FishFyer

Im sick and tired of Walmart and there half-brained staff. I recently got some feeders from Walmart because it was the only store open at the time and my fish were getting hungry. Unfortunatley for me the feeders that i got were diseased. Before I could do anything i had an outbreak in my tanks. Now all but three of my fish in my 65 gallon are gone and only two are left in my 25. I am so angry at Walmart they have lost me over 200 dollars worth of fish all because they can't hire decent staff to take care of their tanks. Next time im in there im going to the manager to try to get something done about this and please if you have the same problem talk to one too.

Jordan

Tom

I am so sorry to hear about that. Sadly the Walmart near me is the exact opposite, they have hired some people for the fish (that's right, just strictly fish) department that know exactly what they are doing. The only thing I would have to complain about is that they have about 7-8 female bettas in on of those super small tanks. The price was good but the fish weren't in the greatest of condition otherwise I might have gotton one. Sorry again.
Tom

FishFyer

I am glad to hear that at least the Walmart near you takes care of their fish...maybe once I talk to the manager they might think about changing their ways. I can only hope.

Jordan

Tom

I hope you have lots of success, I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol. When I was there last night, either they sold all their Bettas, they all died, or they just stopped selling them because somebody complained about their living conditions, there were none left and they had maybe 3 goldfish, and a bunch of cichlids, tetras, etc. Good times, good times. I wonder if all the Walmarts here have changed most of their fish selling ways(they sadly still sell dyed fish(I don't think they know it though)). I will check it out over the weekend. I wish you luck in your powers of persuasion.
Tom

Butterfly

Unfortunately most feeder fish are raised in such crowded conditions that it's very easy for them to be diseased even if the LFS selling them doesn't keep them in bad conditions, so you just never know. Also fish that eat live fish are really messy eaters so more water maintenance is needed.
The solution some people have found is to raise your own food, feeder guppies for example
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Crol

bbfeckawitts

All fish I have got from walmart have died. Minus a goldfish that my sister brang home (she worked there) that was VERY sick! I put it in a goldfish bowl for 3 years and it lived perfectly! Then I got it a 10-gal tank.

katy68did

Hello,once again Walmart has came up in a discussion I have posted on this subject before since I work for them.Each Walmart manager has the right to set the prices of the store as they see fit.Also,it is VERY hard to keep someone in the pets department that knows anything at all about fish.The pet department manager is the one responsible for ordering the fish,not the company as a whole.At my store a young man took the department not knowing anything at all about them but my supervisor works closely with him and we do not sell dyed fish.Also we do medicate our fish(at our store anyway).Myself and another woman work with the fish as well and i will not sell a sick fish,not even a feeder.After saying all of this I would think that you should watch and tell the people who are dipping your fish if you see a sick fish and let them know you dont want it.I do it at my store as well as any other where I buy fish.

guppygranny

You didn't say what you were feeding with the feeder fish, but I'm sorry for your loss. It seems the predatory fish are smarter and bond well with their owners. I had an Oscar several years ago and my dad strongly suggested quarantining any feeder fish in a separate tank for several days with a little salt. Sometimes the batch of feeders showed signs of illness within a day or so, so they were not fed to the oscar. However, by keeping high standards of filtration and water changes to the feeder tank, the feeders did better, even fattened up a bit. Oscar was only fed one or two at a time, 3 or 4 times a week. He took pelleted food well. I had him about 3 years before he jumped the tank and was found in the morning on the floor. I don't have any fish that I have to feed smaller fish to anymore, but I still look longingly at the baby oscars when I'm in the pet store. I hope you continue this wonderful hobby. We've all had bad luck at one time or another. Stick with the pet shops. Only about 1 in 10 fish purchased from Walmart by me has ever made it a week, despite rigorous quarantine. I haven't bought a fish from them in 4 years. Good luck. Guppygranny.

FishFyer

Yes i did forget to mention i was feeding my Vampire Tetras which I had 4 of and I liked them very much. Sadly all of them are gone now and I too notice that people seem to get attached to their predatory fish.. maybe its because they seem to get bigger and it makes them more like a part of ur life lol. I hope to find a new batch of those guys soon cuz i miss watching them eat.

