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Willie41
01/16/2006, 08:36 PM
Lets see what people have to say about Pet World. Good, bad or in between.

lvpd186
01/17/2006, 12:39 AM
Pet world seems to have more hardware then some of the other stores, but their livestock doesnt look very good.

AudiSteve
01/17/2006, 10:29 PM
I delt with Pet World for about a year in their old store. Bill is the main Marine person there he strikes me as very well studied on the side of fish. But at the time I was going to the store he was just starting to learn about corals and was still new to the concept of husbandry and basic coral needs, I don't know if that has changed. The biggest problem I had with Pet World were the tank set-ups, there were no quarintine systems and becuase of that I had an outbreak of pyramid snails that killed all three of my clams! And I was also given a nasty outbreak of Flatworms so bad that it has now inevitabley killed my entire tank! After 5 treatments I am now in the process of breaking my tank down and will be treating the rock again but this time I'll be "cooking" it to kill all photosynethic organisims. But I digress, Pet World seemed to have a moderate to good assortment of corals and fish, but that novelty was lost when the price was increased 30 to 40 percent of the standard value of that item. But this is just my expierence some people will have had better ones and I urge you to not take my expierence for your own. Go into Pet World and look around talk to a few of the employees and make your own decision.
Hopefully you will have a better expierence.

Pet World Bill
01/18/2006, 12:31 AM
F.Y.I.

Pet World has moved to a new location just north of the old location in the same plaza.

Also with the move I am looking for any suggestions for changes that you would like to see take place. We are still in the building phase and I would appreciate your imput

Also, we have recently lowered our price points conciderably and should be very competative.

As for me, I have been involved in reefing for over fifteen years and have a very extensive knowledge of husbandry techniques.

So please, if you have any questions at all about our new store or have any ideas for improvements or expansion of livestock selections feel free to post them. Your input is more than appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill

blackcows
01/18/2006, 01:32 PM
In my opinion Pet World seems to have competitive pricing, especially their fish, but it seems very difficult to purchase something there. I work out of the home so I usually visit the store during the day and am suprised at how uninterested the employees seem to be when someone is in the store. I have heard this from others also so I know it is not just me. You can spend 15 or 20 minutes in the store looking through the tanks and leave the store without having anyone even acknowledge that you were there. There can be 2 or 3 people walking around the SW tanks and the girl working there won't take anytime to see if anyone needs anything.

Mike

Willie41
01/18/2006, 02:53 PM
I have to agree with blackcows no one ever seems interested enough to ask if you need any help. Also I think it would be a good idea to quaratine all your SW items before putting them out. Each time I have been there there is not much to choose from in the way of SW species or coral.

CH
01/18/2006, 03:05 PM
I agree with blackcows, it's hard to get help sometimes, but this isn't always the case. I like most of the prices on corals, fish are fairly competetive too. Availability is not always the greatest, most of the stock gets bought up the day it comes in. You need to get there on Thursday and Friday to get a shot at something good. This is typical of all stores though, IMO. I do like the fact that Bill gets smaller frags and "nano" pieces which have a much lower price.
As far as quarantining everything, I don't think there is anyplace that really does that, at least not enough to be effective. A typical quarantine should be about 4-6 weeks, that's just not feasible for a pet store.

AudiSteve
01/19/2006, 03:30 PM
I partially agree that the economics of a retail business don't allow for a quarantine tank to be used. However, it wouldn't be that hard to have "acclimation" tanks for the livegoods that come in every week. All you need to do is monitor and inspect each livegood for a day or two in these isolated tanks to assure they don't have any obvious signs of stress or disease. If this method were used 90 percent of all sick corals, inverts or fish could be treated and sold to the public happy and healthy. I think it's just simply irresponsible for a business to offer livegoods to the public the same day as they arrive. (I know every store does this I'm just pointing out a flaw.) Now, after rereading what I have written I see there is some hostility, and stubborness in my message but I guess I'm at my breaking point just having lost around 700.00 dollars worth of corals and I don't know how much in fish and inverts, all because a small piece of coral was loaded with flatworms. Pet World isn't totally to blame, I did know for a fact that the 180gallon reef tank they had was inundated with flatworms, but the fact of the matter is that I bought that piece of Claustera from a totally different tank. (Make your own conclusions.) And that's why now I only buy from on-line retailers that have a documented quarantine process and a good guarantee.

mjcarl
01/19/2006, 09:06 PM
I know almost no one does it and I used to be the same, but most of the responsibility is on the customer to quarantine the stuff they buy. Nothing should be added to your tank w/out a quarantine period, even from places that say they are "clean". There are just too many bugs, predators, bacteria etc...that can pop up after a few days of observation. Trust me, I've been through it and now have a quarantine protocol for all inverts.

