS's, and privately owned petstores ;). But the problem is, that the quality wouldn't increase. It's well known that 99.9% of the employees/store managers, don't care.

Instead, I wouldn't be surprised if they were to do away with the whole live fish area, and just added more dry goods and what not.

Serg

[jlb2446]

It was about 3-4 years ago when I first began keeping fish. I knew almost nothing about fish keeping. I figured you put fish in water and they will live as long as you feed them. (Yes..Silly of me..I KNOW!)

Anyway...I went to WalMart to get my very first tank, and fish. First of all, the worker never told me that you have to let your tank "cycle" for a few weeks before adding fish. Then, I proceeded to buy three goldfish, two chinese algae eaters, and a betta.

Didn't take long for me to run into some real big problems. I admit I should've done more research on fish keeping, but WalMart should hire more knowledgeable people to run their aquatics department as well.

[MrAquarium]

I didn;t read much of this post, I read three formums and am so SIck of people crying about this every other month.........It is not going to stop, there is nothing you we are anyone can do to make it stop, Not untell there is laws pasted about fish as pets.
Now, How many LFS, ect ect, sell people sets up like that just to make that dollar.
There is not many stores out there that will tell the people it will not work becuase of this or that, Most LFS are so ****ty they don;t care as long as they can make the bill payments and turn a profit.
One of the biggest things is People don;t ask, don;t have a clue, or just don;t give a crap about things like what fish, what tank, and all the rest of it that goes alone with This hobby.........
So rather then come to the forums and clug them up all the time with this same old song and dance, Why don;t everyone go to Walmart and buy some fish, save that fishses life, the fish will thank you for it,
I buy fish there is they are not on the edge death and I have many right now from there happy and healthy and have been for some time.

[jlb2446]

The whole object of these forums is to post experiences, questions, etc....Not listen to people cry about what they'd rather NOT be reading about. If you don't want to read about bad WalMart experiences, don't click on that particular topic! Obviously it's an issue if so many are discussing it!

[saturday]

..It is not going to stop, there is nothing you we are anyone can do to make it stop, -Mr Aquarium

Actually there IS something everyone can do about it. STOP SHOPPING AT WALMART. You are not "saving" fish by shopping there- you are condemning hundreds more that they order to replace the ones that get sold.

[montanaxvi]

I will try to contain my enthusiasm as much as possible while writing this and not get off onto a huge rant and rave.

If it is that big of a problem of buying the fish there, and seeing the horrible conditions then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. There is a 99.99999999% chance that anyone involved with WM will NOT be on these boards to read about it and make the changes needed. instead of replying here, sit down and take the time to write a letter to the store manager, zone manager or go higher up the ladder. Too often people say how much they hate WM but will still shop there whenever given the chance.

Me personally I hate them and will avoid it at all costs, as Dave and some others have posted above. I am a retail union employee and it is not just the union man in me talking, WM is bad, flat out. Maybe you saved a few bucks on that package of Hanes you just got, but in the long run you have hurt your community and helped them get even bigger. Same thing with the fish, you saved that betta and what happened? They just got a cash register ring and ordered 2 or 3 more to throw in the tanks to replace it, you wanna go in and buy them too?

Ok, I am ranting, but yes they do need boycotted and yes, I do my part.

[Michael_G]

welll im defintely not shoping at wal-mart anymore. i never thought how big chain stores can hurt specialty stores and all.

[luvmyfish]

There's a reason why wal-m art only has a three day guarantee on their fish...

she asks me where the lady went . i tell her and boy was she pissed. she told me to get out of her section ( which i did with pleasure(after gettin a gorgeous purple and blue crowntail betta).now was i in the wrong?

of course you weren't in the wrong...anytime i am at any petstore, wal-mart or otherwise, and i hear someone giving out mis-information I always step in to give my two cents! And I don't wait for the idiot sales people to walk away either! I would have asked her what her problem was with me giving the lady the facts, it's not like she works off of commision.
A major problem with places like this is people feel sorry for the poor little fish etc. and want to rescue them...purchasing fish etc. at places like this only gives them money...and they will replace that fish with another one. If you truly are against these places...don't give them your money!

