This is another pointless rant that i just have to tell somebody about. I was at walmart with my dad shopping for food. I say I'm going back to the fish. When i got there i started looking at them. obviously. I was disapointed to see dead fish floating at the top and bottom. Then in the quarintine tank some of them were dead and some of them werent. this was extremely dissapointing.
walmarts fish
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Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
Did you go to management and say anything? The only way a place like that will change is if enough people take the initiative and "rant" to them til things change. Maybe if there's enough complaints, they will do away with the fish all together.
Hrafnkel
Aquarium Advice FINatic
All stores have dead fish. This is especially to be expected if they'd just gotten in their shipments.
Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hrafnkel said:
That's true and most regular aquarium stores have employess who constantly keep them cleaned out. Not like Walmart where the person running the fish section is also stocking dog food, etc. or helping out in the toys or garden center.
flamingonhot
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Half of the time the fish dude isn't even there. I have to go and get someone from gardening who can't tell an oscar from a clawed frog......
Even when the "fish dude" isn't there he doesn't understand you or doesn't talk, very unsociable little person lol.
It's a fact that at least one or more fish die when they first get them, but walmart has a history as being the worst fish keepers. They connect all of they're tanks together and it's spreads the ick they always get about 20 times faster. They than get ich cure and dump the whole bottle in with clown loaches. First of all ick cure doesnt work on the already attached parasites and second of all a whole bottle treats 5000 gallons and your putting it with clown loaches, iridescent sharks, and eels. So yeah they're gonna die.
My aunt went there and was like " they all have ick and are dying....Should i go get a bottle of that ick cure and put it in the tank while they're not looking?" It was funny but i said they probably already did.
they also think salt cures everything. YOU DONT PUT A HALF GALLON CUP THING FULL OF SALT IN A TANK!
Even when the "fish dude" isn't there he doesn't understand you or doesn't talk, very unsociable little person lol.
It's a fact that at least one or more fish die when they first get them, but walmart has a history as being the worst fish keepers. They connect all of they're tanks together and it's spreads the ick they always get about 20 times faster. They than get ich cure and dump the whole bottle in with clown loaches. First of all ick cure doesnt work on the already attached parasites and second of all a whole bottle treats 5000 gallons and your putting it with clown loaches, iridescent sharks, and eels. So yeah they're gonna die.
My aunt went there and was like " they all have ick and are dying....Should i go get a bottle of that ick cure and put it in the tank while they're not looking?" It was funny but i said they probably already did.
they also think salt cures everything. YOU DONT PUT A HALF GALLON CUP THING FULL OF SALT IN A TANK!
bosk1
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I love Walmart...but not for fish. I don't think I would ever buy fish from them, or from any place where the staff in charge of taking care of them have neither the time nor the knowledge to take care of them properly.
crazyred
Aquarium Advice Addict
You should see the tanks of death at my Wal-Mart down here. OMG, I've never seen anything so disgusting in my life.....we're talking some of the tanks had at lest 50% of inhabitants dead. 
The little kids love hanging around and watching the plecos devour the carcasses. 8O It's the saddest most nauseating thing I've ever seen and I try to stay away from the tanks if I go back there to get some Aquasafe or something.
The little kids love hanging around and watching the plecos devour the carcasses. 8O It's the saddest most nauseating thing I've ever seen and I try to stay away from the tanks if I go back there to get some Aquasafe or something.mrcrazypants05
Aquarium Advice Freak
The store I work at was having a great shipment in up until about a month ago... now the fish have all gone down hill. I think it has something to do with where they are sent from. It's probably because none of our department managers do anything... The pets guy is too "busy" to dig out the dead fish, and he's also too busy to push all 3 of his carts to the back before he leaves. The 1-10 guy always has to scoop out 20-30 dead fish lately it seems. It might be a lack of attention from both the walmart employees and the fish "distribution" center... Oh and btw... I used to help people get fish, but anytime I try to say something to them about a certain thing they want me to bag it anyway. I have to make the sale, because I need my job 
So, now they can all just wait for someone who doesnt care about them putting that green spotted puffer in that 10 gallon with that beautiful betta. 
