Stop buying saltwater fish from PETCO
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Most of you know about PETCO and their saltwater fish problems. It is no secret. For years, PETCO has had a real problem keeping saltwater fish and livestock alive. I’m not sure why they have this problem. It’s not exactly rocket science to keep basic water parameters in check, feed the fish and do water changes.
The sad fact that PETCO as a corporation can’t do this. They don’t know how. They can’t keep local talent long enough to train them properly which results in saltwater fish dying in store. They normally arrive at the local PETCO branch in so-so condition, but then while at the store they die a slow and painful death.
Picture evidence is great and here is some of it:
Images: Dustin Crosby
Images: Dustin Crosby
Those pictures were taken by Dustin Crosby. He was concerned, after all who wouldn’t be with PETCO’s saltwater fish problems. So he took it upon himself to email PETCO to let them know about it. What did PETCO say in response?
Dear xxxxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting PETCO regarding your concern with our store at 936 W SHAWNEE ST.
I would like to take this opportunity to explain how much companion animals mean to us and how we care for them. We are dedicated to ensuring that all animals receive more than just the basics to survive. Our animal care standards ensure that all animals are checked on every hour. During that check, we observe the health and behaviors of animals, refill food & water, and tidy up as needed. This is in addition to the regular full service feeding and cleaning schedule that all animals receive daily. PETCO associates treat our animals as if they were their own pets, often spending great amounts of time playing with, talking to and socializing the animals so they will make good pets for their new owners.
We also invest a great deal of time hiring associates who not only love animals but also share our passion for their well-being and quality of life. We have developed industry-leading practices; training programs and animal-specific care information to educate our associates and customers on excellent care standards. They provide the direction needed so that our associates (and new pet owners) know and understand the high standards we expect regarding appropriate animal care. It is our goal to provide as much help and knowledge to our associates as possible. In the end, this ensures our companion animals receive the highest level of care.
If you have personally witnessed a situation in a particular store that you believe may fall short of our very high standards, please contact us with specific information. We want to know the store location, date, and a detailed description of the situation as well as the action taken by PETCO management when you alerted them of your concerns. By giving us this type of detailed information, we can act immediately to investigate and take whatever action is necessary to resolve the problem.
I have shared your concern with the General Manager of this location and can assure you that they will be addressed with the concern you raised.
Please know that we care about our customers and what they think of us. By letting us know when we fall short of your expectations, we have the opportunity to address your concerns and to be better prepared to meet your expectations in the future. If we can be of any further assistance, please feel free to reply to this email or call PETCO Customer Relations directly at 1-888-824-PALS (7257). Thank you again for contacting PETCO.
Sincerely,
Carrah R.
Customer Relations CoordinatorAt PETCO, Animals Always Come First… Our People Make it Happen!
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I then wrote:
Hi Carrah, did you look at the link I provided you? Do you see the condition of the pinktail trigger or yellow tang, or dead blue hippo tang?
“Our animal care standards ensure that all animals are checked on every hour”
If that were true, that pink tail trigger wouldn’t be white nor would that dead fish look the way it does. Do you know what a pink tail trigger should look like? Attached is a picture of a healthy one….
Thanks, xxxxxxxxxx
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The response:
Dear xxxxxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting PETCO.
Yes, and I can tell that the fishes were dead. I apologize if we failed you about it. Again, I have forwarded this concern to the General Manager of the store for them to make action about it as soon as possible.
Thank you again for contacting PETCO.
Sincerely,
Carrah R.
Customer Relations CoordinatorAt PETCO, Animals Always Come First… Our People Make it Happen!
Needless to say this problem with their saltwater fish isn’t going to go anywhere. PETCO responded with the default-standard response that their email management systems have pre-loaded. They don’t care.
The best that we can do is to stop buying saltwater fish from their stores, don’t buy the fish to “save” them. Let them die. Hopefully PETCO will get the message and stop stocking saltwater fish.
Those are my pictures! It was really sad when I went in there that day. That store has been that way since they opened. That hippo has been alive in that condition for over 6 weeks… There is an update on the thread where petco responded to an email about this.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:57 am
I updated the post Dustin.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:10 am
is there a petition or something that we can float around? it pisses me off that these fish are ripped out of natural environments using questionable means to die in boxes of water. i have decided for myself that all my fish will be captive bred. it does severely limit my choices but it makes me feel better about my impact on the environment. aquacultured corals are also on the top of my shopping list.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:50 am
I like what she puts under her name…
“At PETCO, Animals Always Come First… Our People Make it Happen!”
too bad its not true.
