# Disgusted...



## mattoboy (Feb 4, 2012)

Im furious. PetSmart trip from hell...

4 dead bettas out of 25 or so. Im seriously so mad.









This poor guy had some external aprasite disease that ripped right through his skin and scales... Not even worth rescuing because he wont make it...









This dead VT has mold covering him and his eyes came out of his sockets and were floating at the top of the water. Now you cant tell me thats a fresh death. Nice.









Dead marble VT









Five 12-inch Koi Goldfish in this 20 gallon... these guys grow up to 36-inches.. why even bother trying to sell them if you're just going to cram them in a small living space.









This overstocked 20 gallon with goldfish... the goldfish were feeding on the dead fish as you can see at the top and bottom.

But I did manage to kind of rescue this Yellow CT. He is a gift for my brother for doing so good in school this year and a good starter gift for getting into the wonderful hobby of fish keeping.

































He has bad fin clamp and also velvet. But for my brother, experience with sick fish is good for the future. This Crowntail is doing really well in his home right now and hopefully he gets better!









The water from the cup... 1 moldy pellet.

And the pH









Thanks for the read!

Matt


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Agh. Heartbreaking. Place needs a kick in the cash register. 

Looks like your new guy has finrot, as well. >< I hope he recovers soon and brings your brother a lot of joy.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

OMG Poor babies! 
I wonder hoe often they clean the cups out.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

first guy looks to have a tumor, not a parasite.....

and it's common for pet stores to 'cram' fish into too-small tanks. it's not great, but they don't often sit there very long.... the dead fish are uncalled for, though. 8I they should check for dead or dying fish more often than they do... as are the moldy bettas. that's just horrid...


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

It is heartbreaking, and It's at Petco too, I saw the same fish conditions, with fish attacking the dead ones, and eating half dead ones alive..it was disgusting..and my daughter even called the staff over to let them know..and it was like "Oh yea, we'll get to them later" and walked away..

last time I was there- the betta's on the bottom of the rack, were mostly VT's and mostly with fins like so deteriorated, and floating in the water..I was soo peeved..and the best ones, the newest ones on the top..like DT's and ct's but those were amazing..very clean water, and I was surprized..but the "King's" who looked like they were healthy..but could barely turn around.. I hate seeing them in those prison cups from hell.. I want to rescue all the Kings.. if I only could.


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## mattoboy (Feb 4, 2012)

@Aus I forgot to add finrot, thanks for the reminder! 
@teeneythebetta, All my past experiences were good, besides this one..
@Luimeril OK thanks for the clarification!


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## ninjafish (Oct 25, 2009)

Petsmart has the worst betta conditions of any pet store I've been in, chain or local. it really IS disgusting. They're opening a Petsmart close to me, but I will probably drive the extra 15 minutes to Petco. can't vouch for every petco, but the one by me takes very good care of their fish as far as pet stores go.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

My PETco is pretty decent with their bettas. Occasionally I see dead ones, but the water is kept *perfectly* clean every time I go there. Their fish section is in the middle of the store and it's BIG and seems to be the main focus  

My petsmart tends to have dirty water. :/

But YMMV :/


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

My Petsmart treats the Bettas better!!! They all should be treated nicely!!
My Petsmart just labels them wrong. They listed a CROWNTAIL for a HALFMOON. Like really!! The CT looks pretty. Be careful with the Fin Rot.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> My Petsmart treats the Bettas better!!! They all should be treated nicely!!
> My Petsmart just labels them wrong. They listed a CROWNTAIL for a HALFMOON. Like really!! The CT looks pretty. Be careful with the Fin Rot.


Lol FAIL.


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## mattoboy (Feb 4, 2012)

I love Petsmart, I drive the extra half-hour instead of PetCetera which is local. But this time I was deavastated with the conditions... not much I could do...


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

the tumor boy might be worth it. my brother recently lost his betta who had a tumor on his back that ate off his dorsal. so, logically, he could live a long, happy life, even with a tumor on his side....

my local PetSmart was just..... ugh. every. single. betta had SBD... i bought the only one that didn't, and he died that night. 8I

PetCo was pretty, though. one dead betta, that they put away right away. all the cups were clean, no one was ill.... it was nice~


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

petsmart here seems to be OK but its 40 miles away so I dont go there often. Petco is horrible. Last guy I got from there had an ammonia that that turned blue in less then a minute


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## Manda (Jun 9, 2012)

My Petsmart is just as bad about it =(
There are always dead ones and the ones that aren't dead are usually kept in gross dirty water. It's so hard to go in there and not rescue all of them...