So, now they can all just wait for someone who doesnt care about them putting that green spotted puffer in that 10 gallon with that beautiful betta. CompMage
Aquarium Advice Freak
I think between the 10 Wal-Marts I can get to between the 3 states I tromp around. (Small states) There is one that the fish area is constantly clean. And that’s because I know the person working back there is a fish nut.
Past that. I really do wish they would stop selling fish all together. They can't be making any money of them with all the dead fish. And people will still buy supplies there. It's the cheapest place there is.
But the problem is, while people like us who give a ...... don't buy fish from them. There are 10 or 20 idiots that walk in there buy a tank and fish and keep buying more doomed fish.
Past that. I really do wish they would stop selling fish all together. They can't be making any money of them with all the dead fish. And people will still buy supplies there. It's the cheapest place there is.
But the problem is, while people like us who give a ...... don't buy fish from them. There are 10 or 20 idiots that walk in there buy a tank and fish and keep buying more doomed fish.
mrcrazypants05
Aquarium Advice Freak
I've seen people get the fish, and then stand there and stare at the fish bowls or the 10 gallons.... at one point having an oscar in their bag for 20 minutes staring... at the FISH BOWLS. Our biggest fish bowl wouldnt support an oscar laying on its side full grown.
flamingonhot
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I especially like the betta shelf they have....they had a rotting fish in one for crying out loud!
Some girl was looking at one and dropped the cup, she was like oops and set it back up on the shelf. Another person came in and almsot bought it until I said what happened and they just said whatevr and picked up a different one.
it's wierd how people can be so rude when you warn them about stuff like that.
One time some guy asked me at petco if chinese algae eaters would eat algae, he worked at agolf course and was in chrage of finding something to clean up algae in the water holes. I told him no and why they didn't. I suggested plecos. He was like "well they have algae eater in there name...i might try these, there a lot cheaper" he blew me off so i was like screw you, he looked at me funny but I walked away.
Some girl was looking at one and dropped the cup, she was like oops and set it back up on the shelf. Another person came in and almsot bought it until I said what happened and they just said whatevr and picked up a different one.
it's wierd how people can be so rude when you warn them about stuff like that.
One time some guy asked me at petco if chinese algae eaters would eat algae, he worked at agolf course and was in chrage of finding something to clean up algae in the water holes. I told him no and why they didn't. I suggested plecos. He was like "well they have algae eater in there name...i might try these, there a lot cheaper" he blew me off so i was like screw you, he looked at me funny but I walked away.
CompMage
Aquarium Advice Freak
One of the best one's that I've seen was when I was in a Pet Smart looking at the fish after picking up some flakes. I was sitting there talking to my Fiancée and this lady interrupts us, politely. Asking us for help about this fish she was looking at because "they guy back there didn't sound like he knew that there were different types of fish" She wanted to know what she could put in her 180 gallon tank that currently only has 2 Bala sharks and 2 silver dollars. I recommended a few more Bala sharks and some more silvers, I helped her the best I could and wrote out some sites she could go to and get a little more info.
I am just completely floored that places like Wal-Mart that probably have a LIMITLESS supply of applicants each day can't weed out one person that at lest knows what a fish is!!!! AHHHAHAHA AHHHH.. And the same thing goes for Pet (fill in the blank) stores.
I am just completely floored that places like Wal-Mart that probably have a LIMITLESS supply of applicants each day can't weed out one person that at lest knows what a fish is!!!! AHHHAHAHA AHHHH.. And the same thing goes for Pet (fill in the blank) stores.
Gryph
Aquarium Advice Regular
My husband pretends not to be mortified when we go to pet stores together. The ranting about Wal-Mart fish, he's used to. ("Pacus? What business does Wal-Mart have selling PACUS? They barely have business selling bloody guppies...") It's when I start helping people that he runs away.