I wouldn't take the word of any retailer or online store that says their stuff is totally clean. It's just too easy for stuff to slip by.

Mitch

mjcarl
01/19/2006, 09:09 PM
Btw, why did you lose your fish and inverts to flatworms? I assume you got the little red pest flatworms. While they are unsightly, they don't cause much harm, unless you nuked them w/ a drug w/out removing as much as you could beforehand. Just curious.

Btw, I am now an official ReefCentral expert cause this is my 100th post. That's how it works, isn't it?

Mitch

Fantasy Reefer
01/19/2006, 11:34 PM
fwiw....how can you be positive you got flatworms from the coral you bought at Petworld? If you are like most of us you shop at different stores, trade with friends, maybe buy from people here at reef central,etc... unless you have only bought coral from Bill or visually inspected that piece before you dropped it in your display and saw the flatworms then you can't be sure. Another fwiw...since i started shopping at petworld i have never had flatworms. Yes they were in the old display there, but i never saw them or got any of them from the other tanks.

AudiSteve
01/20/2006, 12:37 AM
Mitch- Yes I had the problem of not only getting a lot of the toxicity of the flatworms out of the water, but the repeatedness of having to retreat the system 5 times! It was really weird, everytime I dosed my tank I would get a TON of dead flatworms, I would do a 25% waterchange and run about a half pound of carbon in active filtration. It just seemed that the repeated attempts became more and more futile. This consistant stress and probably some of my own ignorance to something else I couldn't think of, or understand ultimately led to the systematic STN of all my corals. Some of the fish like the Damsels lived and a few of the snails and hermits too. I also agree that it is my responsiblity to check the corals themselves but I also bought with "confidence" that Petworld would not be so casual with swapping corals between tanks, especially with the major type of flatworm outbreatk they had. A very expensive lesson learned. Also Kudos for getting Mr. Calfo to speak. I'm very excited.

Fantasy Reefer- At that particular time Petworld was my only source of marine goods for a 6 month period. That's how I know I got not only the flatworms from the Claustrea frag but also the pyramid snails from a squamosa clam. I'm a nerd at heart so I like to keep detailed records of my tank.

Now I would like to state that, I in no way am trying to dissuade anyone from going to Petworld or buying their livegoods. I have absolutly no bad intentions towards Bill or the store. I know that running a business is a lot of hard work and it's hard to please everyone. Bill was always very nice to me, although I do agree the other employees seem to have no interest in helping. He is very enthusiastic about the hobby and has a good general knowledge about aquaria. In the end I just felt like Petworld ultimately didn't care about my problem and naturally I was unhappy with that and hurt.

huskerreef
01/20/2006, 07:13 PM
About 6-12 months ago PW had a flatworm issue, i got them and it took treatment to get rid of them along with some vacuuming and water changes. It was all over there 180 bad.

Mercutio
01/23/2006, 09:54 AM
I have never been there, but I would agree that QT is the responsability of buyer. That is assuming what you're buying is healthy though.

Fantasy Reefer
01/23/2006, 07:54 PM
Hey Bill....I am ready to frag some Anthelia again. Could i bring some in for store credit or are you not interested right now?

Pet World Bill
01/24/2006, 10:58 AM
Sure you can bring some in. Just make sure I am there when you do so I can dip them and give you credit.

pufferpete
02/01/2006, 01:13 AM
First of all, I have to say that I have lost just as many fish from each store equally. Each store has their downfalls. We would all have to agree that the art of keeping saltwater is not something that is learned overnight. I have to give Pet World a pat on the back for hiring kids with a interest in Marine Biology and other areas of aquaria. I don't think that I have ever seen a kid at any other stores. Remember, those kids are the future members of OMS. Maybe, we could all help share our knowlege with them instead of making them sound so stupid. We have all started somewhere. As far as it goes whith the girl(s) that work there, I think that they have other responcibilites in the store too... There are other things in the store besides saltwater?! I think that if the corals and fish where labled better it wouldn't be such an issue. They probably get tired of looking for prices the same way we hate asking. Bill is a very nice guy and he has always helped me with any problems that I have had. I love the new store and I think that it is going to be the best with a little more time!

blackcows
02/01/2006, 06:27 PM
I will have to say that Bill must have spoken to the crew because they are much better at asking each time I am there if I need any help. Thanks Bill. As for the comment about the employees having other responsibilities I agree but in the past many times there was no one in the store and the employees would just sit at the counter and visit.

