Would you purchase a fish from Petco.com?

[PigPen84]

I use to have a second job at Petco. All I did was saltwater maintenance. I only worked there because I love the hobby. So I would absolutely buy fish from there. There are a couple of vendors but most comes from Quality Marine. As far as the store. It really depends on who’s running the aquatics department. Some people know what they are doing and some don’t know what a fish it.

 

[Cthulukelele]

This is the animal I'm interested in:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/yasha-goby

It's available for "ship to me". @TangerineSpeedo mentioned they all ship from Quality Marine, but I've never heard of them.

I've had some bad luck with freshwater fish from my local PetCo, and I've seen dirty tanks with dead fish in the stores around me. But I'm really not trying to hate on them. I might, maybe, get some freshwater fish from my local PetCo, but I don't see myself getting anything saltwater or expensive or delicate. That's just my opinion.

Quality Marine is likely where most LFS get 50+% of their stock. They're liveaquarias primary wholesaler. There is functionally no difference between that fish and a fish from LiveAquaria or your lfs other than you're assuming the wholesale shipment loss (every lfs assumes some % loss on ship in from wholesaler and eats that cost/passes it on to you)

 

[PigPen84]

This is the animal I'm interested in:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/yasha-goby

It's available for "ship to me". @TangerineSpeedo mentioned they all ship from Quality Marine, but I've never heard of them.

I've had some bad luck with freshwater fish from my local PetCo, and I've seen dirty tanks with dead fish in the stores around me. But I'm really not trying to hate on them. I might, maybe, get some freshwater fish from my local PetCo, but I don't see myself getting anything saltwater or expensive or delicate. That's just my opinion.

I’ve ordered from Petco online and it does ship directly from Quality Marine in CA. Next day air to your door.

 

[KrisReef]

Thanks guys!

I do plan to QT for sure.

Maybe I'll give them a try after all.

I have purchased a few fish from the store but I don’t think I will ever mail order fish because I want to see what they look like and how sick they are before I bring them home.

Mail order coral is a risk but fish as higher order animals suffer more during transport and I don’t like putting them blindly in the mail and hope they are well enough to make it.

Just me.

 

[MoMoTheMonster]

I bought a yasha goby from PetCo.com in Dec. I had a good experience with them & plan to order again soon. I received all healthy & good looking fish.

 

[Fish Fan]

I use to have a second job at Petco. All I did was saltwater maintenance. I only worked there because I love the hobby. So I would absolutely buy fish from there. There are a couple of vendors but most comes from Quality Marine. As far as the store. It really depends on who’s running the aquatics department. Some people know what they are doing and some don’t know what a fish it.

^This. As far as the local PetCo locations (or any LFS), it comes down to the people and the policies of the store's management. In another life, I was a store manager for a local-to-me farm and garden store that had a fairly robust little pet department (think, rodents like bunnies and hamsters, ferrets, some basic birds, the obligatory ball python, and freshwater only fish). When I was there, I was very active in the fish area, and pushed staff to keep clean tanks. After I left, the tanks are largely dirty and green, with dead fish floating, and employees largely standing around picking their noses, and I'm sorry, I won't buy fish from a store like that. And that's freshwater fish. I am much more critical of anyone selling me a $50+ saltwater fish that I can't even eat if it croaks ;-)

Quality Marine is likely where most LFS get 50+% of their stock. They're liveaquarias primary wholesaler. There is functionally no difference between that fish and a fish from LiveAquaria or your lfs other than you're assuming the wholesale shipment loss (every lfs assumes some % loss on ship in from wholesaler and eats that cost/passes it on to you)

I have just never heard of Quality Marine. However, my thought was that if I order from PetCo.com, certainly they would be using some large wholesaler, and this would avoid the fish even seeing their local tanks and staff.

I have purchased a few fish from the store but I don’t think I will ever mail order fish because I want to see what they look like and how sick they are before I bring them home.

Mail order coral is a risk but fish as higher order animals suffer more during transport and I don’t like putting them blindly in the mail and hope they are well enough to make it.

Just me.

You have a point for sure, and that's how I would really like to purchase my fish. But, the closest real saltwater fish store I have is a dump when you walk in. They get good reviews, and say they can order anything I want, but the place is a dump, and I just don't see it.

I have two very good reef LFS's in my area, but they are each almost an hour drive, so kind of a pain for me.

I bought a yasha goby from PetCo.com in Dec. I had a good experience with them & plan to order again soon. I received all healthy & good looking fish.

Awesome! Thank you for sharing your experice with PetCo.com!

I should add that if anyone has any other ideas for where to order a Yasha Goby, I'm all ears!

Thanks guys, I appreciate your help very much!

 

[jtf74]

Hi guys! I have been interested in a Yasha Goby, and noticed that Petco.com has one at a decent price. I'm not real impressed with the fish from my local Petco stores, and probably wouldn't buy anything expensive or saltwater from them, but I'm wondering how Petco.com might be. Has anyone ordered fish through Petco.com? Do you think they might be a little higher quality than the local stores?

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/yasha-goby

Thanks for your help!

My 10 yr old and 4 year old maroons from petco

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would be reluctant and fish would have to be proportionate in weight, eating and without visible defects

 

[Fish Fan]

My 10 yr old and 4 year old maroons from petco

Thank you! To be clear, did you order them from PetCo.com, or purchase them from your loca PetCo store.

