Petco? Petsmart? Chain Stores?

[Abdiel007]

Question I have always had is chain stores like a Petco and Petsmart, where do they get there livestock from? I would like your opinions on where the best fish are generally acquired from, I fear that these chain stores receive there fish from bad breeders or mass breeders and I am curious as to where is the best place to get quality, healthy fish is?

 

[Assaye]

Question I have always had is chain stores like a Petco and Petsmart, where do they get there livestock from? I would like your opinions on where the best fish are generally acquired from, I fear that these chain stores receive there fish from bad breeders or mass breeders and I am curious as to where is the best place to get quality, healthy fish is?

Large chain stores generally source their fish from mass breeders. The quality of the fish is generally much weaker than those that come from small scale, experienced breeders. For good quality fish I'd recommend finding a local breeder of the species you want or a reputable small aquatics store that stocks healthy, vibrant fish.

 

[Abdiel007]

So the assumption is correct that the fish from the chain stores are generally weaker and if continually bred have shabbier genes? they generally more short lived as well i presume? I can see what you mean on the experienced breeders and smaller stores, i just wish there was a way of telling other than looking at the fish if they really get them from experienced and reputable breeders though, thanks for the reply!

 

[The-Wolf]

pets at home, who incidently have a 50% share of the UK aquatics market, get their fish from PRESTO PETS LTD

 

[Assaye]

pets at home, who incidently have a 50% share of the UK aquatics market, get their fish from PRESTO PETS LTD

I don't think they supply all P@H stores. The one I worked for got their fish from JMC.

Incidentally, they were awful quality and frequently arrived sick.

 

[SlyPolak]

The manager at my local PetSupermarket said that they get 90% of their stock from SEGREST FARMS --> http/segrestfarms.com
He even lets me pick out what I want and orders them for me..

 

[GAB99]

Question I have always had is chain stores like a Petco and Petsmart, where do they get there livestock from? I would like your opinions on where the best fish are generally acquired from, I fear that these chain stores receive there fish from bad breeders or mass breeders and I am curious as to where is the best place to get quality, healthy fish is?

im definatley asking this question next time i go, i saw goodlooking rainbows for 11$ but went the safe way and got a known gender and healthy fish for an extra 4$ at my petstore, sincei cant really have a QT gotta play it saferthe usual lol.

 

[drobbyb]

The best place to get good rainbows is from private breeders. Generally speaking, their lines are more direct and often times they can tell you exactly who the original collector and their collection date was.

In the rainbow portion of the hobby, purity is king.

That's not to say that a fish shop won't have pure specimens though, as some of the mom and pop types get their fish from local breeders, but most chain stores only get theirs from mass breeders.

 

[GAB99]

The best place to get good rainbows is from private breeders. Generally speaking, their lines are more direct and often times they can tell you exactly who the original collector and their collection date was.

In the rainbow portion of the hobby, purity is king.

That's not to say that a fish shop won't have pure specimens though, as some of the mom and pop types get their fish from local breeders, but most chain stores only get theirs from mass breeders.

4/5 of my rainbows are good quality and one idk what it is lol i think its a male but not really sure, but its a little late to do anything about it now lol

 

[PaBucsFan]

I only have one LFS where I live and unfortunately he and his wife are getting up there in age so they do not stock as much as they once did. I have had to resort to places such as Petco and Petsmart to get my fish. Where I live is not very populated and the Petco here absolutely sucks. They don't have anyone that really knows how to take care of the tanks so the generally have a lot of sick fish. However the Petco about 40 minutes from me has a really experienced person working on their tanks and all their fish look really healthy. So I think it is really hit and miss with the large chain stores.

 

[Abdiel007]

Yeah I agree hit or miss especially visually, and it was interesting to see where petsupermarket gets there stock too