*What's your favorite fish to get from Petco or other chain stores? Also, check out our top 10 fish from PetSmart for more ideas: **th-cam.com/video/4tfp4V1usjA/w-d-xo.html*
Had all my previous fish die within a month through a chain store. Until I 3 months later I gave up and found out I had a locally owned LFS nearby. So I tried it out and all my fish are still doing great! My oldest fish are some zebra danios I’ve had for 5 years now and they are still doing amazing! 😊
About a year and a half ago, I went into petco to get some filter floss. Like we all do, I went over and looked at the fish. They had 2 red turquoise discus that were about the size of a silver dollar. 40 bucks each, so I grabbed them. They’re now about 5” around and the kings of the tank.
The guy at my local petco is a true hobbyist who really takes care of the fish he is in control of. It’s still a petco and chain but it’s better than the local petsmart and it’s nice to interact with him
Yay! You are correct, every Petco does an individual order for their store once a week, but you can ask to have something added onto that order and if one of the vendors has it available they will get it in! 30 day health guarantee, and free water tests. Just know that almost all of the fish people are self taught (sometimes from this channel!)
As a Petco aquatic specialist... Yes! We are basically self taught. Channels like this are really helpful. And yes! Just ask us if you are looking for a specific fish! Often we order by what we know will sell and I personally love ordering new stuff to keep a good variety
Until this week I was a career aquatics advisor for petco, 5 years long. Thanks for the good provision of analysis. They really do try over there, and a lot of the aquatics workers across the company have either been doing it for over a year, or they are themselves aquatic fanatics outside of work, and most of them take great pride in their departments and the care that goes into them. The retail situation isn’t ideal for ANYONE involved but they know it’s their job to make the best of it.
Love this vid! I'm an aquatic specialist at a Petco. I love working with fish and helping people find the best fish for their tanks! I point people towards your vids when they are still confused about things (like new tanks when I refuse to sell them fish same day as the tank 🙄 or how to gravel vac). The only real training I've received is from my own research, so thanks for being so informative!
"Alot of people watch these cause they only have a chain store or want cheap fish" Me: Neither, I'll just watch Cory talk about fish in nearly any capacity
Why? He will only tell you what will help his business. He probably just sold a bunch of these fish to Petco and wants to continue a contract with them so he’s now telling you to go buy fish from them.
Why didn’t petco bettas make the list? Ive had bad luck at other chain stores like petsmart or pet supplies plus. I tend to get better odds when buying from petco for bettas. Yeah, the males are abused and it’s sad they don’t keep them in a filtered tank, but Petco does tend to have a very diverse array of colors and styles, and for $5-10 you can get a nice delta tail or half moon in a unique color. And I feel like I’m saving a fish’s life.
I have a school of 10 harlequin rasboras and I can agree, they're absolutely great fish and gorgeous. I admire them in my own tank as well as the tanks at work.
Im new to your channel! Been keeping fish for close to 15 years. Followed the DIY fish channel for a few years, I unsubscribed from his channel. Your channel is so much more productive, professional, and you really give good advice. Love your channel and watched few dozen videos. Im hooked. Haha.
I swear by purchasing my fish from a local shop, the owner keeps all fish in decorated medium-sized tanks with gravel and plants. never seen a dead fish in there, maybe a torn fin here and there but they all seems very healthy and strong overall. :)
Ive just gone mad on fish and Aquariums here in the UK started with two 25L half hexagon shaped tanks. from pets at home lol 😆 I got really addicted to fish keeping and the whole entire hobby. I'd just like to say that you guys videos have given me so much pleasure and ease whilst enjoying and learning about a brilliant new hobby and part of my life. I find it most funny how much I actually care for my fish I understand its a joke to some people but if it lives it feels therefore to me it has the quality of life and deserves to be treated with care and kindness. Respect to you all my fave fish from the UK petco... pets at home. Is definitely my betta its only been with me a few days and I know I'm going to miss him already 😢 but he will get the best life ill be sure. Probably thanks to you all... I'm now running one 300L monster grupe tank and stand. one 25L for my blue betta & green endlers. one 25l for molly fry FYI they got eaten the first time I was still learning. my betta is called cosmo like as in the color cosmatic blue 💙 he is my only fish with a name and I have lodes omg I actually kind lost count . Peace out fish fam
I work at a local store (not centered on fish, not even centered on pets at all) but we do sell some exotic reptiles, amphibians, and even fish. I'm the only store employee that knows anything about the fish. The store operates alongside a landscaping business and one of the landscapers provides the store with guppies and cherry shrimp, he also set up the filtration. I provide the store with ramshorn snails, guppy/endler crosses, swordtails, and guppy grass. I eventually hope to start selling them mollies and bristlenose plecos as well. But as it is we are the only store within a couple hours that sells any pets
I used to drive 2 hours away to get my own fish from petco and now I'm happy that I can provide at least a couple species of fish to people who can't drive two hours just for fish
While I personally couldn't be paid to buy fish from a chain store, I LOVE that you are giving options to folks who may not have the other choices I do. Great video!
I'd love to be able to shop the LFSs that I see in my FB fish groups. I'm always so in awe of the fantastic selection and special buys (like purple harlequin rasboras!). Then again, I made a joke with one of them that I probably shouldn't go to one in particular because I'd leave without grocery money!!! Hahaha!! :D The owner actually saw the comment in the group and hopped on to reply "Hey, it happens sometimes!" LOL :D They're all so great!
literally saw a lightning maroon clownfish at petco other day for $30. just insane how they don’t know the value of it. excellent colors and patterns, best one ive ever seen.
