ABSOLUTLY HEART BREAKING :(

[Babygecko1233]

Me and my fiance went to petco to buy ghost shrimp to feed our tube anemones and beedlet anemones tonight...what we seen was absolutly heart breaking...almost 20 salt water tanks filled with green algea and dieing zoas and clown fish being sufficated with sand pumping through the pump with malfunctions. But i think the most heart breaking thing that struck us both...was the carpet anemone in the top tank with no flow and barely any lighting......it looked so sad....so miserable...so discolored but still alive...not sickly...just like...idk....we have came to the desicion of adopting this anemone friday...sadly our tank is too small for all the fish that we want to save from them. Honestly we are going to go there again and demand they let us take care of the tanks and fix everything in exchange for maybe a deal on the carpet anemone...we cant stand the thought of all them suffering at the hands of an inexperienced employee who knows NOTHING ABOUT SALTWATER TANK

The only things the tanks really need are water change, levels checked, pumps cleaned,lights fixed accoedingly to match the demands of the creatures in each tank....and the glass wiped down..and maybe vaccumed.

Now that you have the background of the story...i was wondering what i should do to help save this anemone before it suffers...even if we can just make it live happier then what it is now until it dies...its just so sad...

How would i bring this poor thing back to life? What lighting do i need? My flow should be perfect. My other anenomes and zoas enjoy it. Also...what do i feed this poor poor thing......

 

[Lovemycj7]

Very kind of you to do so but in a way also contributing to the problem by giving them your $$$. Speaking up is a good idea and if you don't see change escalate further.

I went into my petco to find all their snails upside down and dieing. Told their manager who didn't have a clue but now they know and have been flipping them back up right from what I can tell.

God luck with whatever you decide to do that's the hardest thing about this hobby is seeing these poor creatures suffer.

 

[cromag27]

Do you have a photo?

I love petco.......except for their saltwater dept. they need to get out of the saltwater biz.

 

[Babygecko1233]

Once tha app works for me ill post pictures. I think we will end up just offering services for the free carpet anemone...either eay if they wont let us help....we will boy cot them and make it known that that peststore is boy cotted from buying salt water items. Either way we are saving the big carpet anemone...even if it doesnt make it...atleast we tried to save it...my concious wont eat me alive anymore if we atleast give it a chance. Anyone wanna help me out and give me a few important facts about carpet anemone?

 

[revhtree]

Once tha app works for me ill post pictures. I think we will end up just offering services for the free carpet anemone...either eay if they wont let us help....we will boy cot them and make it known that that peststore is boy cotted from buying salt water items. Either way we are saving the big carpet anemone...even if it doesnt make it...atleast we tried to save it...my concious wont eat me alive anymore if we atleast give it a chance. Anyone wanna help me out and give me a few important facts about carpet anemone?

Check out the mobile version of our site which is MUCH better than any app available!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-many-of-you-use-r2r-via-a-mobile-device-look-here.213758/

 

[salttanklife]

I went to Petco to buy livestock on my last 90 gallon tank. I'll never put another thing in any of my tanks from that store. I went there yesterday for something else and looked at their tanks. They weren't to awful bad, but that's the first time in a long time that they was halfway clean looking. I seen a beautiful clown that I almost bought but just couldn't do it. I wanted to save so many pieces of coral from there, but their always covered in red slime. The sand beds are just a blanket of red slime 99% of the time. I don't see how they can ever get anybody to buy anything from them. I figure they got to be selling to inexperienced reefers that just don't know any better. I was that inexperienced guy at one time. My new tank has nothing from Petco and it couldn't be any better. I had to pay a little more from my lfs, but it's well worth it. The Petco I'm referring to is in Augusta Ga.

 

[Babygecko1233]

The petco i went to is in boca raton florida. We have decided we are going to work off the carpet anemone by helping all their tanks...or just out right buy it...i know people think its contributing $$$ to the store...but i was literally in tears over the poor thing....i have to attempt to save it...even if it dies....at least i can say i tried...plus i hopd they take my offer on the tanks...idc if i have to do it for free.....

 

[themcnertney]

I understand your compassion in wanting to save the livestock there, but its not worth it IMO. Ive read over and over this same story. It will never end. You just have to come to the realization that this is what it is as sad as it may be.

