Saw 2 Large carpet Nem's at Petco in Colma
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racrumrine
New member
It's usually recommended that you shouldn't introduce an anemone to a tank until the tank is at least 6 months old. The idea being that the tank has not had a chance to mature and stabilize. Also, if the person is a saltwater newbie, it's going to take a few months to figure things out.
On the other hand, if your an experienced reefer and anemone keeper (which is not the target Petco customer), you could probably get an anemone right after your tank cycles.
All you have to do is spend some time reading the New to Hobby and Anemones & Clownfish Forums to notice many threads which generally go like this. I just set up my tank, I bought a carpet anemone, and it melted in a few days. What happened? Some people have even bought and killed anemones multiple times before they finally learn how to take care of one.
Sad but true.
Best of luck,
Roy
On the other hand, if your an experienced reefer and anemone keeper (which is not the target Petco customer), you could probably get an anemone right after your tank cycles.
All you have to do is spend some time reading the New to Hobby and Anemones & Clownfish Forums to notice many threads which generally go like this. I just set up my tank, I bought a carpet anemone, and it melted in a few days. What happened? Some people have even bought and killed anemones multiple times before they finally learn how to take care of one.
Sad but true.
Best of luck,
Roy
Sorry Roy, I misunderstood what you were saying.
Forgive me for coming off defensive but it can be a bit of a burden being associated with a company with such a stigma.
I would hope that any emoloyee at any store (petco or not) wouldn't send a customer home with any anemone for a new tank. I think Petco's intention on selling carpets so cheap is to entice a slightly more seasoned hobbiest into making regular purchases from us like salt or food. Margin is typicaly quite good with items like that. I know that this is why we sell Purple Tangs and Sohals for $49.99 when we do our Red Sea pushes. It does not make sense morally or from a business stand point to sell a customer an animal that will die. We count on return business like everyone else. Thanks
Keith
Forgive me for coming off defensive but it can be a bit of a burden being associated with a company with such a stigma.
I would hope that any emoloyee at any store (petco or not) wouldn't send a customer home with any anemone for a new tank. I think Petco's intention on selling carpets so cheap is to entice a slightly more seasoned hobbiest into making regular purchases from us like salt or food. Margin is typicaly quite good with items like that. I know that this is why we sell Purple Tangs and Sohals for $49.99 when we do our Red Sea pushes. It does not make sense morally or from a business stand point to sell a customer an animal that will die. We count on return business like everyone else. Thanks
Keith
I agree that more light would be better, but I don't think Colma is planning to keep them long term. Not to mention that I once kept a Mertensi in a 60gal with PCs overhead for three years until it outgrew my tank and I gave it to friend. Most Petcos turn livestock very quickly, hence the lower price point. Not that this makes everything Ok, but I've seen plenty of carpets at plenty of independant retailers (I won't name names) kept under NOs at $80 price points. Why is every Petco a target? Because idependants "bag" on us because we're cutting into their profit margin and because misinformed fish keepers buy into the hype.
I use to be one of those independant retailers and that how I was taught. Now I work for Petco and I help out my former coworkers who now own stores by sharing proper business practices that add $$$ to their bottom line. I just don't think it's cool for people to generalize that all Petcos stores are the same. I also think that if anyone here sees anything that is just plain wrong that they can tell me and I may be able to do something. The carpets should be fine for a few weeks until someone picks them up. I'd be more concerned about their feeding and water quality than the lighting, the T5s are fine.
I use to be one of those independant retailers and that how I was taught. Now I work for Petco and I help out my former coworkers who now own stores by sharing proper business practices that add $$$ to their bottom line. I just don't think it's cool for people to generalize that all Petcos stores are the same. I also think that if anyone here sees anything that is just plain wrong that they can tell me and I may be able to do something. The carpets should be fine for a few weeks until someone picks them up. I'd be more concerned about their feeding and water quality than the lighting, the T5s are fine.
well we can all agree that petco has come a long way, especially after that horrible fiasco several years back with those horrible conditions of the other animals. atleast now there are disclaimers for customers to report anything wrong, usually stuck to the glass of the enclosure. The feeder fish are way over stocked, i dont know why some stores don't just order less, cuz then end up losing more than they can sell anyways. But since petco is a bigbox sorta store, its generally agreed that such advance species often prove tempting for unsuspecting novices. So i think the protest is valid. I question some of the freshwater purchases i've seen over the years, arowana's especially. And freshwater plants are pretty bad too, candy cane plants in a fully aquatic environment? It'll take a awhile, but i think the practice has improved over the years as the retailers, petco/club/mart, realize that having a healthy aquatics dept makes ppl come look and perhaps buy some fish, but more importantly buy the dry goods.
and on a somewhat related note, has anyone seen that Serramonte pets now has saltwater? if there was ever a misplaced product, there it is! and they also have a rare freshwater catfish that i worry will fall into the wrong hands. I forgot the name, its big black with white eyes i think. one of those catfish that will kill anything and everythingg it lives with.
and on a somewhat related note, has anyone seen that Serramonte pets now has saltwater? if there was ever a misplaced product, there it is! and they also have a rare freshwater catfish that i worry will fall into the wrong hands. I forgot the name, its big black with white eyes i think. one of those catfish that will kill anything and everythingg it lives with.