I shamelessly walk up to old women looking at bettas and talk them out of putting them into vases, tell them how to take care of them, and point out what they need to be buying. The last time I was there, I made the poor fish department girl chase dwarf puffers for about twenty minutes til I had the females I wanted, all while teaching her to sex them.
I so wish my town had a decent LFS.
I shamelessly walk up to old women looking at bettas and talk them out of putting them into vases, tell them how to take care of them, and point out what they need to be buying. The last time I was there, I made the poor fish department girl chase dwarf puffers for about twenty minutes til I had the females I wanted, all while teaching her to sex them.
I so wish my town had a decent LFS.
Tiffi
Aquarium Advice Addict
The main problem are really all those ignorant people though. Wouldn't it be suspicious if there were 50% dead birds in the cages? Would then somebody still buy one and say what the heck, this one's alive.
If someone feels sorry for those poor fishes, buys them or buys just a tank, a heater there, that way they support the policies of this store! If someone buys a puppy from one of those stores in the mall, where they are in tiny cages all day long, because they felt sorry for them and wanted to save them - that's exactly the wrong way to go. The owner of the stores gets your money, get's another dog and continues to sell under the same circumstances! People wake up!
If someone feels sorry for those poor fishes, buys them or buys just a tank, a heater there, that way they support the policies of this store! If someone buys a puppy from one of those stores in the mall, where they are in tiny cages all day long, because they felt sorry for them and wanted to save them - that's exactly the wrong way to go. The owner of the stores gets your money, get's another dog and continues to sell under the same circumstances! People wake up!
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
Doesn't help either that the companies that sell the fish to walmart (who are just regular companies that walmart hires) banter the manager who orders the fish to buy as much as they can....up to an including huge numbers of betta fish, or even pacus. Trust me, I know. It can be a hassle, enough to where you just give in and say "yeah, whatever, that's fine".
If you have a complaint, tell a manager. Otherwise, they won't ever know there is a problem.
gouramiguy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Dont start hating on me right away. I run a pet department at Wal-Mart in Depere, WI. And every one that comes in to my store tells me that I have the best looking tanks in the area. There are three within 15 minutes of each other and two more 35 minutes away. Most people even tell me that my tanks look better than our LFS. So please dont go thinking that every store is crap. But I do have to admit Mrchrazypants is right. Most department managers dont do anything. However some of us do. And my fish almost always look good. Except when my supplier sends me bad shipments. Which lately has been Oscars, which is really tickin me off. And of course the gold fish.
Hey Flamingonhot, if you are ever in the green bay/depere area, stop in and check it out. You will be surprised to see a walmart with good looking tanks.
Hey Flamingonhot, if you are ever in the green bay/depere area, stop in and check it out. You will be surprised to see a walmart with good looking tanks.
bosk1
Aquarium Advice FINatic
gouramiguy said:
We're just hating on Walmart in general, not you.
If a particular store got somebody good who knows what they are doing (ie. you), that's great. But most stores do not.
Tiffi
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wrong. We're not hating any store in general, just the bad ones with lots of dead fishes. The good walmarts why not buy there? But be picky about where you spend your money.
mrcrazypants05
Aquarium Advice Freak
We had a shipment of a couple blue oscars a couple of weeks ago... I told one of the pet guys that they were... he then asked how I knew. Then I told him how I knew, and how the process was. I think I almost made him sick. We sold them the same day...... We had some ropefish come in I was thinking of buying because they looked healthy. All 3 of them died the same day.
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hey gouramiguy, so am I, and so are a few other people on this site. I too, run one of the best in my area, but still have down times with sicknesses when the fish just aren't healthy. I do blame a lot of walmarts problem on *some* of the companies that sell fish to them. If they don't sell healthy fish, how can a manager in walmart keep them healthy?
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