Missing Betta in Petco and Petsmart

Anyone else run across this? I was in two different Petcos in the northern Detroit suburbs and a Petsmart in Port Huron over the weekend. All of the Betta shelves were empty except for two females in one of the Petcos. Has there been a disease outbreak at the supplier level, some type of shipping disaster, something else? Anyone know?

 

Actually at the Petsmart I work at we had ALL of our females suddenly drop dead. Nobody could figure out why. Just one day I came in and they were all belly up. No males suffered though

 

Also ALL PetSmart Betta's come from the same supplier in Thailand. They get flown to a DC or Distribution Center.. then trucked to a store. So there could quite possibly be something wrong with the Thailand supplier

 

Buy local whenever possible. Or at least from your own country--the fish will be less tired at least and more likely to survive the trip to your tank.

 

yep a lot of diseases are coming from petsmart now I seen about 6 bettas in terrible condition even with clean cups they take a turkey bastor and clean them every day or 2 and my guppys from there just keep going under along with some dinos

 

Well, I have one each a Petsmart Betta and a Petco betta. Had both for well over a year now. In fact, most of my current fish have been from these two stores, as well as many of my plants.

The biggest problem with fatalities in the past year plus was from the two sets of Pygmy Corys that I got from the specialist aquatics store that I've used for years. Sometimes it seems like the luck of the draw.

Unfortunately there aren't many choices within an hour of my house, so I have to travel for fish.

 

have you tryed mail ordering them there are many wonderful breeders here

 

I'm not looking to buy any right now, just noticed the shelves were bare and was wondering if anyone had heard what was up. I probably could have asked at the store, but that would have been too easy.

 

oh lol ok than just putting it out there but I did make a point to ask a few questions about the store too like why did they attempt to "hide" the sick fish behind the fish tank oriments section of the store all I got was ummm no we didnt... so ya

 

I agree with Endlercollecter in the desirability of buying locally bred fish, if at all possible.
As she points out, they will have undergone significantly less travel stress (trauma?), and having been bred locally, are pre acclimated to your water in all likelihood, even to the point of spawning in it.
As well, it seems that on occasion the sheer size of some operations are conducive to outbreaks of disease.
I do, on occasion, buy wild caught, but that is for a specific purpose--to better the quality of breeding stock, or to find fish simply unavailable otherwise, and it invariably leads to a longer quarantine, and treating for parasites, among other things.-----rick

 

Just today I stopped by a Petsmart and a Petco that aren't very close to our house but are at least in our county as I've been wanting some plants. Well, I couldn't help but look at the fish (especially one that was in the plant tank), and, oh, ugh. 2 very sick rosy barbs, their mouths and noses all ulcerated, some pathetic platys, and a shimmying little koi. Depressing.

The "disease free" plants weren't what I was looking for (ie., less than very difficult), and the ones that only promised to be disease free were ones that I already have or else terrestrial plants.

I walked out even though they had some very nice looking Bettas in a number of shapes and color combinations that I'd not seen in a chain LFS around here. But I wasn't tempted because I'm waiting for one of LetDiceFly's babies!