[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PETCO (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/10/2016 1:47:34 PM EDT
| I had never shopped there until yesterday, and after today I never will ever again. My son has been wanting some fish so bought some at Petco yesterday. This morning 3 of the fish were dead out of 4. When we purchased the fish at Petco I was told that they had a 30 day guarantee on the fish and if they died I could take them in and exchange as long as I brought in a water sample. Took the dead fish in with water sample and they immediately blamed it on the aquarium water. I followed the instructions per the Aquarium directions. They refused to test the water I brought in because the fish were in it for 15 minutes. I'm so sick of these stores and deceptive sales tactics. Now I have a disappointed son who didn't get a replacement fish and he is worried the other one will die now. Reading reviews it seems this happens quite often with Petco-It is always the Customers Fault! |
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Fish die very easily, generally you are supposed to leave them in the bag and float the bag in the tank for 30 or so minutes to equalize the temp. The over the course of a hour or more, slowly add tank water to the bag before finally adding the fish to the tank. Even then it's a risk. There is alot more to water conditions than it's wet, PH, alkalinity, hardness, acidity etc all need to be tested and balanced. Not saying you don't know these things or that the problem was your water, just that fish will die if you look at em funny. |
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. |
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Quoted: I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Quoted: Quoted: It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. ETA: IE one bag of water with dead fish currently in it or did you bring a sample of just water. |
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It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is.
But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alive long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. |
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Quoted: I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Quoted: Quoted: It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. That is a legitimate beef. |
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Did the sample you brought in have the dead fish in it? Quoted:
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? |
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Quoted: Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? |
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Quoted:
It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is. But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alve long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. That is my concern as well. I have been reading about aquariums and for size per # o fish. I then go into the store and the fish are packed in these little aquariums. The fish are already stressed so it probably doesn't take much to finish them off. |
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Quoted:
I had never shopped there until yesterday, and after today I never will ever again. My son has been wanting some fish so bought some at Petco yesterday. This morning 3 of the fish were dead out of 4. When we purchased the fish at Petco I was told that they had a 30 day guarantee on the fish and if they died I could take them in and exchange as long as I brought in a water sample. Took the dead fish in with water sample and they immediately blamed it on the aquarium water. I followed the instructions per the Aquarium directions. They refused to test the water I brought in because the fish were in it for 15 minutes. I'm so sick of these stores and deceptive sales tactics. Now I have a disappointed son who didn't get a replacement fish and he is worried the other one will die now. Reading reviews it seems this happens quite often with Petco-It is always the Customers Fault! Gotta get the chlorine out of the water. They make drops for that. |
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Quoted:
It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is. But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alive long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. The fish you're talking about are betas. If placed into a container with another fish they will fight to the death. It's kind of their thing. They are meant to live alone. Albeit in something a bit larger when you actually buy one. |
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Quoted: Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? I worked for eight years or so in the pet industry, every single shop I managed we replaced fish when this happened. You lose a few pennies, BFD, but you get a loyal customer. Which is one of the reasons that I had customers that would follow me when I'd get tired of the bullshit at a shop after a few years, and go work for another one. Customer service....what a concept! |
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The fish you're talking about are betas. If placed into a container with another fish they will fight to the death. It's kind of their thing. They are meant to live alone. Albeit in something a bit larger when you actually buy one. Quoted:
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It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is. But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alive long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. The fish you're talking about are betas. If placed into a container with another fish they will fight to the death. It's kind of their thing. They are meant to live alone. Albeit in something a bit larger when you actually buy one. I thought it was the alphas that were the fighters. 
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Ahh ok, yeah it will drive the ammonia level up pretty fast. I have never bought from petco but other sources and they will sometimes ask for a sample before the sale before providing guarantee. If they didn't make it clear that they wanted just a bag of water, that is pretty shitty and I can see why you are pissed about it. Quoted:
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? Reading the fine print it said to just bring in a water sample. I did that and thought they would want proof the fish were dead so brought them in as well. There was nothing stating I could not do that. I'm certain if I would have just brought the water they would have asked where the fish were to show proof they actually died and I wasn't trying to get more fish for free. |
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Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? Quoted:
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? What kind of fish? I'm assuming fresh water and not salt. Salt is much harder to maintain but the water quality thing still stands. Temperature and quality make a big difference. You can't just throw water into a bowl and add fish. It needs a balance of bacteria and nitrate/rites along with proper oxygenation. |
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Gotta get the chlorine out of the water. They make drops for that. Quoted:
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I had never shopped there until yesterday, and after today I never will ever again. My son has been wanting some fish so bought some at Petco yesterday. This morning 3 of the fish were dead out of 4. When we purchased the fish at Petco I was told that they had a 30 day guarantee on the fish and if they died I could take them in and exchange as long as I brought in a water sample. Took the dead fish in with water sample and they immediately blamed it on the aquarium water. I followed the instructions per the Aquarium directions. They refused to test the water I brought in because the fish were in it for 15 minutes. I'm so sick of these stores and deceptive sales tactics. Now I have a disappointed son who didn't get a replacement fish and he is worried the other one will die now. Reading reviews it seems this happens quite often with Petco-It is always the Customers Fault! Gotta get the chlorine out of the water. They make drops for that. Used it, even though our water is well water with no chlorine. I prepared the water per the instructions that came with the aquarium and used the additives in the starter pack. |
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That is my concern as well. I have been reading about aquariums and for size per # o fish. I then go into the store and the fish are packed in these little aquariums. The fish are already stressed so it probably doesn't take much to finish them off. Quoted:
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It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is. But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alve long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. That is my concern as well. I have been reading about aquariums and for size per # o fish. I then go into the store and the fish are packed in these little aquariums. The fish are already stressed so it probably doesn't take much to finish them off. Their systems are designed for that. They have large filters and excess water in the back of the tank area. So they can actually have more fish in a smaller space. |
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Nah, doesn't have shit to do with anything. They'll do a pH test, free chloramines test, and call it good. That's shitty customer service, I'd go to the manager, and if they pissed me off I'd be calling the regional on their direct line. I worked for eight years or so in the pet industry, every single shop I managed we replaced fish when this happened. You lose a few pennies, BFD, but you get a loyal customer. Which is one of the reasons that I had customers that would follow me when I'd get tired of the bullshit at a shop after a few years, and go work for another one. Customer service....what a concept! Quoted:
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? I worked for eight years or so in the pet industry, every single shop I managed we replaced fish when this happened. You lose a few pennies, BFD, but you get a loyal customer. Which is one of the reasons that I had customers that would follow me when I'd get tired of the bullshit at a shop after a few years, and go work for another one. Customer service....what a concept! Thanks for the information. The sales associate immediately asked if I wanted to speak to the manager after he tried peddling me a $20 bottle of some water prep stuff. The manager was some guy probably around 20 and pretty much told me to get bent. |
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Used it, even though our water is well water with no chlorine. I prepared the water per the instructions that came with the aquarium and used the additives in the starter pack. Quoted:
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I had never shopped there until yesterday, and after today I never will ever again. My son has been wanting some fish so bought some at Petco yesterday. This morning 3 of the fish were dead out of 4. When we purchased the fish at Petco I was told that they had a 30 day guarantee on the fish and if they died I could take them in and exchange as long as I brought in a water sample. Took the dead fish in with water sample and they immediately blamed it on the aquarium water. I followed the instructions per the Aquarium directions. They refused to test the water I brought in because the fish were in it for 15 minutes. I'm so sick of these stores and deceptive sales tactics. Now I have a disappointed son who didn't get a replacement fish and he is worried the other one will die now. Reading reviews it seems this happens quite often with Petco-It is always the Customers Fault! Gotta get the chlorine out of the water. They make drops for that. Used it, even though our water is well water with no chlorine. I prepared the water per the instructions that came with the aquarium and used the additives in the starter pack. That's a problem. Lots of heavy metals and such. Depending on the size of your tank it is much better to get distilled or R/O water. Preferably the R/O |
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OP, this seems to be fault of a novice fish keeper. Also, the fish in the "bubbles" are Beta's. Though not a comfortable living arrangement and definitely something I hate, is not as detrimental to their lives as other fish. Beta's are VERY different from your regular aquarium fish. As for the dead fish issue, you are likely to blame. An aquarium takes a lot of time and effort to set up correctly before adding fish. A month or more is usually the bare minimum to get the bacteria needed to dispose of ammonia built up. Can a fish survive in poor condition? The answer is sometimes, but more often not and never well. Also, they shouldn't check the water with the dead fish in it. The water as already been founded just by leaving them in it and driving them to the store. Sorry, but this sounds like a thoughtful idea with extremely poor knowledge of the needs of aquatic pets.
ETA: I keep shrimp, fish, and aquatic frogs. I have never messed with SW, but that has no bearing on this discussion. |
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If there is one in your area it is much better to go to a stand alone aquarium store. The people there actually know what they are doing and will have animals that have been properly cared for.
I've bought many fish from petco over the years, all salt water, they were always hit or miss and needed extended quarantine times as opposed to the fish I bought at the actual reef stores. |
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What kind of fish? I'm assuming fresh water and not salt. Salt is much harder to maintain but the water quality thing still stands. Temperature and quality make a big difference. You can't just throw water into a bowl and add fish. It needs a balance of bacteria and nitrate/rites along with proper oxygenation. Quoted:
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It really does sound like you have a water problem. Getting an aquarium started can be vexing. Killing fish is ridiculously easy. I don't disagree, but they refused to even test the water I brought in and were very misleading with their 30 day guarantee. That is what I'm upset about. Yes, silly me I thought they would want proof that the fish were dead. I scooped the fish out put some water in the bag and went to the store immediately. Would dead fish in a bag for 15 minutes really effect the water to be tested? What kind of fish? I'm assuming fresh water and not salt. Salt is much harder to maintain but the water quality thing still stands. Temperature and quality make a big difference. You can't just throw water into a bowl and add fish. It needs a balance of bacteria and nitrate/rites along with proper oxygenation. Some X-Ray Tetras and a Otocinclus Catfish. The little catfish is still alive the Tetra are what died. I went with the Tetra as they are supposed to be adaptable to many different water types. I hope the Catfish makes it, my son want another but it wont' be from Petco and they are the only store that sells fish in town. At this point I just want to eat the $60 I have put into all of this and be done with fish. Our dog died in April and the kids don't have any pets now so we thought some fish might be a good start for them until we get a dog later in the year. |
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The fish you're talking about are betas. If placed into a container with another fish they will fight to the death. It's kind of their thing. They are meant to live alone. Albeit in something a bit larger when you actually buy one. Quoted:
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It concerns me that my store seems to always have little clear bubbles with one fish in each one, stacked up on the counter. If that ain't fish abuse I don't know what is. But seriously, I doubt those fishies last long in about a half cup of water. Talk about mortality rate. I think they just want to keep them alive long enough to sell, then they end up like the OP's. The fish you're talking about are betas. If placed into a container with another fish they will fight to the death. It's kind of their thing. They are meant to live alone. Albeit in something a bit larger when you actually buy one. You mean bettas. Comes from the scientific name of the fish, and it's pronounced with a short E sound-like a snooty form of "better" not like the videotape that didn't catch on. Even the females will fight to the death. Put 3-4 bettas in a 100 gallon tank, and they'll fight until each stakes out its own territory. For captive breeding you need to play with tank settings, temp etc to simulate the seasons and make the fish think it's time to breed.Lots of work. |
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That's a problem. Lots of heavy metals and such. Depending on the size of your tank it is much better to get distilled or R/O water. Preferably the R/O Quoted:
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I had never shopped there until yesterday, and after today I never will ever again. My son has been wanting some fish so bought some at Petco yesterday. This morning 3 of the fish were dead out of 4. When we purchased the fish at Petco I was told that they had a 30 day guarantee on the fish and if they died I could take them in and exchange as long as I brought in a water sample. Took the dead fish in with water sample and they immediately blamed it on the aquarium water. I followed the instructions per the Aquarium directions. They refused to test the water I brought in because the fish were in it for 15 minutes. I'm so sick of these stores and deceptive sales tactics. Now I have a disappointed son who didn't get a replacement fish and he is worried the other one will die now. Reading reviews it seems this happens quite often with Petco-It is always the Customers Fault! Gotta get the chlorine out of the water. They make drops for that. Used it, even though our water is well water with no chlorine. I prepared the water per the instructions that came with the aquarium and used the additives in the starter pack. That's a problem. Lots of heavy metals and such. Depending on the size of your tank it is much better to get distilled or R/O water. Preferably the R/O Thanks for the information and from California Kid as well. I have no issue if it is my water that caused it. The Petco stores piss poor attitude about honoring what they told me yesterday is what pissed me off. |
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Some X-Ray Tetras and a Otocinclus Catfish. The little catfish is still alive the Tetra are what died. I went with the Tetra as they are supposed to be adaptable to many different water types. I hope the Catfish makes it, my son want another but it wont' be from Petco and they are the only store that sells fish in town. At this point I just want to eat the $60 I have put into all of this and be done with fish. Our dog died in April and the kids don't have any pets now so we thought some fish might be a good start for them until we get a dog later in the year. Catfish and suckers will live in just about anything. What you have is a water quality problem. If you're going to keep anything alive in there for any period of time you need to NOT use the well water. The heavy metals in it will kill just about everything. The tank needs to be established for most fish to be in it. Find 1 or 2 that can live in toilet water and have them live in the tank for a while. They will need to eat and shit to get a proper bacteria colony going to neutralize the nitrite/ate issues, then you can start adding other fish. A live plant or 2 will help with a fresh water tank. Get a good bio wheel filter and in your case an under gravel filter and you should be set for more fish in a month or 2. New tanks need to cycle before they can take fish. However you may seriously want to consider dumping that tank and starting fresh because that well water is toxic. You can get additives to neutralize some of it but those are designed more so for tap water. Go to an actual aquarium shop and talk tot he guy there, they will point you to fish and plants that will survive an initial cycling of a tank and that will get you going. |
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Thanks for the information and from California Kid as well. I have no issue if it is my water that caused it. The Petco stores piss poor attitude about honoring what they told me yesterday is what pissed me off. Oh I totally get you, is why I said to hit up a stand alone aquarium place. They will give you much better service albeit at a slightly increased price, but you get what you pay for. |
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The fish are often shipped to Petco stores via UPS and Fedex in bags of water placed in boxes.
The boxed fish may then be subjected to extreme temeperatures during transit, and even high altitudes if they are shipped using one of the many expedited air shipment options. The ones that survive are sold to you. |
| Dethco is the worst possible place to buy fish perhaps other then walmart, Even their fish supplies is either cheap crap or overpriced. $1 a gallon sale is the only time its worth shopping there. The water tests they do are worthless as well they use cheap test strips that give unreliable readings, get yourself an API freshwater master test kit. |
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Catfish and suckers will live in just about anything. What you have is a water quality problem. If you're going to keep anything alive in there for any period of time you need to NOT use the well water. The heavy metals in it will kill just about everything. The tank needs to be established for most fish to be in it. Find 1 or 2 that can live in toilet water and have them live in the tank for a while. They will need to eat and shit to get a proper bacteria colony going to neutralize the nitrite/ate issues, then you can start adding other fish. A live plant or 2 will help with a fresh water tank. Get a good bio wheel filter and in your case an under gravel filter and you should be set for more fish in a month or 2. New tanks need to cycle before they can take fish. However you may seriously want to consider dumping that tank and starting fresh because that well water is toxic. You can get additives to neutralize some of it but those are designed more so for tap water. Go to an actual aquarium shop and talk tot he guy there, they will point you to fish and plants that will survive an initial cycling of a tank and that will get you going. Quoted:
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Some X-Ray Tetras and a Otocinclus Catfish. The little catfish is still alive the Tetra are what died. I went with the Tetra as they are supposed to be adaptable to many different water types. I hope the Catfish makes it, my son want another but it wont' be from Petco and they are the only store that sells fish in town. At this point I just want to eat the $60 I have put into all of this and be done with fish. Our dog died in April and the kids don't have any pets now so we thought some fish might be a good start for them until we get a dog later in the year. Catfish and suckers will live in just about anything. What you have is a water quality problem. If you're going to keep anything alive in there for any period of time you need to NOT use the well water. The heavy metals in it will kill just about everything. The tank needs to be established for most fish to be in it. Find 1 or 2 that can live in toilet water and have them live in the tank for a while. They will need to eat and shit to get a proper bacteria colony going to neutralize the nitrite/ate issues, then you can start adding other fish. A live plant or 2 will help with a fresh water tank. Get a good bio wheel filter and in your case an under gravel filter and you should be set for more fish in a month or 2. New tanks need to cycle before they can take fish. However you may seriously want to consider dumping that tank and starting fresh because that well water is toxic. You can get additives to neutralize some of it but those are designed more so for tap water. Go to an actual aquarium shop and talk tot he guy there, they will point you to fish and plants that will survive an initial cycling of a tank and that will get you going. Damn who knew it was such hard work for those little bastards. I doubt the little catfish will make it, then we will be done. At this point I will just eat the $60 we have in this and it can be a bad memory. A new puppy might happen sooner than later.  Thank for all the quality advice from everyone that has posted.
