PetCo is terrible - Photos

[xtlosx]

It's Petco. I don't even maintain mediocre expectations when I go in there. Nevertheless, I've found they are not all like the conditions pictured above and I have some very healthy fish I purchased from Petco years ago.

In addition, I could take pictures similar to the ones posted in the scores of local fish stores I've visited that should be expected to have advanced knowledge and care protocols.

Fish get sick. Entire systems can become inundated with parasites and sometimes employees don't notice dead fish. Or they do notice and are busy at the moment, used to pulling dead fish on a regular basis, etc.

Unfortunately, it's just what happens when people turn animals into an industry for profit. Whatd'ya gonna do?

++1 on this above. Our local petco isn't that bad, but there is a LFS semi-close by that has the worst looking fish with popeye, high prices, and they don't do a thing about it. Just because they are Petco doesn't inherently make them bad. They get a bad rap because they are a chain store, there are a lot of them and they are more visible than the small stores out there that many never venture into. Instead of slamming Petco constantly on hundreds of threads, just highlight general store practices. Ich is everywhere and if you really expect your LFS to solve all your ich and parasite problems, you have your bar set too high.

 

[Fishfirst]

++1 on this above. Our local petco isn't that bad, but there is a LFS semi-close by that has the worst looking fish with popeye, high prices, and they don't do a thing about it. Just because they are Petco doesn't inherently make them bad. They get a bad rap because they are a chain store, there are a lot of them and they are more visible than the small stores out there that many never venture into. Instead of slamming Petco constantly on hundreds of threads, just highlight general store practices. Ich is everywhere and if you really expect your LFS to solve all your ich and parasite problems, you have your bar set too high.

That's the thing... they are a chain store. They do FAR more damage than your one LFS that is bad. Corporate is clueless about fish care in general, and do not give the tools for an experienced aquarist to make things better and even punish them if they try. Another issue is the way they devalue their fish. Devaluing the fish that they bring in by "working deals" with the wholesaler (they can do this because of their buying power) this encourages the wholesaler to "work deals" with the collector. The collector then "works deals" with the methods by which they collect with. Cyanide and other drugs make collecting fish much easier and more productive than using a hand net.
THAT is another problem with petco.

 

[claireputput]

Hi, it is heart breaking to see the lack of care that these fish seem to be getting. I would like to say that the Norman Oklahoma Petco has a wonderful saltwater department.

 

[Shawn O]

I visited a petco in Hanover, Ma that had a pretty good SW section and the guy working in it seemed pretty knowledgeable about the animals. The Petco in Quincy, Ma isn't too bad either, though some of the fish clearly had ich.

 

[mcfa2403]

Petco.com SW fish typically drop ship from quality marine, so to those frustrated by their website I am confused. As for the stores themselves I agree that the condition of many of the stores and the direction from their corporate office is deplorable.

However, I strongly suggest that people be careful about getting too high and mighty when it comes to this industry until talking to a few wholesalers. Three separate wholesalers that I have been able to talk to in an informal setting point to the fact that most saltwater death happens in transit and before they ever hit the LFS. The estimated rate of fish death to survival from capture to being released at the LFS for the average fish is 3:1 and realistically much higher.

In one instance customs destroyed a shipment of over 1000 specimens due to the possibility that one specimen was an illegal collection. The bags were simply cut open and thrown away.

Furthermore each wholesaler said that their business was driven by Walmart and Petco sales and that without them they could not afford to be in business (Petsmart runs their own center). This isn't to say I am happy with the situation or that what the do is responsible but rather that rendering judgement in this hobby is not practical and for the most part non productive.

I try not to kid myself into believing what I do is environmentally ethical but I do my best to help others be responsible with the specimens that do make it. I wish that this hobby didn't harm the environment but at the same time I understand that every time I drive my car, buy property, flip a light switch, take a shower and so on I damage the environment and yet that doesn't seem to keep me from living my life.

Basically my point is that I find no reason to target one specific bad thing about a hobby that is not entirely moral and focus on it. As for responsible reefing I prefer to focus on captive breeding programs, aquaculturing, and creating reefs/fish tanks that thrive rather than just survive.

 

[ajespo85]

I see Petco as an "adopt a pet" program. Most everything in there has seen better days. Honestly, if they have something I want, I'll get it, I'm saving that fishes life. Just QT the poor the thing.

 

[befire]

:angryfire:

The new PetCo in Lawton Oklahoma is absolutly terrible. The so called "Aquatic Expert" knows absolutly nothing about saltwater fish. All of their "corals" are all dead just sitting in a tank. Many of the fish are dead just rotting in the tanks, not to mention every single one of them has ich! That's right every saltwater fish in the store is coverd and has a very bad case of it. I managed to get some pictures of some of the fish without being too obvious since they were standing there watching me:

This is a dead trigger btw:

 

[befire]

I have a question about your illegal picture's from Petco do you got the copy rights of them if not got luck ,by the way this young Man you talk about knows what he dose and says , he has multiple 100g/55g/45g/75g/40g/30g/29g etc.fresh and saltwater tanks for years, i always go and by my fish from him, very good mannered young man,by the way you even go there all the time and talk to him and ask him for help , so tell me, who don't know's any thing about fish,hmm looks like that person is you 29gallon makes you an expert i see,before putting something out on the web get your fact's straight and take responsibilities for your action,sounds to me you dishonest.

 

[kevinrf]

I have a question about your illegal picture's from Petco do you got the copy rights of them if not got luck ,by the way this young Man you talk about knows what he dose and says , he has multiple 100g/55g/45g/75g/40g/30g/29g etc.fresh and saltwater tanks for years, i always go and by my fish from him, very good mannered young man,by the way you even go there all the time and talk to him and ask him for help , so tell me, who don't know's any thing about fish,hmm looks like that person is you 29gallon makes you an expert i see,before putting something out on the web get your fact's straight and take responsibilities for your action,sounds to me you dishonest.

