Scott's Pet Shop is something else

tallkooljp · #1 02/14/2005, 10:27 AM

I used to always hear commericals for this place so I checked it out this weekend. They had a lot of tanks and stingrays of all things but for saltwater whoa. The tanks are bare, i.e., no gravel, no sand, no rocks, nothing, well nothing but algae on the glass. The fish looked very stressed and 3 looked like they were about to die if not already dead. I mean come on I know its harder to catch fish in decorated tanks, but put at least something in there. Equipment prices were about double what you would pay in mail order. The coral selection was also not very impressive. One large tank with a lot of brown pieces. The live rock had no coraline algae on it either. My personal recommendation is, save yourself the trip. I don't get why good fish stores are so hard to find...

Crued · #2 02/14/2005, 11:37 AM

volume volume volume. they get in large quantity of a particular species, put all 50 of them in those bare tanks and then sell them at a good price. in my beginnings as an aquarist i bought there, and don't think i've had one animal survive. i don't even bother going there anymore. don't forget the whole waiting around forever to find someone to help you, and then there's the fact that they don't answer their phone. my advice is to avoid that place.

adamjr · #3 02/14/2005, 02:14 PM

Agreed.

If not for the fact that my dad is buried at Westlawn cemetary (just a skip down Cumberland to Montrose) I'd never stop there. I take my daughter down there to see the shark feedings some Sunday afternoons but I'd never buy more then a cricket from that place.

Adam

MalawianDude · #4 02/14/2005, 03:38 PM

yea but what store isnt double price of money order? i am in plenty of stores that sell the AC110(500) at $75-80 when online only $32-$35, but thanx to petsmart we can get them at that price since they match their online prices. As for the livestock, well i take ur word for it lol. is it really that hard to have a good LFS? geez.

tallkooljp · #5 02/14/2005, 03:51 PM

They (pet stores in general) seem to get in trouble with tank maintenance when they combine fish and other pets in the same store. Maybe they just forget how much time and dedication this hobby takes. Thats usually when the husbandary goes to hell. Fish only stores seem to be the way to go if you want quality stuff that lives past the 48hr warranty. It was sad really. The time before I went there they had like 10 good size zebra eels in a 20gal tank all climbing on top of each other.

Crued · #6 02/14/2005, 04:02 PM

i think yer talking about 'living sea' .... in which case i really don't agree. they're expensive, but *nothing* like scott's (which is in westchester)

Quote:

Originally posted by adamjr
Agreed.

If not for the fact that my dad is buried at Westlawn cemetary (just a skip down Cumberland to Montrose) I'd never stop there. I take my daughter down there to see the shark feedings some Sunday afternoons but I'd never buy more then a cricket from that place.

Adam

MalawianDude · #7 02/14/2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tallkooljp
They (pet stores in general) seem to get in trouble with tank maintenance when they combine fish and other pets in the same store. Maybe they just forget how much time and dedication this hobby takes. Thats usually when the husbandary goes to hell. Fish only stores seem to be the way to go if you want quality stuff that lives past the 48hr warranty. It was sad really. The time before I went there they had like 10 good size zebra eels in a 20gal tank all climbing on top of each other.

yup, seen the same thing with Dragon Gobies (violet goby) at least 8" 10 in a 10g tank....

Rkthepainter · #8 02/14/2005, 05:26 PM

one of the big problems i'm told is , most of these shops order stuff, they never see what they are getting.i can tell you, you are getting a great looking fish, when it shows up it looks horrible., same thing with corals,a pet shop out here told me they order "grade A" croals. and zoo's. 75% of the zoo's never opened, now there is a giant rock with a quater of the zoo's opened, been there 3 weeks, i doubt they will ever open. dry goods i buy almost all the time online, live stock never, same deal you never know what you are going to get. atleast at the petshop you can see what you are buying.and decide if you want to buy it.

chow chow · #9 02/14/2005, 05:29 PM

Rkthepainter, what kind of trigger is in your avatar? Are you just fooling me with a 'made up' pic?

Rkthepainter · #10 02/14/2005, 05:42 PM

who that little guy? i think it's called a finger trigger, due to the fact that it loves to bite off fingers..lol...

P.A.JOe · #11 02/14/2005, 06:32 PM

And the owner was an #@%hole to me a couple of years ago.

Joe

adamjr · #12 02/14/2005, 10:11 PM

You are correct Crued, I am getting my overpriced pet stores mixed up. I have been to Scott's a few times over the year when going to the Brookfield Zoo. I do however feel the same about Scott's as I do about living sea.

Adam

natemorriss · #13 02/14/2005, 10:27 PM

I will defend Scott's I've been shopping there for 20 plus years. The fish tend to be healthy and full of color. Sure they can be crowded in a tank with many of the same type of fish but the fish tend to be as healthy as anywhere. I have been happier with fish from Scott's them anywhere else I have purchased from so I go back. The prices seem to be average for most items.