I would be reluctant and fish would have to be proportionate in weight, eating and without visible defects

Thank you, I always appreciate your insight. Are you speaking on ordering fish from PetCo.com, or from buying fish from a local PetCo.

Thanks very much everyone!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you! To be clear, did you order them from PetCo.com, or purchase them from your loca PetCo store.


Thank you, I always appreciate your insight. Are you speaking on ordering fish from PetCo.com, or from buying fish from a local PetCo.

Thanks very much everyone!

From local store but even more reluctant online
There are good sources out there that are more trustworthy

Reef Beauties
Fish Pro
Dr Reef
Eric cohen
NY Aquatics

 

[Fish Fan]

From local store but even more reluctant online
There are good sources out there that are more trustworthy

Reef Beauties
Fish Pro
Dr Reef
Eric cohen
NY Aquatics

Again, I definitely appreciate your input I will look, but I'm not sure that any of those places have a Yasha Goby instock. PetCo.com popped right up with at least one in stock, and what I think is a decent price.

Honestly, I do want to check with my two good LFS's to see if they can order a fish for me. I think that would be ideal, and I love to support LFS's. But short of that, I wanted to ask about PetCo.com and anyone who has ordered fish from them.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Quality marine is one of the largest fish wholesalers in the US. A good proportionate number of fish come from here. Your fish will be just as healthy and any other fish your order online. You are only giving your money to Petco. Other than that they have nothing to do with it. Your order will direct ship from QM. Quality Marine usually has a booth at RAP also. BTW I am not necessarily endorsing QM, but pointing out the fact most ppl have fish from them in one way or another.
Also just to be sure... You are ordering online and you are going to QT the fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Again, I definitely appreciate your input I will look, but I'm not sure that any of those places have a Yasha Goby instock. PetCo.com popped right up with at least one in stock, and what I think is a decent price.

Honestly, I do want to check with my two good LFS's to see if they can order a fish for me. I think that would be ideal, and I love to support LFS's. But short of that, I wanted to ask about PetCo.com and anyone who has ordered fish from them.

Thanks again for your help!

Saltwaterfish.com has them : https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-yasha-shrimp-goby

Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby

The Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby is a stunning and colorful goby. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies have a mostly white body with strong horizontal orange and red strips and spots. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies also have a very long dorsal fin.Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies reach a maximum adult size...

www.tankstop.com

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/3623/?pcatid=3623 - Make sure it's WI facility

 

[Fish Fan]

Quality marine is one of the largest fish wholesalers in the US. A good proportionate number of fish come from here. Your fish will be just as healthy and any other fish your order online. You are only giving your money to Petco. Other than that they have nothing to do with it. Your order will direct ship from QM. Quality Marine usually has a booth at RAP also. BTW I am not necessarily endorsing QM, but pointing out the fact most ppl have fish from them in one way or another.
Also just to be sure... You are ordering online and you are going to QT the fish?

Thank you!

Yes, I am absolutely going to QT! I'm getting back into reef tanks after a hiatus, but not my first rodeo ;-)

I assumed that PetCo.com would be using a large wholesaler, and shipping directly from them. I have never heard of Quality Marine, but, as said, I have been out of the marine hobby for quite a few years

I do want to check with the couple of LFS's I have around me, but I appreciate all your opinions on ordering fish from PetCo.com.

 

[Fish Fan]

Saltwaterfish.com has them : https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-yasha-shrimp-goby

Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby

The Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby is a stunning and colorful goby. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies have a mostly white body with strong horizontal orange and red strips and spots. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies also have a very long dorsal fin.Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies reach a maximum adult size...

www.tankstop.com

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/3623/?pcatid=3623 - Make sure it's WI facility

Thanks again! I'm not looking at Live Aquaria

 

[Fish Fan]

Sorry, this got literally locked up in a short power outage,

This was my full reply:

Saltwaterfish.com has them : https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-yasha-shrimp-goby

Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby

The Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby is a stunning and colorful goby. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies have a mostly white body with strong horizontal orange and red strips and spots. Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies also have a very long dorsal fin.Yasha White Ray Shrimp Gobies reach a maximum adult size...

www.tankstop.com

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/3623/?pcatid=3623 - Make sure it's WI facility

Thanks again! I'm not really looking at LiveAquaria.com, but isn't that the old Doctors Foster Smith live fish site?? And I think many of us are confusing them with PetCo.com? ?

I will definitely check SaltwaterFish.com - thank you for the suggestion!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry, this got literally locked up in a short power outage,

This was my full reply:

Thanks again! I'm not really looking at LiveAquaria.com, but isn't that the old Doctors Foster Smith live fish site?? And I think many of us are confusing them with PetCo.com? ?

I will definitely check SaltwaterFish.com - thank you for the suggestion!

they were once associated with Petco. The california facility is not good but WI is wysiwyg and very guaranteed

 

[Fish Fan]

they were once associated with Petco. The california facility is not good but WI is wysiwyg and very guaranteed

How can I tell if I have to order from PetCo?

 

[vetteguy53081]

How can I tell if I have to order from PetCo?

Ask them directly where fish is coming from

 

[JClic]

I would never buy fish from Petco or PetSmart unless it was to nurse it back to health. I was in my local Petsmart two or three days ago for other stuff and there were multiple tanks with every fish dead. Not only is the way they farm them immoral the fish are always dirty.