Triggerfish
Non-member
Well.. took a year working there to fully realize "they" need to: Discontinue having anything to do with the retail sale of all marine livestock.
The conditions are wretched. Fish just die and die. Only the incredibly strong and resilient have any chance of surviving beyond 2 weeks.
The problems are literally endless.
The question could be asked:
"Are all Petco's locations handled the same way"? well, for the most part, probably they are. are they all as bad, perhaps not, but considering they all basically order the same fish species, hire similiarly working shmucks and follow same corp policy(overload tanks and sell what's in them); their an overall lost cause.
This is a store that will place any sick or injured land animal in a 'special' quarantine setup, but yet do nothing for any marine animal. Apparently Petco believes there is a lesser value on life for aquatic animals. Result is Death.
something to do with the corp labeling of "companion animal" has something to do with this i'm sure.
Regardless of the livestock origin, they are not cared for once they arrive.
Main Issues:
Compatibility: There is no attention given to fish that are continuously getting the snot wacked out of them within their small confined area.
nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, just embattled to a sufferring = Death.
Diet: Any species that will not regularly take to flake food will perish.
fish species requiring specialized attention to feeding. Result = Death.
Disease: Ich is rampant throughout the 180g system. New livestock is added weekly to the untreated infested system. Result = Death.
Marine Orders: constantly ordering species that have a zero survival record in the wretched system. Reef livestock placed in systems that cannot keep them alive. clams, anemones under old 40w NO bulb placed on top of salt sprayed encrusted glass tops. Result = Death
Staff: i'm going to estimate <1% of all employees/mgrs have any basic knowledge regarding care of marine livestock. Although not hired specifically for aquatic dept, any employee can find themselves back there attempting to bag away at any time. Result is Death as well.
For a good while i was only there 1 night week. During most of those weeks i could find any of the following:
Extreme temps due to main heater set to 90 or malfunctioning eaters in off-line tanks.
Sump running low
filter media loaded and clogged
reef tank filters clogged and not working.
Fish that have been decaying for days
Decaying seaweed clips. omg the smell alone could kill you.
Decaying anemones polluting the tank
Fish not fed (i have frozen food wrapped in freezer, same amount is always there)
Recommendations and notes have done nothing to date. Not sure what to do at this point..but i think some effort should go into challenging their statement below and relate it to how they care for the animals prior to sale.
"PETCO cares about animals as much as you do. In fact, there’s nothing we won’t do to make sure your pet gets the best food, toys, treats and the best care."
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_communityhome_Nav_371.aspx
However, I won't be surprised if i am no longer there if the humble approach isn't well received.
The conditions are wretched. Fish just die and die. Only the incredibly strong and resilient have any chance of surviving beyond 2 weeks.
The problems are literally endless.
The question could be asked:
"Are all Petco's locations handled the same way"? well, for the most part, probably they are. are they all as bad, perhaps not, but considering they all basically order the same fish species, hire similiarly working shmucks and follow same corp policy(overload tanks and sell what's in them); their an overall lost cause.
This is a store that will place any sick or injured land animal in a 'special' quarantine setup, but yet do nothing for any marine animal. Apparently Petco believes there is a lesser value on life for aquatic animals. Result is Death.
something to do with the corp labeling of "companion animal" has something to do with this i'm sure.
Regardless of the livestock origin, they are not cared for once they arrive.
Main Issues:
Compatibility: There is no attention given to fish that are continuously getting the snot wacked out of them within their small confined area.
nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, just embattled to a sufferring = Death.
Diet: Any species that will not regularly take to flake food will perish.
fish species requiring specialized attention to feeding. Result = Death.
Disease: Ich is rampant throughout the 180g system. New livestock is added weekly to the untreated infested system. Result = Death.
Marine Orders: constantly ordering species that have a zero survival record in the wretched system. Reef livestock placed in systems that cannot keep them alive. clams, anemones under old 40w NO bulb placed on top of salt sprayed encrusted glass tops. Result = Death
Staff: i'm going to estimate <1% of all employees/mgrs have any basic knowledge regarding care of marine livestock. Although not hired specifically for aquatic dept, any employee can find themselves back there attempting to bag away at any time. Result is Death as well.
For a good while i was only there 1 night week. During most of those weeks i could find any of the following:
Extreme temps due to main heater set to 90 or malfunctioning eaters in off-line tanks.
Sump running low
filter media loaded and clogged
reef tank filters clogged and not working.
Fish that have been decaying for days
Decaying seaweed clips. omg the smell alone could kill you.
Decaying anemones polluting the tank
Fish not fed (i have frozen food wrapped in freezer, same amount is always there)
Recommendations and notes have done nothing to date. Not sure what to do at this point..but i think some effort should go into challenging their statement below and relate it to how they care for the animals prior to sale.
"PETCO cares about animals as much as you do. In fact, there’s nothing we won’t do to make sure your pet gets the best food, toys, treats and the best care."
http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_communityhome_Nav_371.aspx
However, I won't be surprised if i am no longer there if the humble approach isn't well received.
Last edited:
