With the number of people getting involved in the fish keeping hobby being higher than ever, we are seeing a huge number of people reaching out with various questions about where they should be purchasing their fish from.
With Petco and Petsmart being so large and having so many different stores it’s not very surprising that we see a large number of different people reaching out to ask if Petco Or Petsmart are better for fish purchases.
Due to so many people getting involved in the fish keeping hobby right now, it seems that the number of people reaching out about purchasing fish from Petco and Petsmart is only increasing so we hope that this article will be able to help as many of our readers as possible.
Before we go any further, we just want to say that when it comes to the levels of staff knowledge, the staff employed in your local area in your local Petco or Petsmart will play a large roll in the information that they are able to provide you regarding your fish purchases.
Many people within the fish keeping hobby start out with jobs in these chain pet stores so they will be able to offer you much better advice than the generic employee whose knowledge only comes from internal training.
Is Petco Or Petsmart Better For Fish?
In our opinion, it really depends on the location of the store and who is working within that store as to whether Petco or Petsmart will be better for you to purchase your fish from.
We have seen many cases where both stores are able to provide their customers with healthy fish but we have also seen a number of cases where people have had issues with the fish they have purchased from either store.
The main issue that we see people having is that they will purchase a fish from one of these stores and then find out soon after that the fish is not doing well or has already passed away.
This is usually due to the fact that the staff working in the store are not properly educated on how to care for the fish that they are selling and as a result, the fish do not receive the correct care once they are in your home aquarium due to you not being correctly informed of the needs of your fish.
In our opinion, it is always better to purchase your fish from a local fish store or breeder where the staff will have a much better understanding of the fish that they are selling and will be able to offer you the correct advice on how to care for your new fish once you take them home.
Of course, this is not always possible for everyone and we understand that, which is why we wrote this article.
We hope that by reading this article, you will be able to make a more informed decision on where to purchase your fish from and that you will be able to find a store near you that can provide you with the healthy fish that you are looking for.
Does Petco Or Petsmart Have Better Bettas?
There has been a surge in the popularity of keeping betta fish recently and the number of people looking for where to get their pet betta has sky rocketed.
The issue with looking for the “best betta fish” is that there are a number of variables that can deem the best to you.
The price of the fish, the health of the fish, colors of the fish, and breeding lines of the fish all come into play and can be deemed as the most important characteristic of a betta fish for different people.
Thankfully though, the answer is simple, you will always get a better betta fish from a reputable betta fish breeder than Petco or Petsmart.
Some people do think that you will be able to get cheaper bettas from Petco or Petsmart but this is not correct either as most betta breeders will have a number of “mutt bettas” that are not suitable for breeding due to the fish not being the correct color, pattern or having the incorrect tail or fin shape and some breeders will give these away for free to a good home.
If there are no local fish breeders in your local area and you have to use Petco or Petsmart then we would recommend that you go with Petco if possible for your betta purchase.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the staff in your local store will come into play but in general, Petco does tend to have a better reputation within the fish keeping community than Petsmart.
Where Do Petco And Petsmart Get Their Fish?
The majority of the fish that you will find in both Petco and Petsmart stores will come from mass-breeding facilities known as “fish farms”.
Due to local laws, many of these fish farms are actually surprisingly good due to the potential fines for breaking local legislation in the USA being very high.
There are some fish farms in South America and South East Asia that may supply some fish that are of a lower standard but for the most part, both Petco and Petsmart have been trying to responsibly source the fish that they sell.
Is Petco Or Petsmart Cheaper For Buying Fish?
Petco tends to be slightly cheaper than Petsmart for their fish but this does change from time to time and just last year, Petsmart were cheaper than Petco for their fish.
The best way to work out if Petco or Petsmart are cheaper than the other for their fish is to check their prices online before you go to the store.
As we mentioned earlier though, some fish breeders will offer the fish from their mutt tanks for free or very low prices to remove the need for the breeder to feed them so you will usually get a better price from your local fish store or a local fish breeder.
Does Petco Or Petsmart Have Healthier Fish?
One of the main issues with both Petco and Petsmart is that they do not have a good reputation for looking after their fish properly.
This is mainly due to the high turnover of staff and the fact that most stores do not have a dedicated aquarium section or a staff member who is responsible for the care of the fish.
The other issue is that both stores tend to put their fish on display in small tanks that are not suitable for the long term care of the fish.
This can cause a number of issues including high levels of stress, low water quality, and poor nutrition.
If you are looking for a healthy fish then we would always recommend that you purchase your fish from a reputable fish breeder or a local fish store that has a dedicated aquarium section.
The staff in these stores tend to be more knowledgeable and the tanks are usually of a much higher standard.
As recent as 2019, twelve different Petco stores were found to be in breach of local legislation with 80 violations being lodged against them when it comes to the living conditions of their animals.
