Is Anyone Having Long Term Success With Petsmart Fish. Question

I'm trying to figure out why I've had 2 fish end up with dropsy. They occurred almost 5 months apart. I have some ideas of what could have cause this and I really don't want to talk about it because it's really upsetting. What I wanted to know is if other people are having simular issues.

I read somewhere that it isn't always your fault and genetics and condition can cause early death in bettas. I'm not going to buy anymore fish from pet smart. I don't recommend it.

 

I buy fish from them. No problems, I only get fish from ANY pet store if they at least look healthy. If they look sick or the tanks not up to par I won't get them that day. But sure I've gotten fish from them with good results as from most of the other pet stores.

 

i've had my feeder comets for 10 months. and a blue oranda for 5 weeks.

there are many factors that contribute to fish death. some we can control, some we can't.

 

i've had a petsmart guppy die on me 2 months after purchase, and there were no signs of sickness. the water parameters were perfect, there weren't any bullies, and i saw nothing concerning on his body. i still don't know why he died.

 

I got a betta from petsmart over a year ago and he's still doing well. I try to avoid Petsmart though--there are other local-type stores that just take better care of the fish.

 

Yeah, I am sort of sad to say most of my fish in my 75 gallon came from Petsmart besides the Rainbows but Hey! They are still alive and thriving after 1-3 years depending on when I bought them and I love them! I used to never quarantine...especially from a big box petstore like Petsmart, it was a bad idea. I don't recommend Petsmart or Petco like some other people but I do love going there to get supplies.

 

Then why are you sad to say you got them from petsmart if they are alive and well?

 

Guppies have a disease much like neon tetra that has no real signs where they just drop off. Some live on, some don't. I wouldn't feel too bad over it, though it does suck to lose a fish no matter what.

There is nothing inherently wrong with getting fish from big chain stores, some are quite good.. some not so great. The workers there don't go through professional training but there is some good folk out there in the trade trying to make a difference. Mom and pop stores are hit and miss, this is why it is so important for us to support one another and help in research. Rather than say "Here let me google that for you", we give help because people go to other people that have that experience to pick at that knowledge.

It's important to QT anything. Plants, guppy, feeder, betta, only fish, 104th fish, snail, shrimp, etc.

What I mainly look for in fish when buying:
-fin conformation
-fin condition
-body condition
-overall appearance/health
-if the fish is eating
-OTHER tank mates if they look sickly

Of course, I keep in mind where it will go after QT if it's compatible, and all that good stuff.

 

I buy all of my fish online from home breeders every time I buy fish from stores something happens to them they either get sick or die from stress.

You can even get good fish on ebay the shipping his high but the quality is way better.

 

Yeah I guess that came out a little wrong, I love the heck out of my fish but at the time I bought them, I really didn't know what kind of company I was supporting and how they ship animals in specifically fish and how they treat them. I definitely don't regret buying my fish at all but I just probably won't be buying fish from Petsmart again unless they look in perfect condition and I was dying to buy the certain type of fish.

 

Many times, Petsmart and Petco use the same vendors as local pets stores.

LFS's though have more flexibility in their choice of vendors, especially when using local breeders.

Check out this link to Segrest Farms website and you can type in your zip code then use drop down box and put the largest mile radius. They are one of the largest distributors in the U.S.

That linked page will show you any store that Segrest sells to.

My zip shows Petco, Petsmart and 2 LFS's on my area they supply to.

When I get fish from big box store, I try to get them from tanks without dead fish or with Ich, and choose from a batch that appear healthy. I also throw them in a QT for 10-14 days before putting them in general population.

 

I have worked at many pet stores. I have received much fish. They get shipped much like how breeders ship them out, the Petco that I worked at as well as a few others got their betta from Korea and other fish from overseas, much like you would online for many fish as some species are just not in the states. I am not saying some are bad, there will always be good stores, good shippers and so on. Just as there will be bad, one store I worked at the delivery guy was horrible and we actually had him replaced for the sake of our fish. Just some food for thought.

 

It's a hit-or-miss with me.

 

lol, that made me laugh, bc i work in corrections.

 

I have a black neon tetra approaching on four and one approaching three years both from Petsmart the worst I’ve had were they’re guppies suck and my zebra danios came with genetic defects

 

All my fish but 2, have come from Petsmart and I have never had a problem. Probably, like anything else, some stores are better and some are worse. Just need to shop around until you find a store you are comfortable with. The worst experience I ever had was actually in an independent lfs. Now I know, won't ever go back to that store.

 

My petsmart has awful looking tanks, I am scared to buy fish from there for fear of some random bacterial or fungal infection blossoming post purchase.

 

I buy fish from petsmart all the time, and have had long term sucess with them. The one right by me is pretty good, and they have knoweledge workers. The one the next town over is the exact opposite. I think it really just depends on the particular store. Where i live, just about every chain, as well as mom and pop store gets their fish from the exact same place, a few hours away, so i choose to go to petsmart, where the prices are usually less expensive, and the tanks are well maimtained.

 

Aside from a couple Otto Cats and a couple SAE all of my fish have come from Petco and Petsmart with good survival rates. I started with 3 guppies close to 2 years ago and now i have about 10 generations from those 3. The 3 originals have since passed but their name will live on in my tanks for many years!! My only bad experience that i can recall was when i got 5 panda cory and 2 died within a week but then again the Pandas have had a bad run lately from seeing the threads around here they are not the most hardy. but my 6 pepper corys from petco have all been with me well over a year and are big plump goofy and happy!!

Thanks for the link to Segrest Farms. I typed my Zip in and sure enough all the places i've gotten fish from are from there very cool!!

 

Agreed. The PetSmart near me doesn't have healthy looking tank conditions; however, the Petco near me seems to have pristine conditions (for a chain retailer). I think it depends on the individual locations.