quality of fish

[brady816]

I was wanting to know what people thought of the quality of fish from PET CO, PETSMART, or from a saltwater fish store. The reason is i bought 2 damsels from petsmart for $3.00 dollars and when i was there i seen like 6 dead fish floating.. Now one of my fish is looking sick. He is loosing his bright blue color.. Its not a big deal its just $3.00 but i dont want what the fish has to stay in the tank..Im getting the 2 fish i set the tank up for friday. So should i just take them out and give them back to petsmart???

 

[shallowreef]

I would for sure. They just don't know how to keep saltwater fish. Plus i think there suppliers suck too! I hardly ever see a healthy looking fish at a petco or petsmart.

 

[brady816]

should i do like a 20 gal water change then or should i just keep doing what i have been doing 10 gal every other week. i have a 55 gal

 

[Krish]

That's a toughy...I never actually paid any attention to the fish in Petsmart or Petco when I've been to the US. If there was 6 dead in tank that you got yours from, I would be a little concerned especially if you had one die in your tank as well. It could be that they just don't take care of their wish all that well why they died and your one was just too far gone, but then again, you can't help but to wonder if it isn't a disease. I guess that's why people quarentine their fish for a few weeks just to be safe. I'm sure there are others here that have experience with buying from Petco and can shed more light on the subject

 

[sytnom]

I've bought from petco with pretty good results, however I never buy a fish that looks sick and if the ones in the same tank look sick, I don't buy anything from that tank (or bank of tanks if it's on the same filtration system). Our local petco fish dept manager is pretty knowledgable, and he likes his job and cares about the fish (at least more than other pet store operators I'v met). They still don't care what you buy, if they are compatible, or whether or not you know how to care for them. They just want to sell you stuff. You as the buyer have the responsibility to ask questions about the livestock, and to beinformed about what you are planning on buying - BEFORE you buy it. No two pet stores are alike, including different petco's. Hope that helps in the future.
Monty

 

[tike]

I have bought marine fish from petco many ...many..times with good results . I feel it is up to you to examine the tank and fish carefully before you purchase. I do this even at the LFS that sells marine only, actually i have lost more fish from here then at petco . I don't believe they "don't take care of their fish" remember most marine fish come from the wild and are put thru many stressy situations that can cause their immune system to faulter.

Typically before I purchase any fish I examine it for about 30 mins. I also examine tank mates and if any show the slightest signs of abnormal health i pass on them.



willie