![]() ![]() ![]() They float for about 15 minutes, then the bags are cut and the fish are gently released. Seeing as our system is so large, we are required to dump the contents of the bag including the bag water into the tanks. Within 15 minutes, those fish need to be temperature acclimated and into the water. One box per employee can be opened at a time. We have policies and procedures regarding how these fish are added to the system. When fish get shipped to our store they come in boxes that are insulated. Not every store will have this posted, but it is all easily accessed using the “Fetch” system on store computers. In the back room there are posters and printouts of information on fish care, diseases, what to do in case of ‘blank’ etc. It’s my last resort when I see a hurt fish. Most of the fish that get pulled from the main system will die in this tank due to shock or the abundance of medication overloading them. We are not required to acclimate the fish to this tank, although I do. It gets water changes every other day and gets dosed with Quick Cure, PimaFix, Para-Guard, and Melafix as well throughout the week. This tank has three HOB filters, two heaters, and two airstones running at all times. If there are aggressive fish, we put up a divider. Tyipcally there will be a minimum of 5 fish in there at a time. This tank is heated to 84 degrees and is HEAVILY medicated regardless of what is in it. He/she gets plucked out and moved to an idolation tank we have behind the fish wall. Those, and Angelfish don’t last very long.Īny time we see a sick fish, or injured fish etc. I can say that our guppies seem to be the worst in my store. Some fish for whatever reason will randomly go belly up throughout the day. I do “dead pulls” every time a customer walks into the fish area. They must never have algae or any other debris in them, let alone a dead fish. The filter pads in this system get changed twice daily. Behind the wall is a rather extensive system with a sump, two large filter pads, another large carbon filter, 12 UV sterilizers, and other crazy things that I don’t even know what they are. Now, you as a customer only see the fish wall, what’s in front, and the water there. In my store our system is a few gallons under 2,500. I do DAILY water changes on our Comet system based on the levels of toxic chemicals that tend to rise very quickly in these tanks.įinally we move to the main system. Surprisingly enough, there are very few DOA. Just get them out of the nasty bag water as quickly as possible. I pour the entire contents into a large bucket and net out the fish to evenly distribute them between the tanks. When my store gets in a shipment of feeders, they’ll have 800 small Comets in a bag, and 300 large Comets in another with the worst water you have ever seen. Typically these are going to be the fish that die in large numbers. These tanks are scrubbed and vacuumed a minimum of once a week. Each tank of feeder fish must always have an airstone in it, and a vacation feeder. ![]() The Comet system in my store is just under 300 gallons, and in no way has anything to do with the main system. They DO NOT share the same water as the tropical fish. The comet system is NOT connected to the main system. ![]() If there is a dead betta on the shelf, we must pull it IMMEDIATELY, dispose of the body and sanitize the cup it was in for future use. Once a week they get bloodworms, every other day it’s the typical betta pellet food. The Bettas each get a water change by either the lead cashier or whoever is assigned in pet care a minimum of 3 times a week. In the winter we must test the temperature of the Betta water to ensure it is kept warm, if it drops below 74, the Bettas must all be relocated to a warmer area of the store (Typically behind the fish wall is very warm). There is nowhere near enough room to have small tanks set up for each Betta. I thankfully have an amazing staff and we care about our animals. They put these set policies in place, and it is up to your local store managers and employees to follow them. But the blame for those stores should in no way be placed on Petsmart as a company. Sometimes you get a store that doesn’t follow the rules as they should. I am here to give you facts about the policies and procedures that go into fish care at PetSmart. Not a lot of people know exactly what goes on “behind the fish wall” and many people just stick to listening to rumors and agreeing with each other that the company as a whole must hate fish or mistreats them. I am a Pet Care Associate and I have been stationed to work with the fish. I can’t say a ton about PetCo, but I do work for PetSmart. Typically every so often we seem to get a lot of hate posts or flame wars about chain pet stores, namely PetSmart and Petco. ![]()
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