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Learn how to care for brackish water fish, recommended diet & aquarium setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Learn how to care for angelfish, recommended diet and aquarium setup. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Learn how to care for Freshwater Amphibians, recommended diet and habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Are your aquarium plants nutrient deficient? Petco is here to help you identify different deficiencies such as light, nitrogen, co2, magnesium, iron and more.
Updated on June 19th, 2026
Learn how to make a self-sustaining aquarium. Visit Petco to learn all the steps to create the self-sustaining aquarium of your dreams!
Updated on June 19th, 2026
Thanks for reaching out. If is a good idea to fast for 1-2 days prior to shipment, this decreased feces and will help to keep the ammonia down. Typically clear bags are utilized with about 50% water, and 50% air/oxygen used. A local pet store might be able to assist, as they get shipment in (so have older bags and boxes, which need to be disinfected) and hopefully the skills to ship. Check with the airline also, box needs to be well labelled "LIE ANIMALS" and "THIS END UP". Sometimes a health certificate for interstate travel is needed, so contact airline and State of Utah, veterinarian. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
It sounds like you need to take a trip to your local pet store. The clerks there can help you pick out an appropriately size tank with proper filtration and heating that can help keep Sushi healthy. They can also let you know what water treatments you'll need for the water in your area, as well as test any water you bring it to see if it is OK for Sushi to live in. Pet stores will also carry commercial goldfish food which is a balanced diet that is given to them. It should have feeding instructions on it so you know how much is appropriate to give to Sushi.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I would recommend to call the local pet stores (including Petco) and ask if they ever carry that species. Sometimes the fish can be out of stock. Some of the smaller fish stores can have a good variety of fish available. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I'm sorry you are having difficulties with your aquarium. There are several issues that should be dealt with right now. They are water chemistry, aquarium size and choice/number of fish. Any new aquarium should be set up and, ideally, run empty for several weeks (usually 4-6 weeks). This is so beneficial bacteria have an opportunity to populate the substrate and filter. These bacteria are necessary to break down wastes that fish will produce. The technical phrase for this is "establishing the Nitrogen cycle". These bacteria will break down wastes into ammonia then nitrites then nitrates. Nitrates can then dissipate or be absorbed/used by live plants. In high enough concentrations, ammonia and nitrites are toxic and can kill fish. Cycling a tank with fish is possible but it increases the risk of loss. Water chemistry should be checked every few days using a liquid home test kit. A water sample can be submitted for testing , but is not as convenient as testing yourself. Most pet stores or fish stores will do this for free or for a small fee. Partial water changes, no more than 30%, can be done as needed to stabilize chemistry and maintain water quality. Choices for water conditioners include NovAqua, AmQuel Plus, Prime, StressZyme or StressCoat. Tank size is another concern. With most fish, the widely accepted "one inch of fish per gallon" will be sufficient. For koi and other carp species, including goldfish, the rule is not sufficient. At full size, goldfish need 20 gallons per fish with an additional 10 gallons for each additional fish. Koi do best in larger tanks, much larger...we're talking in the hundreds of gallons or small ponds. These species produce a larger than average bio-load (wastes) that can quickly affect water quality in a tank. To combat this, large water volumes and powerful filtration are required. Any filter should be rated for at least twice the tank volume. I'm not sure what size tank you have now, it may be fine if the fish are young and small, but they will quickly outgrow it. The last issue is choice of fish. Koi and goldfish are cold water fish. They do best in water between 65F and 72F. Most species of sharks do best in the high 70sF to low 80sF. Keeping fish in incorrect water temperatures will lead to stress and illness. This could be compounded by the water quality/chemistry issues you are having currently. Until the chemistry is stable and water quality is maintained, your fish will continue to become ill and possibly die. Any treatment will not be successful in this situation. Do not purchase or add any more fish until the tank has cycled. If you have additional questions, you can post them in the forum or request a consultation to discuss the case in greater depth.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I would recommend to have the water completely changed. New water should be ideally submitted for quality testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or a nominal fee. High ammonia levels, PH imbalances may be responsible for that as well. Oxygen concentration and quality of the filters should be determined as well. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025