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Unread 02/26/2012, 10:45 AM   #226
SPS Samurai
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I think a lot you are letting your individual experiences effect your overall judgment of this corporation. All fish stores/ pet stores experience these ailments and there will be loss of life at every stage of the handling process. That is the unfortunate side of this hobby. Don't blame Petco, because the moment these fish are removed from their natural environment they are condemned to death in a aquarium. I guarantee you it's 10 x's worse at most importer's and vendor's facilities. I worked for Petco for many years and the one thing Petco has over most LFS's is that they are very strict on who they order their livestock from. What you see as a consumer is that you want a very exotic fish and most LFS will stock what you want and you bank on them to keep their husbandry up to offer you a healthy specimen. Often time the problems arise during the care at the vendor's facility (i.e. health & stress issues) or during the transit to the store (improper handling by Fedex/UPS, bad temp etc). But you don't see this and you blame the store employees, because they don't have the adequate experience as most hobbyist do to id what was the cause of the problem or what the problem even is. They just have a sick fish on their hands. Petco knows that all their employees can't be as knowledgable about the hobby as we are and that's why they're very selective of their vendors. They know they have to do their best to acquire the healthiest livestock as possible, because the margin of reefkeeping knowledge from store to store is very small. When they notice fish aren't arriving at the stores in acceptable conditions they stop ordering from these vendors.

In my experience I brought a lot of experience to the table when I worked for Petco and I shared it with everyone who worked with me. There are a few improvements I personally would have liked to change, like the use of Ro/DI water and higher powered lighting would go along way. But for the most part everyone knew the importance of water changes and proper feeding. Even if the employees couldn't id a fish they knew how to test water. When we opened our location, our variety of livestock and the care of our fish was unrivaled by any LFS in the city. And yes I have seen Petcos with full blown SPS prop tanks, so the experience is out there. I can't tell you how many times my ex-coworkers have bagged up Perculas and they kept asking prying questions and come to find out the customer has a betta bowl in their shopping cart. So if you're offended by Petco and think they should be boycotted, maybe you should just think twice about keeping pets all together, because all animals have a 100% mortality rate in captivity.


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Unread 02/26/2012, 10:46 AM   #227
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I think a lot you are letting your individual experiences effect your overall judgment of this corporation. All fish stores/ pet stores experience these ailments and there will be loss of life at every stage of the handling process. That is the unfortunate side of this hobby. Don't blame Petco, because the moment these fish are removed from their natural environment they are condemned to death in a aquarium. I guarantee you it's 10 x's worse at most importer's and vendor's facilities. I worked for Petco for many years and the one thing Petco has over most LFS's is that they are very strict on who they order their livestock from. What you see as a consumer is that you want a very exotic fish and most LFS will stock what you want and you bank on them to keep their husbandry up to offer you a healthy specimen. Often time the problems arise during the care at the vendor's facility (i.e. health & stress issues) or during the transit to the store (improper handling by Fedex/UPS, bad temp etc). But you don't see this and you blame the store employees, because they don't have the adequate experience as most hobbyist do to id what was the cause of the problem or what the problem even is. They just have a sick fish on their hands. Petco knows that all their employees can't be as knowledgable about the hobby as we are and that's why they're very selective of their vendors. They know they have to do their best to acquire the healthiest livestock as possible, because the margin of reefkeeping knowledge from store to store is very small. When they notice fish aren't arriving at the stores in acceptable conditions they stop ordering from these vendors.

In my experience I brought a lot of experience to the table when I worked for Petco and I shared it with everyone who worked with me. There are a few improvements I personally would have liked to change, like the use of Ro/DI water and higher powered lighting would go along way. But for the most part everyone knew the importance of water changes and proper feeding. Even if the employees couldn't id a fish they knew how to test water. When we opened our location, our variety of livestock and the care of our fish was unrivaled by any LFS in the city. And yes I have seen Petcos with full blown SPS prop tanks, so the experience is out there. I can't tell you how many times my ex-coworkers have bagged up Perculas and they kept asking prying questions and come to find out the customer has a betta bowl in their shopping cart. So if you're offended by Petco and think they should be boycotted, maybe you should just think twice about keeping pets all together, because all animals have a 100% mortality rate in captivity.


