Stanley Wong
Well-Known Member
Has anyone purchase fishes from Petco on line ? Good or Bad ?
Petco - live fish on line purchase
- Thread starter Stanley Wong
- Start date
I would not do it.
Petco is massive volume cheapest price. You might get a cheap fish, but it probably won't have been cared for well and likely won't be as healthy as a fish from a supplier that actually specializes in saltwater.
Moreover, buying from them is encouraging them by feeding their wallet. If not a good LFS, then feed the wallets of online places that take their saltwater seriously. Rant over
Petco is massive volume cheapest price. You might get a cheap fish, but it probably won't have been cared for well and likely won't be as healthy as a fish from a supplier that actually specializes in saltwater.
Moreover, buying from them is encouraging them by feeding their wallet. If not a good LFS, then feed the wallets of online places that take their saltwater seriously. Rant over
Turbosnail
Non-member
+1 bad ideaI would not do it.
Petco is massive volume cheapest price. You might get a cheap fish, but it probably won't have been cared for well and likely won't be as healthy as a fish from a supplier that actually specializes in saltwater.
Moreover, buying from them is encouraging them by feeding their wallet. If not a good LFS, then feed the wallets of online places that take their saltwater seriously. Rant over
Mechanic2770
Non-member
I agree a bad idea. The stuff they have never looks good.
reefsane88
Non-member
yea bad idea if youre ordering on the web but u could go to ur local petco order it there should be the same price and recieve it when they get their shipment and u could reject it if u dont like it imo its hit or mis with them
reefsane88
Non-member
i understand i guess im lucky my area actually lets me see it before buying it and i get the option to leave it there a week after it arrives but yes there fish 90 pecent of the time are bad i was suggesting if he did wanna go that route to atleast order it to the store instead of home
That may allow you to leave the sickly fish there to die, but wouldn't it be better deal with a supplier that took better care of the fish in the first place?
I'm not talking about saving a few bucks on the fish we bring home, I'm talking about trying not to encourage their killing all the ones that never make it out of their stores.
*BTW, not trying to jump on anyone in this discussion, I'm just a petco hater....
I'm not talking about saving a few bucks on the fish we bring home, I'm talking about trying not to encourage their killing all the ones that never make it out of their stores.
*BTW, not trying to jump on anyone in this discussion, I'm just a petco hater....
Bobbofin
Non-member
I have bought fish from the local Petco in Manchester NH. The guy in charge there Greg is pretty good. I have only bought green chromis or a yellow watchman goby from them; inexpensive fish and they looked good. I would not purchase a fish over $15 from them. Their corporate structure does not allow them to take good care of their livestock. The stores do not have RODI and they only can use what they stock; API tests kits, wave point T5 bulbs, Seio powerheads. The folks in Manchester try to do the best they can with limited corporate support. The staff there actually cares and brings RODI water and test kits from home. The pilot program of carrying corals in Manchester and Nashua started of great with a 36' x 24" frag tank, Sunlight Supply fixture and EuroUSA skimmer. But after a while various forms of algae took over the frags and corals in the tanks.
yes, Greg is a great guy.
When I still work up in manchester NH, I usually go to that Manchester store for fish and anemone. I did not know where to go for help beside them (at the time).
Unfortunately I did not have any luck with all of the fish that I bought from Petco. Every fish that bought from them usually ending up with ich about a week later.
They even suggested me to have a yellow tang in a 29g tank and also just using tab water would be okay. When my tank had ich, they told me to use Ich attack in my main tank. what a waste of US monies. Well, I was newbie 7 months ago and no one told me about this forum.
I switched to using Petco in Andover when I switched my job in December. Their whole store tank setup has red slim alage. After a couple of anemone purchased from them, My tank ended up having red algae just like them too. I gave up for 3 weeks and sold my entire tank
Since then I stopped going or buying any fish/invertebrate from them.
Right now I have 4 fish (2 I bought from Aqua Addicts in Salem and two from one of the reef fellows). they been doing great since I bought them.
well that was just my experience with Petco
When I still work up in manchester NH, I usually go to that Manchester store for fish and anemone. I did not know where to go for help beside them (at the time).
Unfortunately I did not have any luck with all of the fish that I bought from Petco. Every fish that bought from them usually ending up with ich about a week later.
They even suggested me to have a yellow tang in a 29g tank and also just using tab water would be okay. When my tank had ich, they told me to use Ich attack in my main tank. what a waste of US monies. Well, I was newbie 7 months ago and no one told me about this forum.
I switched to using Petco in Andover when I switched my job in December. Their whole store tank setup has red slim alage. After a couple of anemone purchased from them, My tank ended up having red algae just like them too. I gave up for 3 weeks and sold my entire tank
Since then I stopped going or buying any fish/invertebrate from them.
Right now I have 4 fish (2 I bought from Aqua Addicts in Salem and two from one of the reef fellows). they been doing great since I bought them.
well that was just my experience with Petco
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clinicalman
Non-member
i bought a good sized yellow Coris and a McGluster's wrasses for under $20 each from Petco's existing tanks. Also ordered from the Quincy store a 6 line wrasse and Mandarin both at or less than $20. I picked up a couple of nice anemones for under $7 each. It is buyer beware at Petco as the people in the department will never match up in knowledge to local LFS. I have been happy with the young lady in the Quincy Petco. If you want great selection in fish or coral with great displays go to Skipton's but the mean fish price is probably north of $50. Lovely Pets is somewhere in the middle of the two on selection and pricing and have very knowledgeable people at that LFS in Quincy
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GobyWanKenobie
Well-Known Member
I never thought of doing that. I wonder if the fish would be in better shape coming fresh from the warehouse. I think it's when they hit the store level that things go wrong. As far as distributors, all the fish stores probably get their fish from the same source. I understand the concern about saving the wildlife, but Petco will go on regardless of whether or not experienced people buy from them because they are attractive and easily accessible to new people in the hobby. It's definitely a buyer beware kind of store.
It really depends upon the store. I used to go to the one in Quincy. Haven't been there in a while, but it was pretty sketchy at the time. I did buy my very first saltwater fish there, but never again after that.
Contrast that with the Hanover store which is actually surprisingly decent. I have bought a few fish there and had good luck with them. Also got a great deal on a clam there. They have had a frag tank running for over a year now and it looks as good as any typical LFS frag tank would. They even sell some aqua-cultured live rock sometimes. I buy my frozen food here too since they have a big freezer full. And it doesn't help that I bring my dog here to get his nails clipped. Heh.
Contrast that with the Hanover store which is actually surprisingly decent. I have bought a few fish there and had good luck with them. Also got a great deal on a clam there. They have had a frag tank running for over a year now and it looks as good as any typical LFS frag tank would. They even sell some aqua-cultured live rock sometimes. I buy my frozen food here too since they have a big freezer full. And it doesn't help that I bring my dog here to get his nails clipped. Heh.
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