October 1st, 2009 at 10:17 am
The fish in Petco in Wilmington, NC is the SAME way!! I can’t even go in there anymore becuase it saddens my greatly. I know one of the guys who works the saltwater dept, and he even has a reef tank at home. I don’t understand how they can let animals die right in the store, in front of customers!
They will never get my business AGAIN.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:11 am
Its sad that this Petco is so horrible. But in retrospect, let me show you what a Petco that has competent staff looks like.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas059.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas044.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas065.jpg[/IMG]
McCoskers Wrasse
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas046.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas048.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas049.jpg[/IMG]\
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/eb6713/christmas054.jpg[/IMG]
October 1st, 2009 at 11:14 am
i have only known of one petco that did a decent job. they actually had a few guys that worked there who knew what they were doing and they’d always come visit me at the fish store i used to work at and would buy stuff from us.
but yeah, petco does a terrible job at keeping livestock alive…and their prices are through the roof.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:19 am
If you look at the equipment on the shelf, they barely cater to the SW industry and with sub-par and overpriced equipment…I would feel really sorry for the customer that walks into that store looking to jump into the hobby. They will be overcharged and given livestock that has little chance to survive. A real bummer.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:38 am
I think it’s pretty lame to say the fish they sell were captured with “questionable means”. Petco is supplied by some fine wholesalers that supply many of your LFS. Before sticking your foot so deep in your mouth you may want to make sure your own foot is clean!!! Bunch of armchair collectors, geesh!
October 1st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
We tried to buy a fish at Petco and the sales guy said we should go to th local fish store we usually go to.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:41 pm
G is an idiot. Doesn’t matter what u say he’s one of those d bags that likes to argue from behind his glass wall. Petco blows and I will never step foot in one ever again!
October 1st, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Not saying Petco is good, saying their supply is good and they make them bad
RB sure atracts all kinds of tools 
October 1st, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Neither Petco nor PetSmart sell saltwater fish in my area (Nothern California). They stopped doing so about a year ago.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:17 pm
The Petco near me has removed saltwater. The freshwater department frequently is covered by a tarp. Very sad. Petsmart on the other hand generally has pretty nice FW fish.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
PetCo, Petsmart and Walmart are all stores that do an absolutely horrid job of caring for their fish.
There is NO excuse to have dead fish sitting in a tank until they look like that. Especially with the staffing levels in Petsmart/PetCo, there should be one person wandering around the fish department at all times.
Another one that seems to be up there is “PJ’s Pets”. They only medicate fish for Ich, if that. (not to mention that they deal with puppy mills/cattaries)
I work for a Local Pet Store. There’s usually only 2 people on staff. We do dead fish checks ever hour, minimum and anything that’s sick gets medicated ASAP. That’s the way it should be everyhwere.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Funny, I just went after Petco for this picture on their site: http://bit.ly/kVLBO
Its obviously Photoshopped but shows 3 tangs, a coral beauty and a damsel inn 8 gallon tank!!!! Its either horrible and cruel or very misleading advertising!!!
October 1st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
yeah, it pretty bad! I use to work for them. I use to work in the aquatics department, and believe me, all the managers, GM’s, district Managers and district animal manager cares about is the “Aesthetics” and sales of the department. Petco employees are taught to sell you any thing, even if they know about it or not. They never look at the health of them! I would always get yelled at because all I did was “water changes” (25% once a week) and that I cared too much! (because I was strait from the Aquatic books i liked to read) Plus, we had no running Skimmers. One day the district Animal manager walked us and we had a coral beauty been covered with ick because we were not allowed to set up quarantines or hospital tanks(the district manager said its too costly and its a stupid idea), and all he complained about was that we didn’t have enough fish in the tanks?? Thats another thing, they have a horrible Aquatics program! 90% of the aquatics specialist hand books are base on petco, petco slogans and customers service like how to talk to people. 10% of that is aquatics like what kingdom do fish come from and 10% of that is on the care and maintenance of fish. Petco can definitely have decent or basic saltwater department if they hired someone that is passionate and is very knowledgeable that worked in there corporate office to establish a better Aquatics program Instead of the current ones who think there too smart to read about them . The Guru could give monthly aquatic classes in his district and promote reading really good aquatic books instead of B.S.ing the customer every time. I’m glad that they are starting to shut down there SW systems!
