really petsmart???

[matthew.shelly]

so i was petsmart today to pick up some hay for my brothers guinea pig and of course look around for something for myself. the one by my home apparently just upgraded and started selling saltwater fish, inverts, and rock/corals. it was cool to look around at.
but then i just started seeing so many things that were just wrong....
i saw that the recommended tank size for their albino cory cats was 1+ gallons. really? they must have had 20+ oscars in stock. really? there are not enough people out there starting oscar tanks that they should have that many in stock. and they should not be selling enough to justify it. so again, really? then i was looking around at some plants. i asked the lady in the fish secion about some of them and she had no information whatsoever on them. shouldn't the person in the fish area know about the aquarium plants? really? well they were cheap so i randomly picked 2 to try out. now that i'm home, i decided to research them a little (i know, always research before you buy). turns out that neither of them in truly aquatic. really? neither of them? that means that 3/4 plants that i have bought from them has not been a true aquatic plant. the one that was, i knew it was before i got it. makes me wonder if they know what aquatic plants are...
guess i just wanted to rant for a bit. some of it's my fault, but still...really?

[Red]

what do you expect, its a chain petstore. They want to make a profit, but I have to admit the one around me is putting up all these little yellow signs about fish facts which are accurate..

[Northernguy]

Its a business and they have to sell stuff to pay their bills!
I do understand your rant though! They should and some do give proper advice for the care of all their pets.They get little training on proper care.
Thats up to the salesperson to research their job to be able to do it better.

[matthew.shelly]

yeah, ive found most of their info to be pretty legit. i just dont want to have to make the trip back up there tomorrow to return the plants.

[Owlbehere]

I feel the same way. I used to work in the fish section of Petsmart and would constantly have to correct poor information other employees were giving. recommend not buying a fish someone else had said was ok. Oh it drove me nuts because I would actually do research in my free time to know what I was talking about and no one else cared. As long as they got paid. And Petsmart doesn't require you to know stuff when they hire you.

Anyway I go back to work for petsmart next week in the grooming salon (I'm a trained groomer) and I get to listen to people talking about breeding cute little pookey, their shatoozie (shih tzu they just can't pronounce it) with an underbite, crooked legs and cherry eye. GOD HELP ME!!

[Owlbehere]

LOL I take way too long to post. I started when no one else had posted and finished after all of these.

[Wild Turkey]

Its a business and they have to sell stuff to pay their bills!
I do understand your rant though! They should and some do give proper advice for the care of all their pets.They get little training on proper care.
Thats up to the salesperson to research their job to be able to do it better.

Agreed. The main problem is these people make 7$ an hour mostly, and their training reflects that. So, having almost any knowledge of the hobby at all is completely up the employee and their discretion.

There are several young kids who work at my petsmart that ask me a lot of questions and stuff, and an equal amount that dont care about proper care or fish at all, its just how it is.

[Owlbehere]

hmm maybe I cared more because I got payed way more than that... Or
it could be because I genuinely love fish :)

[Kaz]

I'm intending to get a job at petsmart one day, partially for this reason.

They have inaccurate info, like almost every fish being recommended for 10+ gallons except for some which say 20+ gallons. And there are a few 30 & 40s but those are only to like bala sharks and stuff.

If I do get a job there, I'll give the best information I can and then give them something with this website written down on it.

Speaking of, we should totally get a buisness card.

[Wild Turkey]

I'm intending to get a job at petsmart one day, partially for this reason.

They have inaccurate info, like almost every fish being recommended for 10+ gallons except for some which say 20+ gallons. And there are a few 30 & 40s but those are only to like bala sharks and stuff.

If I do get a job there, I'll give the best information I can and then give them something with this website written down on it.

Speaking of, we should totally get a buisness card.

We already have one! thumbs2: Not sure where the link is but we have cards and t shirts too i think? Or did that never go through?

[Jaster]

Its a business and they have to sell stuff to pay their bills!


I can understand that completely.. but... for a store that preaches animal safety and care, you would think they would care more about their animals and make sure people know how to care for them!

