"Shawn P. Good" wrote...
Hello :

I recently lost a complete 55gal aquarium of Malawi cichlids and now I'm
thinking of switching over to a planted community tank for a while. Due to
a recent disagreement with the owner of the local pet shop, I'm no longer
patronizing his store and so I'm looking for another place to buy my new
fish and plants. I live in a small town, but there is a larger town about
an hour away with a PetSmart. I don't want to make the trip, however, if
they're prices are high, or they don't have a good selection of fish, or the
fish are not healthy.

Has anyone had any experiences with this chain and can offer me advice ?


the initial reaction you are going to get is a negative one when asking about
most of the chain type stores. the have questionable reputations among some
circles, mostly due to poor advice by inexperienced employees and a proness
towards poor health in their stock (a result usually of poor care by
inexperienced employees). the consensus view may be that they are at best to be
shied away from, while the reality of it is that you really must take each one
for itself and be your own judge over repeated visits and time: do they
habitually have dead fish floating (or worse, half eaten) in the tanks? do they
seem to always have something marked "do not sell"? do any of the tanks show
signs of illnesses (especially ich)? what is the impression of the people
working there? ask them questions you already know the answers to. i like to
know when fish shipments come in and then i can see first hand the condition of
the new stock, then come back a week later to check on their health.

in my opinion, the chain stores already have one stick against them for live
stock, they deal in bulk and aim for quantity, not quality. i'll drive the extra
distance and pay a few dollars more for a store i know deals in quality and not
the mass market strategy. when it comes to equipment and staples however, the
chain stores are usually better on prices because they do deal in bulk.

bottom line; you're going to have to determine for yourself if they are good or
not. ask the stores about their own quality and reputation. make your own
judgements. just like you did with your decision to leave your former local
store.

best of luck! :-)

tedd.