Pets at Home (UK nationwide pet store)

[Samzter]

I can't find there website, can you tell me what it is please?

Seapets. It autocorrected it. Lol.

 

[Samzter]

Yesterday I picked up 3 really healthy looking rams. Seem to be doing okay and are only 3/4 of an inch. I'm supposed by the quality of the fish I have to say

 

[H2OJO]

I've bought fish from them before and won't be anymore. Went in to get some dog food the other week and counted at least 2 tanks with dead fish in them. Doesn't set much of an example! Wouldn't expect to see a dead animal in any pet store!

 

[ForZiE]

I brought my first few fish from there and they seemed ok but the people didn't have much of a clue what they were doing. Maidenhead aquatics are brilliant and I have two stores near me and the guys down at Wheatley are brilliant and to fish are all in great shape. Also they have tons to chose from and all variations. Top chain imo

 

[Damojoker13]

Maidenhead aquatics are great and all the staff know what they are talking about, pah near me are really good but i think its mostly due to the fact that the ones i have spoken to own fish. i have brought most of my fish from them and they've lasted but i have noticed that fish like there neons have been dead in the tanks but as soon as i told them they removed them and put a sign up saying the fish are being treated.

 

[MummyDJ]

P@H in Gloucester doesn't seem too bad. Only ever seen one or two dead fish in the years i've been going in. They have spare tanks that are used as hospital tanks with signs saying so and they will ask about your tank at home. They won't sell if they don't think it's good enough.

 

[Tardis1973]

Pets At Home "No way"

Pets at home in Drumchapel, Glasgow also has poor fish tanks.
Plenty of dead fish in tanks.
I buy my fish from Dobbies Milngavie, Glasgow as they seem in good condition.

 

[Thranta]

My local pah in Sheffield has well kept tanks and I've never seen a dead fish in any of them. They seem to have a high turnover of fish. There's always a different selection every time I visit. I wouldn't go to them for advice though, the people I've spoken to are less knowledgeable than a newbie like me!

Which Pets at Home in Sheffield do you use?

I go to the one by the Matalan/Britano on Chesterfield Road (?), and they have good stock and clean tanks. Advice ranges from subpar to excellent depending on who you get. The lad with longish hair is excellent.

Then again, again the Pets at Home out near Crystal Peaks is generally rubbish.

 

[DaveT]

I've mixed feelings about the PaH in Milton Keynes. I bought my starter fish from them and they were great, sturdy fish that have flourshed.

A fortnight or so ago I bought a 3 mollies and 4 guppies and lost 2 mollies overnight.

I find much better knowledge, advice and selection at hobbyfish but the prices are higher, but worth paying.

 

[T1KARMANN]

You get good and bad at every store chain

Even some branches of maidenhead aquatics are rubbish

I think it also depends what area they are in
Ruff area = ruff staff

 

[Wayne487]

Well personally the PAH near me are great, I will admit there is one or two staff that don't seem to know much about fish other than the basics but there are 5 or 6 that are always really helpful and most of whom have tanks or had them and still keep upto date on all the latest stuff. I've bought multiple fish from there and the only problem (which isn't a problem really) is I bought 2 BN plecs and the male of the pair has turned a lighter gravel kind of colour BUT he seems perfectly healthy, always active and eating well.

I go there a lot of advice (I do my research first but its always good to hear someone else's advice first hand) I also shop at my LFS (which also sell other pets but mainly fish) and they are good too but sometimes I find it hard to get their attention and get the advice I need because they're trying to make their money. I have two other LFS in around 15minute drive and I need to try those out yet but PAH I find to be great if you get to know who's who and can separate the people who are clearly there just because they want the money and the people that are there because they love animals and what they do

 

[Dammagpies]

I wouldn't use either PaH or Maidenhead, both are too expensive. The 3 PaH near me also have too many dead fish in their tanks and very little choice, while the 2 Maidenhead Aquatics have poorly segregated fish in overcrowded tanks.

I find it far better and cheaper to use local independent stockists, who are usually cheaper, have a wider selection of healthy fish and are far more knowledgeable about the fish and local water conditions with regard to what it's best to keep

 

[Fishies86]

I would never buy fish from my pets at home again. I'm on the Isle of Wight so I've only got one pets at home, and now we've got a Maidenhead aquatics, ill always go there. There tanks are always clean and full of Happy fish. Pets at home always seem to have ill or dead fish in there.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mattquy]

I had set up a new tank about 2 months ago and went into PaH in Cardiff to get my water tested before adding any fish,when looking at the displays i immediately noticed dead fish in some of the tanks.Now obviously it's a fact of life that fish die but it certainly doesn't show a very good example to leave these dead fish in their tanks,I went back a couple of times after and each time i found the same subsequently I've not been back since


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Dannymac82]

In my experience the staff at pets at home are very accurate with their advice and are very knowledgable. Also the products they sell like fish food and chemicals are a lot cheaper than most places but the fish they sell are very expensive and don't seem to last long when I have introduced them into my tanks. The best places to purchase new fish are from smaller sellers.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[allimalli]

I bought 4 gouramis and two small sharks last month from pah the gouramis died one after the other, there didn't seem any reason why until the last one which had white spot I believe. Unfortunately whatever caused their demise has affected a couple of my other fish. Over the last week I have had 4 die! Won't use them again although the store I used had very nice tanks. Maidenhead aquatics in the Dukeries garden centre in Workshop are brilliant, very knowledgeable and wouldn't sell you an unsuitable fish.

Sent from my A200 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[kelly28]

In my experience the PAH near me is actually BETTER than the local aquatic store. The staff are not maybe as clued up as they could be but the fish are kept in much better conditions than the aquatic store and i always see someone on the aquatic section either testing water, treating water, checking the fish etc. I would actually rather buy fish from PAH if I have to choose between them. My local aquatics store have tanks full of dead fish, they cram way to many fish into tiny tanks and you can see they are struggling to move around and large fish in small tanks are fighting and ripping each other apart all the time. I've no doubt they are all full of disease too!


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Sands_88]

It seems to vary a lot. Plants are fabulous I've found, but fish can be a bit hit and miss.

I've found that having a look in all the tanks first - if there are any with unwell fish I come back in another week and usually its completely different. They are really good at replacing dead fish if you go back to the shop and say its dead - they just give you a new one!

Knowledge is shocking - one woman almost wouldn't let me buy platies for my tropical tank because apparently they're cold water only....

 

[Kione]

Pets at Home on the Isle of Man is horrid. Dead fish in the tank and in one tank the other fish were eating the dead one who had no eyes already. Truly disgusting, my stomach turns just thinking about it


Kione

 

[smoutylad22]

Last Thursday I went to an independent aquatics shop in Neston, Wirral, UK called Waterworld where I have got all my fish from. They are usually spot on for getting fish from, tanks always looked crystal clear and healthy.

So when I walked in there I was horrified to see the state some of the tanks were in. Dead fish in every other tank. There was one tank in particular which was disgusting, it was that bad I took pictures of it. All the fish in the tank were either dying or dead, I counted at least 7 dead fish.

The water in this tank was brown, murky and horrible. The pictures don't do it justice. I soon walked out of there and won't be going back anytime soon!

I made the trip to pets at home in bromborough, Wirral, to have a look at the fish there. All the tanks were spot on, clean and full of healthy fish which was nice to see. So all in all I was very impressed with my local pets at home.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice