Buying frags from petco

There's a couple of petco near me and I wouldn't buy livestock from them or petsmart. I actually called Petc's corp. office and complaint about one of the local stores. They had a tank with maybe 15 anemones on it and the where all bleached and inside out and 3 or 4 were dead. The guy that was trying to help with what I was looking for(not livestock) had no clue about what I was looking for and when I pointed out the tank with the anemones all he said was "I dont know because they are under this light that are supposed to be special for them" I was reallly mad. I had to point them out specially because that guy's nametag said "MANAGER" on it.

I'm glad some of you got good stuff from there. I would not buy from my local ones if I don't have too(hopefully I won't)

 

I see it's pretty mixed feeling here. The ones in my area mix coral and fish together.


Sent from my Sprint iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

Nope. I won't buy any livestock from them. It's not just their SW livestock. It's their birds, dogs, cats, gerbils, reptiles, spiders.

I do hold the entire chain accountable and blame them all when I speak with my money - not on a location by location basis. Just like an LFS, I hold the entire chain of any particular LFS accountable; just so happens LFS isn't national and is a chain of 1. But it's the same thing.

I can hop on here and bash my local LFS but nobody is going to know or care what I'm talking about - seeing as how they are local and I'm apparently the only 3reefer that goes to them. Not worth the time, but a national chain, well, we all know and go to those places...

Years ago I did go the corporate route and got a nice letter saying they would look into it. Then nothing. They had cats in cages they couldn't stand in, tarantulas and anole's in the same teranium and several of their bird cages water cups were empty. Never changed. Corporate is just as bad. It's the chain. Individual 'good' petco is a manager bucking the corporate system - hat's off to them but I'm not going to hunt for them.

 

Well said Peredhil. Think of your money as a vote for or against something. If you don't care for the chain, don't shop there. The Aquatics head of my local Petco and I have become friends. He maintains his tanks as closely to Petco standards as possible while still taking the livestock into mind. We trade frags and point out excellent deals from other stores out to each other.
Just remember if you don't support the good parts of a bad thing then there is nothing to change the bad. Hopefully more people like Wayne will be promoted within the large volume movers and make the whole a better place.

 

We have gotten a few clowns from petco and they are doing great. I love the petco about 15 miles from me. Even though i have a few closer I choose to go there because they know what they are doing. It really doesnt matter if you are at your LFS or larger chains such as Petco you will always have people are know what they are doing and others who dont. I think its all about looking and paying attention to whats there and who is taking care of them that counts. Thats to be said for any type of business.

 

I have made friends with the petco aquatics manager for the petco I shop as well. I have heard that petco is changing up the way they do aquatics. They are making the one I shop at a magnet store for saltwater. I super excited about this because the guy that runs it is awsome.

 

Ty, that was very well put. If you don't like a store or chain of stores, then why complain on here about them. Just drop and let it be. I think your answer was very mature. ;D

 

+1 its actually mostly the eggs that will travel on sandbeds and corals and LR, Personally, and this is just my opinion, Buying corals from Petco, would be like getting your Oil changed at a donut store.. I wouldnt. I'd go to a trusted LFS in the area

 

Here's what I know, ich is a parasite that digs into the fish's skin and feeds off of its blood for nutrients. It then falls off and forms cysts on the bottom. My hypothesis: coral does not have blood, therefor it can not be infected by ich! But like everything in a tank, ich can rest on it, so it can be a carrier, but it wont show any symptoms of infection. My conclusion, look online for a fish store (the good ones will most likely say family owned, or they have been around for a long time). A little commute is alright because it's worth the quality of fish. For example, I drive about 40 minute round trip, but it is totally worth it. These stores will have people who will begin to know you on a first name basis, and you can learn so much and make a couple reef-addict friends as well! Most LFS's have a club membership as well that you can get huge discounts with (mine is 10% off of your entire purchase, special club discounts, and also for every 10$ you get, you get a stamp, every 30 stamps, you get 50% off an entire purchase) My advice, skip the livestock from chain stores, and go with an LFS. You end up saving money in the long run with the longevity of your livestock.

 

Thanks! I have a couple great lfs near by that I go into for all my stuff. I plan to get most of my corals there to, the reason I asked of it was safe at petco is because frags are 3x cheaper. im all for the locally owned businesses.