@@mittenista ah my bad ! 🤣🤣 no i did not get the clown. i already have a clown at home and they are hard to keep together. besides the maroon gets to ab 6 inches in length, bigger than i feel can fit into a 75 gallon tank. unfortunately i had to pass
I work at a petco near aquarium co-op. I consistently recommend people to go to aquarium co-op to get otocinclus, bristlenose plecos, and nerite snails. Most people have small tanks, and the common plecos and Chinese algae eaters we do have would not work out for them.
Something you may not know. Petco has a print out of every fish their supplier has and can special order you anything on the list. If you don’t have a local fish store this is a great way to get the fish you want without the hassle of shipping :)
My Petco informed me that they don't do special order fish for customers, so it may be a store by store thing or my Petco just sucks and people there are lazy.
@@Overthewingflight , I have been on the hunt for a L200 Green phantom. I found a shop about an hour away who does special order fish. He was able to get me hillstream loaches. Still waiting on a call for the L200. One shop near me has one but it is for display only.
PetCo has become my best option for fish. Over 6 years ago, I found three Rabauti Cories for just $3.50 each. Three months ago, I found Golden White Cloud Mountain Minnows for $2.50 each. The Corydoras are all still thriving. And only one white cloud died out of 32.
Years ago, I bought regular white clouds, at a Petsmart, I think. Now I can *only* find the golden ones, and always at Petco. Any idea where to find the silvers, other than online? The golden ones seem to be really popular, but I really fancy the silvers! :)
@@mollyallen2400 that was my experience too. I was looking for months, but couldn't find any of the normal(wild) colored white clouds. I really wanted both types in my current setup.
As much as I prefer supporting a local LFS, a lot of the can stores are pretty good when it comes to the fish selection. I've bought fish from Petco/Petsmart that have lived for years with no issues. That said, it's still important to select healthy-looking fish from clean tanks, and to quarantine.
I'm glad there are big box pet stores somewhere with aquatics departments that aren't a disaster. Petsmart and Petco in my area are death houses. They are ill-advised for beginners, in my opinion. As much as I like to rescue critters, big box stores are a bad experience for people who are new to the aquarium hobby. When I first started I went to one - staff knew nothing and every tank had ich (back then as a beginner, I was fairly ignorant of ich). Subsequent visits would reveal tank upon tank of dead fish - not just one or two, but often whole tanks. At times one of these big box stores would be forced to cease fish sales for weeks while they battled to rid their tanks of ich and who knows what else. Had I not found the Aquarium Co-Op site and Cory's practical knowledge, I would have quit the hobby soon after I had begun...
I don't have any good locally owned stores near me, but I lucked out with my local Petco. They've got a great selection and their people know their stuff. I got my German Blues there, yoyo loaches, kuhli loaches, hillstreams, corys, DGs, more than I can list.
Got me some Torquoise Rainbows at Petco on sale for cheap cause no one was buying them...they were juveniles and was a plain silver color. I got all 5 that were left in the tank for $2 each....now they're adults and showing beautiful blue color!
Guppy’s are the best fish in the hobby! Beautiful and cheap. I can make a living from the sale of guppy’s. If you have a lot of aquariums you can make a lot of money with them.
75% of my fish stock has come from petco, petsmart, and pet supplies plus!! The only ones I have ever really had problems with were the guppies and the mollies so I just tend to avoid them now.
the moms and pops stores here in philippines is like a chainstore they hire people who dont know how to care for fish and also they dont quarantine. thats why I always buy to a small breeder or breeders who could do small transactions
My local Petco fish quality is really high. I bought some black skirt tetras about a month ago. They are doing great now. I plan on buying some neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, and corydoras when I get my next 40 or 55 gallon community tank
I used to have a great LFS but they went out of business several yrs ago. I am 15 mins away from PetCo, PetSmart, & PetSupermarket. My favorites are PetSmart & PetCo. Both are run pretty good, the staff at both places are helpful, kind, & seem to know what they're doing. I have gotten 2 bettas from PetSmart that I have had 18 months & are wonderful fish. Very healthy & personable. I got 1 betta from PetCo that developed a horrible bacterial infection that I suspect he came with & despite my best efforts, he passed away. Of course ALL fish/pet stores are hit or miss. It depends on the staff...
In the UK they have Pets @ home which is same as PetCo tbh and same they sell great priced fish and if you do a bit of research on the fish you want then there great .
My local petco has good standings with breeders and has built a great reputation so I can actually special order almost any type of fish I want. They also have a great selection of saltwater and larger freshwater species.
Bought black neons from petco about a decade ago as dithers for some cichlids... I kept the neona longer than the cichlids. Rio Vons can also be keepers from the big box stores
I got a half dozen awhile back because they looked like they'd complement my pristellas and pencil fish, and boy, do they!! Once they'd been home for a few days they really colored up, and now they're sort of the star of the tank in the evenings - so flashy!
These chain stores definitely need to train staff on how to safely net the fish I've actually had to get the fish out a couple of times cause I couldn't take it anymore they were destroying the tank it took me about 5 seconds and I didn't disturb anything in the tank.
The black neon tetra's scientific name is Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi. Why did they give it Axelrod's full name when other species just get the guy's last name? Like ramirezi (rams) or agizzizi (an apisto).
my kulhi loach form petco lived for 9 years lol although i dont go to petco anymore, it still has good fish but depends on the workers i think the one i used to go to on herald square in manhattan had great workers and the fish there were in great shape
I bought 14 black neon tetras for my 29 gallon last May (2020) from PetSmart. Never owned any before. I only wanted 10, but they only had 14 and I felt bad about leaving 4 in there and 1 swam kinda wonky. Which is weird of me, maybe. But anyway, it's a year later and all 14 are still alive, even the wonky swimming one. Love the little dudes.
