Petco Discontinues Aquatic Medication (edit + Answer)

[Aequora]

The local and ONLY live fish store within hours of my house informed me today-when I was in DIRE need of Maracyn and Maracyn 2-that the store recalled their entire supply of aquatic antibiotics. I was, honestly, horrified. At the worst moment in my aquatic keeping life, the only store within a reasonable distance returned all of their medical products for ornamental fish. I asked why they would ever do something so stupid, and the girl working at the store shook her head at me and confessed that there was a law coming into effect very soon that would prohibit the sales of such medication. Washington state has to be the most bloated, crap filled state IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. We have high taxes, we're bankrupt, and now they think they're going to keep all ornament fish 'CLEAN' of antibiotic products. WHY? That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. It's not like we're planning on eating our bettas and platties and guppies.

Sorry for the rant, I am just frantically upset that now my state has pretty much condemned most pet fish to a miserable existence without medications that can treat them. I'm planning a trip across the border into Idaho tomorrow to stock up on meds like the apocalypse is dawning. Does anybody here have any idea what so ever why Washington state is outlawing aquatic medication in pet stores?

 

[kribensis12]

I haven't the slightest clue. I would order in bulk online.

 

[ThePiggy]

My guess, based on what I read online, is that they are banning antibiotics because the water from pet fish tanks ultimately ends up getting into other water sources. And supposedly, it is causing mutations in wild fish.

 

[Aequora]

I looked around the net for a while, couldn't find anything concerning ornamental fish in this area. I did find some debates and laws about fish farms for human consumption, but then I found a page talking about PETCO "Going Blue". Biggest crock I have ever seen.

[URL="http/www.petcoscoop.com/2009/08/petco-aq...-is-going-blue/"]http/www.petcoscoop.com/2009/08/petco-aq...-is-going-blue/[/URL]

PETCO is increasingly infamous for selling the sickest, most diseased, poorly bred and even more poorly handled and cared for aquatic life on the American market today. The vast majority of their clerks have the aquatic IQ of a wet paper bag, their tank conditions for their aquatic life is sub-par and frequently makes me want to hold a sit-down strike in the parking lot. How dare they try to make themselves look like caring heroes. The animals certainly DON'T come first at PETCO. I think, instead of taking a loss by recalling all the medication, they should keep it on the shelf and take the monetary loss by properly training their staff in the right department know-hows.

With trained and experience staff members, you know for sure those of the general public (who aren't complete blockheads) will listen. You know this case is true when an amateur hobbyist like myself can provide better suited advice to curious customers then the actual story employees can.

 

[snowflake311]

It sucks but I can see why they would do it. But I could see if it were for fish farms that's were the real problem is. They add all kinds of stuff to farm fish tot that we end up eating and that leaks into the enviroment.

These meds for our pet fish I don't see as a bug problem. But there is always a chance that these meds will leak into out enviroment. All fish meds should only be used if you have too. Some people do over use fish meds.

What about all the hormone they feed out cows and chickens. What about all the chemicals they spray on our food crops. I think the pet fish meds is really the least of our problems.

 

[Tolak]

PETCO is increasingly infamous for selling the sickest, most diseased, poorly bred and even more poorly handled and cared for aquatic life on the American market today. The vast majority of their clerks have the aquatic IQ of a wet paper bag, their tank conditions for their aquatic life is sub-par and frequently makes me want to hold a sit-down strike in the parking lot. How dare they try to make themselves look like caring heroes. The animals certainly DON'T come first at PETCO. I think, instead of taking a loss by recalling all the medication, they should keep it on the shelf and take the monetary loss by properly training their staff in the right department know-hows.

Sounds like you had a bad experience there?

I couldn't tell you how my local Petco is now, haven't set foot in there in going on 3 years. Last time there I walked out empty handed. Left a cart with well over $100 in dog supplies in the middle of their store. You can't expect them to care for fish properly if they can't understand, or read the printed page from their website that stated their shops honor their internet prices.

Most people are prone to use antibiotics improperly when treating fish. The literature that states how to treat fish with antibiotics is often wrong, straight from the manufacturer of the medication. Some microscope work with an ID of the bacteria involved is the proper way to diagnose and treat with antibiotics, all the larger fish producers know this, and do this. I doubt they are buying Mardell produced antibiotics in bulk, and I know they are not treating by the instructions these sort of companies provide.

