Question For People In The Uk
- Thread starter snake007
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minnnt
Fish Expert
I have bought quite a few fish from there. I like them. The 2 i have locally are pretty decent. Some things i shake my head at, but tbh, i do that with most LFS. My Oscar is from there. Prices are decent too.
mike455555
i need to stop buying plants....
i got 5 white cloud minnows from them in Norwich.
they were healthy and i cant remember the price i think it was £12 total (also got a net, and 2 plants)
im guessing the kinds of fish they have depends on the store / supplier?
edit: there not the closet fish store to me. iv got a quite big one about 15 mins down the road =D. but if i were to travel out my way id not go to pets at home. just because id go to better/bigger (fish only) stores
they were healthy and i cant remember the price i think it was £12 total (also got a net, and 2 plants)
im guessing the kinds of fish they have depends on the store / supplier?
edit: there not the closet fish store to me. iv got a quite big one about 15 mins down the road =D. but if i were to travel out my way id not go to pets at home. just because id go to better/bigger (fish only) stores
StandbySetting
Fish Aficionado
It varies from store to store, they're a franchise, so prices/husbandry are dependent on management.
>INB4 Pets at Home haters.
>INB4 Pets at Home haters.
njstockley
Fishaholic
1) Yes
2) Normally a decent selection of the more common types. The one I used to go to had some nice big angels, blood parrots, oscars, mbuna, and even a giraffe catfish. Obviously they also stock the standard community type fish and goldfish too.
3) The ones I've got from there have been healthy. Some members on here have had some really negative experiences though, so it depends which one of the chain you get it from.
4) Actually pretty well priced, and that goes for accessories too. But the service and staff knowledge has in my experience been very poor.
Now I've moved to London though there are a couple of first rate shops which offer an incredible selection and great service (although at a price!!).
Nick
I've bought a few from my local one & they've been fine.
They do just have the bog standard fish, nothing unusual, & they are dearer than some other stores
It does depend on which branch you go to though
I went to a different one a few weeks ago & all the fish looked ropey & the staff were clueless
They do just have the bog standard fish, nothing unusual, & they are dearer than some other stores
It does depend on which branch you go to though
I went to a different one a few weeks ago & all the fish looked ropey & the staff were clueless
I have 2 local P@H's and the fish there are horrendous 
The majority of them are covered in white spot or fungus, or floating around belly up. I was behind a womanin a queue in there once (buying crickets for my brothers bearded dragon 
) and she was complaining that she had bought 10 guppies, and every single one had died within 2 days. 
I suppose it depends where you live really, just make sure you look closely at the fish and monitor them for a few minutes before you buy
The majority of them are covered in white spot or fungus, or floating around belly up. I was behind a womanin a queue in there once (buying crickets for my brothers bearded dragon ) and she was complaining that she had bought 10 guppies, and every single one had died within 2 days. I suppose it depends where you live really, just make sure you look closely at the fish and monitor them for a few minutes before you buy 
Stopped buying from there a few years ago - I got a group of Guppies for my Mums tank and most were dead in the bag by the time I got home (20 mins drive) and I never truly trust the staff because they miss basic questions and have limited knowledge of species past the fact sheets provided - though this does not encapsulate all pets at home.
My favorite situation was a few months ago I needed some water conditioner half way through a water change on a weekday night (P@H are open till 8 near me) and I had a quick look at the fish, there was a tank full of African Butterfly Cichlids labeled up as "American Cichlids" I talked to one of the staff and grabbed a Cichlid book of one of their shelves and showed him what the fish actually was - he said they came in but no one had ordered them so they had no idea what they were but they looked American...
I think the general opinion is that if you have one that you can trust whole heartedly then go for it but if its a bit iffy there is a reason
Wills
My favorite situation was a few months ago I needed some water conditioner half way through a water change on a weekday night (P@H are open till 8 near me) and I had a quick look at the fish, there was a tank full of African Butterfly Cichlids labeled up as "American Cichlids" I talked to one of the staff and grabbed a Cichlid book of one of their shelves and showed him what the fish actually was - he said they came in but no one had ordered them so they had no idea what they were but they looked American...
I think the general opinion is that if you have one that you can trust whole heartedly then go for it but if its a bit iffy there is a reason
Wills
mike455555
i need to stop buying plants....
Stopped buying from there a few years ago - I got a group of Guppies for my Mums tank and most were dead in the bag by the time I got home (20 mins drive) and I never truly trust the staff because they miss basic questions and have limited knowledge of species past the fact sheets provided - though this does not encapsulate all pets at home.
