where to buy fish

[purrfect]

Where do you people get your fish? I have Walmart in 30 minutes distance and pet stores in one hour. Is there much difference?

 

[Jchillin]

I'm spoiled. I have a Petland one block from my place of work and in my neighborhood, there are so many you almost trip over them.

Now the real problem is, most of them (including Petland) aren't very good and I have to travel about an hour to get to a decent one.

Having so many conveniently near me helps in regard to hardware but, for the software...I'd walk a mile or more.

 

[Menagerie]

There is a difference. Often Walmart does not have the proper employee on staff to care for the fish. Some LFSs are cruddy too. You need to be aware when purchasing fish. Look around for cleanliness and ill fish. Does the store QT incoming fish? Do they treat sick fisih?

 

[Ginafish]

I agree. I tend to look at all the tanks first to look at overall fish health. If I see a lot of dead ones, well, it's a no-brainer...LOL. I am also wary of tanks that are all connected by the same pumps/water. I prefer places that aren't all connected like that because if one tank is infected, then they'll all suseptible to the disease/parasites.
Around here, we have PetCo, PetSmart, Pet Supplies Plus. PetSmart seems to have a decent fish dept. Petco can, but it really depends on the location.
There's a place about 30 min from here that is worth the drive. It's in Framingham, MA for anyone who's in MA. It's called Tropic Isle and they know their stuff!!

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

I have a lfs about 10 minutes from my house, and they have really nice and healthy fish, and a good selection. There is also a Petsmart about 15 minutes from my house that has a good fish dept. I don't know of any lfs close to my dorm, but there is a petsmart about 15 minutes away that is decent, not as good as the one by my house but they have healthy fish and people that know their stuff. Their selection just isn't as large. Most petcos Ive been to have a subpar fish dept.

 

[Teezer]

The Tropic Isle is great. I travel 2 1/2 hours to visit that store. They have a great selection.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have found that Wal-Mart does NOT have very good fish. We have purchased from there before and they are generally not in good health. Just last week my fiance purchased 3 Cory Cats from Wal-Mart. Yesterday morning I woke up and one was dead. Tank conditions are perfect, the fish just didn't last. I found this to be true with the Tetra's that we purchased a couple years ago. You should look in the phone book and start checking out places. It will take a while to find one that you like and that has knowledgable staff. Be patient, eventually you will find one. We now drive 2 hours to get fish, it's a long distance, but they have healthy fish and strongly stand behind the guarentee.

 

[Menagerie]

There is a Texas and Nevada forums. I know that isn't super close, but I used to travel two hours to a LFS when I lived in Idaho :?

 

[LestWeForget13]

i have a store just 5 minutes away from me thats run by three people, and they know their stuff, im thinking about gettin a job there