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## ninjafish (Oct 25, 2009)

I will probably leave a strongly worded letter the next time I set foot into a pet store with those kinds of conditions. (And I say letter because 95% of the time, you can't find an employee to help you when you need something in the fish department!)


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

That is so heartbreaking D: At petsmart we're supposed to change half the water twice a week. Really sad they expect them to live like that. At my petsmart my manager has us change it completely twice a week because the water will test at dangerous levels if we do it the way the company wants us to. The petcare manager also lets us refuse to sell Koi if the owner doesn't have a massive _massive _aquarium or pond. We also have anyone bringing home a koi sign the form we use to sell the other pets which we don't have to do. We really stress to people the responsibility of having a koi. 

Some people get really mad about the koi too and we have to call over the store manager. We ask them what tank size they have and try to investigate what they plan to do with the fish. When they find out we can refuse them if they don't have a big tank/pond they start lying and pretending they have do just so they can bring them home. We sell our koi very slowly because of that but at least they go to good homes.

This petsmart makes me so sad, they shouldn't have to be in those conditions.


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## styggian (Dec 13, 2011)

copperarabian said:


> That is so heartbreaking D: At petsmart we're supposed to change half the water twice a week. Really sad they expect them to live like that. At my petsmart my manager has us change it completely twice a week because the water will test at dangerous levels if we do it the way the company wants us to. The petcare manager also lets us refuse to sell Koi if the owner doesn't have a massive _massive _aquarium or pond. We also have anyone bringing home a koi sign the form we use to sell the other pets which we don't have to do. We really stress to people the responsibility of having a koi.
> 
> Some people get really mad about the koi too and we have to call over the store manager. We ask them what tank size they have and try to investigate what they plan to do with the fish. When they find out we can refuse them if they don't have a big tank/pond they start lying and pretending they have do just so they can bring them home. We sell our koi very slowly because of that but at least they go to good homes.
> 
> This petsmart makes me so sad, they shouldn't have to be in those conditions.


I also work at a Petsmart, and we are not allowed to refuse sale of fish. I find it infinitely frustrating. You want me to CARE (our motto!) but also I'm just supposed to let people put whatever they want in whatever tank while gently encouraging them to do it correctly, but if they are bound and determined, I have to sell to them, end of story. Thankfully we do not sell koi carp.

I am new enough that I don't know the betta cup schedule yet. I do know it won't be as often as it should be.

The high PH is likely from the water they use, and isn't as large a problem for some fish than for others. From what I know, bettas can do ok even in hard water, but it can effect crowntail rays. The comets and rosies being "crammed" is typical, but keep in mind that stores have MASSIVE filters, and all the tanks are connected together. Yes, they are overstocked, but the filters are designed for that.

The dead fish are unacceptable tho :/ Sometimes you will miss one, or one will pass during the day, but having multiple dead fish in the tank at a time means that no one is checking on them.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Wow. That's horrible. My petsmart is really good. :/


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## dbooknook (May 12, 2012)

I am very disappointed. At least this doesn't happen very often.


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## konstargirl (Mar 9, 2010)

Oh noo.  Sorry that you have to experience that.. I'm sorry taht one eye one didn't make it.. He would of been popular!


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## Adalheidis (Jun 28, 2012)

Wow. The Petco here isn't very good. The Petsmart is much better, though, of course, the tanks are crammed full. Well, not all... Still, I tend to go to the lfs on the other end of town. Though still a bit crowded, it is almost like they have actual fish tanks, rather than tanks with fish dumped in. The exception being a couple tanks of feeder fish... They also are a lot more knowledgeable about a variety of fish. The phone there is always ringing off the hook with people asking questions.


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## Knitterly (Jun 3, 2012)

our Petsmarts are both pretty clean. Animart, not so much. It smells so bad that you almost gag when walking in.

Our LFS, on the other hand, does not sell male bettas. The female bettas are kept in a sorority tank with a sponge filter and Java moss. Score!


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## Maura (May 13, 2012)

teeneythebetta said:


> OMG Poor babies!
> I wonder hoe often they clean the cups out.


Not often enough.

I was in a Petsmart yesterday and found 1 dead girl in the back of 10 crammed onto the tiny shelf. 12 of the 24 hanging betta cups were filthy, with waste and pieces of fin/scales floating around. 
I asked how they feed the bettas while they are in the store, since I noticed that none of the cup lids had the center hole poked out. The answer? "Maybe 3 times per week?"
After hearing that, I asked to speak with the person in charge of the fish department, who was very rude in her response to my innocent question (for all she knew, I was just an inexperienced fish owner wondering how often to feed my fish (not a fishkeeper in charge of 200+ fishies, more if you count the feeders). 
Needless to say, I complained BIG TIME to the store manager.


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## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

I got Dumbledore from Walmart...He was bought because I thoroughly felt bad for him. It was between him and a blue VT who was hardly moving, even when I picked up the cup, I couldn't save him but I could save Dumbledore. I talked to the cashier and she admitted she never went and checked on the bettas, or any of the fish for that matter. I could have slapped her.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

LizzyP said:


> I got Dumbledore from Walmart...He was bought because I thoroughly felt bad for him. It was between him and a blue VT who was hardly moving, even when I picked up the cup, I couldn't save him but I could save Dumbledore. I talked to the cashier and she admitted she never went and checked on the bettas, or any of the fish for that matter. I could have slapped her.


Aww  My first orange female VT Teeney came from walmart. All the bettas were laying in the bottom of their dirty cups, I chose a blue male, then looked over and saw something orange frantically moving. It was a female betta, the most active betta ever. xD and now, almost 3 months later, she is still a very active crazy little girl! And has 3 sisters


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

It sad and i am really petrified to go to the stores. Make me sick and mad. Most of the stores in my town like that. Only one store that i know here do water changes 2x a week. Which is not enough for those little cups, but at least they do it.

I would ask the store for corporate office number and complain. I did it before ....I read someone wrote that they told corporate that it disgust people to go in the store , and see it... 

Also if you have fish like or when you bring any fish home i would always quarantine it and don't put in the tank. Make sure it healthy so you not ending up with disinfection the tank and everything in the tank. And don't share anything between new fish and all other fish.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

BETTACHKALOVE said:


> It sad and i am really petrified to go to the stores. Make me sick and mad. Most of the stores in my town like that. Only one store that i know here do water changes 2x a week. Which is not enough for those little cups, but at least they do it.
> 
> I would ask the store for corporate office number and complain. I did it before ....I read someone wrote that they told corporate that it disgust people to go in the store , and see it...
> 
> Also if you have fish like or when you bring any fish home i would always quarantine it and don't put in the tank. Make sure it healthy so you not ending up with disinfection the tank and everything in the tank. And don't share anything between new fish and all other fish.


Yup! Really sad :'(
I agree with the quarantine thing. I recently started a sorority and quarantined many bettas. 3 of them came from the same shipment and died from dropsy.


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

I learned on the forum quarantine even plants. They can also carry disease


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

BETTACHKALOVE said:


> I learned on the forum quarantine even plants. They can also carry disease


Wow, really? Does this apply to all plants or only the ones that are in tanks with fish when in the store?


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

All of them how i understood.
You put them in the water with no water conditioner for about 2-3 weeks. Some plants will die though..some survive. 
I will find that post and see which one survived. I read it from someone...i have to find post i think i wrote down the link.

All my bettas still from pet stores. And they live long too. But i think for people who inexperienced with betta care ,better to wait until store get new shipment. It better chance that you buy healthy fish, then when they have them in the store for a 2,4 weeks already and don't change water.


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## 3l1zabeth (Jun 28, 2012)

Why cant all petstores be like the petco by me? They gave a person that goes around evry day and gives the bettas meds and every 2-4 days they clean the tanks. Also, at my petco if someone sees a sick betta they treat it right away


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

Wow it great, i wish. The manager probably a fish lover i would think. If i would be the manager at pet store i would do the same. But the stores near me and it not just one store, i go to about 5 different stores not like that. 

Like someone wrote they don't care about bettas they sell it so you can come and buy all other stuff that you need to keep them,of course it cost more money then a betta ....


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## BETTACHKALOVE (Nov 22, 2010)

I found what i was looking for about diseanfection. I don't know the link i just save it in my documents.

