Petco strikes again

[Humblefish]

Not to bad. He is breathing normal but then will have a couple sec spurts of heavy breathing.

I would give him a FW dip to check for flukes and also to clear out any trophonts inside the gills which might be affecting his breathing.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[PAReefer]

This is horrible. Which Petco was this? One thing that get their attention is contacting their manager. I've done so over dog grooming.

 

[PAReefer]

Wouldn't eat anything I would put in there for him. I ended up having to target feed him through a tube but he took some. He has more color to him that yesterday and is starting to swim around a little.

I can't believe this is you!! I saw this tang a week or 2 ago in there, I can't believe how he has slipped. He was exhibiting signs of HLL then, swimming like he was in pain. I made them remove a fish with velvet about a month ago.

 

[PaReeferJ]

I can't believe this is you!! I saw this tang a week or 2 ago in there, I can't believe how he has slipped. He was exhibiting signs of HLL then, swimming like he was in pain. I made them remove a fish with velvet about a month ago.

Yep I thought I would give him a chance. Don't know if it looks to good for him but better chance then in those tanks. It was the petco on the pike.

 

[adestafi]

I know San Diego has at least two Petco's with saltwater fish. Petco's in Milwaukee have them too. I've been to both cities within the last year.

In northern Virginia stores they have saltwater too

 

[tanksman]

I don't understand how you're getting these fish from Petco in that condition everytime I see a sick fish there I want to take it home and try to nurse it back to health but they refused to sell it to me saying that it's against company policy to sell a sick animal and they wind up just letting it die in most cases such a sad case

 

[Humblefish]

I don't understand how you're getting these fish from Petco in that condition everytime I see a sick fish there I want to take it home and try to nurse it back to health but they refused to sell it to me saying that it's against company policy to sell a sick animal and they wind up just letting it die in most cases such a sad case

I'm sure that's their "official position", but each store manager can also use discretion. It probably also helps that I spend time at my local Petco educating them on livestock care/identifying diseases, showing them how to perform FW dips, etc. Builds rapport.

 

[pablue]

just speak from the fact that i once worked for a petco while in high school.... there are petco's that employ solid people that know what they are doing. I was the one person in my store that was the only one allowed to touch the saltwater tanks per the store managers orders. i handled all the water changes, does, and treatment of the entire depart meant and it was run as best as possible. the company also has some really dumb rules that we had to follow like that fact that i wasn't allowed to that anything other then it. no other medication was give to me other they what they wanted used. The stories care about the animals because we have to care for them, the company doesn't for some reason and idk what would change that but i agree something needs to be done about it.

 

[NanaReefer]

I disagree because how much money would they loose if he just left the fish and let it die . I applaud @PaReeferJ for thinking enough of trying to save the fish instead of letting it die .

Actually the stores insured against loss. So if anything they gain more from the sale.

 

[Untamedrose]

I really do think the best way to get them to stop is to stop buying from them...........
best way to stop puppy mills is to not bloody buy from puppy mills! same thing(least big picture)

They likely killed how many tangs getting that one to the store? So you can many try to save that one?
and in their books it's a win... we need to order more tangs!

 

[Humblefish]

The stories care about the animals because we have to care for them, the company doesn't for some reason and idk what would change that but i agree something needs to be done about it.

The corporate stooges are completely disconnected from their retail stores. Its a plague which afflicts most large companies.

 

[Jason5875]

Is it possible to save him?

It is very possible. If you know what you are doing

 

[PaReeferJ]

He didn't make it.... Went back to petco and they gave me the money back. Thanks for all the help though.

 

[Humblefish]

He didn't make it....

 

[goatcorals]

A heroic effort. Thanks for trying. Takes courage.

 

[Tateopotatoe]

In northern Virginia stores they have saltwater too

The only one that I found is decent is the one on Lee Highway. They have a copper system. I have gotten decent livestock there before.