Reading reviews about Petco they aren't highly regarded. Glad I only shopped there ONCE> |
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Oh I totally get you, is why I said to hit up a stand alone aquarium place. They will give you much better service albeit at a slightly increased price, but you get what you pay for. Quoted:
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Thanks for the information and from California Kid as well. I have no issue if it is my water that caused it. The Petco stores piss poor attitude about honoring what they told me yesterday is what pissed me off. Oh I totally get you, is why I said to hit up a stand alone aquarium place. They will give you much better service albeit at a slightly increased price, but you get what you pay for. This is great advice and should be followed. A small shop will likely help you a great deal. Aquatic species tend to be very sensitive to water quality and different species will have very different needs in regards to water readings. I do shrimp and they are about as sensitive as you can imagine. |
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To give you an idea this was my last build. Granted it is a reef tank and much harder to maintain than fresh water it will give you an idea.
10 gallon square with live cultured sand and 3lbs cultured dead coral to start. Penguin 120 bio wheel filter without carbon cartridge to start. Sat 1 week. Added domino damsel, salt water fish that can survive most shit water conditions. 5 more lbs of "live rock" cultured coral. Sat for 2 months. Add roughly 5lbs of live rock every month after. 25% water change every 3-4 weeks. Final result took 11 months all fish other than the damsel added after the 7th month and all at different increments. Had 40lbs of live rock with the 120 filter and a powerhead to move the water. I had 5 fish in that 10 gallon setup as well as some live coral. You can see the clownfish in the picture. 
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The fish are often shipped to Petco stores via UPS and Fedex in bags of water placed in boxes. The boxed fish may then be subjected to extreme temeperatures during transit, and even high altitudes if they are shipped using one of the many expedited air shipment options. The ones that survive are sold to you. Unfortunately this is anywhere that is land locked. I had the same problems with fish when I lived in Colorado. |
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Damn who knew it was such hard work for those little bastards. I doubt the little catfish will make it, then we will be done. At this point I will just eat the $60 we have in this and it can be a bad memory. A new puppy might happen sooner than later. Thank for all the quality advice from everyone that has posted.
Reading reviews about Petco they aren't highly regarded. Glad I only shopped there ONCE> Quoted:
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Some X-Ray Tetras and a Otocinclus Catfish. The little catfish is still alive the Tetra are what died. I went with the Tetra as they are supposed to be adaptable to many different water types. I hope the Catfish makes it, my son want another but it wont' be from Petco and they are the only store that sells fish in town. At this point I just want to eat the $60 I have put into all of this and be done with fish. Our dog died in April and the kids don't have any pets now so we thought some fish might be a good start for them until we get a dog later in the year. Catfish and suckers will live in just about anything. What you have is a water quality problem. If you're going to keep anything alive in there for any period of time you need to NOT use the well water. The heavy metals in it will kill just about everything. The tank needs to be established for most fish to be in it. Find 1 or 2 that can live in toilet water and have them live in the tank for a while. They will need to eat and shit to get a proper bacteria colony going to neutralize the nitrite/ate issues, then you can start adding other fish. A live plant or 2 will help with a fresh water tank. Get a good bio wheel filter and in your case an under gravel filter and you should be set for more fish in a month or 2. New tanks need to cycle before they can take fish. However you may seriously want to consider dumping that tank and starting fresh because that well water is toxic. You can get additives to neutralize some of it but those are designed more so for tap water. Go to an actual aquarium shop and talk tot he guy there, they will point you to fish and plants that will survive an initial cycling of a tank and that will get you going. Damn who knew it was such hard work for those little bastards. I doubt the little catfish will make it, then we will be done. At this point I will just eat the $60 we have in this and it can be a bad memory. A new puppy might happen sooner than later. Thank for all the quality advice from everyone that has posted.
Reading reviews about Petco they aren't highly regarded. Glad I only shopped there ONCE> The dog may not be a bad idea. They are actually cheaper in the long run. No joke. I spend as much on reef tanks as I do my black rifle disease. |
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Start any new freshwater tank with a few dozen goldfish. After a month you can add others. Float bags awhile and mix in the new water over the course of an hour. Fishtanks tend to stink.  Only if not cared for properly. Mine only smell like salt and that can't be avoided. |