Is there anything wrong with buying Fish from Wal*mart? I know its stupid ?,but i thought id ask.
Wal*Mart
- Thread starter Bryanfykes
- Start date
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Bryan
Bryanfykes said:
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
This is as good as it gets.
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.
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.
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
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
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
ryan