# Oh my god, someone make it better!



## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

I walked into my local Petsmart today and about cried. Like seriously. ALL of their bettas we living in horrendously filthy water, MANY of them were covered in a thick layer of of fungus, there were many with massive fin rot and god only knows what else. We yelled at the dude who was supposed to be taking care of the fish and he just looked at us like we were retarded. I have NEVER seen any animal in conditions like this! Is there anything I can do? I mean, this is terrible, it was like a freakin horror movie! O.O Someone please tell me what I can do to fix this?


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Write a strongly worded letter.

Lol JK.

But seriously, you could write a letter telling the manager how dicusted you are. Or you could join Peta. I hear they could help, too.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

PETA.... hates fish keepers. no lie. Dx don't join PETA. best bet, is to write an e-mail to the manager, telling him about how disappointed you were, and that if things don't improve, you'll go to the health department.  nasty fish cups could be considered a health violation.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Speak to the manager. You could also write a letter or email to the district manager (if you can find this contact info). And it couldn't hurt to contact the corporate office either; let them know that customers are outraged by the conditions of some of their stores, and that proper care should be the highest priority for any store that sells live animals.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Here's something that might help:

Go here: PetSmart Store Locations for Pet Supplies and Pet Accessories | PetSmart
Enter your Zipcode then using the map find the store you shop at. Click the red icon representing the store. It will bring up three tabs. The default tab has the city name and store number. Ex: Melvinsburg #000
Copy that number and city name.

Next go here:Contact Us
File your complaint there. I wouldn't make it sound too nasty the first time. If it happens again you could kick it up a notch.
Make sure they know you're disgusted and disappointed with the care of bettas. If that doesn't work and you have to file a second complaint it wouldn't hurt to tell them you will contact PETA if they don't up the care.... Most lfs would do anything to keep PETA off their tails.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Thank you all. The condition of these poor guys almost made me cry. There was all of one that I thought I could save... But I didn't have the money for him.  He was a beautiful chocolate with pink fins... The fin rot hadn't quite set in... I'm tempted to try to save him, but Idk. I can't imagine why people do this kind of thing, it's sick. I will contact corporate immediately.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

anyone want a video to flag? >.> i'm honestly, really sick of seeing betta fight videos on youtube. youtube needs to do something to prevent these kinds of videos!


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## Martinismommy (Dec 2, 2010)

The only way to make this abuse end is for people to stop buying Betta's at these chain stores......Everytime one is sold another is brought in.....It's like the old days of pet shops carrying purebred puppies....It is rare to see that now.....This is all a supply on demand problem......They do NOT care about Betta fish......All they care about is sales........

People who are serious about this issue choose to purchase from a reputable breeder.....


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

The problem is that a lot of people (Like me) don't have the money to pay $20 for a fish and then an added $20-$30 or more for shipping. My local PetCo takes great care of their fish, and we also have a small LFS that takes awesome care of theirs as well.

It's a matter of how you go about it.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

Martinismommy said:


> The only way to make this abuse end is for people to stop buying Betta's at these chain stores......Everytime one is sold another is brought in.....It's like the old days of pet shops carrying purebred puppies....It is rare to see that now.....This is all a supply on demand problem......They do NOT care about Betta fish......All they care about is sales........
> 
> People who are serious about this issue choose to purchase from a reputable breeder.....


that's why i like my lps. the bettas are always in amazing shape, the cups and smaller "betta" tanks where they keep the fancier fish are cleaned daily. it's also, as far as i know, a 2 store chain, called Pet Lover's Warehouse.


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## Martinismommy (Dec 2, 2010)

I agree it can get expensive to buy a quality Betta......But in the long run it can be less expensive when you don't have all the health issues......

I sometimes have fish out of show parents up for adoption.....These are not going to breeding homes these are pets....Shipping in the spring is under $15.00 for priority......At my Petco they charge $15.99 for HM's......


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

The thing is that we can't even blame the company itself for this, it's the people working there that's a problem. The Krestwood Petco by me is amazing, while the Bridgeton one is so abysmal(the one this post is about)


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

I'd love to buy a fish from a breeder, but I can't find any around me. And I'm running on a high school student's budget and if it weren't for how expensive shipping is, I'd buy from a breeder overseas. But when the shipping is more than the fish, I can't justify that when it's just a hobby for me and I have other things I need money for 

I agree that fish care is really important, and I wish that these places took better care of their fish (All the stores around me but PetSmart take great care of their Bettas), but sometimes people just can't avoid it.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

So... I couldn't help myself. I went back and rescued the one fish that was healthy enough to be saved. When I went back, they had actually pulled all the sick and dying fish(except the ones with minor fin rot) and had put out new, healthier ones. I'm currently treating the newby for fin rot. I'll prolly make a post later if anyone wants updates. I just couldn't leave him there... :/ My self control is pathetic.


