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  #51  
Old 10/15/2004, 05:51 AM
theaquariumguy theaquariumguy is offline
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my petco is in farmington hills, mi

we got two new managers in that know what they r doing just about 2 months ago, before we only had two people that new about saltwater
  #52  
Old 10/19/2004, 11:01 AM
AzSnake AzSnake is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Reefmaniac1
Never seen a Petsmart with Salt/Reef animals. Not even sure why they carry saltwater supplies.
I have a Petsmart right down the street from me and they sell salt, supplements, food (frozen and dry), No Bulbs, skimmers, test kits etc. They have a very nice selection for those average needs. I asked about SW stock and they said that no Petsmart stores in AZ sell Saltwater livestock but nearly all Petsmart stores in CA do.
  #53  
Old 10/19/2004, 05:57 PM
AJ31655 AJ31655 is offline
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Wow, this thread is still goin'? Well all I have to say about it a few months later is, I have moved to a college town in Southern MN where there are no petco's or petsmart's, only 2 LFS (and good ones at that). I have been lucky enough to be hired by one. But with all the bashing of petco and petsmart I see here, I just saw a LFS in Ramsey MN with "Blue Ring Octo. 39.99" stuck on a display tank. The tank was empty when I saw it but it proves that even some LFS are run by gomers too.
  #54  
Old 10/19/2004, 07:21 PM
ikinne1 ikinne1 is offline
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I was a lead there in specialty..the official answer in the training manuals explaining why they have salt supplies and no livestock goes a little something like this: PetSmart tried its hand at it early on and saw ultimate failure of saltwater livestock as a viable option on a largescale basis. It supplies the mixes and chemicals to make it convenient for its patrons.
This is the beginning of a list of contradictions, in the early beginnings of the mart, it explained in window postings that they felt there were enough small animals and reptiles in the wild and refused to sell them (have the picture of the poster in the Little Rock store window)...now look at what they sell in high volume. Too many in the wild until they become too profitable not to carry.
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  #55  
Old 10/20/2004, 05:41 PM
AquariaUSA AquariaUSA is offline
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Recent stop into Columbia, Maryland PetCo.
4 tanks for saltwater, totalling less than 40 gallons each.
26 saltwater fish. 3 dead in tanks. Mostly damsels, small angels, and clowns. Dozen or so chromis. No employee in sight, probably a good thing

Petsmart in Columbia, Maryland...remodeling going on...not sure what is going in there...no saltwater yet.
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  #56  
Old 10/21/2004, 10:21 AM
lagarz lagarz is offline
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I can add a bit to the Petco legend here. I was in petco in Roseville, MN last night and heard some wonderful advice from a employee. This pecto sells live rock, and some smaller corals and inverts.

