Free Pearl Scale Goldies from Walmart Today :)
- Thread starter RodInCALIFORNIA
- Start date
i talked to a worker in the pet dept. my friend was off today and she said the 5 they had for sale died also so maybe it was a shipment of sick fish to start with. i asked where the fish came from and she said she couldnt give me a name its against policy but she said they come from a LA area wholesaler which is at the other end of calif from me so who knows how long they are in a hot truck being driven up to northern calif for the weekly delivery. she said they are going to complain about the quality of fish they have been getting the last few months apparently they have a high death rate on alot of fish not just goldies.
maybe when i want to try pearl scales again in the future i will pay 4 times the price walmart charges and have my local independant fish shop order me a pair of them. i know they get the fish from SF area and go pick them out at the wholesaler so they are only a few hours away and come straight back to the shop with the fish, and they can see the quality and health of them when they pick them out of the tanks to buy. i did send walmart a email thru the website asking them to inquire about why the supplier is dumping low quality/sick fish on them and to charge a higher price if needed to get fish that are healthy in the first place from a more local wholesaler in SF.
maybe when i want to try pearl scales again in the future i will pay 4 times the price walmart charges and have my local independant fish shop order me a pair of them. i know they get the fish from SF area and go pick them out at the wholesaler so they are only a few hours away and come straight back to the shop with the fish, and they can see the quality and health of them when they pick them out of the tanks to buy. i did send walmart a email thru the website asking them to inquire about why the supplier is dumping low quality/sick fish on them and to charge a higher price if needed to get fish that are healthy in the first place from a more local wholesaler in SF.
You know, Rod. I was at a big box store in my area last week, and they had a small quantity of pearlscales. Three out of five were sick, which is why I passed. This is very unusual for this particular big box location. They usually have very healthy stock. I wonder if they use the same supplier. I know that there are only a few large wholesalers of specialized goldfish, mostly on the west coast.
Oh rod dead fish is really a sad news, but i think this is not much on your part of keeping, it might have been a bad batch that caused their death as you mentioned they lost all their goldies as well at store. Dont be dishearted.
Wish you a better luck next time.
Wish you a better luck next time.
Sorry to hear about your loss, Personally I hope that someday walmart discontinues the fish dept all together. But anyway I had a 55 with 1 black moor and 1 something else fancy. Had them for 2 years and the black moor was the size of large mans hand. Anyway I bought a (tikes? ping pong ball shaped)pearlscale @ my LFS and had him (mr.oinkers... my wife named him
) for a year and then he just died. So maybe they have a bad recessive trait that is unpredictable and unknown when it will develop. I don't know but I have never heard of anyone who have had pearlscales for a extended length of time. Good luck with your future stock in that tank!
) for a year and then he just died. So maybe they have a bad recessive trait that is unpredictable and unknown when it will develop. I don't know but I have never heard of anyone who have had pearlscales for a extended length of time. Good luck with your future stock in that tank!
So sad, but karma points for trying! I love pearlscales, but they can be completely hit or miss. Seems like there has been a lot of careless breeding trying to mass produce them, as well as some of the other "novelty" goldfish. I hope you don't give up entirely, because they really are a great fish to keep if you get good stock. I currently have a ps hybrid who is absolutely hilarious to watch. Through goldfish-people friends I've heard of a breeder in HI who has wonderful gf for sale, including nice pearlscales and crown pearlscales. I've never ordered from him (yet!) but everyone I know who has has been really impressed. I think you can find it if you google "Rain Gardens Goldfish Hawaii." Looks like prices and shipping are really reasonable.
Really awesome score, Rod! Knowing how much you like goldfish, it couldn't have happened to someone nicer or who would appreciate them more.
My local big box store got in a handful of them last week, and I was sorely tempted. Let us know how it goes!
Do you know what kind of pearlscale they are? I know that Tikus get to be like golfballs, but others are pretty much regular goldfish shape with the pearlescent scales.
I wouldn't let a bad batch get you down, happens to all types of fish.
Have had 5 pearlscales for awhile, the golf ball type, and they are quite fun to watch.
Only special care we give them is feeding de-shelled peas a couple times a week - cleans them out, but peas are a staple for most of our fish.
Also soak their food in water before giving it to them, even flakes, so the food sinks and they don't gulp in air while eating - don't know if that is an issue, but have heard someone mention it before.
Have had 5 pearlscales for awhile, the golf ball type, and they are quite fun to watch.
Only special care we give them is feeding de-shelled peas a couple times a week - cleans them out, but peas are a staple for most of our fish.
Also soak their food in water before giving it to them, even flakes, so the food sinks and they don't gulp in air while eating - don't know if that is an issue, but have heard someone mention it before.