Is English your first language? and did you just make your account to post on this thread?

 

[befire]

:furious::furious::furious:

The new PetCo in Lawton Oklahoma is absolutly terrible. The so called "Aquatic Expert" knows absolutly nothing about saltwater fish. All of their "corals" are all dead just sitting in a tank. Many of the fish are dead just rotting in the tanks, not to mention every single one of them has ich! That's right every saltwater fish in the store is coverd and has a very bad case of it. I managed to get some pictures of some of the fish without being too obvious since they were standing there watching me:

This is a dead trigger btw:

Completely agree, I don't understand how they are making money with all their livestock dying off. Pretty sure the saltwater department is in the red. Unless they trick enough people into buying a nice pretty tang covered with rare white dots for their brand new 10 gallon tank and some reef crystals.

 

[befire]

Is English your first language? and did you just make your account to post on this thread?

,no i have multiple, let me guess is yours, and no again, came a gross.

 

[kevinrf]

,no i have multiple, let me guess is yours, and no again, came a gross.

It's very difficult to figure out what you are trying to say.

 

[Fishfirst]

Lol copyright laws only pertain to images taken by the company... this is clearly taken by a cell phone.

 

[gone fishin]

It has been awhile since a petco thread roused the masses to indignity. No matter where people purchase their livestock, if they do not QT then they are playing with a loaded gun.

 

[reefgoddess808]

lol copyright laws only pertain to images taken by the company... This is clearly taken by a cell phone.

+1 lol

 

[Fish Biscuit]

In one instance customs destroyed a shipment of over 1000 specimens due to the possibility that one specimen was an illegal collection. The bags were simply cut open and thrown away.

I don't know where this happened, but illegal wildlife is seized & given to a museum/aquarium/zoo. FWS here gives most if not all aquatic wildlife to the Shedd. Wildlife is not killed because it is not imported legally, I find it hard to believe this happened knowing how things work here in Chicago.

 

[Fishfirst]

Then where are the Clipperton angelfish?

 

[Unome]

I used to work there, but not for long. I soon quit because of how they cared (or lack there of) for their animals. I was a supervisor w/ my store manager backing me and I tried to do things the right way with all the animals including the fish, but soon was reprimanded by upper management and corporate for not doing things the Petco way.

I even tried to approach it from a business aspect, I totaled the cost of the dead animals for a month over $1,000.00 and compared it to the next to $0 it would take to care for them properly and they refused. Instead they pulled me from animal care and replaced me with a Honduran who didn't speak English and made matters even worse.

I tried that once regarding their Bettas which they had in water that was almost BROWN.

I told the manager that keeping the animals water changed more frequently would lead to them living and being able to be sold(i.e. profit) versus dying(i.e. loss). I was given the old corporate spiel about their "procedures" concerning water changes and they were following company policy and "acceptable losses" and walked out.

 

[Titans_Reef]

It just depends on the petco you go to, I have 2 in my area which 1 likes to over populate the tank with corals and coral eating fish such as puffers, triggers, and angels. The other one is actually nice and clean with the fish actually being placed in different tanks regarding their species. That one petco I went to with the over populated tanks had a trigger eating a "carpet nem" which when I told them they did move the nem to another tank but it was far gone that im sure it died the next day. When I told them it was a bubble tip and not a carpet, they looked at me like if I didnt know what I was talking about and then told me it was a true carpet anemone and it was stressed out so it had bubble tips. Even at my LFS sometimes when they get a new shippment of fish and corals, some fish do not make it. They keep fish in the tanks for about 3 days until they sell them because they want to fish to relaxe and be healthier when sold. When I saw a sun coral upside down in their frag tanks, I told one of the workers which he didnt hesitate to run staight back and place it back on its spot the right way. It just depends on the workers there at any place they sell fish. There was a LFS that I never go to since they do not manage their tanks at all but my buddy sent me a picture of bubble algae on a rock for sale for $14.99 when he went to get crickets for his frogs. It made me laugh as who would actually buy a rock covered with bubble algae but they did have a scoly for only $20 that looked like a bleeding apple and looked healthy but with my old lights I would of done more damage instead of saving it since it was 2 36" 4 bulb t-5 lights on my 125g which everything was doing fine. I mean, walmart has freshwater tanks that always have dead fish but no one every buys from them, atleast no one that knows what they are doing but petco usually has someone that knows what they are doing and quit because they cannot run the tanks how they want inorder to keep fish alive. All that people want is a job and if they can get one by lying about their qualifications then most likely they will get it and just say, "Well at least I didnt go over my total loss for the month."

 

[bobpiker]

My local Petco seems to be pretty good. Although I have seen an occasional dead fish I think the trick is to get a fish within a day of or after its arrival on shipment day. Most of their tanks are plumbed together so sickness could easily spread quickly. But if you get a fish there and qt immediately I've found, so far, all have survived. I picked up an 8" green hadoni at mine 4 months ago and it not only survived but has thrived. Unlike most Petcos, from what I've read, mine has a young woman who seems to know her stuff and always asks, prior to have retrieved a fish for me, the size of my tank and my other inhabitants. Evidently, she's trying to be sure I'm prepared for a particular purchase. Plus, it's awfully convenient to pick up dog food at the same place. I wish, though, that they would label their fish such that people are better educated regarding their requirements. I can just imagine, on a day the young woman isn't working, when the customer buys a little sailfin tang and puts it in a 20 gallon. Petco, label your fish with descriptions.