The person was buying a sailfin tang for a 55g tank, and wanted to get a anemoene. The person told the clerk they had regular lights from the tank. The sales person told them that that was fine, that sometimes you have to try SEVEN OR EIGHT differnt times with anemoenes before getting the right one, and they eventually just shrivel up and die. When this happens, you can just get another one. The person went on the buy a Sailfin Tang and 2 domino Damsels at once, and they were the FIRST fish in their tank. I just listened, glanced dirty at the employee, and when the people had left, when he asked me if I needed anything, I asked if their picasso trigger would be fine in a 37G reef tank. His reply:"No problem, they will stay small in your tank." I told him I would never buy anything from their store again, and called the manager and left a message when I got home.
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  #57  
Old 11/01/2004, 09:06 PM
Ti Ti is offline
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petco and petsmart are love hate things.
You hate them for the obvious reasone, but sometimes you gotta love them for their awesome prices.
cruised by the other day.
Went to the lfs first they wanted $26.99 for a 1' clown.
Petco price: $12.99 for the same false percula and colors were good too.
So gotta love it and gotta hate it,
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  #58  
Old 11/06/2004, 07:32 PM
theaquariumguy theaquariumguy is offline
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the petco is in farmington hills, mi, we actually added another guy to our knowlegable fish keepers so our fish section is almost perfect, the only problem were having is stubid regional manager giving us 3 purple tangs becuase the store that ordered them wasnt selling them at all, and the tangs are too big for the tanks we have, if we still have them when my 180 is up and running i might get one of them
  #59  
Old 11/07/2004, 08:57 PM
Ferret357 Ferret357 is offline
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Hmm Having worked in family owned pet store that carried a variety of exotic animals and fish (Fresh, Salt, Reef) I can say that without a doubt you are better off going to a store that knows what they are doing. The quality, cost and care of animals are almost always better when dealing with a good local pet store. It is worth the time and effort to find a good store develop a relationship with them and avoid the corporate pet stores. But then there is a reason why Walmart is so successful some people just like to keep it simple or do not know any better. Just my thoughts....
  #60  
Old 11/24/2004, 10:40 AM
storrsms storrsms is offline
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I was at a local Petco recently, (I was told by an employee when I mentioned to her that "You have some 'bigwigs here today" that one of them was the V.P.). The V.P. and about 4 others were touring the store. I overheard one person say "I didn't know we had SW, do all stores have that option?" or something similar. The V.P. said, basically,"This is one of the few stores that handle SW because the store manager here is an experienced SW/reef tank person"-the Petco is in Harrisonburg, VA.
  #61  
Old 11/28/2004, 12:11 AM
abfleck abfleck is offline
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neither
  #62  
Old 12/18/2004, 04:21 PM
BriMc BriMc is offline
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I have to throww my experience in. I purchased five fish for my tank in the past two months. Three being at different LFS and specializing in reefs and they lived. I bought Two others, one from a petco and the other from a pet quaters and they both died.
All fish were acclimated the same way and the same amount of time. The funny catch is the LFS stores offer a 3 day guarantee on their fish anf the chain stores offer nothing.
I'll pay the little extra and support my local LFS. Thanks
  #63  
Old 12/18/2004, 05:55 PM
Ti Ti is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by BriMc
I have to throww my experience in. I purchased five fish for my tank in the past two months. Three being at different LFS and specializing in reefs and they lived. I bought Two others, one from a petco and the other from a pet quaters and they both died.
All fish were acclimated the same way and the same amount of time. The funny catch is the LFS stores offer a 3 day guarantee on their fish anf the chain stores offer nothing.
I'll pay the little extra and support my local LFS. Thanks
Well I've yet to find an lfs that won;t lie to me straight face.
And usually the difference is not a few bucks.
Petco clown on sale was $12.99 regular price $14.99.
LFS (same size clown) $29.99
I've had my Petco percula for 3 months now, and with good water and good food, he has really shined.
I'm not saying it's all healthy there, I was just ther last night and over 1/2 the fish had ich and were on their way to the graveyard.
It's good and bad.
Oh and regarding the LFS 3 day guarantee, of course you will pick the most healthy of the lot even if they are dying and usually they will last more than 3 days.
So the guarantee is nothing more than a PR ploy, it has no real function.
If a fish died within 3 days, it was you tank. Otherwise it most likely was in pretty bad shape at the time you picked up, which you would laready know what you were in for before you even decided to buy.
  #64  
Old 12/18/2004, 09:34 PM
BriMc BriMc is offline
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Ti I think you need to find a better LFS. You must have tons of experience in reef keeping to make a statement like a 3 day guarantee means nothing. The guarantee covers if the fish stresses out durring accalimation which is 90% of the battle and it is the opposite of your comment. If the fish stayed alive for more than three days and then died I would blame my tank. I introduced a Blue tang into the tank at the beginning of the week from a reputable LFS with no problems. I have been in this Hobby a little while and I think I know how to pick a good fish. You need the starting points to be good before you can be sure your tank is good. From collection, to the wholesalers, to the LFS, and petco is not even close to being a good LFS.
  #65  
Old 12/18/2004, 10:15 PM
Ti Ti is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by BriMc
Ti I think you need to find a better LFS. You must have tons of experience in reef keeping to make a statement like a 3 day guarantee means nothing. The guarantee covers if the fish stresses out durring accalimation which is 90% of the battle and it is the opposite of your comment. If the fish stayed alive for more than three days and then died I would blame my tank. I introduced a Blue tang into the tank at the beginning of the week from a reputable LFS with no problems. I have been in this Hobby a little while and I think I know how to pick a good fish. You need the starting points to be good before you can be sure your tank is good. From collection, to the wholesalers, to the LFS, and petco is not even close to being a good LFS.
Prehaps you misunderstood.
LIke I said anyone with any sense would pick a healthy looking one which acclimated properly will do fine.
So 3 day guarantee in such a case is not used.
Now off the the next scenario,In good sense you pick the least healthy looking fish in the tank because you REALLY want the fish.
Now from my experience and many others, usually these fish suffer past 3 days then die. In this scenario nice ot have the guarantee, but couldn't use it.
Now If you picked one you knew or didn't know how bad it really was, then chances are, it's on the end and it dies next day or at the longest 3 days later. Right on the dot of the guarantee. considering the water sample to the store is good, you get your money back.
So it now you see the guarantee is used cause the person picked one that was on it's last leg, (his fault), but none the less he gets either store credit or another fish.
BUT no sensible person would have picked that fish to begin with.
  #66  
Old 12/19/2004, 09:49 AM
BriMc BriMc is offline
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Ti,
I did mis understand you, and you are correct. The only time I usually loose a fish is durring acclimation. If the fish does die after the 3 day or more period is because it got caught in the over flow or something in the tank beat the crap out of it which is my fault.
I will comment on the Petco up by me, they should not have Saltwater. I have watched them bring in their orders many times and the acclimation time was 15 minutes floating on the tank and then dumped directly into the tank. After the fire fish died I checked the parameters of my holding tank and the copper was off the scale of my test kit and that was after being deluted 4 to 1.
Ti do you go into a store and buy a fish the first time you see it? This also may be where a newbie and a seasoned aquarist differ. I do not purchace a fish the first time I see it. As the same with the two fish that died. I always put a deposit and watch them over a week. This also depends on the store I am buying them at. If it is as a good LFS that I trust I will take a fish at first glance only because I know the fish is coming from a quality collector and not a junk wholesaler.
  #67  
Old 12/20/2004, 07:05 PM
storrsms storrsms is offline
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abfleck-I know the manager personally, and he is experienced in SW