No, not all big box retailers are the same there are test stores, prototypes and new format stores. Have you seen the new Safeway stores that do not look like the other safeways? Did you know that the Albertsons in San Jose off Capital use to have a MARS sytem and sold FW tropical fish? Not all Macy's stores carry the same items. Some Costco's sell gasoline and others do not.
There can be subtle differences throught retail chains.
The point of being big box is the expanded assortment and the large sales volume that comes with that.
-K
There can be subtle differences throught retail chains.
The point of being big box is the expanded assortment and the large sales volume that comes with that.
-K
Thales
Active member
When you go into a Best Buy, Costco, McDonald's, Safeway or Petco you pretty much know what to expect, which is one of the things the corporations are banking on, and its one of the things that makes customers feel comfortable shopping at those places - familiarity, which is what helps generate the large volume of sales. Without that familiarity, you don't have a strong chain. Thats why there are standards that each franchise must adhere to. Interestingly, Trader Joes has made a marketing push with the idea that each of their stores is not the same - within pretty strict boundaries of course.
I may have misunderstood you when you said " I just don't think it's cool for people to generalize that all Petcos stores are the same". It seemed to me you meant something more like because there were bad Petco stores didn't mean all of them were bad. I also don't agree that 'we can all agree that Petco has come a long way', and find it a little strange that you would write that one post after writing that you don't think people should generalize about all Petco's.
I don't think slight product differences and test stores have anything to do with the reasons people are tentative about Petco. I certainly don't think that the continually dismal Petco's in my area are anything like test stores or reflections of subtle differences between stores. The bulk of Petco's continue to be bad regarding saltwater animals not just because treating living animals like flats of soda cans is not a great idea IMO, but for the same reasons many LFS are not so great; getting help that knows what they are doing, and that will stick around for any length of time is difficult.
A year or two or three ago there was a big thread about the 'new' Petco prototype saltwater stores. People were all excited. There were newspaper articles about them and everything. It was supposed to be the wave of the future. Pretty quickly they didn't live up to the hype.
I guess I think every couple of years we are asked by someone (usually a Petco employee) to give Petco another chance, which always seems to be prefaced by the idea that the chain is changing, and that people are working from within to make it happen. I have seen it happen too many times, but not come to fruition, to feel good about it. I would be much happier to see global store policy changes before being asked to trust again.
Oh- I have never seen any of the disclaimers to report something wrong in any Petco I have ever been in. Do you have any information about them?
I may have misunderstood you when you said " I just don't think it's cool for people to generalize that all Petcos stores are the same". It seemed to me you meant something more like because there were bad Petco stores didn't mean all of them were bad. I also don't agree that 'we can all agree that Petco has come a long way', and find it a little strange that you would write that one post after writing that you don't think people should generalize about all Petco's.
I don't think slight product differences and test stores have anything to do with the reasons people are tentative about Petco. I certainly don't think that the continually dismal Petco's in my area are anything like test stores or reflections of subtle differences between stores. The bulk of Petco's continue to be bad regarding saltwater animals not just because treating living animals like flats of soda cans is not a great idea IMO, but for the same reasons many LFS are not so great; getting help that knows what they are doing, and that will stick around for any length of time is difficult.
A year or two or three ago there was a big thread about the 'new' Petco prototype saltwater stores. People were all excited. There were newspaper articles about them and everything. It was supposed to be the wave of the future. Pretty quickly they didn't live up to the hype.
I guess I think every couple of years we are asked by someone (usually a Petco employee) to give Petco another chance, which always seems to be prefaced by the idea that the chain is changing, and that people are working from within to make it happen. I have seen it happen too many times, but not come to fruition, to feel good about it. I would be much happier to see global store policy changes before being asked to trust again.
Oh- I have never seen any of the disclaimers to report something wrong in any Petco I have ever been in. Do you have any information about them?
It's kinda retarded to have the same arguement on two threads. Thales, i hope you just copy and paste it to the other one, shouldn't have to wear yourself out. btw have you seen the new petco that opened up with tanforan? that 75 gallon tank they have set up there? I was there one time and was watching a porcupine puffer chase around some damsels and some other mix-matched fish. I was upset, but strangely amused, like duh, i expected that.