[Michael_G]

they arent getting at my money anytime soon!!!

[HappyCichlids]

The number one thing you can do to discourage WalMart from selling fish is to refrain from buying ANY fish or fish related product from them.

They run a business, and only stock what makes them money. If (for some reason) everyone stopped buying fish and fish supplies from them, they'd stop carrying them.

[Must4ng s4lly]

I will try to contain my enthusiasm as much as possible while writing this and not get off onto a huge rant and rave.

If it is that big of a problem of buying the fish there, and seeing the horrible conditions then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. There is a 99.99999999% chance that anyone involved with WM will NOT be on these boards to read about it and make the changes needed. instead of replying here, sit down and take the time to write a letter to the store manager, zone manager or go higher up the ladder. Too often people say how much they hate WM but will still shop there whenever given the chance.

Me personally I hate them and will avoid it at all costs, as Dave and some others have posted above. I am a retail union employee and it is not just the union man in me talking, WM is bad, flat out. Maybe you saved a few bucks on that package of Hanes you just got, but in the long run you have hurt your community and helped them get even bigger. Same thing with the fish, you saved that betta and what happened? They just got a cash register ring and ordered 2 or 3 more to throw in the tanks to replace it, you wanna go in and buy them too?

Ok, I am ranting, but yes they do need boycotted and yes, I do my part.

Yeah,
We ran them out of our Hood in Houston.... outside the city limits with NO ZONING laws..... We did not want yet another WM next to us ruining our peace and quiet ( There were 5 already within 10 mins drive... it would be a supercenter with an automatic 10% rise in violent crime)

BTW, we killed their evil scheme of selling used cars and having a store the size of the Astrodome!!! BTW, that store was to be located right in the middle of our neighborhood within 20 feet of an elementary school.... Yeah right!

TARGET RULZ!!!!!!!

[Fish_3456]

KILL WAL MART!!! :devil: :devil: :devil: :rant2: :devil: :rant2:
there problem solved :rolleyes:

[Dan YOC]

Odd, I thouth about boycotting Walmart today too, but I didn't go to the fish section, got my 3 Red Pacus at a pet store, anyone kow how to deal with their increadable growth and size? They are each 3 inch's in length at this first day, but I only have a 10 gallon tank. What can I do?

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

:soda:

[maaltan]

The number one thing you can do to discourage WalMart from selling fish is to refrain from buying ANY fish or fish related product from them.

They run a business, and only stock what makes them money. If (for some reason) everyone stopped buying fish and fish supplies from them, they'd stop carrying them.


Actually, walmart has entire sections that are minimal /negative profit. They balance it with high profit sections. I have heard rumors from friends that work thier, inet skulking, tv, etc.

Electronics and jewelery are some of the highest profit. appliances are pretty high. clothing oh god if you heard the profit margins on some of that stuff you would scream.

some losers ive heard about.

toys (if you can believe it, its the LURE department. kids make parents goto walmart who just have to "pick up a few more things"

magazine and books are pretty low margin.

The fish are very high loss items. I was talking with one aquarium employee i know at walmart and said someone put a blue toilet pill thingy in the tank. killed every fish in every tank. lost about $2000 in fish. now even taking into consideration the majorly overstocked tanks thats still alot more than they would ever sell.

but guess what is high profit. the supplies.

Sooo go ahead and buy the fish, rescue them, give them a good life. Skip the supply section and you will hurt them the most. but of course buying that candy bar up front as you check out will balance the tides again...

[bettaguy24]

not even bettas i saw two males in a small SMALLL SMALL tank TOGETHER ! they were almost dead. :mad2:

[spongebobson]

I remember some stupid kid working at Walmart saying to a naive custom; YES bettas eat roots!
what they need to do is to hire some biologist to reorganize the whole fish department.