The proper way would be to set up a diagnostic program, so a reasonably correct disease ID could be seen, and proper medication could be suggested. That would take thought, time, and money, just like training would. Pulling certain products due to employee lack of knowledge, or as it seems on their site management lack of knowledge, then patting yourself on the back for a job well done makes no sense at all, you have done nothing. The identification of bacterial ailments in fish is difficult, takes considerable knowledge, and the treatment is not what is often stated on the back of the box of commonly sold medications. They could try steps in this direction, and if successful would make considerable advances against competitors. That would be the right thing to do.

Marketing ploy, I'm sure other shops are stocking up & laughing.

 

[Aequora]

Oh man.. I just refrained from posting an enormous rant. Let me just give you a synopsis: I have NEVER had a good experience at Petco, regardless of what area or state I have been in. The employees-were they not human beings just doing their job and worth decent respect-would otherwise be worthless. I have never run across an employee working the aquatic department that had any idea about what they were talking about; they responded to prodding with plain inexperience and foolish answers. In example, one clerk that I remember tried to sell a couple of juvenile Koi to an elderly man and told him that they would be perfect in his ten gallon tropical set up with his platties. I was flabbergasted and pulled the man aside when the clerk wasn’t around and warned him of the consequences of mixing coldwater and tropical fish. He seemed very grateful for the warning and ended up not buying any goldfish.

As far as the medicine goes; people will always do what they want. Petco refusing to carry medication makes it seem like they’re trying to make people more responsible by having them ‘own up’ to their misdeeds and mistakes with their aquatic life and pay the consequences … which the fish end up paying for them. If they over dose or use the wrong product and kill the fish, then they’re right where they would have been had Petco not had the medicine in the first place. Rather a person needs medication for their fish or not, if they are too hard headed to actually listen to the advice of others then they’ll do whatever they please regardless of what Petco may or may not have to offer. Petco is doing a huge disservice to the experienced hobbyist who shop there specifically for certain products. I know I certainly won’t be going back to them any more. I would rather order online or drive two hours to a reasonable mom and pop set up for my needs.

I’d like to see how long LFS stock lasts without medication to dump into the tank. Petco’s fish selection pretty much dies off before it’s completely sold off in the first place. They’re the last people I would like to see “educating” people new to the hobby about proper fish care and water maintenance.

 

[OldMan47]

It sounds to me like Petco is getting out of the tropical fish business. The one local to me went out of business a couple of years ago and it has not affected my choice of fish at all. Before they closed their doors, I saw a container of salt in each tank and no healthy fish in any of them. At most times they had a sign on almost all tanks saying the fish were "under observation". I do miss having them in town because I used to buy my dog food there but when it comes to livestock, they were a wasted stop when I wanted something.

 

[kribensis12]

Our Petco isnt too bad. Their fish aren't any better than petsmarts. Their prices are higher though. Last time I was in there for fish, they wanted 3 bucks for a black mollie. That's a dollar more than petsmart. They guy there seemed to know a little bit of freshwater fish, but that's about it. The manager of the fish dept. goes to our fish club meetings. So it goes to show your that some people do care of pets.

 

[Aequora]

Ah see, I would go to a petsmart over a petco any day. Mom used to work at the grooming department for petco and she just told me that they were miserable in all of their departments. Every Petco I have ever been in was a disgrace, but I've found better odds at petsmarts. I don't know...Maybe I'm just overly biased.

On a brighter note, I found two packets of maracyn hiding in my treasure chest of fish medication, so I'm going to see if that can by me some time until the online order comes in. Not so angry any more. Dx I really do hope they quit the fish business. We used to have a small shop around here called Village Pets and-although their puppies paddocks looked in disrepair-all puppies were papered, vaccinated, well fed/groomed and they had an EXCELLENT fish section. I'm only sorry they went out of business when the economy started going down.

 

[ThePiggy]

There is a petsmart around here that is better than most pet stores I've seen. The employees there know quite a bit about the fish they carry and the fish (other than the bettas) always seem to be in good health. But they do keep their bettas in those horrible little cups on the shelf and I often see bettas close to death, floating in nasty water.

 

[fuddmaster]

Petco decide to take them out because they think that adding more chemicals to the tank is worse then doing a more natural route of curing problems i work there and i asked the same thing. but i would rather go else wherebut i needed a job.