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Unread 02/26/2012, 10:46 AM   #228
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Ask the fish department when they get their shipments in or have him call you when they come in. Dont let him/her put the fish into their system. Buy them while they are still in bag. Their system is horrid and they dont offer guarantee on anything saltwater. Ive gottin a few good deals from Petco. I lose a lot of money taken chances when purchasing from them but sometimes the deal is worth it to me.



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Unread 02/27/2012, 09:24 AM   #229
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Every store is different. Petco has many policies and procedures in place for how animals are taken care of. If animals and fish aren't being taken care of it isn't because education isn't provided. It's management and employees' fault. If corporate policies were followed, all animals and Petco stores would be immaculate.
Are you kidding me??? This statement is a joke... corporate policies are the one thing that is HOLDING the good employees back! 20% loss is NOT acceptible, especially when the most difficult fish you bring in is a tang. At the store i work at now I bring in teirra batfish, orange spot filefish, multifasciatus angelfish, genicanthus angels, red head wrasse (and other difficult halichores), leopard wrasse, moorish idols, pipefish, etc from time to time and I don't have 20% loss. I work with the same vendors as I did when I worked at petco... I have a quarter of the problems because I have full control of medicating and conditioning the fish what I order and when I order.
The use of copper at petco is strictly forbidden according to my animal coordinator because "copper kills"... and the use of anything aside from freshwater dips I was written up for. So either I misread AND was misinformed by the higher ups on the policy or what you are doing is completely against corporate policy.


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Unread 02/27/2012, 10:02 AM   #230
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... So if you're offended by Petco and think they should be boycotted, maybe you should just think twice about keeping pets all together, because all animals have a 100% mortality rate in captivity.
Are you including death due to old age in that "100% mortality" figure? I ask because that sounds a lot like corporate schpeel.

I can't help but notice that both yourself and Platinum Percula (clever rhimey-matchy names by the way) seem to have joined here in the last few weeks specifically to comment in support of petco. It could just be coincidence, but I can't help but wonder.


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Unread 02/27/2012, 10:19 AM   #231
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I have it from a former Petco manager who now works at a responsible LFS that it is corporate policy to run copper in all tanks, including inverts, corals, and clams. They are not responsible, and are one of the main reasons places like Hawaii are trying to ban fishing there.


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Unread 02/27/2012, 10:57 AM   #232
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Originally Posted by SPS Samurai View Post
all animals have a 100% mortality rate in captivity.
All animals have a 100% mortality rate in the wild as well. Also, any person who has eaten a carrot will eventually die. To those of you who won't eat carrots now I should warn you... Not eating carrots will also mean you will die eventually.

Well kept animals can have a perfectly acceptable life. Have you ever checked the lifespans of animals wild vs kept in a zoo? Many live longer due to veterinary assistance, and lack of predators.

Disputing the validity of any pet store is a matter of opinion. I don't like most chain stores, and I choose not to purchase anything at those I feel aren't run properly. But using corrupt data to try and prove your point is ridiculous.


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Unread 02/27/2012, 08:36 PM   #233
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@ Rubber Frog, yes old age included. At that point you're arguing the morality of quality of life and no matter what you can rebuttal an existence in an animal's natural environment is always the better life. When you deprive that animal of a natural existence you deprive it of fulfilling its fundamental obligation in an ecosystem. Not sure who Platinum Percula is. I never log on to RC much. Too much opinion in the forums and after 15 years in the hobby I just keep to myself.

@ Tin_Whistler an "acceptable" life will never equate to a natural life. There is nothing corrupt about my data, its just a fact. Once you remove a fish from the ocean it will perish in a human's custody at some point, whether it's in your tank, my tank or at your local Petco. This whole thread was created to bash on Petco after people have witnessed deceased livestock certain stores. I guess Petco is supposed to be this magical place, where Cyano never exists, hair algae is a myth and death will never occur. Veterinary assistance? When have you ever taken your yellow tang to the vet?


