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Are Fish in Petco or Petsmart Good Quality
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IME it depends on the exact store. One petco near me is great, and they even carry Discus sometimes. Another Petco near me has dead or sick fish in nearly every tank. I only have one Petsmart near me and it’s ok, but I prefer to go to my local fish store instead of petco or Petsmart when I can.
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They're the only place I've ever gotten fish from, so I don't have much to say in terms of if they are good quality in comparison to other places, but I'd say it's worth a shot. Take a look, as whoever's working about how often they clean the tanks / if any of the fish have been having problems lately, also just paying attention to the fish's behavior and physical condition and knowing what to look for could help if Petco and Petsmart is the only place you can get fish from.
I'd suggest trying to find a local fish store if you can, though
I'd suggest trying to find a local fish store if you can, though
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One of my petcos is way more advanced in the fish section even though they still have their bettas in cups and the other petco has dead fish everywhere. I dont really go to my local petsmarts just because I havent seen anything good with them. The local fish stores around me are good as well but they also keep bettas in cups too.
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Some will say "Yes/No", as mentioned depends on the store and the person in charge. My first tank, I started with fish from a big "P" store, 5 Black Skirt Tetras. Surprisingly they survived my fumbling around and learning. But ... I have not purchased any in years, ever since I saw large open bottles of Ich cure right out there for everyone to see. Now I purchase from LFS's, Local Club members and breeders here on Fishlore.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
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Individual store. In my small city, I surprisingly have 6 Petco, 4 Petsmart, and 5 LFS writhin 15-30 minutes from one another.
I’ve been to all of them.
The best is a Petsmart and Petco. The Worst is a Petsmart followed by a LFS. Then there is everything in between. LFS doesn’t mean the best.
Just look around, look for cleanliness, disease free, feistiness of fish, few or no dead fish. Another good sign is species in tanks. Stores with incompatible species (like mixing cichlids with peaceful fish) is no good.
My favorite store has bettas spread out in community tanks rather than all in cups and their Otos/algae eaters and spread in groups among the tanks instead of all in one. I’d also spread out the goldfish. It’s smart, better for the fish, kept snails and algae minimum, fish happy and employees less worked - it’s what I used to do when I ran a store.
Another key point - After several visits over a period of time you’ll notice they have the same stock, familiar fish still doing well you saw a while ago and the store receives little inventory. Meaning they’re replacing what they’re selling, not replacing everything that has died. If you’re seeing completely new stock over a month - they likely aren’t selling all their fish that fast.
Speak with the rep, they won’t be professionals but should know basics. You’ll be a ale to tell, though knowledge from one person isn’t a tell all.
Get creative and ask questions.
I’ve been to all of them.
The best is a Petsmart and Petco. The Worst is a Petsmart followed by a LFS. Then there is everything in between. LFS doesn’t mean the best.
Just look around, look for cleanliness, disease free, feistiness of fish, few or no dead fish. Another good sign is species in tanks. Stores with incompatible species (like mixing cichlids with peaceful fish) is no good.
My favorite store has bettas spread out in community tanks rather than all in cups and their Otos/algae eaters and spread in groups among the tanks instead of all in one. I’d also spread out the goldfish. It’s smart, better for the fish, kept snails and algae minimum, fish happy and employees less worked - it’s what I used to do when I ran a store.
Another key point - After several visits over a period of time you’ll notice they have the same stock, familiar fish still doing well you saw a while ago and the store receives little inventory. Meaning they’re replacing what they’re selling, not replacing everything that has died. If you’re seeing completely new stock over a month - they likely aren’t selling all their fish that fast.
Speak with the rep, they won’t be professionals but should know basics. You’ll be a ale to tell, though knowledge from one person isn’t a tell all.
Get creative and ask questions.
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Agreed, you can only answer this question by going into the store and inspecting the tanks and fish. Are there dead and dying fish in the tank, are there pest snails and algae everywhere, etc. Also, get acquainted with their stock and delivery days and don’t take anything home if it just got to the store.
I personally do not buy fish from these stores myself, because I have seen delivery day and how bad a shape the fish often are when they come in.
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I'm the fish, reptile, mammal, and bird department manager at one of the larger Petsmarts in the company - we're #3 out of around 1,500 stores in live animal sales. I can confirm that we get all of our fish from the same sources that most of the LFS's around here get them from.
At our store, the main system gets treated with Ich-X twice a day. We bypass the carbon block on our filtration symptom for 4 hours (the maximum time it'll allow us to), so while the fish don't get the full dose they likely need, it's better than nothing. If we see a fish with ich, all the fish in the tank get moved to a sick tank in the back, where they're treated with 1 tbsp per gallon of salt and occasionally Methelyne Blue. If it's just a bacterial or fungal infection, we just move the affected fish to the sick tank. The salt will usually take care of it.
All of our betta cups get treated with 1/2 tbsp per gallon of salt, which we've found to significantly cut down on fish death and the amount of sick ones we get. They get their water changed twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday.
All of our tanks get completely deep cleaned at least once a week, and spot cleaned daily. We still get some diatom build-up, but I'd say it's rare for us to have a "dirty" tank. We use fake decor in most tanks, so we remove it all and soak it in bleach for a few hours, scrub it clean, and the soak it in water that's been dosed with a bunch of Stress Coat. Once they no longer smell of bleach, they're put back into tanks. This happens once a week as well.
The entire department (including the other animals in the store and all the dry goods associated with them) is run with 3 full-time employees and a few cross-trained part timers. So, there's definitely no excuse for the poor quality chain stores you see. A lot of the basic care is actually right there in Petsmart's internal guidelines, so believe it or not, the information the store has (while dated in most cases) is actually quite good. It's all about how the manager runs it.
At our store, the main system gets treated with Ich-X twice a day. We bypass the carbon block on our filtration symptom for 4 hours (the maximum time it'll allow us to), so while the fish don't get the full dose they likely need, it's better than nothing. If we see a fish with ich, all the fish in the tank get moved to a sick tank in the back, where they're treated with 1 tbsp per gallon of salt and occasionally Methelyne Blue. If it's just a bacterial or fungal infection, we just move the affected fish to the sick tank. The salt will usually take care of it.
All of our betta cups get treated with 1/2 tbsp per gallon of salt, which we've found to significantly cut down on fish death and the amount of sick ones we get. They get their water changed twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday.
All of our tanks get completely deep cleaned at least once a week, and spot cleaned daily. We still get some diatom build-up, but I'd say it's rare for us to have a "dirty" tank. We use fake decor in most tanks, so we remove it all and soak it in bleach for a few hours, scrub it clean, and the soak it in water that's been dosed with a bunch of Stress Coat. Once they no longer smell of bleach, they're put back into tanks. This happens once a week as well.
The entire department (including the other animals in the store and all the dry goods associated with them) is run with 3 full-time employees and a few cross-trained part timers. So, there's definitely no excuse for the poor quality chain stores you see. A lot of the basic care is actually right there in Petsmart's internal guidelines, so believe it or not, the information the store has (while dated in most cases) is actually quite good. It's all about how the manager runs it.
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An interesting read. But things might be different at least in my country Australia? We have just one importer of fish into the country. The importers web site is freely available to see what can be ordered from week to week.
Almost all shops in my city get a delivery of new stock on a Thursday morning. Some keep them overnight until they are for sale the next day Friday.
Some sell straight away and some have stock sitting in their tanks for weeks/ months. I would say all the stock in any shop is the same but it’s also possible for the shop to order corydoras as an example in small or large size.
Most mum and dad shops will take home breed stock from anyone with a reasonable reputation.
Club Auctions are a way around buying imported fish.
Its also possible to import fish yourself using a limited number of shops that have the license and quarantine facilities necessary for government regulations.Its not cheap with $300 per pea puffer as an example.
I have found a very limited selection available and if you what anything but the same old tetras you need to look at the importers web site and make a special order for no extra change.
The country big box chain stores ( Petbarn & Petstock) do tend to have more in the way of farmers dam fish .
I will happily travel 200 km to see a fish before I buy on line.
Almost all shops in my city get a delivery of new stock on a Thursday morning. Some keep them overnight until they are for sale the next day Friday.
Some sell straight away and some have stock sitting in their tanks for weeks/ months. I would say all the stock in any shop is the same but it’s also possible for the shop to order corydoras as an example in small or large size.
Most mum and dad shops will take home breed stock from anyone with a reasonable reputation.
Club Auctions are a way around buying imported fish.
Its also possible to import fish yourself using a limited number of shops that have the license and quarantine facilities necessary for government regulations.Its not cheap with $300 per pea puffer as an example.
I have found a very limited selection available and if you what anything but the same old tetras you need to look at the importers web site and make a special order for no extra change.
The country big box chain stores ( Petbarn & Petstock) do tend to have more in the way of farmers dam fish .
I will happily travel 200 km to see a fish before I buy on line.
Problem is, ordering fish isn't going to turn anything into a sure bet. You can still get a fish that doesn't ship well, or that carries a disease into your tank. I would just say - go look at the tanks, see if there are dead or dying fish, be sure to pick out active fish that look healthy and aren't swimming erratically or gasping for air, and if all looks good bring them home, acclimate them properly, and put them through a course of, for example, API General Cure. Honestly as much as I grumbled in my first post, my whole tank is happy and healthy and with only a couple exceptions it is stocked from Petsmart.
I also find ordering freshwater fish online can be problematic in terms of the cost of the fish vs. shipping. You'll end up paying $40 for a $7 fish. Saltwater fish makes more sense because with most stores it's unfortunately quite easy to cross a free shipping threshold, and there are more stores offering WYSIWYG.
I also find ordering freshwater fish online can be problematic in terms of the cost of the fish vs. shipping. You'll end up paying $40 for a $7 fish. Saltwater fish makes more sense because with most stores it's unfortunately quite easy to cross a free shipping threshold, and there are more stores offering WYSIWYG.
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ive ordered 5 snails and i think 8 cardinal tetras online. they mostly came fine. all snails alive. i lost one tetra .i think it was Liveaquaria.com. but there are other places i think
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Every single fish that I have in my tanks, I ordered online. The only ones that were sick and died on me in quaruntine, were the first batch of Kuhli Loaches that I bought locally. Just make sure to go to a reputable website. Plenty of threads on this site that can help determine which are reputable. I would highly suggest paying the extra for overnight delivery.
The stock that Petcos, Petsmarts and Mom and pops all receive, they get them shipped. Exactly the same way ordering online works. Being in Michigan, check the 5 day weather forecast before you order to make sure it won't be too cold while they're on their way (Coloradan, same thing).
The stock that Petcos, Petsmarts and Mom and pops all receive, they get them shipped. Exactly the same way ordering online works. Being in Michigan, check the 5 day weather forecast before you order to make sure it won't be too cold while they're on their way (Coloradan, same thing).
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I wouldn’t unless there aren’t any Petsmarts or petcos that have healthy fish. Ordering online usually goes well, but there’s still a risk of disease and you can’t see the fish you’re getting beforehand.
I would suggest treating the fish with levamisole once you get them. Camallanus worms are a big issue at some pet stores and often they can’t be seen until weeks after you brought the fish home, and by then the fish probably won’t be doing so good because of the worms.
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Petco experience is as follows : first 2 were variatus platys. Had them for about 2 months before they died. (They are really the only fish I had lost.) 1 albino BN pleco came and gave my entire tank ich. So that was was fun. My last were 2 male guppies to keep in a quarantine tank. They seem to be OK. I think it just depends on the stores. Check the tanks, ask questions about meds, quarantine, how long they've had them, etc. Would I buy anymore from them? Probably not as I have 2 good LFS near me.
A link that may be of interest to Aussies? Or anyone else with time on there hands. This is the complete list of fish available for all shops in Australia to purchase THIS WEEK. Simply asking any Petbarn ,Petstock , or any shop to get a fish from what is available this week is how it’s done down under.
https://www.aquariumindustries.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210305_StockBook.pdf
https://www.aquariumindustries.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210305_StockBook.pdf
Well, I would for sure have a quarantine tank for 5 weeks and proactively treat for ick and worms. I have successfully bought fish from both, I have also wiped out tanks of fish from disease brought in by them but never by lfs. I have had fish in quarantine have an aggressive form of ich that wiped out everything in quarantine. I have always treated ich successfully before then. Luckily, I had a quarantine tank. I wish i had always done a quarantine tank.
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Have a temporary Qt no matter where you are getting fish from. Even fish shipped in from another hobbyist (as stress can cause their immune system to weaken, causing them to get stress related or opportunistic diseases like fungal or bacterial), it is better to be safe than sorry and a temporary qt can be as simple as a sponge filter heater and a sterilite tote from walmart (as well as whatever hides/decor to make the fish feel safe with those being cleaned between uses) - ich is one of the easiest things to treat but you have to make sure if you use medication to do the full treatment (and ich can only be affected when in the free floating stage, not when it is on the fish, herbal style treatments prevent the parasite from being able to reattach onto fish).
No one store is inherently better than another, it depends on how much effort is going into by the people caring for it. Don't get fish right after they arrive (24hrs at the very least), not only are they stressed from shipping but also from going into what might be very different water. Yes, most pet stores get stock from the same suppliers, even a regular person can order from some supplier like segrest or sunpet (it just takes a huge chunk, I believe sunpet is 500$ minimum order for a regular person).
No one store is inherently better than another, it depends on how much effort is going into by the people caring for it. Don't get fish right after they arrive (24hrs at the very least), not only are they stressed from shipping but also from going into what might be very different water. Yes, most pet stores get stock from the same suppliers, even a regular person can order from some supplier like segrest or sunpet (it just takes a huge chunk, I believe sunpet is 500$ minimum order for a regular person).
Random Great Topic!
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