Comments:
Date of visit:11/16/07
Your rating: Poor
I got excited after reading the rave review regarding the pet
store and decided to give Petqua a visit. What a waste of time. Some
background information, I have been an avid fish hobbyist for more than
20 years but I am sad to say that I was definitely very disappointed
after spending about 2.5 seconds in there. I wasted not only my $4.00
round trip fare on the subway (from Queens nonetheless) but a few hours
that I could have spent watching the paint dry on my wall. "The
downstairs area is like a little zoo". Yeah right. If that is true then my foyer
is the Great Barrier Reef.
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Date of visit:12/29/05
There are three fish stores within walking distance of me, and one (a Petland)
is right downstairs. I don't go to that one. I take the walk to go to the
GOOD store in the neighborhood - Petqua. The owners and staff are very nice,
and are obviously crazy about the animals. The staff - some of whom are teen-age
volunteers - varies in knowledge. But at least a couple of them are genuine
experts, who are great just to talk to - and real fish lovers, to boot. The
downstairs area is like a little zoo - a big room with lots of fish, rabbits,
guinea pigs, etc. There are three actual stores pets on the premises - one
cat, one parrot and one tortoise. The store pets are allowed to freely wander
the store, so watch out for the tortoise - he may be underfoot. The fish are
healthy and the tanks cared for. I have had no problems with fish I have bought
there. The staff take some trouble to pick the healthiest-looking for you.
A few tanks are not for sale, but are simply kept for the beauty of them,
and have very exotic fish in them They TREAT THE BETTAS WELL. No tiny little
bowls. The Bettas are all in 5-gallon tanks, or kept alone in large tanks
of live plants. I complimented one of the owners on that, and he said, "Would
you believe that I once had somebody complain because he couldn't SEE the
betta behind the plant? I'm thinking about what's good for the fish - not
whether somebody can see. It isn't an ornament, it's alive." I often pop into
this store when I'm not buying anything, just to say hello to the animals
and fish. As you can tell, I think it's a great store. If there were more
like it, the industry would have a much better reputation.