Is Petco good to buy freshwater fish or should I try another place?

Answer 1

Never judge a book by it's cover.The city I live in,all the Petco,and Petsmart stores not only keep their tanks clean,but I have had all of the fish I have bought there for years.

When buying fish,LOOK at the fish you want to buy,and the other tanks they keep fish in.If they look healthy,they probably are.Have a quarantine tank at home,and realize most pet stores,locally owned,or national chains,will offer a refund if your fish die.

The use of common sense is commonly overlooked,when buying pets.

edit:
Educate yourself before buying ANYTHING.If you cannot take the time to do this,especially with a pet,you are spending your money at your own risk.

edit 2:
I think people have problems keeping the fish they buy at "big box stores"because they do not know how to keep fish,or know how to cycle a tank before they add fish.It has nothing to do with the store they buy them at.If you go to a LFS,they are more likely to take the time to inform you on how to keep fish.I have lost a few fish from both,locally owned fish shops,and nationally owned chains,and I would not blame any fish death on the store I bought it from.But because fish get very stressed during transport.Death is always a possibility when moving fish.

I agree with cooperhead,the good pet stores are in the minority,whether small,or large,it's too bad.If you can find 1 good one in the town you live,stick with that 1,I live in a big city,and cannot count how many I won't go to,but there are 3, were I do go,2 big,and 1 locally owned.

Answer 2

Any store has the capability of being a "good" or "bad" store. I know some of the chain stores in my area are just as bad as people claim, but so are a few of the privately owned stores around me. And there are several outlets of one national "chain store" close to me (all under the same manager) that does more to keep their tanks clean and fish healthy with a great selection of species than the majority of privately owned stores. These stores also have (as part of employment form) a question regarding what species of animals the applicant personally owns or has been responsible for the care of, so they can hire people with pet experience). But places like this do seem to be in the minority. I've also seen a few users from the western US that have said their WalMarts are better than the ones in the eastern US appear to be.

So rather than generalizing, I would say it's best to evaluate your local stores on an individual basis. You should also do a little research on your own before buying fish, that way you don't have to depend on the salesperson to give you advice on care or equipment.

Here are some tips on what to look for as far as healthy fish and what to look for in a "good" store:

http://www.aquariumpros.com/faqpro/healthy_1.shtml#05205715
http://www.aquariumcorner.com/buying.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/hobratestrs.htm

I would also encourage you not to look only at the fish in the tank where the species you want are kept, but in all tanks. The trends in stores are to buy large units that are connected by pipes, so the water flows through all tanks (and can transport pathogens between them as well) to a central filtration system. If you see ANY sick or dead fish, that's a good indication not to buy, or to at least quarantine that fish before adding it to a tank with other, healthy ones.

Since all pet stores buy from wholesalers ("fish farms" or importers) you can't really blame poor initial health of the fish on the store, but once it's been in their tanks and under their care, the conditions of that store will have an effect on the fish.

Answer 3

Some are good, most are anywhere from barely suitable to awful. Out of the outfits mentioned, your best bet is Petland, as they are a franchise and will buy locally bred fish if they have the chance, the same as an independantly owned shop. I've sold them thousands of angel, which means any customer gets locally bred angels.

Find an independent shop for the best fish.

Answer 4

Petco is horrible where I live, they always have "fish under observation" signs on at least a couple tanks no matter what store I go in. I like the Petsmart I go to, their tanks always look clean and I've bought a lot of fish from them and never had a problem.

Answer 5

Petco and most retail stores are the worst places to get fish. Although all my fish are from Petsmart and live happy, i will encourge you to find a good pet store and buy fish form them. Look for the number of dead fish, water quality, and the people there! Don't go to a store with uncaring people.

Answer 6

Any ware house like that is not the best place to buy fish. They don't specialize in fish at all, they just have them. They are often sick or weak when you buy them. I only get my fish from aquarium stores.

Answer 7

petco, petsmart, petland and (god forbid) walmart are in my opinion, awful places to buy fish. their fish are diseased, genetically inferior, inbred, weak, malnurished, and usually doomed b4 you get them home. also, in my experiance, the knowledge of thier employees is mediocre at best. your best bet is to find a good locally owned fish store. they will usually have much higher quality stock and more knowledgable employees.

Answer 8

What Fish said. The "Big Box" stores are only interested in your money,not pets.

Answer 9

I would start with small and cheap fish... something like walmart.. they have pretty cheap fish there, and with time you will learn to keep and care for your fish, then you could move to the more colored, and more beautiful fish... which are sold at petsmarts, and petcos....

Answer 10

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