October 1st, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I almost quit the hobby right after starting it because of Petco. To start the nitrogen cycle, they said that I could put TWO 3 stripe damsels in my 12 gallon nano. So off I went with my bag of goodies. They ended up biting each other almost to death.
Needless to say, not even one of those fish should be in a tank that size. I didn’t know anyone else in the hobby and the store wouldn’t take them back so I ended up euthanising them
Now that I am pretty experienced, I know to do my research before buying any fish. I guess hindsight is 20/20….Nonetheless it’s a sad story for me, and I blame Petco for misinforming a saltwater novice.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I would always get customers complaining to me that
“The guy at the other petco told me to start my tank with damsels” I was like, man that sucks! or “The aquatics specialist at the other petco said a lionfish, percula clown, angelfish and a blue tang would do fine together in my 12 gallon nano tank because they only get as large as the tank” I would always hold my head hearing stuff like that.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:47 pm
That’s terrible. Petco is also notorious for poor care of their other small animals and atrocious care of and death rates among their hamsters in particular.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
i work for petco, and totally agree with mikeB, very little of our training at all is focused on the actual care of the animals, but how to sell product. my store has 4 girls who work in aquatics 1 is extremely knoweledgable the other 3 couldn’t even explain what a refractometer is. it’s very sad, i’ve been trying for just over a year now to get back there, but management has no interest in making things better. with recent budget cuts we don’t even staff aqauatics/reptiles 3 days a week. i can understand why customers are so upset.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 am
We need more employees to speak out and keep speaking out even if you have to do it anonymously and TAKE PHOTOS
I worked in the small animal department and was constantly chastised for taking
“Too much time” cleaning the small animal enclosures, gee sorry took me along time to scrap the “DEAD MOUSE” off the bottom of the enclosure!
You have no idea how much these animals SUFFER, the conditions they arrive in from the mass breeders, underage, underfed, sick, crowded conditions, and you have no idea how long an animal can Linger in those enclosures if they arent purchased
We are supposed to have time to handle and socialize them, that is a joke
we barely get time to clean them,
take a good look next time and check the water levels of the bottles,
if you see a sick or animal that looks too young it probably is
DO SOMETHING
take a photo
call the corporate office – MORE THAN ONCE
Complain the manager and everyone working
be a pest and come back often
this is the only thing that works
Good going with the fish, yes I sold fish at the store and Hey I know nothing past a goldfish and that is saying something!!
The books, manuals they have us read, are all about sales,
Sure talk big “G”- post your name and the store you work at, I’ll come visit- with my camera
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
My girlfriend works at a local PETSMART, and fish are constantly dying from breeding and shipping issues. But the employees actually take care of them and fish that don’t die from transport typically live untill sold. PETSMART at one time had a group of red belly pacu that were 6-7″ which were received as only 2″! At PETSMART they gravel vac and algae scrub each tank once a week, remove lost stock daily, feed specific foods to specific fishes.
PETCO on the other hand is down the street, at any given time at least 5 of 30 tanks have signs stating the fish is unfit for sale. Since there are only 2 systems (fresh and salt) ALL the tanks have ich, fin rot, and just about every parasite I’ve heard of! Their “live rock” is covered in cyano and diatoms. Dead fish rot in the tank, algae COVERS the substrate.
PETCO is a death sentence for all animals, hamsters with wet tail are left on display, not in a “quiet room” as PETSMART, reptile tanks are not kept with proper RH and I’m sure if I went in there right now, I could rant on so much more.