[Michael_G]

not about wal mart but still kinda stupid. here i my conversation with a receptionist at big als in ottawa
her-aquarium services hello
me-hello. i was calling to see if you stocked female black convicts.
her- oh sorry we dont have black convicts, we only have grey ones(i let that one go)
me-oh ok. do you know if there are any females in the bunch?
her-i dont know its impossible to tell . fish are impossibe to tell apart you know :huh: :huh: :huh:
me- um.could you hand me someone from the livestock section?
her- that would be me.i know a lot more than most people will ever know you know!
me-oh shut up biotch :rant2: (hang up)

i know this was very rude of me. still should they hire people that dont even know how to sex a convict?by the way i went to shool with tht girl and trust me, shes why dumb blonde jokes exist. you know one of those little b*tches that always walk around in trios lookin at you like you dont deserve to breathe the same air aas them ? you know the type.

[Michael_G]

Odd, I thouth about boycotting Walmart today too, but I didn't go to the fish section, got my 3 Red Pacus at a pet store, anyone kow how to deal with their increadable growth and size? They are each 3 inch's in length at this first day, but I only have a 10 gallon tank. What can I do?

um....get a 5000 gallon tank and stick them in it. only way to go or bring em back.please do research before buying a fish :read: :read: :read:

[maaltan]

i know this was very rude of me. still should they hire people that dont even know how to sex a convict?

sorry, i have always wondered how you do that. The only way I know is to buy a mated pair or look for the tube that grows when they are about to spawn, which by that time they have chosen a mate and probably will not be happy unless you buy them both.

[Michael_G]

several ways. ffirst females have rounder dorsal fins and have red on their belly area. though its hard to tell when its in an lfs . still you hve to admit she was a newbie . i mean ' 'no ours are grey''

[maaltan]

well .. i be damned. im starting to think the convict cichlid that my parents used to raised were not convicts. they breed like them, but they were black stripes with stark white background .. possibly muddled grey when they were stressed. but i clearly remember that they sexes were identical and definately no red scales. so what were we breeding?

a google search almost makes them look like stripy oscers.

[puppylover794]

Walmart shouldn't be allowed to sell live animals!

[cosmo]

maybe they should just stick to selling good name brand fish supplies, just not the fish. my local walmart seem to take pretty decent care of there fish, but they are lacking about asmuch as local fish store in some aspects, i do like prices on my bio bag filter cartriges though.

[catnaxis]

undefinedundefined
im really pissed off today. i went to wal--mart and i noticed that they had 1'' oscars in their tanks. i ussually keep my mouth shut in situations like this and i didd until this 12 year old kid with his momma shows up with one of those cheap 5 gallon bowfront tanks.they look around and just that poor fishe's luck they pick a liitle itty baby oscar. i know why people like thenm with the black and white patterns.anyways they ask this old lady that they chucked in at that section if the oscar would be ok in that 5g. i almost spontaneously combusted when she said it would be fine andd even tried to sell her some neons to go with him. the old lady got called off for a few minutes so i took the chance and walked up to the lady(she got scared the firt few seconds ,i happen to be 6'4. )i explained to her that the oscar gets about 30cms long and that even neon wouldnt be ok in the 5g (imagine chucking neons in an unheated uncycled tank)i hink the oscar sighed of relief when she left and put the 5g back on the shelf where it should stay. maybe i should have made a suggestion like a betta with cories and a snail or whatever. anyways when the fish hag shows up while im deciding which betta i rescue she asks me where the lady went . i tell her and boy was she pissed. she told me to get out of her section ( :argue: :rant2: :rant2: :argue: which i did with pleasure(after gettin a gorgeous purple and blue crowntail betta).now was i in the wrong? i dont think so.every time i got to a wal-mart im really sad for the poor fish in there(including the ones decomposing in the filter intake). shoulnt someone d some thing. what do you all think of this?

(every time i got there i end up with high pressure and a headache.)

Here you go this is a link against walmart you can sign it if you really want to help these poooooooor fish out http://www.petitiononline.com/sickfish/petition.html

[catnaxis]

I found this a long time ago and forwarded it to all of my fish keeping friends.
It is a Petition to Wal-Mart for cruelty to their fish.
Feel free to sign this if you want to help stop this maddness.
http://www.petitiononline.com/sickfish/petition-sign.html

[El Barto]

well i signed the petition. hope it helps in some way.maybe soomeone should start a thread to get everyone to sign it.

