Walmart fish

[goozy]

Can't help but add my two cents

Petco has some of the worst conditions I have seen. Every afternoon they line up the little betta cups with dead bettas that they plan on disposing of. Sometimes they aren't even dead yet and they are in the dispose of line. One time I went there and there was and entire tank of dead little plecos, probably 50 or more.
I bought some frozen blood worms, I opened up the package when I got home and I could see that it had been totally thawed out and frozen again. I'm sure they let it sit for who knows how long before putting it in the freezer.
I bought some feeder crickets once and the guy threw in a whole bunch ( and I mean a whole bunch!) of legs and bodies and skins, Yuk.
Now here's the worst. It was in the news one morning. There was a dog being groomed and the groomer forgot the dog under the dryer and cooked him to death.
Fortunatly walmart dosen't have a grooming facility.

 

[fishfreek]

Goozy,

Oh my that is a horrible story. I sure as heck hope the petco that is going in close to me is not like that.

Anyway I was reading this list and it reminded me of a simular debate that was held on another site. I dug up the link if anyone is interested on what other members at other sites have to say about wal-mart and their fish sales.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=877&highlight=walmart+fish

 

[mt_marcy]

Hi.
Well I have 2 Wallmarts by me, and one is horrible and the other is not too bad, but that's cuz they have a part time worker in thier fish department that actually knows some thing about fish keeping. I know the big box stores here like Super Pet, PJ's, Petcetra and Petsmart are so-so...some are good and others just have teenage kids who havent bothered to learn there stuff and are basicly hired on as "easy comission getters", cuz they can pay them pennies without having them get upset cuz they have to make a living. If you are in the Toronto area I suggest going to Big Al's(aquarium wharehouse) because there tanks are clean, well kept, with healthy fish . Thier employess are knowledgable and they are treated very well by the company. ....No, I do not work at a Big Al's!!! Thanks,
mt_marcy)

 

[firetank]

I agree with darkangel,
many of us are aghast at the though of buying livestock from the bigger conglomerate stores, but happily go there for equipment, as its cheaper(economies of scale...)

maybe its better to pay 10% more and support the knowledgeable, caring lfs round the corner than just buy fish there....

eventually margins will drop so low, the lfs cant stay in business and close,

long term :----

we get left with only the chain stores - petco, walmart etc to buy from.....

prices go up stock "quality" goes down..

what an awful thought.....

 

[irishspy]

A good Petco?

Just to give a little counterpoint, I've been searching for a good fish store, as I plan to get back into the hobby after the new year. To my surprise, the Petco nearest me (west Los Angeles) seems to take good to very good care of their fish. The tanks are clean, few corpses floating around, and the fish look active and healthy. I don't know about the knowledge of the staff, since I didn't talk to any. But the care seemed consistent every time I visited.

By contrast, I was appalled at the quality of my local LFSs, with one or two exceptions. The stores weren't clean, the fish didn't seem well taken care of and, in one case, I thought the store was a genuine fire hazard.

The best LFS I found (and it seems very good) is one in West Hollywood. Clean tanks, healthy fish, and knowledgable staff. If fish in a tank are not for sale, they put up a sign telling why (quarantine, &c.). I was impressed. To be frank, it and the Petco are the two places I'll buy fish around here.

--Anthony

 

[JamisonBWolsh]

Anthony:

I live in the san fernando valley. Im not sure of those areas you listed, but there are MANY GOOD LFS's up here in the Valley. If you want, I suggests a few. If your into cichlids, I know the best place to go. Also try a cichlid club..you can get REALLY good deal on fish that would cost an arm and a leg at the lfs. just ask anytype of fish and see if someone is selling them... the link is..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiacichlids01/

beats ANY petco.. plus.. from the LFS and that club..you can get ANY fish you want

 

[goldfries]

IMHO Bettas are the most ill-treated hobby-fish.

i've seen them being sold in 1 tiny plastic bag and it's almost air-tight. and stacked on a tray somewhere.

 

[Molino]

Mom and Pop Stores

In my area there is a very good LFS run by a married couple. They are the only staff there and own the place. They are extremly knowledgeable, and suprisingly their prices are equal or better to a lot of the big box places.

Because the owners actually run the store and they don't have any other staff or other costs big box stores have, they are able to offer equal if not better prices on a lot of their fish and products. Unfortunately they do not have tanks for sale due to a lack of space.

 

[goldfries]

not for my case Molino.

we have Mom & Pop stores here too. their fish stocks are equally bad. haha.........

rarely you get good ones. it's a matter of culture i guess. maybe the shop owners of the west open the shop truly for the hobby itself, while the people here open for profits rather than hobby.

 

[irishspy]

Originally posted by JamisonBWolsh
Anthony:

I live in the san fernando valley. (snip!)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiacichlids01/

beats ANY petco.. plus.. from the LFS and that club..you can get ANY fish you want

I haven't been to the Valley stores, yet, but plan to make a trip some time after New Year's. Which ones do you recommend, and have you ever tried Mark's Tropical Fish? (Haven't been there, but it looks promising from the web site: Mark's Tropical Fish )

And thanks for the link: I just happen to be planning to keep a few Apistos.

Merry Christmas!
--Anthony