# my guppy experience from petsmart



## ir0n_ma1den (Apr 27, 2007)

I JUST bought 3 guppies (2 female 1 male) from petsmart, and when I got home the male guppy was found dead in the bag. 

Is this normal when you buy fish from petsmart because it seems that every time I buy livestock from petsmart, a portion of the fish end up dead.


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## joycould (Mar 13, 2007)

Some of the fish I have gotten from the big box pet stores seem weak. They usually wait until the date the guarantee is over before they die. It is a hassle to take them back for a refund but I still do it on principal. It is hard to get an employee that will try and catch the actual fish I want.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Petsmart is sort of hit and miss with the quality/health of the fish. It sounds like your particular petsmart has fish that are not in good condition to begin with, and it might be better to purchase fish elsewhere.

I personally had good luck with my petsmarts. Short 10 minute ride in the car, and off they go into the acclimation tank.

-John N.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

We only have Petsmart and Petco here (I don't consider Walmart an option), and Petsmart is by far the better store for finding healthy fish. That said, I've passed on getting fish that I want when they look stressed or unhealthy. I think you just have to be extra vigillant when you're dealing with a big box store rather than a trusted local store. I'm lucky at my Petsmart because the employees are all (well, 95%) friendly and helpful even if they aren't completely knowledgeable.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I've never had a problem with fish from Petsmart. I have an Angel fish that has been alive for 5+ years that I bought there, plus other fish.

We have 2 Petsmart's in my city. One has better fish/plants then the other. So it varys from store to store.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

In reality, most of the fish for sale in the U.S. come from a handful of importers and breeders. Quality is hit or miss, but I'd say the industry does much better now than it did 20 or 30 years ago. OTOH, conditions in "for sale" tanks vary widely! The most helpful person in the world is a knowledgeable owner/operator of an LFS. Those kind of people are usually life-long "fish-freaks" and will go to great lengths to understand and meet the needs of their fish.

The problem with big box pet stores is that they often have a hard time finding people who know the first thing about what they're selling. Face it, in this country it's becoming hard to find skilled people to do anything for the kind of wages those jobs will pay.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that there is no substitute for a quarantine tank. A recent disaster with my 180g reminded me of that one more time.


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

They have a 14 day satisfation guarantee, Call them and explain your issue, i'm sure you'd come home with another male or two


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

Per another post, there are a few major live aquatic distributors in the US. The condition of the fish at each store is also dependent on who is running the show. It's hard for a novice to spot a good store. Even a good store can carry bad fish. You don't know what you have until you open the box and inspect the shipped fish.

That said, I don't see a lot of quality guppies at our local Petsmart stores. They may get 3 to 4 good batches a year.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Petsmart is is normally a step above the other major pet chains. I've purchased numerous fish from there and have had good *luck*.

Your Petsmart could just be poorly run in the aquatics department. The one near me has a great staff that really takes care of the fish.


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