Im really PO'd

[JCR]

I just bought 5 Angel fish this past Wed from Petco. The last one died today. So, from Wed. to Sunday, 5 Angel fish died. Dead, deadsky.
Now.. I checked all my water parameters and everything is normal. Should I go to Petco and demand my $ money back, or should I let it go and move on...

 

[Radcliffe]

Go and try to get your money back- I was in our local one last night and the guy told me there was a 15 day guarantee. Now, I hadn't heard that before, but it is worth a shot!

 

[Luniyn]

No need to demand, as Radcliffe said most of them have a good return policy. Most of the time I just as them for store credit since I know I will end up using it one way or another but with a receipt they will give you the money back.

The only thing I question (not that it matters for the return reasons, but I'm wondering what the reason is) is why did they all die. Any other fish in the tank start to act any differently (i.e. they caught something from the angles)? Or were there any visible marks, red areas, etc. on the angles that you noticed once they died? If there was nothing wrong with the fish, then how about the way you introduced them to the tank. Did you just float the bag and then add them right in or did you slowly add a little bit of tank water to the bag over the course of an hour and then put them in the tank? Did they seem to have a healthy appetite? Were they active until they died? Just want to be sure there isn't anything we are missing here as to the reason they died, so if it's something that can be avoided in the future.

 

[COBettaCouple]

Yea, Petco should refund you for the angels. Hopefully they were in a q. tank and not in contact with any other fish?

 

[shollia]

Yeah, most petstores.. specially the large chain ones offer that 14day return thing.
Just gotta have your receipt.

As Luniyn asked... gotta see why they died. Were they acting weird before they died? Is that store's tanks clean, healthy?

If you don't already, you really need to get yourself a quarantine tank if Petco is the only place you're able to get fish. Since most places like that don't give a rat's butt where they get their fish, and the health of their fish, you don't want to go introducing new fish from there into your main tanks.

 

[JCR]

Thanks guys for your posts.

Here is the thing.. my friend Jose, who also posts on fishlore, just told me that I would have to freeze the carcasses and bring them to petco as proof. Is that true? I hope not. And my freezers busted so I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway.

So, when I got them.. I acclimated them using a really thin piece of rubber tubing. I used the drip method for about an hour. I put them in my tank and they ended up hanging out at the bottom corner. I figured its something fish do when they first are introduced to a new tank. I got really worried when I fed them. They wouldn't eat. I just read somewhere that a sign of them not eating is because of poor water conditions. My water is fine. At least I think it is. The pH may be a little too high (7.5) but I also heard that they would adjust to it.

So I am trying again and I bought a pair at New World Aquarium where I bought all of my other fish, which are doing fine. I hope these guys make it.

thanks again for all your help.

J

 

[Jimold]

JCR,
my guess why they died was stress... unfortunately no-one knows what they go thru getting to the pet store, and if they just got in before you bought them, then there's the added stress of going from the store to your ouse. I've had some that did the same thing... they seem fine, but then die for no apparent reason the next day.

 

[xxthrwitdwnxx]

hi im suggesting u try petsmart i go there all the time for fish supplys everyone is expericed i dont like petco cause when i go i always find dead fish everytime and i meen 20 Plus in 3 to 4

 

[vin]

PetCo's policy is 15 days - but here's the catch - you're supposed to have a receipt, water sample and - the fish.......I would think that as long as you have the receipt they'd give at least a store credit.....You have to remember that their position is one of 'they were healthy when they left' and they have no idea how long it took you to add them to your tank, how you added them to your tank or if they really died in the first place....

 

[nmwierman1977]

I've never fully trusted petco as far as the care of their fish. I don't think they care for them as much as Petsmart does. Everytime I've ever gone in there I would check out their Bettas and I would find a few dead.Same with their tanks. i just don't think they take as good a care of them as Petsmart does. Nataalie

 

[COBettaCouple]

I've never fully trusted petco as far as the care of their fish. I don't think they care for them as much as Petsmart does. Everytime I've ever gone in there I would check out their Bettas and I would find a few dead.Same with their tanks. i just don't think they take as good a care of them as Petsmart does. Nataalie

yea, we were just there tonight.. quite a few dead fish and one tank that had every fish in distress from their poor water conditions, many dead fish being eaten up by the others since they'd been dead a while.. but then nobody is ever back there so i'm not surprised. Petsmart does do better than Petco.. i wish we had a petsmart instead of a petco in our little town.

 

[Luniyn]

My PetCo was pretty good at first, but just in the span of a few weeks has gone from prefect tanks without a single dead fish to having 1 or more in each tank. When I went to get my Dwarf Gourami I found 2 dead Gourami's floating at the top covered in snails. Needless to say I didn't buy my fish from there. I'm kinda mad too because I have a $30 credit there and not a clue what I'm gonna be able to use it on. They don't carry Seachem products (PetSmart does and that's where I went to get my Gourami) and their food options isn't all the impressive. Even though I bought my tank there, they didn't even have a stand, I had to go to PetSupermarket to get that. It's too bad it's the closest of all the pet stores around me.

 

[COBettaCouple]

yea, the food options are pathetic. maybe you can use it on stuff like bulbs, filter cartridges, thermometers, aeration equipment (if they have anything you'd want) or a bunch of bettas to rescue.

 

[SHPEPoser]

I would take them back if you have them. They will refund the money. I bet what happened is they just got the fish in when you purchased them. That is way too much stress on the fish. At my local Petsmart they dont like selling new fish until 2 days after they get them in. They are very friendly at petsmart and are good to the fish.

 

[vin]

I've never fully trusted petco as far as the care of their fish. I don't think they care for them as much as Petsmart does. Everytime I've ever gone in there I would check out their Bettas and I would find a few dead.Same with their tanks. i just don't think they take as good a care of them as Petsmart does. Nataalie

yea, we were just there tonight.. quite a few dead fish and one tank that had every fish in distress from their poor water conditions, many dead fish being eaten up by the others since they'd been dead a while.. but then nobody is ever back there so i'm not surprised.  Petsmart does do better than Petco.. i wish we had a petsmart instead of a petco in our little town.

It all depends upon where you go. There are two PetCo stores fairly close to me...One has a few knowledgeable fish keepers and their tanks are clean, nicely stocked and rarely a dead fish...The other, I wouldn't buy a sealed can of pet food from never mind a live animal...It's dirty and their tanks are kept in poor condition and the so called fish keepers know little to nothing....I'd written a post a while back about one kid who sold a woman a common pleco for her 10 gallon because she wanted an algae eater....When I stepped in and politely gave my advice to add couple of otos and explained why, the kid turned to me and said "Thanks, but she's looking for an algae eater, not a catfish." So there ya go.

It's all about buyer beware...If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck - it's a duck....