Mike

luv2dive
02/02/2006, 09:11 AM
I have to add my 2 cents.

I have had some similar problems with the staff not being so helpful when I stop in there but it was just a few of them which I think is just their personalities and maybe they should go work somewhere else.

Since they have moved I have noticed some new employees which are very helpful, especially the nice lady on the freshwater side (I forget her name). I think Bill strives to improve the store every day. I also noticed at the OMS meeting he paid for all of his employees yearly memberships.

I notice all the LFS you go to usually get one marine shipment a week and is sold out of the good stuff by the time the day working class gets a chance to go there. Everything is usually picked over. When I mentioned this to Bill he said he might consider doing 2 smaller shipments and eat the shipping cost so there would be more selection. I know Petland is the only other LFS which does this.

I believe in just a short time Pet World will be one of the best stores.

Pet World Bill
02/03/2006, 05:23 PM
Thanks for the input guys. I am glad that the service has improved. If you have any problems with it in the future please let me know. Also as far as labeling is concerned do you like the system that is in place now (each peice w/its own stand and label in the tank) or would you like to see something different. As I catch up with the actual set up of the store the new merchandise will be labeled as it comes in. Looking for feedback so I can improve our service to you.

Oh yeah, the third fish only system will be up and running as of tonight and I will be moving forward on design and set up of another system on the opposite side. Let me know what you would like to see more of in our selection so I can design it (or modify others) based on your needs.

Thanks again,
Bill

CH
02/03/2006, 09:29 PM
Just to add some feedback, I really like having the corals with their own stands with prices right on them, it makes it very easy, and it helps for people who may not know what a particular piece is.

Skeeter_2000
02/15/2006, 03:45 PM
I visit PW quite often and have rarely had any trouble with employees... The problems I have seen were when there was an influx of newbies after the move and one of them was actually making out with some girl instead of working and there use to be a guy that worked there (haven't seen him in months) that was pretty rude when he spoke to customers. It got to the point where I wouldn't visit the store during his shift.

Everyone else has been great but I agree, Bill needs to get some more saltwater people in to help him out. There is much to do and it seems he is the only one capable of doing it sometimes. There have been a couple of occasions where I thought about just rolling up my sleeves and fixing stuff up myself!

The layout of the store is roomy (good) but the coral tanks seem to be missing something. Too low? Hard to get a good view of what is in them?

For the most part I've had around 50% success with livestock. There have been multiple occasion that I have purchased something and it didn't make it through the night though. Pretty frustrating to the point of not wanting to buy stuff just to have it die.

Is there any possibility that livestock could be sectioned off depending on the date it was received? Being able to chose a fish that has been in the store two weeks and isn't dead yet brings quite a bit more confidence to my purchase. Just a thought.

CH
02/16/2006, 12:57 PM
One thing I have noticed about keeping livestock alive from Petworld (or any other store) is to check the specific gravity. Every I make a purchase from Petworld, the S.G. is right around 1.017, and my tank is around 1.026 so I have to acclimate very slowly, especially for corals and shrimp. Fish usually tolerate the change better.

Pet World Bill
02/16/2006, 01:33 PM
Is there any possibility that livestock could be sectioned off depending on the date it was received? Being able to chose a fish that has been in the store two weeks and isn't dead yet brings quite a bit more confidence to my purchase. Just a thought.

Skeeter
Yes that is a possibility. I will work on a system to differentiate between the different shipments. If you have any suggsestions let me know and thanks for the idea.

Bill

Pet World Bill
02/16/2006, 01:43 PM
Chris,

The specific gravity of the fish only systems should be 1.017-1.020. But, the coral troughs should be at 1.023-1.025. I appologize for the problem with it. The reason for the fluctuation in S.G. is that we are constantly pulling water out of the system when we sell things. The employees are trained to test the s.g. after topping off the system but I see that it was not done here. Thank you for pointing out the problem and I will address it. Also you do have a good point on checking the s.g. of the livestock that you bring home and dripping your new specimens regardless, do to variences in PH etc.