My favorite situation was a few months ago I needed some water conditioner half way through a water change on a weekday night (P@H are open till 8 near me) and I had a quick look at the fish, there was a tank full of African Butterfly Cichlids labeled up as "American Cichlids" I talked to one of the staff and grabbed a Cichlid book of one of their shelves and showed him what the fish actually was - he said they came in but no one had ordered them so they had no idea what they were but they looked American...
I think the general opinion is that if you have one that you can trust whole heartedly then go for it but if its a bit iffy there is a reason
Wills
look on the bright side... at least they labeled them as cichlids? ;p
nurglespuss
Fish Gatherer
Yes and no.
Our local Petsathome gets your usual stock of fish in (plus the odd random oddity), sometimes the stock is good, sometoimes its bad, sometimes the care is good/bad etc.
One batch of guppies died the day they were bought, on going back to the store the next day, ALL those guppies had died.
On the other hand, my pitbull plec and whiteclouds form there are doing fine.
One key thing with petsathome, is to use a quarantine tank! The staff (though often enthusiastic) dip the same hands/bags/nets etc in random tanks, and often the filtration system is centrally linked.
So you takes your chances!
however, for that risk there's usually no saving in money!
3 guppies for £10!?!?!?!?
Our local Petsathome gets your usual stock of fish in (plus the odd random oddity), sometimes the stock is good, sometoimes its bad, sometimes the care is good/bad etc.
One batch of guppies died the day they were bought, on going back to the store the next day, ALL those guppies had died.
On the other hand, my pitbull plec and whiteclouds form there are doing fine.
One key thing with petsathome, is to use a quarantine tank! The staff (though often enthusiastic) dip the same hands/bags/nets etc in random tanks, and often the filtration system is centrally linked.
So you takes your chances!
however, for that risk there's usually no saving in money!
3 guppies for £10!?!?!?!?
I've never bought anything, but that's because they didn't have anything I wanted at the time.
Generally staff are relatively clueless, with the occasional gem. I've seen much less healthy places for fish.
Prices for fish wasn't bad, kit here is very expensive, especially food and other consumables.
Generally staff are relatively clueless, with the occasional gem. I've seen much less healthy places for fish.
Prices for fish wasn't bad, kit here is very expensive, especially food and other consumables.
minnnt
Fish Expert
Any reason in particular you want to know?
please keep this thread on a level guys and girls, it will be closed once the bashing starts.
pablothebetta
Fish Herder
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I often pay a visit to my local PaH, I can tell you they usually have the same sort of fish in. Bettas, guppies, mollies, larger corys, couple of gourami species, couple of cichlid species, coldwater goldies, that sort of stuff. Nothing really out of the ordinary - I certainly can't imagine finding ember tetras or even cherry shrimp there (having seen the embers today in a Maidenhead aquatics store & another lfs having the shrimp). I doubt they'll take custom orders due to being a large chain store, though I've never tried.
Healthy? I got one of my bettas from there, he was fine. However, I've seen goldfish eating a decaying goldfish in a tank before, and a dead small fish on the floor, so I wouldn't say they were completely healthy on the whole from my experience - as opposed to other fish stores I've seen with pristine tanks and pristine fish.
Pricey? Usually not top out of the ordinary from what I've seen, though I have seen a lot cheaper, eg I think once it was 3 ghost shrimp for £10, or something rather pricey such as that.
Conclusion? If you're after fish that aren't pretty popular, I doubt PaH will have any. If you're looking for super healthy fish, that's more unlikely than a small independant lfs. If you're after particularly cheap prices, you're unlikely to find them. Just from my personal experience & opionions, others may vary.
Healthy? I got one of my bettas from there, he was fine. However, I've seen goldfish eating a decaying goldfish in a tank before, and a dead small fish on the floor, so I wouldn't say they were completely healthy on the whole from my experience - as opposed to other fish stores I've seen with pristine tanks and pristine fish.
Pricey? Usually not top out of the ordinary from what I've seen, though I have seen a lot cheaper, eg I think once it was 3 ghost shrimp for £10, or something rather pricey such as that.
Conclusion? If you're after fish that aren't pretty popular, I doubt PaH will have any. If you're looking for super healthy fish, that's more unlikely than a small independant lfs. If you're after particularly cheap prices, you're unlikely to find them. Just from my personal experience & opionions, others may vary.
minnnt
Fish Expert
believe P@H will order fish for you...
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