My closest petco actually has some nice freshwater fish and it’s only a select few species that normally kinda end up dead in the store but are still good if you get them on or shortly after shipment day. And surprisingly they have some gorgeous pineapple swordtails, several pretty rainbows, paradise fish and large goldfish. Other than that I’d have to look at what they have again to mention other standouts. They seemingly get in some more common fish then just random standouts but overall the petco near me is actually better than the petsmart lol. Still got 2 half banded spiny eels and 2 decent German blue rams from them.
I shop at a local pet supermarket and the staff is knowledgeable. They will order me fish when available and I pick them up when they are floating the fish. Very nice store.
I bought 4 Otocinclus from my local petco about a year ago for my 15 gallon flex still have them all! Out of the 20 or so fish I own they are the only ones I own from a chain store
@@habituallinestepper6569 1. I specified "in your area" leaving that up to personal interpretation, so there wasn't a reason for the first part of your comment. 2. You seem to be missing the point of why chain pet stores are bad. Largely, they exploit animals for profit. Not giving animals the proper medical care, sourcing from unethical breeders, etc. It has nothing to do with the quality of 1 store, it's about the bigger picture, the entire company that you are giving your money to. If you can live with supporting unethical companies, I can't do anything about that, but I won't stop discouraging other people from doing the same.
Nice video! Harkens back to early Cory chat before camera-ception LOLOLlll (though there is some hilarity in that and many, many co-op viewers value those lengthier vids) Eager to watch the PetSmart vid next!
I’ve had luck with my corydoras panda, white cloud mountain minnows, danios, bettas, guppies, shrimp, and snails from chain pet stores. Haven’t bought much more livestock from them, but petsmart and petco are the only pet stores around me.
The last time I went to a Petco the tanks had tons of dead fish, told an employee and they just rolled their eyes and walked away. I prefer a place called Pet Supplies Plus. Still a chain, but they actually care.
I've seen the same at Pet Supplies Plus too, the while chain store experience seems to vary widely depending on the individuals who work at any particular location.
I have never once gotten a healthy fish from my local Petco, I can't bring myself to buying from them anymore. I have spent way to much on meds to cure ich and other issues from Petco fish, it's heartbreaking to bring home sick fish and spend days getting them healthy again. I do buy plants there from time to time but only the pre packaged ones and never anything from their tanks.
My petsmart tiger barbs are doing well, i lost 2 runts out of the 10 i bought (probably to internal parasites) but the remaining school of 8 are fat and happy, always begging for food. They're not the most perfect tiger barbs (random black blotches of color on their bodies) but i love them and they're such a fun fish
I have lost two Albino Cory's hours after bringing them home from my Petworld (Chain) The assistant was not good at catching and stressed them. Went back the next day and got a new one from the same tank, and she is doing great now. She was bigger to start and was caught nicely.
One of my Petco Tiger Barbs is 5 years old and may be immortal. Survived so many moves, a couple filter crashes, extended power outages. No problems - ever.
Fixing to order or redo my fish room one may say with Co Op products. Them sponge filters i hope hold up if they do good in the planted tank ill buy the 8 for the big tank an the bubble stones to go with them. Side note I don't buy anything from petco or pet smart and sorry nothing will change my mind. Did just get my 2 new veiltales Oscars today there looking good just to small for oh a week lol you now how they grow for the 125 right now. There happy in quarantine for a while. next order is shrimp for the planted tank from aqua huna. I love there shipping style. s Look forward to the new co Op fertilizer line up got one of everything.
that's a good list, just sharing mine from Petco in case someone like it 1. Tiger Barbs 2. Platies and Mollies and sword tails 3. Tetra Serpae/Gold Pristella 4.Zebra Danios 5.Bettas
Got my Australian rainbows from them almost 2 years ago, only lost 1. They were like 3 bucks a piece and very young, now they are healthy hungry monsters.
There is a gal on You Tube who says that live bearers from fish farms are typically raised in brackish water as this is cheaper than straight out fresh water. The fish come acclimated to high mineral content water. They have some tendency to die for this reason. I would suggest adding a little aquarium salt to your water and a very small amount of Epsom salt which makes instant hard water. Put in something with lime like unvarnished sea shells so that the fish also have calcium also contributing to the hardness of the water. Both Calcium and magnesium need to be available. Only one of them is toxic. Here in Central Utah the water is hard but has a low ion content so I use a little aquarium salt. Right now during the drought here in Utah there is more ionic material in the water so the salt may be unnecessary. While much of the country is having excess rain here in Utah we are still experiencing a drought.
My petco is better than most mom and pop stores. They’ve got some really experienced people and rare fish all the time. I have red Venezuelan Cory cats from them, a scarlet badis, a sparkling gourami, ember tetras, emerald eye radboras, honey gouramis, and a bunch of rare betta strains. They also sell discus, rams, stone catfish, Chile rasboras, and galaxy rasboras.- the last three I have to get a sponge filter for a tank before I get them, and they even have pea puffers a few times.
Can’t buy fish from a pet store for almost a year now. Where I live we’ve been under a stay at home lockdown. Can only get essential thing from stores.
i don’t know but most of the fish i’ve gotten from petsmart have just randomly died and when i get the same type of fish from my local, they almost never die. i know it’s petco and it might be different but i haven’t had the best experiences with chain stores
One thing I'd like to add (specifically to the seasoned aquarists), as I do work at PetSmart, please please PLEASE don't come in and insult the new employee if they don't know much about fish. I'm apart of several animal related groups on facebook, I've been in this hobby for two years, and I've kept a wide variety of animals for over 13 years. Not every employee is going to be well versed in fish, or reptiles, or birds. I see a lot of down talk when it comes to us chain store employees. Not all of us are clueless, and it's not the employees fault if they don't know much. That's the chain stores fault, and lack of training. I've actually typed out a cheat sheet for all the kids that work back there for our most FAQ when it comes to our fish. Not all stores do this, so again, please educate rather than belittle. Don't come in with the "I know more than you" attitude. That will just sour everyone's experience, and possibly turn a new hobbiest away. Love the video cory! Thanks for being respectful and not leaving the chain stores out!
