Would you buy fish from PetCo?

mill1201

New member
The Petco by my apartment has salt water fish, particularly the Six Line Wrasse that I have been looking for and can't find anywhere else. Would you buy a fish from a large chain store like that?
 
i have before. The petco by my place really isnt that bad. But then again, there's a few people from my local club that work at petco's, so the saltwater section should be nicer :) And it is from what i see.
 
I have bought 4 fish and a star from petco and havnt had a prob yet. All I bought were healthy but I think you do have to keep an eye on them.
 
I would not buy a fish from petco. Have you seen their website? They say that all the tangs on their website for sale can be housed in a 55 with no problems. I can only shudder when I think about how many people are going to put a sohal in a 55 now.:(

If I were to buy a fish from them, then I would only be encouraging that.

-Chris-
 
AVAL you do have a point, but there are good ones, and I dont think they will go out of buisness, no matter what we do. If you think about it, we know what to do and how to properly house them, so if we buy them then they have a better chance with us than somebody who hasnt researched and doesnt know better.
 
I'm not big on it, but if you found something you were really wanting and had to have I'd say at least QT.
 
Right, I haven't found the wrasse anywhere else around my house, and I have researched it and know it will be going into the right environment, I just wonder about health issues, and sicknesses since I don't have a quarentine tank.
 
They say that all the tangs on their website for sale can be housed in a 55 with no problems

and you think they're the only ones!? liveaquaria says yellow tangs can be in a 50g tank! people still buy from them. What they recommend you to do has nothing to do with the quality of the fish they sell you. Its the buyers responsibility to look somewhere else to find out what the stuff really needs.

Hell, local fish stores tell you the same freakin thing. Whatever sells, sells. So i dont see why someone wouldnt buy from a place just because they give false info...its the same fish either way wether they say a yellow tang needs a 50g tank or a 80g tank.

That being said, there are those rumors that they use cyanide or whatever to catch their fish. But as far as what they recommend, i never listen to them or the lfs's anyways unless i know the person is right. So if you say that you wont buy from petco cuz they give false info, then you might as well not buy from your lfs, cuz chances are they are probably the same, as well as most online places.

look at marinecenter.com. They say triggers do well in 20g tnaks. Does that mean their fish quality is bad? Not necessarily
 
It depends on which specific Petco you go to. The Petco's around me use some of the same distributors that the over priced LFS's do. The main factor is who is handling and maintaining the systems and do they have that nutty kid working there who thinks its cute to see how many guppies their lionfish can eat.
I bought a Purple Tang from them 6 months ago and he's doing great.
 
good point, but you've avoided the question completely. Would YOU buy from PetCO?

?? i was the first one to answer..

and like fraghag said...some petcos now are using the exact same distributors as the lfs's..so if you find out where they're coming from, it probably doesnt even matter.
 
Have, would and still will. It's my responsibilty to do the research and inspect the fish that I buy. If you think a fish is sick, ask them to hold it for a few days and come back and check it. If they won't do that, then don't buy it
 
I will NEVER buy anything from Petco personally. I don't like how they treat their animals so I've decided to spend my money elsewhere.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9037402#post9037402 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
I will NEVER buy anything from Petco personally. I don't like how they treat their animals so I've decided to spend my money elsewhere.

My thoughts exactly!



-Chris-
 
funny thing is. when I bought my tank (46g) and got into the hobby. I went on impulse buying at Petco. My Yellow Tang, 6 blue/green chromis, and 2 false percula was purchased there. 3 1/2 years ago. I lost the percs 1 1/2years ago but still bought 2 more (out of the hundred they have in a 10g tank)at Petco.

and yes, I would buy again but.... the fish have to be atleast look active and healthy
 
Many of the Petco's around me have real low prices on livestock compared to other LFS. So if I was really broke and in the mood for taking a chance... lol, yeah I would buy from them. I did buy a fish or two from them and they both did great for a year or two. In the long run, I lost the fish due to my ignorance, not Petco's fault.

I do hear all these horror stories about Petco, but I haven't had the chance to experience them personally since all the Petcos around me border on average, just like most of the LFS around me.
 
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