<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6368564#post6368564 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefshadow
The first coral is a badly receded bubble coral. Probably a goner.
There are so many problems with most Petco's, where to start?
First, they have a regional manager who oversees many stores and makes sure things are run according to the corporate "plan". Even a skilled aquarist working in the fish department has little leeway on what products can be ordered or used. Thus they are not up to date on decent equipment or techniques. The petco in my area had to wait a couple of months before they could have corporate fix their already crappy skimmer in the sump chamber at the bottom of the marine system. Upgrades on lights, pumps, skimmers, etc. are not allowed.
If the aquatics manager or a specialist is not available you have someone from another department to "help" you. For a novice hobbiest this is bad news.
Corporate HQ will buy lot orders of fish, many times in the thousands. They are then distributed to stores across the states. The manager at our Petco has complained many times about receiving way too many fish of a type not needed such as 20 perculas when there were already 15 in the store. The aquatics manager can make orders of needed fish but many in the shipments are sent without a request. The last few shipments that came into our area store were at about 60 degrees as well. They bag and freeze any DOAs or casualties and do not take a financial loss on them, thus there is little pressure to improve things.
At least twice someone in the store has left the FW top off valve open overnight, flooding the marine tanks and killing every fish and invert in the system. Corporate won't let them put a lock on the sump/top off chamber.
They will sell obviously sick and dying, unhealthy fish. Reduced price? That's a laugh. Quarantine? Hehe. Doesn't happen. Not at our area store. Corpaorate will not allow them to set up a real display or a quarantine tank. All the marine tanks are one system so all fish and inverts are subjected to the same conditions.
Best policy is to try not to add to the problem by buying their live animals or products. In an area like ours it is hard though, the nearest real LFS is 2 hours away.
They should not be in the business of selling ANY live animals AT ALL. It's funny because a point of pride with them is that they do not sell puppies or kittens. I suppose smaller animals like the birds, rodents, fish and reptiles just don't rate.
Beleive it or not, most of the knowledgeable employees feel a sense of frustration as well. Their hands are really tied in alot of ways.
I wrote a letter a couple of years back to corporate HQ detailing what I see to be big problems. I received no reply.
I guess I wasn't suprised.
