Ok so we have a couple Lps that are small I walk in and start looking around at the fish they all look bad there spines look deformed and most of the fishes colors are bad looking just not vary well looking fish so I went to petsmart just to look around and to see what I saw believe It or not there fish looked better now the question is do I drive 20-30 min away to look for a Better fish store or just buy from I hate saying this but petsmart!
Petsmart vs lps
- Thread starter thras
- Start date
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JimmyA
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- May 19, 2011
- Messages
- 554
You could try a few from Petsmart. Just ask them when they get their stock in and make sure you get fish that didn't just arrive so they will die at Petsmart if they are sick. I have had a fair amount die from pet shops but they usually have a guarantee. Another alternative is contacting Severum Mama on here. She quarantines her fish.
i had the same experience, i went to my LFS and all of the fish are sickly there, then i went to petsmart just to see how things were there, and i was surprised at the quality of the fish, they don't seem to be unhappy or unhealthy.
tarpon
Aquarium Advice Addict
I get all my fish from petsmart. But if you can find a store that specializes in fish its always a better bet. The staff will be more knowledgeable and helpful. I bought some chinese algae eaters from petco the other day and the guy dropped one on the floor...lol
you do know how big and aggressive CAEs get,right?
that's awful
the guy at petsmart actually seemed knowledgeable, i was watching someone buy a betta and he made sure that they had a 5g tank w/ filter and heater, it was a pleasant surprise!
tarpon
Aquarium Advice Addict
alLexX said:
Yes, I am aware
ok,just making sure.
tarpon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Haha and to make it even better the guy that was helping me with fish goes " I'm pretty much retarded when it comes to fish, so..."
.....thats not a good sign
Kryten
Aquarium Advice Regular
I actually have had the same experience. I have about 4 or 5 LFS in the area where I live and then their is PetSmart. I was really hoping to find a LFS with knowledgeable staff and well kept fish that I could support and give business to. No such luck All the places around me were filthy and the fish looked awful. One place even tried to sell me a nano tank that had been recalled by the federal government, Yikes!
All the places around me were filthy and the fish looked awful. One place even tried to sell me a nano tank that had been recalled by the federal government, Yikes!
James_in_MN
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Quality varies, both for LFS and the chain pet stores.
We have 3 very good LFS in the Minneapolis area that I'll frequent when I can (one is 40+ min away). However, there's another LFS in the area that I'll never buy from because virtually every tank has BBA in it (except the one with SAE in it).
I've also had hit or miss luck with the chain pet stores. Pet Supplies Plus has almost no good fish choices (maybe 10 tanks total), but I've bought a few pieces of equipment from them. PetSmart has a bunch of tanks, but I'll only buy ghost shrimp and equipment from them. PetCo also has a bunch of tanks, and all of the black neon tetras I bought are still alive and kicking, and they're good for equipment also. I've also had some good discussions with a couple of the PetCo employees about fishless cycling, what tanks some fish should be in, etc.
We have 3 very good LFS in the Minneapolis area that I'll frequent when I can (one is 40+ min away). However, there's another LFS in the area that I'll never buy from because virtually every tank has BBA in it (except the one with SAE in it).
I've also had hit or miss luck with the chain pet stores. Pet Supplies Plus has almost no good fish choices (maybe 10 tanks total), but I've bought a few pieces of equipment from them. PetSmart has a bunch of tanks, but I'll only buy ghost shrimp and equipment from them. PetCo also has a bunch of tanks, and all of the black neon tetras I bought are still alive and kicking, and they're good for equipment also. I've also had some good discussions with a couple of the PetCo employees about fishless cycling, what tanks some fish should be in, etc.
good idea, great way to guarantee healthy fish