I had bumped into one of the ladies that works at the local chain store near me at Target and she she told me she was fired for stopping people from buying fish that would not survive or were not right for what the person buying had as far as size of tank. She gave great advise to people (who still normally bought something but just not something that would die in 24 hours) and everyone who shopped there, including myself, went to her often for advise and her thoughts. Total BS...

[Kaz]

I can understand that completely.. but... for a store that preaches animal safety and care, you would think they would care more about their animals and make sure people know how to care for them!

I had bumped into one of the ladies that works at the local chain store near me at Target and she she told me she was fired for stopping people from buying fish that would not survive or were not right for what the person buying had as far as size of tank. She gave great advise to people (who still normally bought something but just not something that would die in 24 hours) and everyone who shopped there, including myself, went to her often for advise and her thoughts. Total BS...

Yeah that's my only fear when it comes to working somewhere like there.

And it's always the aquatics department of stores that get the short end of the stick. I mean the rodents are usually OK and the cats dogs and to a lesser extent lizards have good info. The birds have it rough but the fish always get the worst info.

(I can't even belive Wal-Mart has fish -What the hell? That's like the worst place to get fish! I don't even want to think about it.)

[Bok]

The one near us isn't too bad. Most of the people that work in the fish dept. have tanks and are knowledgeable. They don't make up the id labels there, some dork somewhere else did that and handed out the generic cards. You probably can't change that unless you convince head office.
However!!!... there are a couple of employees there that are still trying to tell me that their Golden Apple snails (Pomacea bridgesii) don't have a male and female, they all lay eggs :18:

[matthew.shelly]

(I can't even belive Wal-Mart has fish -What the hell? That's like the worst place to get fish! I don't even want to think about it.)
yea, their fish department is the worst. i just feel sad every time i see it.

[matthew.shelly]

i read on another site that petsmarts and petcos generally only sell bog plants because they look better. the only aquatic plants i remember seeing there are amazon sword and dwarf anubias.

[Kaz]

However!!!... there are a couple of employees there that are still trying to tell me that their Golden Apple snails (Pomacea bridgesii) don't have a male and female, they all lay eggs :18:

This is true with land snails hence the confusion.

[emilyekk]

so i was petsmart today to pick up some hay for my brothers guinea pig and of course look around for something for myself. the one by my home apparently just upgraded and started selling saltwater fish, inverts, and rock/corals. it was cool to look around at.
but then i just started seeing so many things that were just wrong....
i saw that the recommended tank size for their albino cory cats was 1+ gallons. really? they must have had 20+ oscars in stock. really? there are not enough people out there starting oscar tanks that they should have that many in stock. and they should not be selling enough to justify it. so again, really? then i was looking around at some plants. i asked the lady in the fish secion about some of them and she had no information whatsoever on them. shouldn't the person in the fish area know about the aquarium plants? really? well they were cheap so i randomly picked 2 to try out. now that i'm home, i decided to research them a little (i know, always research before you buy). turns out that neither of them in truly aquatic. really? neither of them? that means that 3/4 plants that i have bought from them has not been a true aquatic plant. the one that was, i knew it was before i got it. makes me wonder if they know what aquatic plants are...
guess i just wanted to rant for a bit. some of it's my fault, but still...really?


I also bought the "real" plants that were not aquatic.

I too came home and research them and was sooooo miffed when I found out I was duped.

I literally took them OUT of my aquarium (it was fishless at the time), put them BACK in the containers and returned them and exchanged for silk plants.


This happened at petco for me... grr.

[DrNic]

I actually know the regional manager for one of the retail pet stores in my area. He knows I'll NEVER buy fish from his store, other than the occasional betta, but their prices on supplies are usually pretty good. One day when I was in one of his stores he told me something really scary.

Apparently most retail pet stores make very little money (or even lose money), selling freshwater fish! Instead they make most of their money on the tanks, stands, supplies, etc. Particularly for the people who are new into the hobby dropping hundreds of dollars into a tank setup that's going to create nothing but dead fish because they didn't cycle properly, only to have them go buy more fish! They honestly don't care all that much about proper space or even health of the fish as they really aren't in it for that. Sometimes you get the occasional employee who really does care, but for the most part they really only do what's required to keep the tanks pretty so people will want their own tank.

I was really upset when he told me this, and I let him know that. The reality is that companies like this are in it for the bottom line. I try to support the LFSs as much as possible but sometimes you just have to go to the retail stores. I have yet to see a retail store that actually seems interested in keeping their fish stocks healthy and in the proper sized tanks.

[Marty]

:( sounds like a lot of bad experience there, i am going to have to say, my experience with our local petsmart has been totally the opposite.

The manager there is fantastic, young woman, breeds her own guppies and mollies and knows all her shit. We have been in a few times instead of our LFS and we will only speak to her because we trust her.
She was the one who told us that genetically modified animals are illegal in CA, and that the skirt tetra's we owned were dyed and how bad they are treated to be dyed - she was really angry about it too.

Our petsmart fish department manager really does care. Sadly, she cannot control the type of fish bought in, or the pricing etc, thats all state head office. We have bought fish and a frog from there, and sadly they all perished (except our albino tiger barbs). She is angry about that too, as the HO bulk buys from these fish factories.

Next time i see her, i will tell her about this forum, i am not sure if she knows how to use the interweb, but i think she would enjoy it. (disclaimer: if she comes on here and ends up talking crap, i will refuse to accept responsibility, and will deny all knowledge of her existence :P

[Northernguy]

We already have one! thumbs2: Not sure where the link is but we have cards and t shirts too i think? Or did that never go through?
T shirts I would be interested in!

All I can say is do your research before you go to any store to buy live anything!
You cannot always count on the staff,although you do bump into the odd person that has pride in their job and has done their homework.I had a great experience last time I was at Petsmart.She really knew her fish section.

[Bok]

We like our local Pet Smart. 14 day guarantee on fish and we have received refunds without bringing back the dead. A few fish died due to our lack of experience when starting up our first tank and we made that clear to them. No problem, we got full credit. Wish all their outlets were like that!
Plants... they have about 8 varieties I guess. No java moss though :( I'll ask if they can order it, if it is on their 'list' they will.

[jackson17]

The one by me is completely accurate.

[terrapin24h]

We have a few around here, and they seem pretty good. The staff seem to know their stuff. One thing i don't like is the number of dead fish i tend to see in their tanks, especially when i know they have a shared plumbing system. I also don't care for the fact that they salt their water. The petsmarts seem to carry a very boring stock variety, but petco carries some more exotic stuff, but has fewer species. The petcos i've been to around here also have marine critters(fish, inverts, LR--no coral) If i had a good lfs to go to i'd wouldn't go to them. But really, they are kinda the defacto choice. I wish they carried more fluval parts too, as i own two fluvals :)

--chris

[Wild Turkey]

i read on another site that petsmarts and petcos generally only sell bog plants because they look better. the only aquatic plants i remember seeing there are amazon sword and dwarf anubias.

It depends. My petsmart only has live plants in the root gel, however they are mostly aquatic plants like anubias, fern, swords, etc

The local petco is much better for live plants, they actually have two large tanks full you can reach into. They always have tons of stuff, but they are a much worse store overall than petsmart. What im getting at is it all depends on your area. There is a petsmart in baltimore (40 minutes) i want to visit, it has a bunch of floors and its own parking garage etc

[Ashley]

(I can't even belive Wal-Mart has fish -What the hell? That's like the worst place to get fish! I don't even want to think about it.)


Ahahah, one day I saw somebody buying fish from a local wal-mart. The funny part is, the lady had the customer net the fish themselves. She wanted nothing to do with putting her hand in the tank and handed the net to the customer and said "here you go, catch whichever one you would like".

[robflanker]

(I can't even belive Wal-Mart has fish -What the hell? That's like the worst place to get fish! I don't even want to think about it.)

But its a decent enough place to get supplies.

[Wild Turkey]

But its a decent enough place to get supplies.

I feel the same way about my Pet-co LOL I would almost never buy a fish from them but plants and hardware sure :hmm3grin2orange:

[Fraoch]

i saw that the recommended tank size for their albino cory cats was 1+ gallons. really?