[FishSeller]

Y'all:
Please do not sign ANY petitions for animal rights! More often than not, you are associating yourself with a group of people that have one desire: to eliminate the keeping of any and all animals in captivity, from fish to cattle. Furthermore, many of these groups, namely PETA, has frequently funded extremist fringe organizations that have direct association to terrorists and terrorism. This may sound off the wall, but it is the truth. Your best option is to sit down in front of your computer or at your kitchen table and write Wal-Mart directly. Helping an animal rights group is shooting yourself in the foot.

[PumaWard]

Okay, I agree that walmart needs to up the care of the living creatures within there stores.... BUT,

It is up to the consumer to do research on what they plan to buy, I don't know about you guys, but whenever I am trying to get info about something I go to a neutral source... someone who isn't going to make or lose anything when they give me information. Seriously, would you believe that frootloops are the best thing you could feed your kid just because the add says so?

On top of that: a great many people in the USA (and around the world for that matter) look at animals and see something disposable. That's why they buy fish that will get too big for the tanks they have and say "I'll take it back when it gets too big" or people who dump their 5 month old puppy at the shelter because "I can't take care of it anymore".

Education and responsibility are the keys, not boycotting. I don't know about you guys, but my family can't really afford to buy from "specialty" shops for some things because they charge twice as much for the same product, just simply because their a specialty shop.

Just MVHO.

[mpschweiger]

The reason people go to Wal Mart is not to put a specialty shop out of business Raskolnikov, it's because Americans are always looking for the best possible deal for their cash. Wal Mart often has the best price. No I'm not a Wal Mart employee or anything, I'm actually in the military, and feel if another store can do better they should. Just because Wal Mart gets all this bad press doesn't mean they don't sell some good stuff. I don't buy fish at Wal Mart because usually the fish there look like garbage. I know one store in town that has benefitted by having Wal Mart come in. They fix frustrated pet owners after Wal Mart screwed them up.

[Timmain42]

WallyWorld sucks. And not just because of the fish, or the lack of health insurance for their employees or the atrociously low pay rates, or their need to supress women in their management system...

Did you know that in Oklahoma, WalMart will let you try out and hold a shotgun in the store, let you put the barrel in your mouth, test to see if you can reach the trigger while you've still got the barrel in your face, let you buy ammo at the same counter, and then load the gun and blow your own brains out, RIGHT THERE while the employee who sold you the gun looks on? Didja? Huh?

Don't shop at WalMart. They really don't care about you. Or anything you do. They CERTAINLY don't care about fish.

[maaltan]

hmm how to follow that last post. errrr.

well know how alot of stores try to pass off terestrial plants as submerged plants? well this walmart here had thier tilandsia's in the fish tanks. Tilandsia are those "air plants" they sell at the registers in lawn and garden. the little (usually) pinapple shaped things usually attachd to cartoony ceramics. they need water but must dry within 4 hrs or they will rot ..fast .. ihave them hanging all around my tank (like humidity) but IN THEM .. lord. might as well put a kitten in the tank.

i keep saying to myself im going to leave this thread alone, but they keep pulling me ..back ..in ...

[Timmain42]

Sorry, didn't mean to be a bummer. Just wanted to state my reasons for not shopping at WallyWorld.

[Emg]

Frankly.....I don't care if the store cares about me or not....I just want reasonably priced "stuff" of price comparable quality.....if the employees are poorly treated...it's up to them to do something about it...not me...I don't work there.

I don't mean to say that a person can't practice thier right to free expression by not buying at a store they have issues with.....we live in America and can do that here and I'm all for it....but I do have issue with folks who bad mouth or harang others for not feeling the same way they do...(not you Timmain..lol..you weren't badmouthing anyone, just venting)....I give PETA as a perfect example...(teach my dog to eat vegan???? I don't THINK so !!)

So anyway...I'm not getting after anyone here and thier views really....it's a place for folks to express themselves and thier ideas and convictions..(again...it's America and we can do that)...so I'm just expressing one of my pet peeves too.....AND.....I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I do..... :D

Good day to all ! ;)

[Civicman86]

Frankly.....I don't care if the store cares about me or not....I just want reasonably priced "stuff" of price comparable quality.....if the employees are poorly treated...it's up to them to do something about it...not me...I don't work there.