The lines and wait can be a problem. I almost purchased a mushroom rock over the weekend but didn't since it was so busy (they didn't seem to have anythign colorful this weekend). There are a couple of employees that know a lot and then there are the young ones who don't.

My only complaint is they forgot to give me the 10% CMAS discount after I showed the card the last time I was in.

adamjr · #14 02/14/2005, 10:31 PM

I'm up north and I'll stick with Sho Tank.

Adam

dbrown · #15 02/14/2005, 11:26 PM

Well, as with any pet store find a person there who knows what they are talking about and go through them if you have questions. Pet stores typically have kids applying there and they go off to college or whatever so you can't expect them to be that knowledgeable about everything in the store since that only comes with time. It's generally the older full time guys who have been around there for years that know the most, but they are few and far between since pet store pay is rarely good.

If you like Scotts and still want to spend some time with the sales I've found the best time to go is mid-week before noon. It is mostly full time employees who aren't in high school and it isnt busy then.

masson · #16 02/14/2005, 11:43 PM

They has a barracuda or something in a 4 foot tank filled with live rock with no coraline. He could barely turn around. I saw 13 tanks with dead fish or inverts. I wont go back there, except to see the clam tank with the rhinocohporious lol i dont know the real name .

BradL. · #17 02/15/2005, 12:56 AM

I was there this weekend too.Not only did I see dead fish and lots of ICK,the prices on their African Cichlids was a joke!Wont go back!

2Rockstar · #18 02/15/2005, 12:59 AM

I talk to few guys about fish business and there has to be some explanation to do for those who think that everything suppose to be perfect. It is and it will be in your tank if you taking care for it.
My friend owns store, the wholesalers don't care what they send you. Even if you go there in person, all they do is ask you what you need and they will give it to you.
Let say you want 20 yellow tangs, the guy just go puts the net into the tank catches 20 tangs and what he will get that is what you will get.
The worst thing is when you order fish straight from ocean. What ever they will catch they will send it to you, no matter if the fish is sick or not.

In Sho Tank he probably keeps sick fish at home and after getting better he brings them back.

Even if you go to the wholesaler they don't care if they give you sick fish, you want it or not. Well that is what I was told, Scotts, I a very clean store comparing to some I was to.

BTW all the fish from ocean has Ich.

And yes Scott's comparing to other store is high price store. The location speaks for it self.

MalawianDude · #19 02/15/2005, 12:09 PM

Brad, All LFS on african are overpriced, i mean i have same exact peacocks adults that u would find in store anywhere from $50-$70 for an adult when really they are only worth $20-30 on private market. GCCA is great establishment for cichlid finding and finding breeders.

pondfrog · #20 02/15/2005, 12:52 PM

I would also jump in with a defense of Scott's.
I have bought several fish there ALL of which, including my 5" powder blue tang have done very well. Their drygoods may be expensive, but their livestock prices are decent. Every time I have been there (7-8 times in the last year) the fish and tanks have loked very clean and the fish 95% healthy. Their coral selection is not great but again decent prices, especially if you like finding diamonds in the rough--entire acropora colonies for $40!! That's a steal--these things color up well, you just don't know what color you are getting! Divers don't collect brown corals!
Just another opinion.
Steve

Budes45 · #21 02/17/2005, 10:41 PM

I have never had much luch with Scott's when it comes to fish, but LPS and SPS found some nice ones at very fair price. Stoped by today bought two large SPS's for $40.00 each. Any other store they would have been twice the price.

Remorarules · #22 02/18/2005, 05:14 AM

I check out scotts now and then. Most of the employess that work there don't have a clue how to mark the prices on the marine species. I bought a Flame fairy wrasse for $39.00 cause the idiots who marked it as a filamated wrasse...LOL I also bought a Golden pygmy angel for $29.00 cause they listed it as a fire angel. Another deal I got was these huge show spaghetti leather corals, anywhere else they are $100.00. I bought them for $39.00 cause all corals are $39.00..LOL Ill continue to go there and try to find the diamond in the rough.

jcm1229 · #23 02/19/2005, 11:09 PM

I was in the area today and had a couple of gift cards to use. Picked up a nicve trumpet coral with about 24 heads for 39 (minus the CMAS discount).

Not bad for $36!!

Other observations - I did see 1 tank with a bunch of dead fish. Other tanks looked fine. I saw a bunch of soem type of goby in a tank with a bunch of cleaner shrimp and saw one of the gobies consume one of them shrimp. The corals all looke like good deals for $39 (espoecially the bigger ones - there were a bunch of trumpets ranging from 3 heads to my 24 - I think there was another 20 head piece there.

You can find the occasional good deal at Scotts.