JaneAustenAddict

I stopped by two family owned pet stores today because I thought they would take better care of their fish than the big chains and was sorely disappointed.

The first pet store I stopped in was filthy, smelled terrible, and when I went to the fish section I found a gourami dead on the floor. I realize fish jump, but are you honestly telling me they pay so little attention that they not only leave the top of the tank open but also do not check on the fish to see they have made an escape?

Then the second store I went to was clean, but the tanks were poorly stocked. The very first tank in the store had about 15 female bettas and 10 red crabs. The poor bettas were being ripped to shreds (by each other and the crabs). I wanted to take them all home, but I have nowhere to put them and was unsure if I could save them even if I did bring them home. I always thought the death cups were bad, but seeing that was 10x worse.

And of course the staff gets annoyed when someone walks in who actually knows what they are talking about and questions them...

I just needed to share this with everyone. I am feeling misserable thinking about all of it

Shadowbeam

Even picturing that is awful....makes me really sad to see places you should be able to trust treating animals like that...and not caring. Makes you feel sad that some places treat thier animals as just 'things for sale'.
*hugs* I would have hated to have seen that

DRock914

That's horrible. I got a chain store by me that was great 15-20 years ago but the owner retired and sold it to some kid and now it looks like a fish dungeon. The tanks don't look like they have been cleaned since he took over and there are lots of dead fish floating in the tanks. At least at this store the guy is willing to talk but do you really want his advice lol. Lots of LFS's are better than chains but not all.

sirdarksol

It happens, I live in a metro area that has something like a dozen LFS (not counting the LPS; Local Pet Stores), and I'll only go to four of them (and one of the LPS). Some of the places are just hideous. To one of the stores, their fish are quite obviously decorations and sources of income... nothing more. The tanks there are super heavily stocked, and there are several dead fish in each tank, and yet the water is always amazingly crystal-clear. Another store, literally one block away, is quite the opposite. The tanks are all moderately stocked (except for the livebearer tanks, but that can't be helped ), the bettas are kept in breeder boxes in the primary tanks (not ideal, but a far cry better than in unfiltered bowls), and everything is clean clean clean. Guess which one I go to.

iloveengl

When I first moved here, the only lfs I found was very new and looked pretty nice at first glance - very exciting. When I went inside, I found fish far too large for their tanks (and too large for aquaria, imo), dead floating fish, those half-gallon plant vases being sold as betta bowls for $10 each, and so on. For the longest time, I was doing my shopping at Walmart because it was actually the better alternative, which is really pathetic.

A few months ago, I found a hole-in-wall dive of a fish store. Kinda scary going in, but I found that the fish were in species only (or compatible) tanks, brackish fish were in brackish tanks, and the owner was telling a girl not to buy any fish and not to even consider breeding until she cycled the tank and bought basic necessities like a filter and heater. The owner is awesome. He also takes in unwanted pets, which is extremely important in a campus town with 20,000 impulsive college kids. I got my Melvin, my bumble bee gobies, and my honey gouramis from him, and all are beautiful and thriving.

It's disgusting when you find places like some we mentioned, but it's so encouraging to see store owners who do care. I can only hope people shop at a store based on quality of care and knowledge, not shallow appearances.

speed0factory

i must be lucky to have a good nearby LFS in my place, they are really expert in keeping fishes and the place is always clean and the fishes also look happy and fine.
the only thing which isn't that good is that they only have a few type of fishes.
sometime they really give me some good advise on which type and the number of fish i could keep in my tank.

peacemaker92

I have TOO many LFS to choose from. I literally have to choose which one to go to just to get specific and certain stuff. I've never seen any of my LFS with such poor service and poor fish keeping ever. But there are a few of them who don't really care about cleanliness. The floors would be wet, some areas of the shop would be dusty.

I'm so sorry there are such careless LFS in the US. Very hard to imagine those kind of situations. I wish there were better caring people who can take over these poor reputation LFS.

Tavel

That's dissapointing, I've noticed a lot of small stores just don't seem to care anymore...as if people will choose them just because they're "the little guy."


Petsmart seems to really be turning it's act around, at least in my region. The exotic animals section is immaculate (that includes fish). They once wouldn't sell fish for 2 weeks because they just installed a new filter. They ALWAYS ask what you've got in your tank when you buy fish...and they just won't sell you any if you're buying a new aquarium.

(It took me a while to convince them I was buying the tank as a gift, and the fish for my established tanks ;-D)

They even took one of the top employees and promoted him to manage the exotics at ANOTHER petsmart. It's not just that one store, someone in the corporate underbelly is actually emphasizing quality service.

Amazing, but true!

iloveengl

Tavel, I also have a fantastic Petsmart in my area. It's a bit far to drive unless I need something special, but when I got there it's always great: knowledgeable workers, very clean, the fish look very healthy.

In my area, I would choose big business over that one cruddy little shop any day. I hope more chain stores take notice of this kind of success and work to better their fish and pet areas.

DRock914

The petsmart by me is great too. I agree that they always ask what you have in your tank. I even over heard them tell a customer that the catfish in their store are too small to go with full grown cichlids and they recommended a store that sells larger catfish. They will also explain to you how to sex about 85% of their fish. The LFS I mentioned above couldn't even tell me what kind of synodontis catfish they were selling. Luckily I have over 10 stores in the area and I never have to go to him.

Lucy

I'd hardly be able to control myself.

Amanda

The Petsmart near me in TERRIBLE.
I went there yesterday & they had a Midas with only one eye.
I really wanted to buy it, but it would beat up my Oscars.
And they have a BAD ICH infestation.

nater

I have just one LFS in my town, as well as 2 petcos and a petsmart. One of the petcos and the petsmart aren't too bad for box stores. The bad petco always has dead fish in their dirty tanks, fish beat up from others in the tank and the employees there are never around when you have a question or need something.
The LFS is pretty good. It's clean and most of the people there know a lot about the fish which is nice. However when I read your post it made me think about the last time I was there my wife. She asked a newly hired girl there to get a male sword tail from one of the tanks. Her response, "which one's are the males?" I lol'ed but knew she would get better.