I don't mean to say that a person can't practice thier right to free expression by not buying at a store they have issues with.....we live in America and can do that here and I'm all for it....but I do have issue with folks who bad mouth or harang others for not feeling the same way they do...(not you Timmain..lol..you weren't badmouthing anyone, just venting)....I give PETA as a perfect example...(teach my dog to eat vegan???? I don't THINK so !!)

So anyway...I'm not getting after anyone here and thier views really....it's a place for folks to express themselves and thier ideas and convictions..(again...it's America and we can do that)...so I'm just expressing one of my pet peeves too.....AND.....I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I do..... :D

Good day to all ! ;)


Your on the right track but Wal-Mart has grown so big I doubt it everyone on this site wrtoe them a letter, that they would even care. There main venue is not fish its other items. Fish just happen to be there and honestly they dont care about them. They just want your money. They try to sell EVERYTHING that way all you have to do is go to walmart. You can get a car, dinner, a fish and a pillow all at the same store.

About Wal-Mart employees. Wal-mart does not need them. As far I know there is no union at wal-mart right now (i havent read up about it lately). I know a few people that worked there and were just let go for no reason. There are tons of people that will work their just becase they have bills. Unless everyone that works there goes on strike and takes a stand, one person will not win against a name like Wal-Mart. Its sad but we have created our own monster out of it.

[Must4ng s4lly]

About Wal-Mart employees. Wal-mart does not need them. As far I know there is no union at wal-mart right now (i havent read up about it lately). I know a few people that worked there and were just let go for no reason. There are tons of people that will work their just becase they have bills. Unless everyone that works there goes on strike and takes a stand, one person will not win against a name like Wal-Mart. Its sad but we have created our own monster out of it.[/QUOTE]

True, we have created a MONSTER!

Yeah, actually one person can make a diff. I posted my story earlier in this thread, but the short of it is that I got wind of a WM moving into our neighborhood and eventually rallied a bunch of people behind kicking it out. I emailed, called, emailed some more, helped people organize around the issue of NO MORE WM's in our hood. Got the media involved....

Anyway, The regional mananger called me at home and said what can we do so you will stop your campaign against us?? They hated the bad press and attn they were getting. "I said don't build here, move out, and we will shut up." The said they would discuss it in their staff meeting, sure enough, I got word a couple months later that they were not going to build.

All it took was one person willing to stand up to start the fire and say NO MORE!!!!

[Must4ng s4lly]

I found this a long time ago and forwarded it to all of my fish keeping friends.
It is a Petition to Wal-Mart for cruelty to their fish.
Feel free to sign this if you want to help stop this maddness.
http://www.petitiononline.com/sickfish/petition-sign.html

I just signed as well!

[FishFreak101]

I think i can say somthing that we all no...... WAL*MART SUCKS AT SELLING FISH!!!!!!

[razorxxx]

:devil: AT WALMART I SAW A KID WITH A CHEAP 10 GALON TANK BUY 2 CONVICTS 3 PLECOS AND A BALA SHARK

[Larissa]

as I've stated before, all of the Wal-Marts where I live stopped selling fish 15 years ago, however, until I got the internet, I got all of my fish advice from the local pet store where everything costs a fortune.They gave horrible advice and I took their word for it because I thought they should know what they're talking about. That's what most people do when it comes to their pets.

[FishFreak101]

Hey i have a good idea and it'll get some of the wal*mart ppl a challange go up to 1 of them and saywhat is the best way to go with an oscar a 5 gallon? or a 10 gallon? then they'll say uhhhhhhhhhhhhh a 10 gallon and then you walk away nodding ur head side to side.

[Tridacna]

wHEN IM IN WALMART and see sick fish i rip open the medicine they have and treat the tanks. I dont think they try to treat the tanks so I try to help. It is sad

[FishFreak101]

wHEN IM IN WALMART and see sick fish i rip open the medicine they have and treat the tanks. I dont think they try to treat the tanks so I try to help. It is sad

Isn't that stealing?