Again thanks,

Bill

CH
02/16/2006, 02:25 PM
Sorry Bill, I didn't mean to say that this was a problem and I'm not trying to point any fingers, only that the consumer should be aware that there may be a difference, and that proper acclimation is key to survivability. I have never had any deaths from any stores when I properly acclimate. There have been a few times that I've done a rush job of acclimating, and ended up with a loss, or a specimen that takes some time to recover, but that's my own fault. I have never accused a store of causing a death in my tank. If a fish or coral is living fine in the store, there is no reason it shouldn't live fine once you get it home (assuming your tank is mature enough for it). When people say they have a 50% success rate from a particular store, how can they blame it on the store!? I see it as a way to place blame on ones own actions. How can the store be at fault once its in your own tank? It doesn't make sense. If you take the proper steps acclimating, everything should be fine. (Sorry, Skeeter_2000, I'm not directing this at you specifically! Many other people say the same thing.)


Maybe it would be possible to have the S.G. posted on each system. Even though it's the customer's responibility to know what to do, it might bring it to the attention of somebody that may not think about it otherwise. Also, it would be a good way for the customer to check their own hydrometer or whatever they use, against the readings found in the store. Just a thought anyway.

By the way Bill, do you have any cleaner shrimp left? I'm going to try to stop by on my way home from work today if you do.

Skeeter_2000
02/16/2006, 03:57 PM
That is a very good idea CH (about having S. G. posted on the tank). I have never tested the water the fish is brought home in to find out EXACTLY what I am dealing with... mainly because testing can be expensive.

I understand that I very well may have caused death of livestock from my actions (or lack thereof) during acclimation, but there have been times when I have bought two fish, acclimated them together and inevitabably, one dies. Same with buying three fish. Seems like one dies no matter where I buy it from, EXCEPT, when I have bought fish that I know have been in the store for a long (relative) time. My success rate sky rockets when that happens. I always kind of marked it up to all the changes the little creatures have gone through recently (being shipped and all). Stability is one of many keys to success from what I have seen.

blackcows
02/17/2006, 03:21 PM
Seems like one dies no matter where I buy it from, EXCEPT, when I have bought fish that I know have been in the store for a long (relative) time.

Unfortunatlly I think one of the difficult things about being in Omaha as opposed to LA or NY is that if you don't buy something you like when you see it will probably be gone when you come back. We don't really have the luxury of waiting for livestock to be in the store for a while, which I agree would be the best time to buy rather than right off of the airplane.

I go to the local stores several times a week to see what has come in. I am always looking for colorful zoas. Bill had some zoas that weren't fully opened but you could tell that they were going to be a beautiful yellow and red. He was very honest and told me that they had been in the store for a couple of days and had not opened yet but they came out of a local tank and had done well in there. The best thing for me to do would have been to check back and see if they would open but because I knew if and when they did open they would be gone I took the gamble and bought them. I think there are many others that do the same thing and therefore it is probably going to be very difficult to find many things that have been in the LFS in Omaha for a long time.

Mike

Mike

Willie41
02/17/2006, 04:26 PM
I have to agree with Mike if you are not at the LFS when new items area your out of luck. You SNOOZE YOU LOSE as the old saying goes. Where I live the only thing close is Aqua Pets and they always run out as soon as it comes in. All the LFS need to be handling more since SW is growing so fast in this area. I am not off till the weekends and everything is ALWAYS gone by then.

Willie41
02/21/2006, 05:06 PM
Bill would you be interested in some kenya trees, xenias and yellow toadstool frags?

Pet World Bill
02/21/2006, 11:09 PM
sure bring 'em in.

Skeeter_2000
02/22/2006, 07:58 AM
nevermind... :D

Skeeter_2000
03/02/2006, 01:45 PM
What are you getting in today/tomorrow?

Pet World Bill
03/07/2006, 03:05 PM
Shipment in late tonight. Everything will be out and labeled by tomorrow.
We are getting a bunch of stuff. Some things of interest...
lg male blonde naso with streamers
purple long tentacle anemone
red sea Flavivertex pseudochromis
Hawiian twelve line wrasse
true Falcula butterfly
two species of anthias
and much more (ten boxes of just fish and coral and more arriving later this week)

We also have a pair of Red sea semilarvatus butterflies right now (Golden or masked butterfly).

Willie41
03/18/2006, 12:04 PM
Bill would you ahead and build the sump for me. If there is anything I need to pickup for you let me know.

Pet World Bill
03/19/2006, 12:15 AM
Okay Bill I will let you know if I need anything.

Willie41
03/19/2006, 05:02 PM
Thanks