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## fleetfish (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm sticking to my local LFS. They have amazing stock, especially CTs. It's where I got Jinhai, Mars, and Quicksilver (who is my only and first local breeder betta that I know the name of the breeder, he's a Rosetail). There are at least five petsmarts I can easily bus to, but I'm finding it's just not worth it any more since they've slipped down hill in care - except one, which is still awesome and it's where I can get my 2.5g tanks. For some reason I'm just paranoid about shipment from aquabid *sigh*


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Slipstitch said:


> The thing is that we can't even blame the company itself for this, it's the people working there that's a problem. The Krestwood Petco by me is amazing, while the Bridgeton one is so abysmal(the one this post is about)


 I'll keep that in mind, I've never been to the crestwood one!

The petsmarts/petcos I go to are sometimes good, sometimes bad; I guess it all just depends on who happens to be working that day....The bettas at the pet supplies plus near me all have crystal clear water and look much healthier than many petsmart bettas I but their cups are smaller.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

LolaQuigs said:


> I'll keep that in mind, I've never been to the crestwood one!
> 
> The petsmarts/petcos I go to are sometimes good, sometimes bad; I guess it all just depends on who happens to be working that day....The bettas at the pet supplies plus near me all have crystal clear water and look much healthier than many petsmart bettas I but their cups are smaller.


Good to know I'm not the only stl person with a love for Bettas, lol. I haven't been to the Crestwood one, but all of my friends who have pets go on and on about it.


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

You're right about being unable to blame the companies.

They can only do so much. The idea of a petstore is to provide the healthiest fish and animals in general. However, it's up to the employees to take care of the animals, and sometimes they're lazy bums.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

wildmagic713 said:


> You're right about being unable to blame the companies.
> 
> They can only do so much. The idea of a petstore is to provide the healthiest fish and animals in general. However, it's up to the employees to take care of the animals, and sometimes they're lazy bums.


I wanted to strangle the fish department guy with an air hose.


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## wildmagic713 (Sep 6, 2010)

LOLOLOLOL  

I know what you mean. I can't stand my PetSmart but the cups at my local PetCo are crystal clear and the Bettas are all healthy.


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

Are you talking about the Bridgeton Petsmart or Petco, Slipstitch?


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

appledust said:


> Are you talking about the Bridgeton Petsmart or Petco, Slipstitch?


Petsmart. The Petco on the rock road by Lindbergh has proven fairly awesome as far as their Bettas go.


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

Ah, I see. Yeah, I've been to both of those stores but not recently or frequently enough to recall the quality of their fish. I did get a red veiltail from that Petco a few months ago but he had a health problem I didn't notice and passed away pretty quickly.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Aww that's sad.  My Ares has survived pretty well so far. Waiting till the treatment process is done for him before I make any calls on that. The Betta I rescued tonight, though, is a 50/50 chance atm.


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

Good for you for rescuing him; I really hope everything goes well.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Me too. His color has perked up a bit. He's gold! With red fins and some purpley accents. I can't wait to section out my tank for these pretty boys.


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

That's awesome. I love how much they perk up with even just a little TLC. It's amazing.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

I'd love to see pictures of your new rescue! Congratulations on your new fish!


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Once they're all out of treatment and quarantine and such, I'll take some awesome pics of my boys. Still working out the new guy's name though.


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

Slipstitch said:


> Good to know I'm not the only stl person with a love for Bettas, lol. I haven't been to the Crestwood one, but all of my friends who have pets go on and on about it.


I live in outside of Pacific/Eureka. I haven't been to the Crestwood PetCo yet. But I strongly advise you to steer clear of the Petsmart in Sunset Hills. I bought a school of neon tetras two days ago to add to my betta, Flynn's, tank. As of right now, I have to sterilize the whole tank because everyone was wiped out by a columnaris infection that wasn't present before.


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

RiverStoneBetta said:


> I live in outside of Pacific/Eureka. I haven't been to the Crestwood PetCo yet. But I strongly advise you to steer clear of the Petsmart in Sunset Hills. I bought a school of neon tetras two days ago to add to my betta, Flynn's, tank. As of right now, I have to sterilize the whole tank because everyone was wiped out by a columnaris infection that wasn't present before.


It's funny that you say that :\ I've only had two bettas pass away out of all the ones I've had so far (mentioned first one earlier) and under a month ago my favorite fish Brutus passed away. He was from that Petsmart, and based on pictures from when I first got him I think he had some sort of problem I didn't realize. I keep seeing slight popeye. 

(Not that they keep their bettas with tetras, but yeah. Unfortunate coincidence!)


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

I've had that coincidence everytime I go. Nothing about that store is good. Most of their bettas don't even get enough light. I've never bought bettas from there, but several of my friends have in the past, and they've all died within a week from no fault of their own.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Btw the betta I rescued from the Petsmart of doom is still alive and kicking and is starting to show some interesting colors about him. Still haven't figured out a name, wating to see how he turns out.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Since there are obviously some fish people in the St. Louis area, why are the few local fish and pet stores we have all going out of business? It made me so sad when I found out Beldts closed in December, and Pet Market Place is closing next month. I really hate the chain stores, but that's pretty much all we have left!