Love them! Insanely difficult for me to find good stock. I had a troop of ten or so that slowly whittled down to about 6... so after a successful move and all fish healthy, I waited several months and tried to add in half a dozen new friends. HUGE MISTAKE! Not only did the new neons die, but the ones I'd already had as well, and then several of my other tetras. Had never "had to" (or opted to) use a quarantine tank before that experience in 20+ years of fish-keeping, but learned a hard lesson then. I haven't tried to keep neons again since (well, I have black neons). I'm gun-shy now, I guess you could say!
@@mollyallen2400 I also have black neons. I moved about 3 months ago and just put them in their new 32 gallon. Before that they lived in an unheated bucket with a nano sponge filter for 3 months. I have 12 now, lost 2-3 during the wait. One of the loses was one of my very large black neons. I still have one big one though. I want about 6 more so bad I don’t want to experience what you did! It’s happened to me just like that in the past too. Have a healthy stock of fish and decide to add some more of the same and it turns out to be a bad decision. Usually neon-varieties too now that I’m thinking about it. Also, usually with well established stock too. So, for now, I’ve decided to hold off on adding any more tetras for now. It’s almost time for some Oto’s though!
My PetCo is really good and has some better options than my most local LFS, like gold neon tetra, dario dario, and Dwarf Red Coral Platy and Koi bettas. Plus the prices are better. My LFS is extremely expensive. $30 for a German blue ram for example.
No Petco here in NZ but we have one chain store - great service at my local one but the fish come in so small....I’m scared to put them in my big tank as I think they would be breakfast for the others
Random question, where do you get your duckweed from? I can't find it anywhere local so I'm going to order it but would like your opinion on where to purchase it from.
Regarding mollies and hard water, don't preach it too hard. My water is at 2 dKH and only just recently I got something to buffer the water, and that's because my nitrification was effected. The mollies didn't display any odd behavior, I've had them for a few months now. I realize that's not a long time at all, but they also bred in this environment AND the fry developed in this environment, and they're all healthy. So yeah, I'd be more concerned about the bioload being overwhelmed and pH swings when it comes to soft water, way before I'd be worried about mollies not liking it.
the only thing that stands out as a reason for a freshwater fish purchase is the return policy Petco has, my LFS is only a few days where Petco has a 30 day policy.
My petsmart’s mystery snails are usually absolutely terrible. Fish are ok. Snails from pet supplies plus are usually great. The best fish store in my area is PetSupermarket. Way better than the only mom and pop store. Don’t get me wrong, I’d go to the mom and pop store for birds or reptiles but the fish are pretty iffy.
Can u pls tell me the gender identification of convit and jewel cichleds each time when i visit a aquarium i get confused with there gender allfo them seems to be same
*What's your favorite fish to get from Petco or other chain stores? Also, check out our top 10 fish from PetSmart for more ideas: **th-cam.com/video/4tfp4V1usjA/w-d-xo.html*
Julii Cory cats, any platy, or my favorite fish ever the Bala Shark
Tetras
Had all my previous fish die within a month through a chain store. Until I 3 months later I gave up and found out I had a locally owned LFS nearby. So I tried it out and all my fish are still doing great! My oldest fish are some zebra danios I’ve had for 5 years now and they are still doing amazing! 😊
@@wolfsbane9639 That's my fear with chain pet stores, I've seen far to many questionable stuff to ever trust a chain store fish to survive.
@@jasonericala Yeah and every time you go in there is at least 1 dead/almost dead in nearly every tank unless it’s a new batch of them 😩
My Petco mollies are doing great! My local Petco is clean and well-run, the staff is knowledgeable and really care about the pets there.
Mine too
Same you can’t beat it
About a year and a half ago, I went into petco to get some filter floss. Like we all do, I went over and looked at the fish. They had 2 red turquoise discus that were about the size of a silver dollar. 40 bucks each, so I grabbed them. They’re now about 5” around and the kings of the tank.
The guy at my local petco is a true hobbyist who really takes care of the fish he is in control of. It’s still a petco and chain but it’s better than the local petsmart and it’s nice to interact with him
Yay! You are correct, every Petco does an individual order for their store once a week, but you can ask to have something added onto that order and if one of the vendors has it available they will get it in! 30 day health guarantee, and free water tests. Just know that almost all of the fish people are self taught (sometimes from this channel!)
As a Petco aquatic specialist... Yes! We are basically self taught. Channels like this are really helpful. And yes! Just ask us if you are looking for a specific fish! Often we order by what we know will sell and I personally love ordering new stuff to keep a good variety
Until this week I was a career aquatics advisor for petco, 5 years long. Thanks for the good provision of analysis. They really do try over there, and a lot of the aquatics workers across the company have either been doing it for over a year, or they are themselves aquatic fanatics outside of work, and most of them take great pride in their departments and the care that goes into them. The retail situation isn’t ideal for ANYONE involved but they know it’s their job to make the best of it.
Love this vid! I'm an aquatic specialist at a Petco. I love working with fish and helping people find the best fish for their tanks! I point people towards your vids when they are still confused about things (like new tanks when I refuse to sell them fish same day as the tank 🙄 or how to gravel vac). The only real training I've received is from my own research, so thanks for being so informative!
"Alot of people watch these cause they only have a chain store or want cheap fish"
Me: Neither, I'll just watch Cory talk about fish in nearly any capacity
Why? He will only tell you what will help his business. He probably just sold a bunch of these fish to Petco and wants to continue a contract with them so he’s now telling you to go buy fish from them.
@@kevinwebster7868 maybe.
Probably.
If.
If my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.
Why didn’t petco bettas make the list? Ive had bad luck at other chain stores like petsmart or pet supplies plus. I tend to get better odds when buying from petco for bettas. Yeah, the males are abused and it’s sad they don’t keep them in a filtered tank, but Petco does tend to have a very diverse array of colors and styles, and for $5-10 you can get a nice delta tail or half moon in a unique color. And I feel like I’m saving a fish’s life.
I have a school of 10 harlequin rasboras and I can agree, they're absolutely great fish and gorgeous.
I admire them in my own tank as well as the tanks at work.
Some of my best fish have surprisingly come from chain stores.
Also Cory in a grocery cart is the edit I didn’t know I needed.😂
Im new to your channel! Been keeping fish for close to 15 years.
Followed the DIY fish channel for a few years, I unsubscribed from his channel.
Your channel is so much more productive, professional, and you really give good advice.
Love your channel and watched few dozen videos.
Im hooked. Haha.
Welcome!
I swear by purchasing my fish from a local shop, the owner keeps all fish in decorated medium-sized tanks with gravel and plants. never seen a dead fish in there, maybe a torn fin here and there but they all seems very healthy and strong overall. :)
My tank has finished cycling so I’m going to buy my first fish tomorrow, I can’t wait! Hopefully they’ll be settling in whilst I’m watching :)
Ive just gone mad on fish and Aquariums here in the UK started with two 25L half hexagon shaped tanks. from pets at home lol 😆 I got really addicted to fish keeping and the whole entire hobby. I'd just like to say that you guys videos have given me so much pleasure and ease whilst enjoying and learning about a brilliant new hobby and part of my life. I find it most funny how much I actually care for my fish I understand its a joke to some people but if it lives it feels therefore to me it has the quality of life and deserves to be treated with care and kindness. Respect to you all my fave fish from the UK petco... pets at home. Is definitely my betta its only been with me a few days and I know I'm going to miss him already 😢 but he will get the best life ill be sure. Probably thanks to you all... I'm now running one 300L monster grupe tank and stand. one 25L for my blue betta & green endlers. one 25l for molly fry FYI they got eaten the first time I was still learning. my betta is called cosmo like as in the color cosmatic blue 💙 he is my only fish with a name and I have lodes omg I actually kind lost count . Peace out fish fam
I work at a local store (not centered on fish, not even centered on pets at all) but we do sell some exotic reptiles, amphibians, and even fish. I'm the only store employee that knows anything about the fish. The store operates alongside a landscaping business and one of the landscapers provides the store with guppies and cherry shrimp, he also set up the filtration. I provide the store with ramshorn snails, guppy/endler crosses, swordtails, and guppy grass. I eventually hope to start selling them mollies and bristlenose plecos as well. But as it is we are the only store within a couple hours that sells any pets
I used to drive 2 hours away to get my own fish from petco and now I'm happy that I can provide at least a couple species of fish to people who can't drive two hours just for fish
While I personally couldn't be paid to buy fish from a chain store, I LOVE that you are giving options to folks who may not have the other choices I do. Great video!
I'd love to be able to shop the LFSs that I see in my FB fish groups. I'm always so in awe of the fantastic selection and special buys (like purple harlequin rasboras!). Then again, I made a joke with one of them that I probably shouldn't go to one in particular because I'd leave without grocery money!!! Hahaha!! :D The owner actually saw the comment in the group and hopped on to reply "Hey, it happens sometimes!" LOL :D They're all so great!
literally saw a lightning maroon clownfish at petco other day for $30. just insane how they don’t know the value of it. excellent colors and patterns, best one ive ever seen.
Did you get it? Don't leave us in suspense!
@@mittenista ah my bad ! 🤣🤣 no i did not get the clown. i already have a clown at home and they are hard to keep together. besides the maroon gets to ab 6 inches in length, bigger than i feel can fit into a 75 gallon tank. unfortunately i had to pass
Thank you for putting out these videos :-) As a fish hobbyist and PetCo employee I really enjoy your content! I look forward to future videos!
I work at a petco near aquarium co-op. I consistently recommend people to go to aquarium co-op to get otocinclus, bristlenose plecos, and nerite snails. Most people have small tanks, and the common plecos and Chinese algae eaters we do have would not work out for them.
Hahaha the editing in this video had me cracking up, especially the intro! Love it, and great video as always Cory!
Our Petco and Petsmart's have there ups and downs. Thankfully, they are never the death sentence that Walmart used to be.
Something you may not know. Petco has a print out of every fish their supplier has and can special order you anything on the list. If you don’t have a local fish store this is a great way to get the fish you want without the hassle of shipping :)
My Petco informed me that they don't do special order fish for customers, so it may be a store by store thing or my Petco just sucks and people there are lazy.
@@feralon9570 boo I got mine to order me African butterfly fish
@@Overthewingflight , I have been on the hunt for a L200 Green phantom. I found a shop about an hour away who does special order fish. He was able to get me hillstream loaches. Still waiting on a call for the L200. One shop near me has one but it is for display only.
PetCo has become my best option for fish. Over 6 years ago, I found three Rabauti Cories for just $3.50 each. Three months ago, I found Golden White Cloud Mountain Minnows for $2.50 each. The Corydoras are all still thriving. And only one white cloud died out of 32.
Years ago, I bought regular white clouds, at a Petsmart, I think. Now I can *only* find the golden ones, and always at Petco. Any idea where to find the silvers, other than online? The golden ones seem to be really popular, but I really fancy the silvers! :)
@@mollyallen2400 that was my experience too. I was looking for months, but couldn't find any of the normal(wild) colored white clouds. I really wanted both types in my current setup.
Just picked up 2 opaline gourami from petco..
Also... Petco is having their 50% off sale on fish tanks for the month of May.....
As much as I prefer supporting a local LFS, a lot of the can stores are pretty good when it comes to the fish selection. I've bought fish from Petco/Petsmart that have lived for years with no issues. That said, it's still important to select healthy-looking fish from clean tanks, and to quarantine.
I'm glad there are big box pet stores somewhere with aquatics departments that aren't a disaster. Petsmart and Petco in my area are death houses. They are ill-advised for beginners, in my opinion. As much as I like to rescue critters, big box stores are a bad experience for people who are new to the aquarium hobby. When I first started I went to one - staff knew nothing and every tank had ich (back then as a beginner, I was fairly ignorant of ich). Subsequent visits would reveal tank upon tank of dead fish - not just one or two, but often whole tanks. At times one of these big box stores would be forced to cease fish sales for weeks while they battled to rid their tanks of ich and who knows what else. Had I not found the Aquarium Co-Op site and Cory's practical knowledge, I would have quit the hobby soon after I had begun...
Aquarium co-op is so good. I placed an order at 1am realized I made a mistake and asked to have it fixed at 2 am and the issue was resolved by 3am
We try to stay on top of things as best as possible :)
I don't have any good locally owned stores near me, but I lucked out with my local Petco. They've got a great selection and their people know their stuff. I got my German Blues there, yoyo loaches, kuhli loaches, hillstreams, corys, DGs, more than I can list.
Got me some Torquoise Rainbows at Petco on sale for cheap cause no one was buying them...they were juveniles and was a plain silver color. I got all 5 that were left in the tank for $2 each....now they're adults and showing beautiful blue color!
Guppy’s are the best fish in the hobby! Beautiful and cheap. I can make a living from the sale of guppy’s. If you have a lot of aquariums you can make a lot of money with them.
75% of my fish stock has come from petco, petsmart, and pet supplies plus!! The only ones I have ever really had problems with were the guppies and the mollies so I just tend to avoid them now.
the moms and pops stores here in philippines is like a chainstore they hire people who dont know how to care for fish and also they dont quarantine. thats why I always buy to a small breeder or breeders who could do small transactions
I’d recommend most of petco’s shrimp, I haven’t ever had any problems with them. And typically they cost $5 a piece
My local Petco fish quality is really high. I bought some black skirt tetras about a month ago. They are doing great now. I plan on buying some neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, and corydoras when I get my next 40 or 55 gallon community tank
0:47 every aquarium owners dream
I used to have a great LFS but they went out of business several yrs ago. I am 15 mins away from PetCo, PetSmart, & PetSupermarket. My favorites are PetSmart & PetCo. Both are run pretty good, the staff at both places are helpful, kind, & seem to know what they're doing. I have gotten 2 bettas from PetSmart that I have had 18 months & are wonderful fish. Very healthy & personable. I got 1 betta from PetCo that developed a horrible bacterial infection that I suspect he came with & despite my best efforts, he passed away. Of course ALL fish/pet stores are hit or miss. It depends on the staff...
In the UK they have Pets @ home which is same as PetCo tbh and same they sell great priced fish and if you do a bit of research on the fish you want then there great .
My local petco has good standings with breeders and has built a great reputation so I can actually special order almost any type of fish I want. They also have a great selection of saltwater and larger freshwater species.
Bought black neons from petco about a decade ago as dithers for some cichlids... I kept the neona longer than the cichlids. Rio Vons can also be keepers from the big box stores
Didn't believe the hype on black neons until I saw them in person, wow the black stripe and red eye pops wayy more in person. Def underrated
I got a half dozen awhile back because they looked like they'd complement my pristellas and pencil fish, and boy, do they!! Once they'd been home for a few days they really colored up, and now they're sort of the star of the tank in the evenings - so flashy!
Thank you for the advice
These chain stores definitely need to train staff on how to safely net the fish I've actually had to get the fish out a couple of times cause I couldn't take it anymore they were destroying the tank it took me about 5 seconds and I didn't disturb anything in the tank.
The black neon tetra's scientific name is Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi. Why did they give it Axelrod's full name when other species just get the guy's last name? Like ramirezi (rams) or agizzizi (an apisto).
my kulhi loach form petco lived for 9 years lol
although i dont go to petco anymore, it still has good fish but depends on the workers i think
the one i used to go to on herald square in manhattan had great workers and the fish there were in great shape
I bought 14 black neon tetras for my 29 gallon last May (2020) from PetSmart. Never owned any before. I only wanted 10, but they only had 14 and I felt bad about leaving 4 in there and 1 swam kinda wonky. Which is weird of me, maybe. But anyway, it's a year later and all 14 are still alive, even the wonky swimming one. Love the little dudes.
Harlequin rasboras are indeed awesome!!
My closest petco actually has some nice freshwater fish and it’s only a select few species that normally kinda end up dead in the store but are still good if you get them on or shortly after shipment day. And surprisingly they have some gorgeous pineapple swordtails, several pretty rainbows, paradise fish and large goldfish. Other than that I’d have to look at what they have again to mention other standouts. They seemingly get in some more common fish then just random standouts but overall the petco near me is actually better than the petsmart lol. Still got 2 half banded spiny eels and 2 decent German blue rams from them.
Interestingly, I purchased both harlequin rasboras and amano shrimp at my local Petco in Fairfield, OH and they have done great!
I shop at a local pet supermarket and the staff is knowledgeable. They will order me fish when available and I pick them up when they are floating the fish. Very nice store.
I bought 4 Otocinclus from my local petco about a year ago for my 15 gallon flex still have them all! Out of the 20 or so fish I own they are the only ones I own from a chain store
Only support chain pet stores if it's the only thing you have available in your area
@@habituallinestepper6569 1. I specified "in your area" leaving that up to personal interpretation, so there wasn't a reason for the first part of your comment. 2. You seem to be missing the point of why chain pet stores are bad. Largely, they exploit animals for profit. Not giving animals the proper medical care, sourcing from unethical breeders, etc. It has nothing to do with the quality of 1 store, it's about the bigger picture, the entire company that you are giving your money to. If you can live with supporting unethical companies, I can't do anything about that, but I won't stop discouraging other people from doing the same.
Nice video! Harkens back to early Cory chat before camera-ception LOLOLlll (though there is some hilarity in that and many, many co-op viewers value those lengthier vids) Eager to watch the PetSmart vid next!
All we have in our community are PetCo/Petsmart, so this is very helpful. Thank you!!
I’ve had luck with my corydoras panda, white cloud mountain minnows, danios, bettas, guppies, shrimp, and snails from chain pet stores. Haven’t bought much more livestock from them, but petsmart and petco are the only pet stores around me.
The last time I went to a Petco the tanks had tons of dead fish, told an employee and they just rolled their eyes and walked away. I prefer a place called Pet Supplies Plus. Still a chain, but they actually care.
I've seen the same at Pet Supplies Plus too, the while chain store experience seems to vary widely depending on the individuals who work at any particular location.
I have never once gotten a healthy fish from my local Petco, I can't bring myself to buying from them anymore. I have spent way to much on meds to cure ich and other issues from Petco fish, it's heartbreaking to bring home sick fish and spend days getting them healthy again. I do buy plants there from time to time but only the pre packaged ones and never anything from their tanks.
I've struggled to take care of mollies with my region's soft water as well but the platies seem to be doing fine
I work at petco and carry all the fish you mentioned very nice.
My petsmart tiger barbs are doing well, i lost 2 runts out of the 10 i bought (probably to internal parasites) but the remaining school of 8 are fat and happy, always begging for food. They're not the most perfect tiger barbs (random black blotches of color on their bodies) but i love them and they're such a fun fish
I have lost two Albino Cory's hours after bringing them home from my Petworld (Chain) The assistant was not good at catching and stressed them. Went back the next day and got a new one from the same tank, and she is doing great now. She was bigger to start and was caught nicely.
Hi I was just at your store I got the red Betta fish today on the first of may 2021
I absolutely LOVE tiger barbs. I have a lot with my parrot cichlid in my 55 gallon planted tank
Me to parrot fish and barbs are so bright love the in a large group barbs are sweet
i bought balloon mollies from petco last month :D they remind me of piglets since theyre always looking for food but thats what makes them cute to me
Recently got some Scarlett Badis from Petco. Bonus that they already were used to micropellets and flake
One of my Petco Tiger Barbs is 5 years old and may be immortal. Survived so many moves, a couple filter crashes, extended power outages. No problems - ever.
Fixing to order or redo my fish room one may say with Co Op products. Them sponge filters i hope hold up if they do good in the planted tank ill buy the 8 for the big tank an the bubble stones to go with them.
Side note I don't buy anything from petco or pet smart and sorry nothing will change my mind.
Did just get my 2 new veiltales Oscars today there looking good just to small for oh a week lol you now how they grow for the 125 right now. There happy in quarantine for a while. next order is shrimp for the planted tank from aqua huna. I love there shipping style. s
Look forward to the new co Op fertilizer line up got one of everything.
My local pet smart had to quarantine their entire tank system because they found Ich. I’m glad they did that instead of selling sick fish
The “premiere” was interesting, love Cory in a bib! Lol
that's a good list, just sharing mine from Petco in case someone like it
1. Tiger Barbs
2. Platies and Mollies and sword tails
3. Tetra Serpae/Gold Pristella
4.Zebra Danios
5.Bettas
I just got three Red wag Swordtails from Petco last Saturday, they seem happy and healthy.
Got my Australian rainbows from them almost 2 years ago, only lost 1. They were like 3 bucks a piece and very young, now they are healthy hungry monsters.
There is a gal on You Tube who says that live bearers from fish farms are typically raised in brackish water as this is cheaper than straight out fresh water. The fish come acclimated to high mineral content water. They have some tendency to die for this reason. I would suggest adding a little aquarium salt to your water and a very small amount of Epsom salt which makes instant hard water. Put in something with lime like unvarnished sea shells so that the fish also have calcium also contributing to the hardness of the water. Both Calcium and magnesium need to be available. Only one of them is toxic. Here in Central Utah the water is hard but has a low ion content so I use a little aquarium salt. Right now during the drought here in Utah there is more ionic material in the water so the salt may be unnecessary. While much of the country is having excess rain here in Utah we are still experiencing a drought.
Love checking out my local petco. It’s the cleanest store in town.
My petco is better than most mom and pop stores. They’ve got some really experienced people and rare fish all the time. I have red Venezuelan Cory cats from them, a scarlet badis, a sparkling gourami, ember tetras, emerald eye radboras, honey gouramis, and a bunch of rare betta strains. They also sell discus, rams, stone catfish, Chile rasboras, and galaxy rasboras.- the last three I have to get a sponge filter for a tank before I get them, and they even have pea puffers a few times.
Can’t buy fish from a pet store for almost a year now. Where I live we’ve been under a stay at home lockdown. Can only get essential thing from stores.
Where do you live? That's insane.
Ontario Canada 🇨🇦.
Just wanted to let you know, we now ship to Canada on our website with restrictions on electronics, foods, meds, and plants. www.aquariumcoop.com
My black neon tetras, ember tetras, shrimp and snails are all good from petco/petsmart
This video was super helpful!!! Thanks Cory! i might just get some black neon tetras now! 👀
i don’t know but most of the fish i’ve gotten from petsmart have just randomly died and when i get the same type of fish from my local, they almost never die. i know it’s petco and it might be different but i haven’t had the best experiences with chain stores
Can't get anyone to wait on me at a petco. Gave up going there years ago.
One thing I'd like to add (specifically to the seasoned aquarists), as I do work at PetSmart, please please PLEASE don't come in and insult the new employee if they don't know much about fish.
I'm apart of several animal related groups on facebook, I've been in this hobby for two years, and I've kept a wide variety of animals for over 13 years.
Not every employee is going to be well versed in fish, or reptiles, or birds. I see a lot of down talk when it comes to us chain store employees.
Not all of us are clueless, and it's not the employees fault if they don't know much. That's the chain stores fault, and lack of training.
I've actually typed out a cheat sheet for all the kids that work back there for our most FAQ when it comes to our fish. Not all stores do this, so again, please educate rather than belittle. Don't come in with the "I know more than you" attitude.
That will just sour everyone's experience, and possibly turn a new hobbiest away.
Love the video cory! Thanks for being respectful and not leaving the chain stores out!
Am I the only one that really appreciates a fully grown 2” neon-variety tetra? They just look so good!
Love them! Insanely difficult for me to find good stock. I had a troop of ten or so that slowly whittled down to about 6... so after a successful move and all fish healthy, I waited several months and tried to add in half a dozen new friends. HUGE MISTAKE! Not only did the new neons die, but the ones I'd already had as well, and then several of my other tetras. Had never "had to" (or opted to) use a quarantine tank before that experience in 20+ years of fish-keeping, but learned a hard lesson then. I haven't tried to keep neons again since (well, I have black neons). I'm gun-shy now, I guess you could say!
@@mollyallen2400
I also have black neons. I moved about 3 months ago and just put them in their new 32 gallon. Before that they lived in an unheated bucket with a nano sponge filter for 3 months. I have 12 now, lost 2-3 during the wait. One of the loses was one of my very large black neons. I still have one big one though. I want about 6 more so bad I don’t want to experience what you did! It’s happened to me just like that in the past too. Have a healthy stock of fish and decide to add some more of the same and it turns out to be a bad decision. Usually neon-varieties too now that I’m thinking about it. Also, usually with well established stock too.
So, for now, I’ve decided to hold off on adding any more tetras for now. It’s almost time for some Oto’s though!
I got a dwarf gourami from petco and it is doing great!
I got Sailfin Mollies from my local petco and they are doing very well 😁 definitely quarantine any fish though
My PetCo is really good and has some better options than my most local LFS, like gold neon tetra, dario dario, and Dwarf Red Coral Platy and Koi bettas. Plus the prices are better. My LFS is extremely expensive. $30 for a German blue ram for example.
No Petco here in NZ but we have one chain store - great service at my local one but the fish come in so small....I’m scared to put them in my big tank as I think they would be breakfast for the others
I bought 5 zebra longfin danios from PetCo and they’re great honestly
Random question, where do you get your duckweed from? I can't find it anywhere local so I'm going to order it but would like your opinion on where to purchase it from.
lol in Australia the pet shops are usually 40% more expensive
Regarding mollies and hard water, don't preach it too hard. My water is at 2 dKH and only just recently I got something to buffer the water, and that's because my nitrification was effected. The mollies didn't display any odd behavior, I've had them for a few months now. I realize that's not a long time at all, but they also bred in this environment AND the fry developed in this environment, and they're all healthy. So yeah, I'd be more concerned about the bioload being overwhelmed and pH swings when it comes to soft water, way before I'd be worried about mollies not liking it.
the only thing that stands out as a reason for a freshwater fish purchase is the return policy Petco has, my LFS is only a few days where Petco has a 30 day policy.
My petsmart’s mystery snails are usually absolutely terrible. Fish are ok. Snails from pet supplies plus are usually great. The best fish store in my area is PetSupermarket. Way better than the only mom and pop store. Don’t get me wrong, I’d go to the mom and pop store for birds or reptiles but the fish are pretty iffy.
Can Harlequin rasbora go in a 2ft shallow tank?
Ps.5 mountain Minows 3 longfin zebra danios 3 cobra guppies and micro cichlid or scarlet badis
Nice video. I have a question. Do any other fish stores carry your products?
Not yet, no. Haven't found a way in which is makes ense yet.
Does anyone know if Cory at the coop will be restocking Aponogeton Uvaceous??? I've been delaying a plant order waiting for that.
We haven’t stocked it in like 18+ months. Still waiting for them to recover from the typhoon.
Can u pls tell me the gender identification of convit and jewel cichleds each time when i visit a aquarium i get confused with there gender allfo them seems to be same
The mollies here don’t do great for me. So I tried them in my saltwater tank and they are doing great.
Glow fish....I’m that guy....you just can’t beat them...turn that light to the blue light and WOW..they glow
Oddly enough I found some stiphodon gobies over at my petco, and the one male I bought is still alive and happy