It's not just Colorado, at the union city Petco here in the Bay Area in Ca I recently saw a quarter sized blue tang with full blown velvet in a sales tank, it looked like he was dipped in sugar and swimming into the pump return, the other fish in the tank were glancing on the decorations as well. I almost bought it just to humanely euthanize it. I talked to the clerk and pointed out the situation and recommended they dose there whole SW system with Cupramine, they had it right there on the shelf. The kid said the "fish guy" was off that day and that he would tell him when he came in the next day. Ughhh!
Yep. Which is why I would not so much as to buy a pencil from those bozos.
Saw a yellow tang in one if their tanks once - it was so pale it was white, flailing around on the bottom so much because the poor thing had a power head blasted in its face putting out current with so much force a Great White would have keeled over in there. The kid (he couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen) said " we don't know what's wrong with him but hopefully all this oxygen flow will help him". I shook my head and walked out, empty handed.
NO knowledge of the animals they are keeping, NO consideration for their welfare and NO system in place to ensure their livestock product goes to the customer in good quality and disease free. It's not just Petco either. It's ALL those anonymous big box chain pet stores. Pure marine disease factories.
But like many, I was stupid enough to go to Petco about four or so years back too. Bought a feather duster from them, thought it was perfectly okay - and safe thinking inverts don't get ich. Or carry it.
WRONG!! *buzzer*
Within one week after putting it in my tank, one of my seven fish had white spots on his fins. Within a week after that, I had NO fish left; my tank had been wiped out and I had to start over.
The WORST nightmare I had in this hobby - the hairs on my skin STILL bristle at writing this!
![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Now I only buy livestock from my LFS in town (the owners I have known for years) or I order pre-quarantined WYSIWYG fish and corals from BLUE ZOO or LIVE AQUARIA! And I put them in my QT tank for a month in addition to that as well.
I haven't had ANY issues with these stores and now my fish in my tank are doing great!
So do yourselves a favor, folks - NEVER buy ANY fish, invert or coral from ANY big box pet chain. You'll save yourselves a LOT of grief and heartache, not to mention in HEADACHES!