King Dojo

Quit whinning about wal mart you were the one stupid enouph to buy fish from there.

dazzler

whoa king dojo!! some people have to vent disbelief at what they see and hear. one day when you need to get something off your chest i bet you would likeone to listen and take note. also somepeople have a walmart as their only lfs and they are stuck with it.

go easy with these people you may not know their full circumstance

dazzler

King Dojo

hey dazzler I know jordan and there is a good lfs here. and It probly wasnt wal mart it was probly was because he has his fish in horrible conditions.

dazzler

ah i see. some people just dont care about fish. apologies

regards Dazzler

FishFyer

This is a complete lie King Dojo and I are friends and he is just saying this to make a fool out of me. It was him that gave me the contaminated fish but i think that both our fish tanks are diseased now.

susitna-flower

I am surprised, and a little that we all have at some time or another had fish tragedies. Our first reaction is to blame it on someone else, however how we treat our fish after leaving the store can have much more to do with their survival rate and the health of our own tanks than the store we buy them from. I hope you all realize others have feelings, and will start taking responsibility for your own actions. Fish can be lovely friends, people need friends.

chickadee

We don't take our arguments out on the forum folks. If what you have to say here is not constructive then it is best left UNSAID. We do have a personal message system for those who want to take their disagreements to each other PRIVATELY, but you will need to have more time on the forum before it is available to you. If you two know each other, I would suggest that you take care of your personal matters off of the forum. This is not the place for it.

Rose

King Dojo

well I see thats how you treat people who are just having fun

starshine

Well, I now use a LPS, but I have used Walmart in the past. I have moved since I got these fish, so they're not from a Walmart in this area, but of all of my fish listed below in my profile, the following came from Walmart and have been happy and healthy: 3 ADF's, 1 peacock eel, 4 comets, 1 male betta, and apparently my newly adopted neons did, too. I think it really depends on the store in your area. Some are good and take decent care of their fish and know what they're talking about, and others will not. In any event, it's not worth arguing over.

Mollygurl

i don't know whether it will do any good, but i wrote a buisness letter 2 my wally world store manager.the conditions are horrible. i saw 50-100 goldfish crammed into a little tank, they have DAY(S) old dead fish in their tanks, and i will NEVER buy fish from them until the fish are treated better. i gave them suggestions for how 2 fix/help. fingers crossed 4 some action or even a reply!

susitna-flower

Mollygurl

thanx! whats the weather like up there sustina-flower??

susitna-flower

Eskielvr

The 50-100 Goldfish you saw crammed together were more than likely feeder Goldfish. Every pet store that has feeders keep them that way, because people will come in and buy large amounts or several days worth to feed their fish.

Mollygurl

i might b wrong, but these looked like calico(?) fantails. they were REALLY tiny, but in fancy colors and tail shapes.don't they normally use comet/plain goldfish 4 feeders?

Mollygurl

here is the letter i wrote to wally world:

To Whom It May Concern:

My family and I practically LIVE at Wal-Mart. You have great prices on all sorts of things, and it is the only place that we can find in all of the states to shop.
I am appalled at the treatment that the fish in your store receive. Almost every time I am in Wal-Mart, I go to the fish section and I see that some of the fish are sick (their fins are clamped, they are sitting on the bottom, they can’t swim, etc.). I see that the goldfish are crowded in tanks that are too small for the amount of fish that are put into them. The worst part is when I see DEAD fish floating in the tank with your live fish! I buy fish food and other materials for my 10 gallon tropical fish tank, but I will never buy a fish from your store until I see that they are receiving proper treatment.
I would really like to see something done about these conditions. I would suggest that you maybe take shipments of fish less often or in smaller amounts, therefore, the fish would not have to be as crowded in the tanks. I think that the fish that are sick should be treated in a separate tank or that they be humanely euthanized. The dead fish that I have seen didn’t look like they had been dead for an hour; they looked like they had been dead for days! If there are dead fish in a tank, they need to be removed. It’s not good for the living fish, and I would think that it wouldn’t be good for business. Please, hire people that know how to care for fish! Fish are living creatures and they should be taken care of accordingly.
I believe that you will take better care of your animals and store. I would hate to see unhappy people walking out of your store because of what they have seen. Once again, your store is a great place to shop. Thank you for your time.

tan.b

good letter. very fair and balanced. lets hope they take note. let us know if it gets any better. fingers crossed.
Tan

BettaBuddy ~ Miley

My walmart quite the fish business finally and they have dog beds where the fish were now. Miley

Mollygurl

hey guys. i went 2 my wallyworld yesterday and looked @ the fish. there are still dead fish floating around, but the tank of 50-100 fish now has like 10-15 fish, but they still look bad. just wanted 2 let U know!! THANX!!