why are fish more expensive at....

[no.1chuy]

here is an example:
fish stuff only store #1 blood parrot $40
fish stuff only store #2 blood parrot $35 (on sale original price $40)
petsmart blood parrot $25
walmart blood parrot $7.95
I like to support aquarium fish stores but it seems like they price everything up cant help but feel a little bit ripped off some times. like when i got plants only to find out petsmart has the same ones for cheaper and you can get them online for cheaper than both the stores. i under stand that small stores cant keep up with big retail chains like petsmart or petco but it would be nice if the didnt price things up so much. well i got two bps from walmart cuz you just cant beat that price and there were no deadfish in there and all looked healthy i think they must have just got them in. so am i just going to the wrong stores or has anyone else noticed this too?

 

[stoddern]

my lfs is very pricey and has a very poor selection, I don't trust walmart fish and I don't like the service at my local petsmart which is a 45min drive away so I end up driving over an hour and a state away from Vermont to New Hampshire to get fish at the lfs there and the fish there are cheap depending on what you get and the stock rotates well most things like tetras and danios are around .89-.99 and gourami are around $4-$6 plants are cheap they do free water testing and have talking parrots, not to metion my GF and I make a day of it so we'll go do some shopping and get lunch then hit up the lfs so we can get fish then head straight home since it's a long drive, it's also NH so no taxes

 

[Orion]

Some places do jack up the price for no good reason, when they might get the fish from the same distributor as the chain stores. However, good LFS might charge more for the "same" fish because the fish is superior to what one would find in a chain store. If the LFS buys from a smaller breeder who is interested more in the quality of their fish, rather than just pumping out the maximum number they can, then you'll probably end up with a better, healthier fish in the long run and one less prone to health issues.

Think of it terms of puppy mills. Lots of puppys mean they can sell them for a little bit cheaper than the guys who take their time with them and still profit. But you'll probably not get as healthy of a pet. Same thing with fish basically.

It can take some time to figure out what's worth paying for, and who actually has decent fish that's even worth thinking about. Personally, I won't hesitate paying 4x as much for a fish that I know it's genetic history, I know it's health, and I have a pretty good idea of where it came from and how any offspring might turn out than a cheap unknown from a chain store. For me it's worth the extra time finding the better fish and I'm willing to pay for it.

Again, not saying that just because it's expensive means it's better quality. It's good to get to know the people who run the LFS so you can figure out whos good, and who might not be as good. There are plenty of people who just want our money.

 

[MissFishy]

When you buy from Walmart you are perpetuating demand for their poor business practices and fish abuse. When you buy those blood parrots from their tanks, even if you are someone that knows what they are and how to take care of them, you are upping demand for them. Most of the fish purchased at Walmart are by inexperienced people that usually end up killing these fish within a week. Walmart has no business selling blood parrots, puffers, etc, all of which I've seen for sale. Very sad. I will never purchase fish from Walmart.

Further, just because there "weren't any dead fish" doesn't mean the tank wasn't bugged. All the water from all of those tanks usually circulates, so whatever is in the tank above it is also in the tank below it. Also, these fish are kept in bad conditions before being put up for sale which perpetuates ich and other disease. Local fish stores take better care of their stock (usually) and you know you'll be getting a healthy fish that won't kill the rest of your fish if you add it to your tank.

 

[unwritten law]

my LFS actually is cheaper than my petco... it just depends on how much they want to profit off of them. Although my LFS's equipment is more expensive so that's how he gets paid. And then I went to wet pets in PA this weekend and their prices are very similar is not more than petco but they quality and care is a lot better.

I would pay more just to know that my money is going towards people actually taking care of the tanks and fish; then pay less because walmart doesn't even spend money on keeping them a live. I think they can charge less cause they don't spend much on them.

 

[LadyLail]

Spend the extra money at the LFS of your choice and you'll come out cheaper in the long run; healthier fish means less money on disease treatment, longer life, healthier tank and less risk of contaminating the other fish. What's the use in saving a few bucks on a fish from Walmart if it kills the other $200 you have invested in the other fish swimming around?

 

[bmoraski]

I would pay more just to know that my money is going towards people actually taking care of the tanks and fish; then pay less because walmart doesn't even spend money on keeping them a live. I think they can charge less cause they don't spend much on them.

while i wouldnt buy my fish at walmart, i am limited to a few stores locally Petco and Petsmart.
the closest all fish place is 40 min away on a good day.
as unwritten said better safe than sorry.

 

[bmoraski]

Spend the extra money at the LFS of your choice and you'll come out cheaper in the long run; healthier fish means less money on disease treatment, longer life, healthier tank and less risk of contaminating the other fish. What's the use in saving a few bucks on a fish from Walmart if it kills the other $200 you have invested in the other fish swimming around?

i love your signature about kids ! LOL

 

[no.1chuy]

i agree with wal-mart not taking good care of the fish but saying "these fish are kept in bad conditions before being put up for sale" i think wal-mart buy fish from some fish distributing company just like petsmart or LFS so the same way they arive to your LFS is the same way they arrive at wal-mart. wal-mart isnt the only store selling fish to inexperience people petsmart, LFS, any store that sells fish for that matter will sell a fish to anyone. anytime i have bought a fish they never ask what size tank you putting it in or what will be its tank mates. i think people should be more responsible befor buying anything that is alive.

 

[blue_ram]

Fish get more expensive the bigger they get because a lot of care and time and money has gone into it. For example, a small nickle sized Anglefish may cost $2.99, that same fish quarter sized will be $7.99 and let it grow to about 4 inches and in good health and you will pay $40 for that same fish.

 

[Lotus]

The price of the fish at different places never bothers me. I just like to find the healthiest fish available.

I'd rather support a store that cares about its fish, even if it's more expensive. While it seems to be the exception, some of the chain pet stores do look after their animals.

I generally hate to buy anything from Walmart. Not only do they treat their fish badly, but they treat their employees badly, too. It's pretty easy not to buy, all they seem to sell is cheap plastic junk made in China.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Walmart has horrible fish. They all die within a week. Every time I go back to Walmart, they have new fish in stalk. I'm at Walmart almost every week or every other week. I'm done buying fish there. There's also this place near where I live. It's called Pet Warehouse or something like that and they don't even keep their fish in tanks. They are kept in large black buckets. It's sad.

 

[bmoraski]

i have to say im lucky ,the petsmart near us does a good job of keeping things clean. fish are always active etc. .the walmart near me doesnt sell fish, just supplies. and even if they did i wouldnt buy from them.

 

[D'Cecilia]

More expensive doesent always mean better or healtier
ahah so you would have to look at the place were you
want to get them from and read up on review or just
look at the fish and see if they look healthy and worht
the money.

 

[unwritten law]

I work at petco and when people are looking to decide on what fish I always ask what tank size and what else they have so I can give suggestions. The thing is, is that they will most of the time still buy what they want.

 

[Nskylinerb-25]

I live in Houston and the only place that I go to is Aquarium World they have tons of fish fresh and salt water really helpful people that know there stuff and I like the way they have there stuff set up it's a little bit more expensive than petco but I think it's worth it.
Even though I bough my favorite fish at a local flee market lol the black ghost is the only place I have found it.

 

[bmoraski]

The thing is, is that they will most of the time still buy what they want.

good point bro