mark
  #68  
Old 12/25/2004, 12:30 PM
Scuba Dog Scuba Dog is offline
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To me they are one in the same...pathetic garbage of a store....
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  #69  
Old 12/25/2004, 06:49 PM
storrsms storrsms is offline
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I'm not defending the store, just that the manager is an experienced SW peron- I agree that the Mega Stores are lacking...

Mark
  #70  
Old 12/25/2004, 08:42 PM
ClamIAm ClamIAm is offline
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Cool

The Petco by me carried coral for a very short period, now they only keep sw fish. I've never bought any fish from either store (fresh or salt), but they are good for supplies sometimes.
  #71  
Old 12/25/2004, 09:16 PM
PinkFloydReefer PinkFloydReefer is offline
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I have worked in the aquatics industry for several years and IMO those two institutions are Satans spawn. In their infinite wisdom have turned untold numbers of people away from this hobby with their terrible knowledge, poor upkeep, and **** poor livestock. Stay away
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  #72  
Old 12/28/2004, 06:34 PM
phil519 phil519 is offline
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Petco here in nyc:



so from this pic and description - i guess I could go out and buy a 12 gallon and setup my marine tank for my clowns right away!

...
  #73  
Old 12/28/2004, 06:40 PM
crzy4reefs crzy4reefs is offline
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guess so.......and while were at it why not add a tang.......i used to work at petco for 6yrs as the manager of fish and reptiles.....we never did corals it was fish only........and trying to get things done right was a pain in the butt the managers and other high up peopl just don't care. i just got sick of them and left.........i have to say while in my care the fish and reptiles got great care.........i was also the only one to acclimate fish properly although i had gotten written up a few times cause it was taking so long..................
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  #74  
Old 01/03/2005, 03:57 PM
monkeyreefer monkeyreefer is offline
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well, believe it or not, but the petco near me has better fish than all the other lfs's around. The manager of the store is big into fowlr tanks, hence the saltwater tanks are well maintained. Thank god, as he will get in fish that most places wont.

on the other hand, the petco that i lived near in wisconsin was the most pathetic display of animal life i have ever seen.
  #75  
Old 01/03/2005, 03:59 PM
monkeyreefer monkeyreefer is offline
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btw, make sure to ask your local petco how the fish they keep were collected. the really cheap ones are always cyanid. They can get fish that are not, but those ones will cost a bit more, all you have to do is ask
 

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