[sumthin fishy]

It is. Rob from the rich and give to the poor?

[bob1962]

I never got the pleasure of shopping for fish at walmart, I might go there once a year. When we did we saw all the tropical fish tanks empty. They later removed them. I guess they gave up, prolly lost alot of stock.

[Corax]

im really pissed off today. i went to wal--mart and i noticed that they had 1'' oscars in their tanks. i ussually keep my mouth shut in situations like this and i didd until this 12 year old kid with his momma shows up with one of those cheap 5 gallon bowfront tanks.they look around and just that poor fishe's luck they pick a liitle itty baby oscar. i know why people like thenm with the black and white patterns.anyways they ask this old lady that they chucked in at that section if the oscar would be ok in that 5g. i almost spontaneously combusted when she said it would be fine andd even tried to sell her some neons to go with him. the old lady got called off for a few minutes so i took the chance and walked up to the lady(she got scared the firt few seconds ,i happen to be 6'4. )i explained to her that the oscar gets about 30cms long and that even neon wouldnt be ok in the 5g (imagine chucking neons in an unheated uncycled tank)i hink the oscar sighed of relief when she left and put the 5g back on the shelf where it should stay. maybe i should have made a suggestion like a betta with cories and a snail or whatever. anyways when the fish hag shows up while im deciding which betta i rescue she asks me where the lady went . i tell her and boy was she pissed. she told me to get out of her section ( :argue: :rant2: :rant2: :argue: which i did with pleasure(after gettin a gorgeous purple and blue crowntail betta).now was i in the wrong? i dont think so.every time i got to a wal-mart im really sad for the poor fish in there(including the ones decomposing in the filter intake). shoulnt someone d some thing. what do you all think of this?

(every time i got there i end up with high pressure and a headache.)

This is the original post in this thread. I've not read it all, I don't have THAT kind of time on my hands, so my gripe may have been addressed already. But, this person goes on a rant about the deplorable conditions at Walmart, how they should now be selling fish, etc, etc... Yet, before he leaves, he buys a Betta.. Am I the only one that understands that by supporting Walmart and buying that Betta, you are encouraging them to continue killing fish? A boycott means you pass up the good deals aswell, not just the ones you dislike..

[sumthin fishy]

It is a battle between helping the fish singular vs. helping the fish plural. Of course an all out ban would decrease sales to where they would have to choose between not selling them or selling them properly, but in that process how many fish will die? By purchsing that fish, he helped one little fish. Quite admirable. I do agree that it goes against his wish for a boycot. Mabey he should get a job at wally world and request a position in the fish department......

[FishFreak101]

It is. Rob from the rich and give to the poor?

ya i guess ur rite about that!

[fish_breeder_05]

I only use wal marts fish section for food when I'm low on cash,a live bearer gives birth ( the fry are free :D ) so they don't polute the tank anymore than it already is,or I they if they get a healthy puffer (that rarely happens) so I can save 6 bucks (they are ten at other stores), or if there is a rare fish there by mistake. For example a very rare and expensive (a couple hundred) etheir zebra or queenpleco was there And I got it for $5, but we can't forget this is walmart and he only lived a day.

[fish_breeder_05]

While we're at it, let's boycott buying Pacu's. I'm sure by now everyone has read my sticky post about my beloved Pacus.......

no they should just be better warned about what there buying

[ercnan]

Not only do they get the profit from sold fish, the also get a blanket 20% tax deduction at year end for fish loss.
Multiply that times all the stores that have fish sections, and you get some pretty big numbers on both sides.

Do they care about the fishes well being ? Not really (although some individuals may) So the fish died, so what, just add that one to the 20% loss section.

Do they care about the selling ? OH YEA !! So the fish sold, great, just add that one to the 200% profit section.

More $$$$$$ for them.
Sorry Wal Mart, you suck.

[hurdledude1298]

my walmart takes care of the fish but know nothing about them. i do buy from them because the other places are worst. they have a 90 day guarantee on their fish so i go there save money. but today i bought a ram and they thought it was an african cichlid.