 

[salttanklife]

I've never have had a anemone die in one of my tanks but I've heard that it can cause havoc real quick. Keep a close eye on it and don't let any Petco water get in your tank. I'd recommend letting him accumulate during a water change and rinsing him off in your bucket of old water before putting him in your tank. It might seem kind of drastic, but I personally wouldn't want anything for their tanks in my system.

 

[Babygecko1233]

Yes!!! That is an amazing idea!!! Thank you soo sooo sooo much!! Do you think it will survive. We will put him in (after washing him off) during a water change...he doesnt show any signs of sickness ....just sad lightless flowless anemone... His tank is full of clown fish (almost over stocked) with minimal lighting and no flow....in our tank he would be placed directly under the flow in the sand bed...but dont worry our flow is perfect for anemones. Our other anemones love it..do they call for special lighting?

 

[salttanklife]

I think as long as your other anemones are happy, he should fit right in with them. He'll move around and find a spot that he'll be happy at.

 

[Babygecko1233]

Okay. Now on the store note...do u think they will let me offer my free services??? Just let me clean the tanks and do water changes and seperate all the fish and dying corals...as well as removing all red slime

 

[salttanklife]

I doubt it, but it's always worth a try... I thought about doing the same thing before. Maybe go in once a week and offer tank service. When I do go in and talk with the people about their saltwater section, I'm normally answering the questions they ask me. There's not really any training for the workers. I tell them to get on r2r to get extra knowledge, but a lot of them act like they're not really interested in learning. I don't think they really plan on spending much time there at petco.

 

[Babygecko1233]

Me either. Most of them are high school student with a part time job. Dont get me wro g age doesnt play a part...im only 19 but i know what im doing because its my job. I service tanks . i hope they accept....or atleast let me walk them through it so they know...or hell....get hired there..uugghh idk all i know is one way or another im making sure those tanks get took care of. Its just me...idc if its a waste of time...

 

[muntwo]

Some people report compatibility issues (chemical warfare) between different species of anemone in the same tank, so keep that in mind before adding a carpet anemone. In my opinion, it's probably not worth it.

 

[clownfish chris]

They will not likely go for it. The liability of having you work there without being an employee will make it unrealistic. It is a corporate entity so the decisions do t come from the store. The workers are told what to order and how much to sell. That is about it.

The way to make a difference is to post pictures and contact there corporate offices. They don't want to loose business. If they see they are, things will change. Follow the dollar and you will find the solution.

 

[Babygecko1233]

Okay good idea. On the chemical war fare thing.... I dont think it will bother my other 4 anemone. I have 2 tube anemones and w beadlet anemones. The beadlets stay on the glass at the top they like the flow and easier direct feeding. The tube anemones are harmless and stay stucked into/in between the rocks. They move all the time ive never had any issues with warfare in my tank yet. We just bought a 30 gallon...setting up today so everything will eventually be tranpsphered (except the other anemones) they will stay in my smaller tank...wich should eventualy turn into a qt

 

[Babygecko1233]

@clownfish chris since im not adding my other anemone to the other tank...would the carpet anemone do good by itself in the big tank until we get clown fish? And when we do...what breed is more compatible with the carpet anemone? The only things that we want in the 30 gal are :

Carpet anemone
2 paired clown fish
Our 200+ zoas/palythoas
MAYBE a BTA
MAYBE a hammer coral.
Any ideas on suitable cleaner shrimp?
And i want one or 2 star fish..
The reason im not listing other fish is because i foolishly (i know TRUST me) have 2 sargent majors.... One is very very territorial and an ******* to any other fish we put in soo until they pass (because im too big of a baby to get rid of them) i cant have any other fish. Bonnie and clide is thier names. Bonnie (the bigger one) keeps clide ( the smaller one) forced into the live rock and only lets him out when feeding time comes...ik hes a bully.

 

[Pugfishluv3]

Good luck everytime I go in there (for food) I answer the employee's questions as well as there customer's. I hope they let you help!

 

[Brew12]

Sounds about what my local Petco store looked like 2 months ago. Then they hired a marine aquarium hobbyist part time and another young lady for him to train full time. The difference in the store is night and day. It went from my not even wanting to risk putting their stuff into a QT to them having healthier looking coral pieces than my closest non chain LFS. I asked when they were getting a new shipment of fish since they had almost no selection and she said on Tuesdays. Then she told me that they were hardly getting anything in (minimum stocking levels) because the hobbyist still didn't feel the tanks were ready. He has the full support of the store manager.
It's a shame that Petco doesn't make this a more common practice.