Someone wrote: 
what i do ,is get hardy plants. I put them in tap water NO conditioner,now wimpy plants may/will die, so be warned! I've had to with sword , wisteria and java fern...wisteria died.the others lived  if you quarantine for 2-3 or more weeks,the disease will die off. the thing about ich,velvet,etc,is it needs a host...no host,it eventually dies.


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## Ant10a (Jun 16, 2012)

I don't have any of those big chains around where I am from. Its all local pet stores unless I travel for 4 hours.

I have visited 3 local pet stores in a 2 hour radius, and they all have their bettas in small glass bowls, but they are always kept clean, which is the good part. I always want to take them all home and out of those small prisons though lol.


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## Shiverdam (May 4, 2012)

>.< Is it really that difficult to do a water change for a CUP? Sometimes I think they NEED people that work there that actually know their shizz about Bettas. That's why I'm going to apply to one of my local pet stores.


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## Ant10a (Jun 16, 2012)

I've wanted to own a pet shop for a little while now. I am thinking of applying at one too, so I can help betta's and anything else that I see wrong lol, but one day I would like to own my own and have everything run smoothly and properly.


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## konstargirl (Mar 9, 2010)

I would like to start my own fish humane society. There aren't many of them out there unfortunately..


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## noellezim (Jul 2, 2012)

I had a fish from petsmart that was an old breeder and he died that night. he has a 1.99 I should have known better...


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## Jessie1990 (May 21, 2012)

My petco is usually really good about keeping the cups changed, but there were 3 kings there that had been there for at least 2 months to my knowledge. The last time I went in they had algae growing in their cups and the water was getting pretty disgusting. So I ended up buying one of the 3, which were identical. I have a soft spot for Kings. I'm not sure if they are really kings because Roku is significantly smaller than my HM King, Leviathan. Although, I am noticing that Roku is growing slowly and I think the size difference is in their caudal fins. 

There is a kid that works at mine that has a betta in his 55 gal community tank... I think that has something to do with it.


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## Blake My First (Jun 24, 2012)

I have seen 4 petsmarts, 2 locals in my county and 2 with 1 heading 30 min west and 1 heading 25 min east. I have also seen 4 petcos, same, 2 locals and 2 west and east.

What I saw is that petsmart bettas are better than petcos. My local petco is the worst. The fish carer never asked me a single question if I needed help on anything. The local petco is the only place where I saw green at the bottom of the betta cups. I said something but they said the bettas will be fine. I don't even bother trying anymore.

Nothing is worse than the local walmart though, in a few days the bettas are dying like flies. Ashamed. 

I have bought 3 of my 4 bettas from petsmart and they all are healthy and happy. Though the one petsmart boy said since he's working there from last December he only witnessed 1 betta death. My reaction: WOW but that's when you're working, but when you're off the clock.

From what I witnessed at the local chains and nearby chains, Petsmart bettas are the healthiest- (could be from the betta specialty month and discount) Petco, however, has more selection and prettier bettas (yes) but treated horrible. I also think it varies by the owners/managers who is in charge there.

Ive also check local private-owned pet stores and also the local Pet Supplies Plus store and their bettas aren't doing well either.  These betta abuse is like a never ending cycle.

Ranking from what I saw with the betta cups: PETSMART > PETCO = LPFS > PSP.

I really wanted to get a blue butterfly halfmoon at petco but it's overpriced compared to petsmart but the fish was dead. I should have gotten him last Friday, at least I could have saved him.

You don't come by blue butterfly halfmoon too often at a chain stores.


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## Catie79 (Jan 22, 2012)

I usually prefer my Petsmart. They'll refuse to sell a fish if you don't have the minimum requirements (I've witnessed it in person), they label their plants well, and the employees are generally helpful. Last time I was in, I had a hard time not buying a stunning HM male that was white with a few spots of red. 

Today, however . . .

I swear, 30% of the bettas were already dead or soon to pass. It was heart breaking, I nearly cried. I want to save them, but I don't know enough and I'm just encouraging the cycle if I purchase one. I had to walk away. I'm caught in the ethical dilemma: purchase and give the fish a better life or buy from a reputable breeder and don't feed the cycle?

Comparing it to the dog world, buying from Petsmart is the same as buying from a puppy mill. I would never, ever consider doing that, so I've had to make the very difficult decision to buy from a breeder for my next fish. I just have to stay away from the betta section from now on.


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