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Prolly the same reason everything else is. :/


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

Slipstitch said:


> Btw the betta I rescued from the Petsmart of doom is still alive and kicking and is starting to show some interesting colors about him. Still haven't figured out a name, wating to see how he turns out.


I'm glad he's starting to feel better. I rescued a betta from the Chesterfield Petco a week and a half ago. That store is sometimes great and sometimes bad, you never know what you're going to get. My guy is doing well and just moved from qt to his new 2.5 gallon tank. Hopefully yours makes a speedy, fill recovery!


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Btw, when I went back for him, I talked to the shift manager... She mentioned something along the lines of "normally the fish we get aren't that terrible... I'll check it out" which makes me wonder... Where do they get their fish?


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

That's a good question, I wonder that too. I like how she tried to blame the supplier rather than taking responsibility for her store's conditions. Good for you for talking to someone about though. Voicing your concerns may or may not do something, but silence will definitely do nothing.


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm already composing a letter to the manager there, complete with documentation.

And according to family friends, there still are LFS still open, but they're hole-in-the-wall places. I'm going to check out an old store we used to go to in Ellisville to see if it's still around. I used to live in Jefferson City area and there was a fish store called CJ's Pets. He took very good care of his bettas, and his shop was sparkly clean. 

CJ had some HUGE plecos and oscars in there. One of his wall tanks had to be close to 200 gallons. He had a black ghost knifefish on display sometimes, but that was his personal baby, so it wasn't for sale.

EDIT: I'm going to be running around the area, and I'll post or send messages to you two (SlipStitch and LolaQuigs) with their addresses and whether or not they are worth it, if you want.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

All I know of are two AquaWorlds (one is in Ellisville...maybe that's the one you're thinking of) and Tropical World Pets. Pet Marketplace had a great fish section, I'm sad to see it go. There is also Malawi but that's just for cichlids, and there are a few good marine stores. But there are hardly any places that I know of that have a good selection of freshwater community fish now. :-(

CJs sounds great, too bad it's so far. Definitely PM me and let me know if you come across any stores other than the ones I mentioned; I'd love to find more fish stores around here!


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

I've heard of Tropical World Pets, but never been inside. And I'm not sure of the store in Ellisville. It's been so long, not even my father (who got me into the hobby) can remember. I'll check them out this week.


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## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

You know... I don't have a job at the moment... I'm pretty sure I could manage to find a way there... Maybe I should go have a talk with the store manager. Tell him I want the fishboy's job. Do the sales pitch of "you know, if the fish are properly taken care of, the store will lose less money from dead fish and will make more money from people wanting to buy them. I know what I'm doing, I'm responsible, and I actually care. Get rid of fishboy over there, hire me to come in oh, 3 or 4 times a week and I garauntee you'll see some decent results."

The temptation to pull that stunt is pretty massive. Unfortunately I'd have to dye my hair a color that isn't blue and green and silver I think. Hhhmmm...


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Slipstitch said:


> You know... I don't have a job at the moment... I'm pretty sure I could manage to find a way there... Maybe I should go have a talk with the store manager. Tell him I want the fishboy's job. Do the sales pitch of "you know, if the fish are properly taken care of, the store will lose less money from dead fish and will make more money from people wanting to buy them. I know what I'm doing, I'm responsible, and I actually care. Get rid of fishboy over there, hire me to come in oh, 3 or 4 times a week and I garauntee you'll see some decent results."
> 
> The temptation to pull that stunt is pretty massive. Unfortunately I'd have to dye my hair a color that isn't blue and green and silver I think. Hhhmmm...


Go for it!


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

We'll be in competition then. I'm job searching too. I'll have to cut my own hair though. I was actually on the "no-hire" list at the PetCo in Gravois Bluffs after one of the associates tried to sell me a pleco, assuring me that they don't get any bigger than 4 inches or so. I blew up on him and basically said that this store doesn't have any competent employees. I was waiting on my interview at the time, and the manager decided to come back from lunch at just that point.


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Ouch. o.o


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## appledust (Jan 1, 2011)

LolaQuigs said:


> Since there are obviously some fish people in the St. Louis area, why are the few local fish and pet stores we have all going out of business? It made me so sad when I found out Beldts closed in December, and Pet Market Place is closing next month. I really hate the chain stores, but that's pretty much all we have left!


I live really close to Beldt's and honestly I'm not really surprised they closed, although it is sad because I've been going there ever since I was a little kid, haha. But man, have you been to Aqua World? There's one on Gravois in the south STL area (I guess it's called) and one on Manchester in Ellisville, maybe the store that was mentioned. Both are decent but the Gravois one is awesome - they have SO many plants. A thousand times better than Beldt's


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## RiverStoneBetta (Feb 22, 2011)

I was just at the AquaWorld in Ellisville. I felt so relieved when I walked through the door, because I knew I never had to buy fish at a chain store again. AquaWorld was clean, well-organized, well-stocked, and well-maintained. The staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Their bettas were kept in compatible tanks, and all in great shape. I only counted 1 dead fish in the whole store, and that was in the feeder tank. I was blown away. The lady that showed me around said the Gravois location was probably even better.


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