Walmart

[JJ1234567]

well..Ive always been a little disgusted with my local one, but ive never been completely upset before. Mine tended just to sell the usual freshies with the oscar being the most un suited one for the tanks they sell. Well a few months ago they got in Violet gobies. I bought their entire stock and took it to a good fish store. I lectured the GM about giving the fish a slow and horrible death because they had none of the requirements up on the tank and their person dippin fish had no idea what it was. He promised me they would not get them in again. So i go in last night and what do I see? Scats. In a tank with a new load of Violet gobies. GRRRRRR. DAmn walmart. I wrote on the tank with permanant marker that they are brackish fish, and require marine salt in their final home to survive. Also included the forumns web address.

 

[phlawed]

well..Ive always been a little disgusted with my local one, but ive never been completely upset before. Mine tended just to sell the usual freshies with the oscar being the most un suited one for the tanks they sell. Well a few months ago they got in Violet gobies. I bought their entire stock and took it to a good fish store. I lectured the GM about giving the fish a slow and horrible death because they had none of the requirements up on the tank and their person dippin fish had no idea what it was. He promised me they would not get them in again. So i go in last night and what do I see? Scats. In a tank with a new load of Violet gobies. GRRRRRR. DAmn walmart. I wrote on the tank with permanant marker that they are brackish fish, and require marine salt in their final home to survive. Also included the forumns web address.

well first i would like to start off by saying good job on informing manager. But i would have probably kept it at that, many places you can get arrested for defacing property. usually, i have seen walmart will post signs somewhere around stating they need 1tbs of salt per gallon. So read around and make sure its not posted.

 

[wendywc]

He didn't deface property. He said he wrote with marker on the tanks; that can be easily wiped off with windex. So he was just labeling the tanks, nothing wrong with that IMO.

 

[Dave Legacy]

I'm glad to hear you're passionate about the well being of the fish, but don't get yourself in trouble. What you did would be considered vandalism weither or not the marker would be able to be removed or not. Not only that but you wrote the URL to this forum on the tank too...good info to give away in any other form than vandalism.

LFSs will not stop selling brackish fish and not telling people they wont thrive in freshwater. If they didn't sell the fish I wouldn't have anything to put in my tanks. I've noticed lately some of the LFS are making a better effort and labelling the tank as brackish. I even saw one of my LFS move all thier juv. GSPs/Silver Scats into full marine tanks. Scats were doing great, GSPs... not so great.

Chill out before you land yourself in some hot water.

 

[AMS]

Is it really worth your time to write to the manager? 99% of the fish sold to wal-mart either die in their tanks or in the tanks of the unknowlegable consumer.

And writing the URL to this forum?

 

[Dave Legacy]

And writing the URL to this forum?

I feel like I'm affiliated with a Brackish Aquaria Activist Group.

 

[jimi priest 0189]

ok first id like to say that if they go to walmart or mejiors or such they dont care my friend went and bought a graoumi and it died he took it back and got a new one it died so tomarrow hes going to get another one they dont take proper care of them i once sat the all daty and re directed them to aquatec my lfs and still some got the fish there walmart good for fish food not for fish what people would do for money

 

[JJ1234567]

I think I left out the key part of this. I wrote on the tank, but I was writting on a Info card on tank. I failed to mention that. It did say that they are tolerant of some salt, but specifies no ammounts or what type. Meijer is a little better, my woman works there and hands out cards that I have printed up for her with care info and tank size...and once again with the url of this site. I feel that is one of the most informative sites around and I will stop at nothing to see that people at least look to see what kind of life they are giving their pets. Animal cruelty to dogs, cats, and horses is big news around here. Why not to fish?

EDIT - btw...I only work 45 hours a week and do school part time. So until my clowns start spawning a bit more frequently I have nothing to do with my spare time around here...65 miles from the closest real LFS and big city. So I have plenty of time to write letters to walmart.

 

[AMS]

I didnt mean is it physically worth your time, I was implying that a single letter from a hobbyist probably wont alter the ways their fish stock are sold or maintained. Im glad to see that youre passionate about the well being of fish, but in reality your efforts probably wont be considered by Wal-Mart, they are a buisness and out to make money, and quite frankly they dont care about fish if they are bringing in sales.

I dont mean to sound mean or harsh, but Im just looking at it from a realistic view.

Oh, and glad to see you wrote on a card and not the actual tank itself. What I meant by "And writing the URL to this forum? " was IF you did write on the tank it would have given this wonderful forum a bad name, and you could have gotten yourself in some trouble if you were to get caught. I applaud you for writing the address of this forum on a card a card and posting it on the tank, but it would have been a much different matter IF you were to have written it on the actual tank.

 

[JJ1234567]

well it just gets to me. I mean. Think about it like this. On the local news station they get all hot and bothered if someone is abusing dogs, or cats, or horses. Keeping them in overly full kenels or cages. Living in their own excrement. the owner ends up doing 10 years. Yet walmart does it, and on top of that they have dozens of these fine animals die on a weekly basis...why does no one care?? why are walmart execs not jailed for animal cruelty?

 

[AMS]

I know what you mean, some people just dont consider fish "living animals" that deserve the same care of any other pet

 

[Derpeder]

In the biggining of my fish experience my tank was overtaken by Ick. I lost all my fish. I then let my tank sit for a little while so all the ick would die. In the mean time mosquitos layed eggs in my tank and there were no fish in there to eat the eggs. This was at 11:30 at night. I did not want the mosquitos to hatch in my tank(which they had started to do so) so I headed down to the Walmart and picked up 2 blue gouramis. I just hoped that they would not get Ick but i needed something to eat the mosquitos. Those two Gouramis ate the mosquitos and I have been able to give them a great home ever sence. Over a year now. So luckly I am in the 1% that kept the Walmart fish alive, my 2 blue gouramis (lucky little bastards).

Oh yeah I forgot to mention the fish that introduced Ick into my tank was a fish from Walmart. That was my lesson learned on Walmart fish. Walmart fish destroyed my tank and also saved it. GO FIG.

 

[JJ1234567]

another good lesson would be that quarentine tanks are a good thing

 

[hebegebe]

yep, the same thing up here in Ottawa, Canada...Damn walmart...what can ya do.....asides from buying all the gobies and saving them !

 

[Synirr]

Walmart's website has a link where you can contact the home office and file a complaint against a particular store. They will, in turn, contact that store and apparently give them a stern talking to if you write your letter well, since I went this route once and recieved a phone call the next day from the manager of the pet center of my local Walmart, assuring me that they were making changes etc etc (and they have, thankfully).