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Unread 02/28/2012, 10:20 PM   #234
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SPS Samuri - so a fish in the wild that has a .1% chance of survival to maturity isn't the same thing as the 1% that lives for 10 years in aquariums? Its rediculous to think that a fish that has to scrounge a living on the reef being terrified of being eaten by the next big fish to come around the coral head their hiding in. In a proper environment in a tank a fish gets its food handed to it, and doesn't have to worry about something eating it. In my mind you are comparing apples to apples, whether its in the ocean or a tank.

We aren't expecting petcos to be perfect... rather just get out of the hobby because of the long history of malpractice in the hobby, or a complete renovation of their policies and procedures. I mean when a small store like the one I worked at gets 12 lunare wrasse in, how in the hell am I going to sell 12 lunare wrasse? about 1% of customers can actually house a large wrasse like that but I'm supposed to find homes for 12! These were not "ordered" by the store, rather, it was FORCED by corporate for these fish to be there.


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Unread 02/29/2012, 09:46 AM   #235
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Originally Posted by SPS Samurai View Post
@ Tin_Whistler an "acceptable" life will never equate to a natural life. There is nothing corrupt about my data, its just a fact. Once you remove a fish from the ocean it will perish in a human's custody at some point, whether it's in your tank, my tank or at your local Petco. This whole thread was created to bash on Petco after people have witnessed deceased livestock certain stores. I guess Petco is supposed to be this magical place, where Cyano never exists, hair algae is a myth and death will never occur. Veterinary assistance? When have you ever taken your yellow tang to the vet?
And leaving that fish in the ocean guarantees it's death as well.

Because again, everything dies. Don't tell me you're using appropriate data because you're not. You're taking information, and twisting it disingenuously to try and falsely prove a point.

And yes, people bash larger chain stores because in general they care more about quick profits than keeping their livestock as healthy as possible. To be honest, its the same for most non chain stores as well. But if I can go into a store and see a handful of fish floating and polluting the water at one store, and not see that at another store, I'll go to the second one.

As for the tang question, No, I have never taken a yellow tang to the vet. I also have never owned a yellow tang. Personally I'm not a fan of them, and I think there are several other more interesting tangs one can keep instead.

Also, for most fish illnesses I don't need to take it to the vet. A solid knowledge of fish heath issues, and a good quarantine system makes the fish keeper the vet.


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Unread 02/29/2012, 09:59 AM   #236
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Are you kidding me??? This statement is a joke... corporate policies are the one thing that is HOLDING the good employees back! 20% loss is NOT acceptible, especially when the most difficult fish you bring in is a tang. At the store i work at now I bring in teirra batfish, orange spot filefish, multifasciatus angelfish, genicanthus angels, red head wrasse (and other difficult halichores), leopard wrasse, moorish idols, pipefish, etc from time to time and I don't have 20% loss. I work with the same vendors as I did when I worked at petco... I have a quarter of the problems because I have full control of medicating and conditioning the fish what I order and when I order.
The use of copper at petco is strictly forbidden according to my animal coordinator because "copper kills"... and the use of anything aside from freshwater dips I was written up for. So either I misread AND was misinformed by the higher ups on the policy or what you are doing is completely against corporate policy.
First of all I am not "Kidding you". Secondly, you are mistaken because we can bring in animals such as Seahorses, Copperbanded Butterflies, Mandarin (both wild and ORA Aquacultured), Hynophora sps, different gorgonians, as well as many other more challenging animals so I think many would agree more than one item on that list is not an "easy care level" animal.

Being able to only freshwater dip is garbage. If medications weren't allowed or were prohibited to be used they would not be available for "store use". If it's available for store use it is allowed to be used in the store...

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. But as it has been pointed out over and over, PetCos are both good and bad, so are private stores--just depends on your area.


