Petco cruelty issue??

[oldshell4481]

i was at petco today (horrible selection) and nearly had a heart attack, as im looking at fish i turned around and jumped quite high. there was a 50 gallon tall tank that had about 400-500 comets in it, even if these were just feeder they each had less than an inch of water to swim in, it was horrible they were so jam packed that i could easily catch ten at once just skimming my hand in the water. i cant imagine the waste output. i dont think that 500 comets are going to sell quick enough for them to not just die of overcrowding. what a stressfull situation.

 

[WhiteCloud]

Oldshell...

Just saw your location! I too have had much concern with this PetCo...I know the location that you are talking about. I do not even take my kids into that store due to the amount of death and poor treatment I have seen of there livestock, and I seldom visit the store (unless it is an emergency). This appear not to be standard practice...as the store up north is MUCH better in the treatment of their livestock!

WC

 

[Devilishturtles]

I dunno. I bet they do sell all of those 500 a week. I sell atleast 400 a week, at just wal-mart, and house them in a 65 gallon (I think) tank. Normally, there are about 500 in there at a time. This is the way that things happen at every LFS (not every, but most) that you go to.

 

[FishLover14]

This topic has been posted and argued about countless times. The follwoing facts have been established. ALMOST all Wal-Marts, Pet-co's, PetSmarts, etc. are very cruel and dont take good care of thier fish although some do take good care of their fish. I avoid buying from any big chain petstore. I know it is horrible how they treat their fish.

JMHO

 

[xxmoorishmanxx]

I agree with turtle having worked in a LFS and a big chain petstore it is very easy to sell about 60-100 feeders a day.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Although they do hire folks that know nothing about fish, I don't believe Petsmart is in the same category as the other 2.

http://www.petcocruelty.com/

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

The two petsmarts I go to have had a good fish department, and I've never been to a petco with a decent one.

 

[DanW0007]

I work at Petco, so I know just how many we sell a day. The small feeders and minnows usually have around 500 at the max. Normally though, the tank probably averages around 300. Large feeders have no more than 100 or 200 I think (can't remember exactly).

I'm not saying I like these conditions (I'd love bigger tanks and/or less fish), but believe me, we sell a ton. I have one customer that comes in twice a week and buys 100 small feeders each time (feeding caimen). Customers like that or not out of the ordinary at all. Most times when I get feeders its for a dozen or two, but there are lots of times I fill up those bags with over 6, 7 dozen for them. 500 minnows can be sold in less than 3 days, very easily.

The one thing I hate about my store is the filtration. I am in an older store than most, so we don't have the new Marineland systems that most Petcos have. From what I've seen, those tanks can take on the fish we carry. My store? No way. Because of this I am changing the water non stop. Every tank gets a water change AT LEAST once a week. May not seem like THAT much, but considering I am trying to tank care of over 12 salt water, 68 tropical, 6 fancy goldfish, and 3 feeder tanks pretty much by myself in less than 30 hours a week, it's not that bad.

 

[whitetiger_CJ]

I'm split on the issue. I work at petsmart, and before I could get a job, I was required to fill out, and test on all sorts of fish, bird, ect. to prove that I knew enough to help the customer and keep the pets healthy. On average, I sell around 150 feeders on the days that I work, between the three different sizes. at my store, we only stock 200 in each of the tanks in the front, and we have others in the lerger tanks in the back to rotate out front. the system our feeder tanks set in is a 300 gal system, and the water is checked several times daily to maintain proper balance. The petco in our area is in disrepair also. Thier tanks are never in good condition, and many of thier fish are sick. I try to keep our tanks in spotless condition, however some nights the customer load, and stock overrides the cleaning, and it has to be done the next time I work. I buy fish from my store, and have greater success with them that at some of the locally owned stores. althoug the selection of rare fish is limited to what I can convince my manager will sell.

 

[whitetiger_CJ]

Oh, puffer punk, I know a great deal about fish. I have kept over 25 different species of fish over the 15 years, and I can tell you about any of the fish my store carries. If I can't, I immediately go to the books, or even this site, to find all I can.

 

[caribou]

Except for two non-chain stores, I have not seen feeder fish kept in very good quality tanks. In my area, the best quality fish are kept a a local Earl May Garden store (don't laugh). The owner had found a nicht and has a bunch of college age aqua fanactics that are very knowldegabale. Tanks are clean and fish look good. The local specialty fish store moves fish out so fast ( in on Thur w/2 for 1 specials) you don't know what you're getting. Judge each store on its on merits. If it looks crappy don't shop there, even for dry goods. JMO

 

[Jchillin]

When it comes to "feeder" fish, I believe we are actually the cause of this condition. As other members have stated, hobbyists will buy feeders by the hundreds. How is any store going to handle this demand? It's the other species that if handled in a similiar manner should give us pause. I've been to both the worse and the "best". In both cases, the feeders are handled in the same or similiar manner.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Might as well chime in here...

Petsmart up here I Like, thier fish are not the best priced, I don't think they fully understand that a 3" Bala is not "Jumbo" and not worth 25$ (I can get same size for 8$)

They seem to keep thier fish happy up front, problems are adressed quickly (Told them about a couple clown loaches with spots, came back within 2 minutes there was a "Not for sale" sign on the tank.. )

OTH, there is another store up here called Petcetera, went in there, they make it seem like you are getting a deal on fish, "Buy 1 get 1 free" but all the fish are twice as much as anywhere else :?.
They didn't think of whether a fish would fit in thier filters intake.. I told them about the est. 100 Tetras stuck in various filters.. nothing was done until after the store closed or re-opened the next day.. I won't buy fish from there.. but I would from petsmart if it wasn't for me trying to keep all my fish from the same store. (easier to blame for any problems that arise )

I've seen the feeder tanks in the back of a lot of stores, it's the only way to keep stock, despite the obvious overstocking, consider where the fish are going, and how fast they are getting there..

 

[oldshell4481]

WhiteCloud.. have u stopped by Bobs Tropical Fish store in nobleboro, my friend says that his store is excellent and he is very knowledgeable on his fish. im planning on making a stop next week, once i decide what fish i want.