Seriously though, look at them in the tank and look at all the tanks. Look for fish with signs of diseases, dead fish, fish laying down, with fungus or external infections. If you see diseased fish in one tank, it's quite possible that the disease is in all the tanks. Also, ask them how long they have had the fish. If they just got them in, diseases may not be apparent, but they will show up a few days after you put them into your tank. I always recommend local mom-and-pop pet stores, but petsmart and petco occasionally have some healthy fish. You just need to look for yourself as conditions change day to day and location to location.
Like any fish store, including small businesses, the health of the fish will vary from store to store. I have seen healthy and beautiful fish at one Petsmart, and at another, everything is dying. It all depends on how well that particular store location is managed, how well the employees do their job and take care of the tanks, and of course, the water from the area.
I have a golden dojo from Petsmart, and it is doing very well. When doing any fish shopping, observe the health of the fish in the tank and all of the fish in the tanks around them. You can always ask to see the fish fed to ensure they are healthy.
Overall fish health can depend on the location. Certain Petsmarts have different filtration systems and some are certainly superior to others. Also they have different water sources which can effect the health of the fish. Go to your local Petsmart and observe the fish yourself.
I have no problem feeding the fish if people ask so that they can see how active they are and if the fish are good eaters. A dojo should go crazy for frozen bloodworms.
EVERY SINGLE fish I have bought from Petsmart has died within just a few days of purchase. The thing that made it worse is that after bringing back around the 12th dead or very sick fish back for a refund (I quit getting replacements), they told me that it must be something I am doing wrong and they refused to honor their "14-day Refund/Replacement Guarantee" so they would not refund the price of the dead fish. So, after losing 3 entire communities of much loved fish due to my poor decision to buy from Petsmart, they no longer have my business. Even for dog food, PERIOD! I learned the hard way not to trust their aquatics teenagers that read a pamphlet on fish when they were hired and are declared aquatics experts for their weekend high-school job. Go to Petco! You will have less expense and heartache! Just my experience/opinion.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
No fish are healthy at petsmart...
Seriously though, look at them in the tank and look at all the tanks. Look for fish with signs of diseases, dead fish, fish laying down, with fungus or external infections. If you see diseased fish in one tank, it's quite possible that the disease is in all the tanks. Also, ask them how long they have had the fish. If they just got them in, diseases may not be apparent, but they will show up a few days after you put them into your tank. I always recommend local mom-and-pop pet stores, but petsmart and petco occasionally have some healthy fish. You just need to look for yourself as conditions change day to day and location to location.
Like any fish store, including small businesses, the health of the fish will vary from store to store. I have seen healthy and beautiful fish at one Petsmart, and at another, everything is dying. It all depends on how well that particular store location is managed, how well the employees do their job and take care of the tanks, and of course, the water from the area.
I have a golden dojo from Petsmart, and it is doing very well. When doing any fish shopping, observe the health of the fish in the tank and all of the fish in the tanks around them. You can always ask to see the fish fed to ensure they are healthy.
Overall fish health can depend on the location. Certain Petsmarts have different filtration systems and some are certainly superior to others. Also they have different water sources which can effect the health of the fish. Go to your local Petsmart and observe the fish yourself.
I have no problem feeding the fish if people ask so that they can see how active they are and if the fish are good eaters. A dojo should go crazy for frozen bloodworms.
EVERY SINGLE fish I have bought from Petsmart has died within just a few days of purchase. The thing that made it worse is that after bringing back around the 12th dead or very sick fish back for a refund (I quit getting replacements), they told me that it must be something I am doing wrong and they refused to honor their "14-day Refund/Replacement Guarantee" so they would not refund the price of the dead fish. So, after losing 3 entire communities of much loved fish due to my poor decision to buy from Petsmart, they no longer have my business. Even for dog food, PERIOD! I learned the hard way not to trust their aquatics teenagers that read a pamphlet on fish when they were hired and are declared aquatics experts for their weekend high-school job. Go to Petco! You will have less expense and heartache! Just my experience/opinion.