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Unread 02/29/2012, 09:01 PM   #237
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some people just don't understand that just because a handful of stores are doing things right doesn't mean corporate as a whole is and don't understand the grand scope of having this hobby thrive vs die by lawmakers in this country. The store I worked at did very well... but could have done much better if corporate would have stayed out of it... and there are a huge number of Petcos I have been to that are just disgusting, I have not been to a single one that was surprised me with good things. Ever.


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Unread 02/29/2012, 10:11 PM   #238
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@ Fishfirst, no a fish's life or rather I should say it's death on the reef is quite different than that in your aquarium, because it is fulfilling its role in the ecosystem by contributing to the food chain. Whether it is keeping another species in check or by sustaining another animal by being it's latest meal. We are not omnipotent, so there is no such thing as replicating a "proper" environment. "Acceptable" yes, "proper" no. We simply try and keep an animal healthy and alive for as long as possible, but eventually the stasis of our aquariums will falter, whether to human error or mechanical failures. We shouldn't speak as if we're doing the animal kingdom a favor. You're obviously not keeping a reef to further marine biology or to advance modern medicine. The fact is we've removed an animal from its natural habitat solely for the gratification watching it swim back and forth in our living room gives us.

@ Tin_Whistler. Yes, but keeping a fish in your aquarium guarantees it will die in your custody. There is nothing false nor misconstrued about that. There is no point to prove, it's just a fact. The difference is in the wild a fish's life and death contributes to the wellbeing of nature. In your aquarium a fish just contributes to appeasing your fascination. It is the reality of this hobby.

Here's a suggestion. If you notice something that isn't working to keep fish healthy why don't you try working hand and hand with the culprit to resolve the problem. Share knowledge. Bashing companies or individuals does nothing to advocate responsible reefkeeping.


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Unread 02/29/2012, 10:12 PM   #239
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@ Fishfirst, no a fish's life or rather I should say it's death on the reef is quite different than that in your aquarium, because it is fulfilling its role in the ecosystem by contributing to the food chain. Whether it is keeping another species in check or by sustaining another animal by being it's latest meal. We are not omnipotent, so there is no such thing as replicating a "proper" environment. "Acceptable" yes, "proper" no. We simply try and keep an animal healthy and alive for as long as possible, but eventually the stasis of our aquariums will falter, whether to human error or mechanical failures. We shouldn't speak as if we're doing the animal kingdom a favor. You're obviously not keeping a reef to further marine biology or to advance modern medicine. The fact is we've removed an animal from its natural habitat solely for the gratification watching it swim back and forth in our living room gives us.

@ Tin_Whistler. Yes, but keeping a fish in your aquarium guarantees it will die in your custody. There is nothing false nor misconstrued about that. There is no point to prove, it's just a fact. The difference is in the wild a fish's life and death contributes to the wellbeing of nature. In your aquarium a fish just contributes to appeasing your fascination. It is the reality of this hobby.

Here's a suggestion. If you notice something that isn't working to keep fish healthy why don't you try working hand and hand with the culprit to resolve the problem. Share knowledge. Bashing companies or individuals does nothing to advocate responsible reefkeeping.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 03:07 AM   #240
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@ Fishfirst, no a fish's life or rather I should say it's death on the reef is quite different than that in your aquarium, because it is fulfilling its role in the ecosystem by contributing to the food chain. Whether it is keeping another species in check or by sustaining another animal by being it's latest meal. We are not omnipotent, so there is no such thing as replicating a "proper" environment. "Acceptable" yes, "proper" no. We simply try and keep an animal healthy and alive for as long as possible, but eventually the stasis of our aquariums will falter, whether to human error or mechanical failures. We shouldn't speak as if we're doing the animal kingdom a favor. You're obviously not keeping a reef to further marine biology or to advance modern medicine. The fact is we've removed an animal from its natural habitat solely for the gratification watching it swim back and forth in our living room gives us.

@ Tin_Whistler. Yes, but keeping a fish in your aquarium guarantees it will die in your custody. There is nothing false nor misconstrued about that. There is no point to prove, it's just a fact. The difference is in the wild a fish's life and death contributes to the wellbeing of nature. In your aquarium a fish just contributes to appeasing your fascination. It is the reality of this hobby.

Here's a suggestion. If you notice something that isn't working to keep fish healthy why don't you try working hand and hand with the culprit to resolve the problem. Share knowledge. Bashing companies or individuals does nothing to advocate responsible reefkeeping.
I take a bit of offense by your assumption that I am mearly just watching a fish swim back and forth. That wouldn't be the goal for me nor any truly serious hobbiest (although maybe it is enough for you). I'm a professional in this industry and I have professional goals (I have been involved in several breeding projects as well as my own and some customers of mine)

You make a valid point in your last comment... however I tried the "hand in hand" route for a year and a half with this "company" and got nothing but road blocks from corporate. So excuse my "bashing" but a company that nearly made me get rid of all of my tanks and a feeling of hopelessness for the hobby gives me a sour taste in my mouth. otherwise congrats on being apart of a company that considers anything under 30% fish loss acceptible i guess if you feel thats good enough I can't stop you from feeling that.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 08:22 AM   #241
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You take offense at that? It is a general comment and it is for the most part true. This hobby serves no real other purpose than ourselvees. We have living animlas confined to a tiny fraction of the space that they are meant to be in....no different than a lion in a cage. All for what? Pretty much decoration.

You breed fish? Commendable, but still we are dealing with living animals, although an approach like that will help the wild reefs.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 08:26 AM   #242
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some people just don't understand that just because a handful of stores are doing things right doesn't mean corporate as a whole is and don't understand the grand scope of having this hobby thrive vs die by lawmakers in this country. The store I worked at did very well... but could have done much better if corporate would have stayed out of it... and there are a huge number of Petcos I have been to that are just disgusting, I have not been to a single one that was surprised me with good things. Ever.
And some people just don't get that it is pretty much a handful of stores doing the bad thing, but hey, at least you got to use the "dead horse" emoticon .

I have been to more atrocious LFS than I have the 3 or 4 Petcos local to me. It is a PETSTORE, I would not expect elaborate reef systems out of it, as it is catering to a wide market of fish, reptiles, cats, etc. All of the ones I have been to are more than acceptable. Compared to my LFS run by a marine biologist, they are top of the line.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 08:31 AM   #243
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And leaving that fish in the ocean guarantees it's death as well.
Because again, everything dies. Don't tell me you're using appropriate data because you're not. You're taking information, and twisting it disingenuously to try and falsely prove a point.
.
That is a pretty silly view on animals. Just like chickens....they all die right, so lets stuff them in battery cages in dark rooms. There is a huge difference between a noatural life and death and one in captivity simply for our own amusement.

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But if I can go into a store and see a handful of fish floating and polluting the water at one store, and not see that at another store, I'll go to the second one..
As you should, and is all that needs to be done for the bad apple petcos. A letter to them would be even better if you were that passionate to do so. The dead floating fish is no different thatn what I have seen at LFS, matter of fact i see less at Petco. Yes, it is one of those corporations, but I think alot of people would be surprised that its profit margin is not that far off from any typical retail business.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 10:59 AM   #244
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@ Tin_Whistler. Yes, but keeping a fish in your aquarium guarantees it will die in your custody.
Here you're being more honest. Dies in your custody is different then insinuating you cause the death of that fish by taking ownership of it.

But with that statement, what's so bad about that fish dying in your custody? Consistent food source, and a lack of predators isn't exactly a bad deal for most animals. Also, can you tell if these fish are unhappy?

I can see if a fish is stressed, but when a fish isn't stressed what mood is it in then? Can you tell? I can't.

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The difference is in the wild a fish's life and death contributes to the wellbeing of nature. In your aquarium a fish just contributes to appeasing your fascination. It is the reality of this hobby.
Sure the death of the fish you keep stops another fish from eating. Though I'd be willing to bet the fish in your possession doesn't mind not being eaten. Again, I can't speak to fish, or read their minds, but if the choice is between being eaten or living a healthy life...

