PetCo vs. PetSmart? Which is better?

the petco in my area is much better then the petsmart, they are vary clean the tanks are usly clean if there not its b/c they have a new pet going in them that will clean them up i've seen them adding fish and such to clean the tank up from algae and such. the petsmart people are the worst you ask them a question they always say you'll have to find out your self or not even answer... but most cases they have more fish, just as clean as the petcos tanks just there people are rude and don't know much of any thing... I go to a place call "that fish place" they are the best I have been too they know just about every thing you want to ask them from what can go in a tank with one another with out having to read up on it on your own and they will show you what you need to take care of every fish and they have the cleanest tanks I have seen and there is over 40 poeple working there at one time its like a ware house for fish stuff and pets the cheapest prices for a 265gal tank its only like $900 and at petco and petsmart its $1200, fish are very well kept the, i've been there like 5 times (its about 45 miles from me so I don't go there often) and there was not one dead fish in a tank. they also I have 7 biolagist there that have there own tanks there to take care of and teach customers from. its really sweet

 

They're too busy watching for falling prices!!

8)

yea, but antigravity at wallyworld makes them fall up...

 

I actually noticed.... the wal-mart in my town did USED to have fish... but now they use it for the garden section..

However, in the KNIFE section, they have them all in a case. What is lining the bottom of the case? Blue Fishy Gravel!! hahaha guess they had some leftovers...

One evil Walmart fish section down, who knows how many to go. I went past the tanks at my Local Evilmart and there was a big sign that said "No Fish Sales this side of display". The water was almost white it was so cloudy. Disgusted I asked the stocker lady what was going on. Someone dumped a bottle of shampoo and some liquid soap into the goldfish section of their multidisplay tank. 500 abused fish were killed. The worst part is that they had koi and some comets still in other parts of the multidisplay. You could hardly see them. So sad.

 

i'm shocked that could happen - wallyworld ALWAYS has so many employees around to watch things and help customers wondering what the mystery price is on an item (and the 1 price scanner in the store being hidden someplace on the other side )...

 

Price scanner? They have a price scanner......lol They keep the fish next to the freakin shampoo isle. The rest of the pet stff is on the other side of the store.

 

ours just has about 3' of fish supplies on the end of an aisle.. they used to have more, then they 'remodeled' the store and now that's all.

 

One evil Walmart fish section down, who knows how many to go. I went past the tanks at my Local Evilmart and there was a big sign that said "No Fish Sales this side of display". The water was almost white it was so cloudy. Disgusted I asked the stocker lady what was going on. Someone dumped a bottle of shampoo and some liquid soap into the goldfish section of their multidisplay tank. 500 abused fish were killed. The worst part is that they had koi and some comets still in other parts of the multidisplay. You could hardly see them. So sad.

That sux, well, did the goldfishes survive?? I mean, you can put them into acid and they'll still survive!!

 

knowing how much walmart cares for their fish, i'm sure they were in no hurry to get them out and if any survived the shampoo, they probably didn't survive the clean up.

 

knowing how much walmart cares for their fish, i'm sure they were in no hurry to get them out and if any survived the shampoo, they probably didn't survive the clean up.

Where in FL are you?? I say we open up our own FS!!!

 

lol, we're by Jax but moving out to Denver in a month or so.

 

lol, we're by Jax but moving out to Denver in a month or so.

well, pooie to you!!!

 

lol, we're by Jax but moving out to Denver in a month or so.

That soon already

My petco is great, the guy that is there most of the time is really helpful and knows about fw and sw. I went there once when he wasn't there and I asked a lady a question and she told me to wait until he got back from his lunch break in about 5 minutes to get a better answer. I also like that you can buy small pieces of driftwood with a live plant for 5-6$ that's in water at the store. My petsmart is also fairly good though it's farther away so I don't go much except when they have a internet sale and I print off the ad and bring it in and they give me that price I have a lot of other stores such as petsupermarket, pet supplies plus, plus 5 other privately owned stores.

 

Which place has healthier bettas. I'm starting a betta sorority and I need healthy bettas. I have dine mu research on sororities I just don't know where to get my bettas from.

 

It varies on a store to store basis. However, if you want high quality bettas you'd be better off ordering them.

 

I have gotten some wonderful bettas from Petco. Agreed it varies by store, but you can get some good quality bettas from them too.

 

Health will vary from store to store, but I do agree that Petco generally has prettier, more colorful bettas. If you're wanting show quality, or colorful female bettas, I'd suggest ordering online from a breeder. You could probably get a decent package deal this way if you're planning on a sorority.

 

The Petcos in my area keep bettas in slightly larger cups than Petsmart which I feel can really impact levels of stress and therefore the health of your potential fish. They also seem to have a wider variety of colors and tail types.

 

I started keeping clippings of wisteria in the cups at my Petco. But it just depends on what they ship us. We get some that are healthy and vibrant, and sometimes some that aren't in great shape and being in an uncycled cup doesn't help. I would look at each fish individually, you can healthy fish from either.

 

A small privately owned pet store near me has a really neat setup where the cups are all attached via a water system which constantly trickles fresh water through their cups. Needless to say, they always look really good! Would love to see the big pet stores go that way.

 

A small privately owned pet store near me has a really neat setup where the cups are all attached via a water system which constantly trickles fresh water through their cups. Needless to say, they always look really good! Would love to see the big pet stores go that way.

That would be amazing

 

My local petco had started putting their betta fish in their community tanks. One betta per tank. I picked my female because she was in the tank playing in the water from the filter. I saw a giant betta (male) swim up to the filter intake and allow himself to be sucked up to the intake, I was a bit worried, until he easily swam away. I saw my female do this once at home. They are entertaining. Sorry I can't t answer your question but I think others are right, look for the healthiest fish.

