# donating fish to petco/other?



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Find a mom & pop fish store. Petco doesnt seem like a fish store to me even though they sell some fish. They're more into the mammal pets and aquatic products.


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## Dutzy (May 20, 2012)

I'll look for one, thanks.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

There may be an aquarium club near you, too. Even if it sounds like a different sort of club many aquarium keepers have several types of tanks, so a Cichlid club might have someone interested in soft water/community types of fish.


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

Yeah I'm always reluctant to donate to big chain pet stores. They're right find a local fish store or give them to someone you know and trust. At Petco you never know what idiot is gonna come in and buy them than stuff them in a 10 gallon tank that was set up the day of or before.


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## Misfit (Sep 3, 2010)

Check out Arizona Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts, aka AAPE. Similar to this forum, just local. Has a trading post for stuff like this. I'm sure you can find someone for your fish.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Misfit said:


> Check out Arizona Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts, aka AAPE. Similar to this forum, just local. Has a trading post for stuff like this. I'm sure you can find someone for your fish.


+1. AAPE is going to be your best bet.


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## Dutzy (May 20, 2012)

Misfit said:


> Check out Arizona Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts, aka AAPE. Similar to this forum, just local. Has a trading post for stuff like this. I'm sure you can find someone for your fish.


thanks, that look promising. I'm off to the store now to buy some stuff to begin cycling the new tank. I have my fish in the 30 gallon with some tufts of hairgrass and two of my old power filters. hope they'll be happy there while I find them a new owner. :icon_neut


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## VivaDaWolf (Feb 5, 2012)

IME, when people donate fish to us we tend to have people that want to take em home. I just took home a ABNP last night  must of us employees have our own fish tanks. For saltwater, its a bit different, but FW...you never know, you just have to ask.


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## ElBoltonero (Jan 18, 2012)

Dutzy said:


> I'm off to the store now to buy some stuff to begin cycling the new tank.


Why are you cycling it if no fish are going in? 

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2


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## Dutzy (May 20, 2012)

ElBoltonero said:


> Why are you cycling it if no fish are going in?
> 
> Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2


might add some shrimp later :red_mouth


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> Find a mom & pop fish store. Petco doesnt seem like a fish store to me even though they sell some fish. They're more into the mammal pets and aquatic products.


In my area petco and petsmart are better than the mom and pop joints. I refuse to support them. Puppy mill monsters is all they are. With crappy advice. 

Petco and petsmart here are very clean and their staff is about as educated as your are going to get for 7.75 an hour. The "lfs" is a joke. Their tanks leak. Their fish are sickly. Their prices are astronomical. They are condescending and give poor advice. When they figured out I own an aquarium related business and that I have more maintenance clients than they do, they became even worse. Never once have I been rude or shown the attitude they have. 

I've shopped pet stores around the country and honestly, in my experience, "good" locally owned shops are harder to come by than nice, clean ones. I don't know what it is about pet store owners that makes them keep damp, dark dirty stores, but there are so many of them I stopped counting. 

Petco and petsmart will never pay you for fish, but both will take fish from us here to rehome(for free both ways). 

/rant


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