I'm going to guess they'll pick "not in the belly of a predator." Though that is just a guess on my part.

But again, this thread is about Petco not the fish trade as a whole.

Petco's fish department is a dumpster fire. Too often they leave dead fish in tanks polluting water. They don't educate their staff on proper husbandry or care, which in turn leaves poorly educated consumers.

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That is a pretty silly view on animals. Just like chickens....they all die right, so lets stuff them in battery cages in dark rooms. There is a huge difference between a noatural life and death and one in captivity simply for our own amusement.
There's a huge difference between keeping an animal as a pet, and trying to provide a proper home for it, to blatantly mistreating, and abusing an animal because you don't care.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 12:59 PM   #245
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As far as Petco goes. it depends on the store. I've come across this same thread in many other forums. It all boils down to the individual stores. Does Petco on the whole provide proper training and company policies on fish keeping? Probably not as much as they should. So it comes down to the employee's to take the initiative. Quite frankly most of them are young kids who are just there to collect a paycheck. Very rarely do you come across one that actually cares about the animals.


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Unread 03/01/2012, 03:52 PM   #246
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Petco's fish department is a dumpster fire. Too often they leave dead fish in tanks polluting water. They don't educate their staff on proper husbandry or care, which in turn leaves poorly educated consumers.
Petco does educate. It may be a little out dated but knowledge is knowledge.

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Unread 04/05/2012, 01:06 PM   #247
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just visit Petco last week it even broke my heart more. they was selling nice size carpet anemone but very bleach n the disk look kinda brownish dont know if that healthy or not. but anyway it was hard for me to keep my urges to save an animal from the bad condition in check. i decided not to go near the saltwater livestock section. what i don't understand is how can they take better care of the freshwater than they did with the marine. i just don't get it! i have marine and fresh they both require the same maintenance but with marine need more for the corals. other than that they bout the same. not one i seen dead fish in the fresh water section.


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Unread 04/05/2012, 03:32 PM   #248
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Wow!! What an interesting thread. One thing that comes to my mind:

I wouldn't patronize a store with dead fish in the tanks. I doubt many of us would. But how would you really know?? My example is this: The employee just happens to scoop out all dead fish at 2:53 p.m. You just happen to walk in at 3:00 p.m. You didn't see any dead fish did you?

Seeing dead fish in a retail DT is a crap shoot. Either there weren't any or they were removed. About the only sure sign of a stores reliability would be to see a DECAYING dead fish. If they are too lazy to pull out the dead ones then you pretty much know they are too lazy to do anything else that should be done.

I imagine this would apply to any and all stores not just individual corporate locations or mom/pop locals.


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Unread 04/17/2012, 07:42 PM   #249
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The main thing to watch out for with petco is disease. They generally run all the saltwater tanks from the same sump so if even one infected fish is added to the system, it can infect them all. Inspect all fish for parasites or disease even the ones you arent considering buying, just to make sure you arent taking any ich home.
The dead fish dont need to be as big of a concern as live diseased fish. Theres enough gallons of water mixed in their system that asmlong as it isnt decaying, it shouldnt be so harmful to the other fish. All stores experience loss of fish, its just easier to hate a chain store like petco than a small local business. Ive had some great fish come from the petco near me and they always have the broadest selection of fish and inverts. They also seem to be the only store that stays in business without massive price spikes.


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Unread 05/08/2012, 04:42 PM   #250
TheReefJedi
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It is really sad to see what Petco does with their fish, yesterday I went looking for fish to add to my stocking list for my planned 120 gallon and I saw some horrific sites. The little 5-10 gallon display tanks they use are crammed filled with fish, I saw no less than 50 bangaii cardinals stuffed into one, a "yellow" tang that was pale white that was clearly starving, and a foxface lo that was white and starving. I was going to take pics with my phone to post onto this thread but some of their workers gave me a glare and I quickly left the store.


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