 

A small privately owned pet store near me has a really neat setup where the cups are all attached via a water system which constantly trickles fresh water through their cups. Needless to say, they always look really good! Would love to see the big pet stores go that way.

I have two near me that do this. I really prefer it, and I think stores can actually purchase this type of betta display. Near me, PetSmart has the better selection of bettas, but Petco definitely has the healthier fish. I will not buy bettas from my local PetSmarts because I really can't support the way they handle them, even though they do have a bigger selection.

 

I prefer Petsmart personally, only because the Petco in my area is disgusting. You can't even see the fish through the algae and it smells like poop. However my local Petsmart fish employees are clueless. I have bought 2 Betta from them before and they lived very well. If your local Petco is clean and well maintained, and has a good selection, I say give them a chance.

 

I would say where I live and you go within a couple of days after they arrive than petco far outshines the petsmart in our area. Our pet supermarket my local go to fish store only ever get red and blue bettas and very few at a time. Alison

 

Petsmart

 

I think it varies depending on the town. Where I live, Petco is pretty bad. Chain stores in general tend to have unhealthy bettas, but the Petco near me was especially filthy. Petsmart is a bit better, but as mentioned previously still kinda unhealthy compared to the LFS. Petsmart staff was a bit more knowledgeable too, the fish guy at Petsmart recommends 3-5 gallons for a betta and discourages the purchase of those betta kits, vs my Petco where the lady working there didn't even know the difference between a nerite snail and the pest snails that come from live plants. The Petco in a close by city is amazing though (even has properly labeled dragon scales) so I think it's just my town which is terrible.

 

in my area, petsmart and petco are pretty much the same, but I am leaning toward petsmart because of their over all clean and healthy appearance. their betta cups are always much cleaner then my petco's

 

I think, if you have the ability and inclination, you should go to each one and ask questions to see for yourself which you like better.

I live smack in the middle of the city, and I've had the privilege of driving around town to various shops. Where I live, the Petsmarts are just awful. No one knows anything, and I've received some very, very bad advice.

My Petcos are better, but it depends on who you speak to. I feel most comfortable with the Petco 20 minutes from my house, but I only talk to one specific person. I don't know much about bettas, but at my favorite Petco, the bettas look good, there is a large variety, and even though they're kept in those cups, they have a special display area with dividers so they don't see each other.

 

There is so much regional variation...around here I'd buy fish from Walmart before Petco.

The fish at our Petsmart are healthy but the employees there INTERROGATE you for a good 15 minutes before selling you fish and although I appreciate them making sure people are properly equipped I don't like having to go through it.

I would recommend looking for a non-chain store or if you must do a chain go several times over a period of time and inspect the fish to see how they look. Our Petco has regular bad ick outbreaks.

 

Those are the only two pet stores in my town and I was wondering which was better to get fish from. I’ve had really mixed feelings on both and I was wondering what others thought..

 

It depends on the locations. Look at the fish and look for any diseases, misinformed staff, amd costs. For my area, the Petco is mich much better than the petsmart.

 

PetSmart there more knowledgeable there friendlier in the fish I buy over there don't die as easily and I don't know why

 

I'd figure out a good LFS store within an hour or two and get fish there. Just get supplies at Petsmart/Petco.

 

Any big box store is usually terrible to get good fish from. However, every now and again, one will employ someone with a passion for the hobby. This can happen at either of the stores you listed. There is no way for us to give you a good recommendation without visiting them both. If you don't mind taking a short trip, this place may be close to you...

 

I agree, even if you got to drive an hour or two to get to LFS it is worth it! Box stores carry much more diseases in their tanks, get only supplies from them.

 

I’ll see if I’m able to. I got a guppy from PetCo when I began my tank and he’s perfectly healthy, noticed nothing wrong with him, but two fish I’ve gotten from PetSmart have died and I hadn’t been able to pinpoint anything to them dying so quickly.

I just picked up a guppy from PetSmart yesterday and he’s already near death! He has clear fin rot and is struggling to swim. If it had been a couple of days I had him, I could see where it would be my problem, but it’s been a day. Barely that, even

 

My local Petco is much better than my Petsmart, so if I can't make the 3 hr round trip to my LFS that's where I go. Agreed with above commenters - visit both places if you can, see what sort of advice staff give you and how healthy/clean the tanks look.

 

My local Petco is much better than my Petsmart, so if I can't make the 3 hr round trip to my LFS that's where I go. Agreed with above commenters - visit both places if you can, see what sort of advice staff give you and how healthy/clean the tanks look.

I’m gonna go back to PetCo again and see, the experience I had when I bought the tank was much better than all the times i’ve gone to PetSmart. The worker there actually knew what he was talking about and helped informed me

 

I only have a Walmart in my area that sells fish. I make sure to look and really watch the tanks that they are in. Look for any signs of odd behavior or disease.

Ive been super lucky with pepper cories from them. Not so much with brozen or ablino...

 

I must agree that petco is far better than petsmart in my area. Last time I went to petsmart they had a tank with dozens of dead ghost shrimp in it and then many other ill and near dead fish in the other tanks. Plus their bettas almost always look pretty sad.

Petco on the other hand usually has very few ill fish and when they do have them they will stick an "under observation" sticker on that tank. Their bettas are always in better condition too. Then there's their plant and fish selection which is very nice and I am never disappointed.

As for the employees and their knowledge about fish, I've only met a few staff who could speak fish. One guy in particular tried getting me to buy some lovely jewel cichlids he bred himself. Plus he was rather attractive, but I find anyone who can talk fish a person of interest