Sounds like it was just a typo, they probably meant 10+ gallons. Which is not entirely accurate either, but anyway...:sconfused:

The two PetSmarts around me are vastly different:

One outside of town, the first one we went in and where we got our tank starter kit and many of our supplies. Very well-lit, well-stocked. The fish are in fairly decent shape. The fish section manager is VERY knowledgeable and helpful, and he didn't try to sell things to us just for the point of selling them.

One in town, much closer. A smaller fish section, dimly lit, which highlights the lit tanks. A very impressive large waterfall and pond display at the entrance to the fish section with huge koi and catfish in it that will come and check you out if you stand near. They love to be petted. Unfortunately their fish don't appear to be in very good shape and their staff isn't as knowledgeable.

We go to another fish store outside of town for fish because they have the best fish and largest selection. As for supplies, their prices are higher than PetSmart and the store is a mess - packed with people whenever you go, narrow aisles, disorganized stocking - some products are in three places in the store!

[cer]

The petsmart I go to is great. Nice selection, healthy fish, smart employees, and right information.

[Kaz]

But its a decent enough place to get supplies.

Yeah, I'm still laughing because my receipt says

"Kodiak socks -$9.99
Human skull -$14.99"

Or something of the sort I can't remember the prices.

[matthew.shelly]

It depends. My petsmart only has live plants in the root gel, however they are mostly aquatic plants like anubias, fern, swords, etc


yeah, these were in the tubes. i went back today and switched them out. a lot of the stuff the had was the "ribbon plants" which are dracaena sanderiana, which is commonly sold as "lucky bamboo." the had a couple varieties of that and some other stuff that i can not remember the name of but recognized from a list of plants that are bog and not aquatic.

[Owlbehere]

Yeah, I'm still laughing because my receipt says

"Kodiak socks -$9.99
Human skull -$14.99"

Or something of the sort I can't remember the prices.
I don't know what I got but my receipt said batmansperm ... That has happened more than once... must be a human snack or something.

[wolf_eyes]

Most of the plants they sell at petsmart are for terrariums since they sell both fish and lizards. Look at the plants and it will usually say " for aquarium use " or something to that effect if it is a true aquatic plant. Anything that says terrarium and aquarium, i wouldn't buy.

[Kaz]

I don't know what I got but my receipt said batmansperm ... That has happened more than once... must be a human snack or something.

Perhaps "Batmans perm".

[Wild Turkey]

Perhaps "Batmans perm".

Thats what i was thinking....cant imagine what it would be though.

I always get human snacks when i am there, but they always come up as "human snack" (30 cents more than at the grocery store) lol

[Fraoch]

(I can't even belive Wal-Mart has fish -What the hell? That's like the worst place to get fish! I don't even want to think about it.)

I sold a bit of my soul and walked into a Wal-Mart yesterday - we were at a mall and it was there, so we went in.

Checked out the fish section. Looks like they were getting out of selling live fish, most tanks were dry with only gravel at the bottom, the ones with water had so much algae you couldn't see inside. Prices and fish descriptions were removed for most of them but there was still a row at the bottom - I don't know if there were fish in behind all that algae.

However there was one clean window and one poor last remaining fish - a cichlid. I felt so sorry for him, all alone and dying of what seemed to be a massive fungal infection, dime-sized white lumpy ulcers on each side. Ich as well on his tail fin, but that was the least of his problems.

But its a decent enough place to get supplies.

They didn't have many supplies, and no AquaClear filters, just cheap copies and other lesser filters. Plus, typical of a Wal-Mart, a lot of them were ripped open and pieces scattered around. But they had some nice gravel, "Stoney River" brand. We have some in our main tank and picked up two 5-pound bags for the 5 gallon tank.

It's epoxy coated, very smooth and dust-free. Much better than the other gravel we got a PetSmart where it took an hour to get rid of the dust and the edges are sharper.

[Paw Broon]

I don't know what I got but my receipt said batmansperm ... That has happened more than once... must be a human snack or something.

Really?:hmm3grin2orange:

[Kaz]

Perm could also be a shorted reciept form of a word.