Hats off to petsmart

[winnona15]

the other i went into petsmart to buy some crushed coral (they now have a saltwater dry goods section) and i thought they were planning to add marine fish to their selection some time soon.so i asked the guy working in the fish dept. and he said they were not going to add marine fish to their selection because they would be doing it for the money and it would not be fair to the animals. it would be nice if every fish store were like this (caugh petco caugh) it would be alot better for marine life because having one
"fish expert" that comes in once a week for the shippments and 3 other ppl that vaugly know anything about salt water except how to feed them. a store like that should not be allowed to sell marine life. they need to concentrate on other things other than the age restrictions of employees because you have to be 18 to buy fish and 18 to work there. i think if you show a thorough knowledge of marine life then you should be allowed to work there. But anyways i just had to say that i respect petsmart alot more now due to the humanity of the guy who will not sell marine life.

[mjstech]

Hahah, I used to work at petsmart here in Arizona. The real reason they didn't carry Saltwater fish was the Petsmart uses a single central filtration setup for all those tanks. (except feeders). Now don't get me wrong, the filtration setup was massive with 12 huge UV seralizers, O2 reactor, Chiller, Doser, and it used 3 huge pool size pumps, it had all digital controls for ORPs and other settings.

Now the reason I was told by my Regonal Animal Director was they won't do salt because the filtration setup is designed to work with the exact amout of tank in the system. If they took tanks off/ to retro them to salt there would be issues with back pressure and flow, besides the cost of retrofitting it.

I am not bashing Petsmart at all, I had no issues with the company, maybe a few managers though. I worked there for about 2 years as the Specialty Lead, I was in charge of the fish, reptiles, small animals, and birds, and had 4-6 people that worked under me.

I currently work at Petco with the same responsibilities. (I spend most of the time in aquatics now though) I work 5-6 days a week in the mornings. I have 3 people under me who are all trained properly with medication, feeding, and general fish needs.

We also have the 18yr old requirement for all animals except crickets and frozen rodents.

So in conclusion he may have said it they didn't want to do it just for the money, but any retail shop is around to make money. The care of the animals is also a huge deal too. It was at petsmart and is at petco. No reputable shop would just get a fish setup just to sell fish and not take care of them.

mark

[MikeS]

We also have the 18yr old requirement for all animals except crickets and frozen rodents.

Sweet....you mean if I'm under 18 I can get a frozen rodent? The ultimate pet....quiet, clean, easy to care for.... :lol:

Sorry...I read that and I could not resist.... :lol:

Mike

[Doctor_Reef]

How Funny!!!!! :)

[FishinInTheDark]

:lol:

[mjstech]

crickets are nice pets too, they may keep you up at night

[nbaker]

freeze em'? :lmao:

[stpetehxc]

haha just reading this screams just about all my lfs...sad man just sad :cry:

[Matt.D]

Wierd. I'm fixin to be 17 and I know more about salt tanks and I easly know more about FW and brackish tanks than most people working at wal mart and stuff but yet I can't work there. Its really sad.

[Brock Fluharty]

I also know more than my LFS saltwater director, but I "need to be 18". That is so stupid. I don't even care if he pays me! I just wanna make their store better, buy showing the animals respect, and giving them the attention they need. For example, he has 2 large blue and gold macaws. He like never lets them out!!! If I worked there, I would let them out for at least an hour everyday!!! He leaves dead fish in the tank for a week, doesn't feed them but every other day (and they are waaaaaaay overstocked), doesn't have a skimmer, sells them when he knows they have ich!!! It makes me soo mad!!!


Brock

[stpetehxc]

i tried to get a job at animal house, and i def know more than the mgr who works the reptile/fresh/salt part...but they hired someone else, prob less qualified....

[TranZ]

since we are in the subject of petco and petsmart.....i just want to add that each petco are different. theres 3 around me that i go and checked out pretty much every week....but only one i would trust. this petco in particular has a great employee....he knows alot about SW/FW cause he's also a hobbyist. on top of that i get my corals very cheap. they will sell a coral for $60 and he'll git it to me for $35 pretty much close to cost.

i'm all for supporting mom's and pop's store but most of the mom's and pop's store are way too expensive like PetPlace II for a Blue Hippo Tang Small is $90 dollars. the salt are at least $10 more than petco or petsmart. in a few weeks no more petco or petsmart for me coz a friend of mine are going to open a fish store and i will definitely get everything cost.

[2639]

I know this is off topic but my local Petco had false percs on sale for ten bucks a piece ...TANK RAISED! I got two from them..I have to say, those have been the best out of the 5 i've lost recently :( they are the healthiest and most colorful. ;) I'll most likely buy my next fish from them.

[tepelus]

any petco i've gone to around here makes me ill. i won't buy anything there. not only do the saltwater fish alway look sickly, but the other animals have filthy cages and if they have food, like the ferrets for instance, the food looks like its been there for days and haven't been replaced. and with the ma and pa stores, depending on where you go, some have disgusting tanks, others emaculant. hit and miss, but generally their prices are cheaper on dry goods than petsmart, etc. fish prices, selection, etc, just have to shop around. but i'd still prefer to support the ma and pas than the chain stores. my two cents.

[LittlePuff]

Brock, why not volunteer to help care for the animals. It might turn into a job.

Kim