I acctually paid an extra $20 for my 75g tank JUST because I didn’t wanna support PETCO.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:21 pm
In my observations with petco, well in my area (Central Florida), It is not good at all. Even back in Pennsylvania at the local Petco I have a buddy who works for them and knows about saltwater fish and treatments and all. He tells me that Petco has a budget for the saltwater fish section that only allows them to buy certain products, which is mostly nothing for there use to have livestock healthy. It is seen at any Petco the condition that the fish are in, some are wild caught and they turn out dead due to lack of care. THERE REALLY SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT!! IF YOUR GOING TO SELL DELICATE LIVESTOCK, LEARN TO TAKE CARE OF IT!! It is very sad going into these stores and seeing precious species die to lack of knowledge and effort in part of the company. They should be banned from selling. THATS MY OPINION! AND WILL BACK UP ANY PETITION OR ANYTHING NEEDED TO STOP THIS SITUATION! If we really care about this hobby and how things are managed we can do something about it.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Our local PETCO in Pearland, TX has had a terrible cyanobacteria bloom for a long time. It’s just silly that the company cannot put a process in place by which the saltwater systems are properly cared for. They really ought to hire someone from a public aquarium that can create a process for taking care of saltwater fish. With a good process you don’t need to hire “talent”. At 1:30 PM Turn this valve, at 2:00 PM press this button, etc., these are not tasks that take talent. This is a process management problem.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
I don’t know that cyanobacteria outbreaks are harmful to the fish; it’s really in coral displays that I’ve seen it be a problem. However, they are, if not harmful, at least unsightly and bad for marketing.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
I understand most PETCO stores fish both fresh and saltwater usually are horrible, but the PETCO near me just remodeled their entire fish section. They have knowledgeable staff and healthy fish. The prices aren’t crazy either. I guess I’m lucky but the local LFS had horrible quality and way way high prices.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Everyone sign this petition and spread the word!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/deathco/
October 4th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Alright I used work for petco in PA, before I got my current job and their saltwater fish are very well taken care of. It sucks that some of these stores had some lazy people working there… and if you are saying anything like “a Petco kid told me to start my tank out with a lionfish, so i blame ALL petco for my troubles…” Then your an idiot. Petco highers people who apply, like every other fish store. Actually thats the only reason I took the job at Petco, because of the excellent quality of their animals. I can tell you our fish are taken care of better then any other LFS I know of. Sign all the petitions you want, but nothing will happen at all, ever. from what im hearing, their SWF sales are off the charts, sooo… cry about it? I guess? because nothing will happen. ever. And grow some nuts too. God it sucks that the reef hobby attracts this many pathetic loosers that have nothing at all better to do with their time except whine. Hey.. i got an idea for all of you.. instead of trying to team up on a corperation, and obsessing over fish, you should try and loose your virginities!
Oh yeah, you can post back in response to me all you want to with some real good witty stuff, and feed off eachother, n cheer eachother on all you want to, and hope sooo badly that I read it… but I probably wont be back.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:04 am
i have a freshwater fish and when i get them they die so i’m not getting them from
petco any more there fish stink because when i go all the fish are sucked into the
filter and when i buy them have white dots all over and they loose there scales
October 26th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
there fishes die very fast.i filled my tank more than 5 times and they all died
November 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Hold the phones!! Call batman or call ghostbusters!! Over a thousand stores and one person has a bad visit one time and we should just stop buying from all of them, right? What about people who get food poisoning? Should they stop eating? You guys have made me laugh…a lot. Let me ask this reefbuilder… Where should we buy from? You? Or some third party affliate of you? I think the best one I’ve read is the former employee… I mean why shouldn’t we buy from a mom and pops store who builds their company on lies and over priced fish versus a company who sends employees through an intense training and do not have them work off of a commission? That all makes sense right?I mean after all people who wouldn’t want to buy a fish with a 100% pofit margain on it like the mom and pops do? I’ll tell you what in 20 years when your Honda breaks down…protest them too
December 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am
@Mr. RightNow
Do you work for Petco or something? Have you even been to a Petco…
Their “training” process is far from “intense”. I dont know how long you have been on reefbulders, or if you just found your way here through google, but they dont sell anything and dont pretend to. This is an honest article about a scar on the reef/fish trade. Your logic is terrible about mom and pop shops. Why do you think Petco sells them so cheap? Because they can afford to bring in and dump as many fish as possible without thinking about the health of those fish. If a “mom and pop” store loses a fish, its a big deal to them, thats money that they just lost. Petco is about the bottom line and that is spending as little as possible to make as much as they can on lower priced fish. You get what you pay for in the aquarium trade. If you pay more it is almost always because you are paying for a guarentee that the fish is healthy and well taken care of before its in your tank. The majority of Petcos are notoirous for having terrible looking tanks and poor survivability of fish. There are exceptions, but they are just that, the exception, not the norm. I’ve also never been to a fish store that has comission for their employees.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:04 pm