# Top fin, the joke of the trade?



## musho3210

Well, I would like to post about my hatred of Top-fin, a petsmart brand. Here are my reasons:

1. Bad quality tanks, I had to return a tank since there were some chips and scratches plus the silicone wasn't tight enough so I had a bit of a leak the first time I filled it

2. Bad quality filters, my filter says it's rated at 100gph, it was somewhere in the 20's, I run the outtake into a 1/2 gallon container, I time it, and when it's full I do some simple math and determine the outtake

3. Bad quality heaters, they have a long history with failing heaters, sticking in the on position, and overheating tanks

4. Bad quality food, look at the nutrition value and compare it to good food companies like Hikari or Tetramin, even the petsmart employees say it's bad

5. Bad quality ornaments, their dyed ornaments and colored gravel lose color in the tank, although not fast enough to harm fish, enough to make the gravel look ugly after a few months

Well, those are my reasons, Top-fin is the best example ever of the saying "You get what you pay for."


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## amphibi-man

I believe you. I recently read that Petsmart does not give their rodents the proper veterinary care they need when the animals are sick. Go to their aquariums and you will find lots of dying and dead fish too. Those poor fish are at the point of no return and should be euthanized and disposed of properly. Thanks I'll make sure never to shop there. In Kenosha, Wisconsin the best fish/aquarium stores are still the small mom and pop shops.


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## herefishy

Chain stores are a bane to the hobby. My pity goes to those of us who MUST shop them because of a lack of the "ma and pa" shops.


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## daisycutter

oo dont get me started on petsmart i had a topfin heater violently EXPLODE
i know they sell painted gravel i had some that came with a small setup i bought in a pinch for some baby ciclids, i put it on one of the houseplants and it DISINTERGRATED on dry land,even the fine filter floss i bought instead of the jewuel type turned into a ball and broke apart leaving fibers everywere the jewel type can take a good few washes before its spent this looked like cotton wool in short they both suck and blow


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## Lupin

musho3210 said:


> 3. Bad quality heaters, they have a long history with failing heaters, sticking in the on position and overheating tanks


This thread matches this statement.
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3304

A good idea to scroll down past threads and see product reviews.


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## 2CDs

Musho3210:
While I do agree that Top Fin isn't the best brand out there for aquarium products, it is not nearly as terrible as you make it out to be.



> 1. Bad quality tanks, i had to return a tank since there were some chips and scratches plus the silicone wasnt tight enough so i had a bit of a leak the first time i filled it


This was only one defective tank, it's a stretch to call _all_ of their tanks terrible from just one. Furthermore, Top Fin tanks have a lifetime warranty. Petsmart has a pretty lenient return policy and will gladly exchange it for a new one. If it ever leaks in the future, call the manufacturer and they'll replace it.



> 2. Bad quality filters, my filter says its rated at 100gph, it was somewhere in the 20's, i run the outake into a 1/2 gallon container, i time it and when its full i do some simple math and determain the outake


Top Fin filters are manufactured by Tetra, the same people who make the Whisper line of power filters. That being said, they are made mostly for beginners who don't want to spend a ton of money on something they're not sure they'll like. Of course they aren't going to be the best, but they are by no means bad. I use a Top Fin 10 on my 10 gallon tank with a Spotted Climbing Perch and 2 Peppered Corys and have had no trouble with cloudy water, algae, or odor. Top Fin filters have a lifetime guarantee so if anything breaks, take it back.

Also, when most filters have their outputs gauged, they are measured with no media. This leads to inflated values.



> 3. Bad quality heaters, they have a long history with failing heaters, sticking in the on position and overheating tanks


This I agree with. Their heaters have a tendency to stick and I never recommend them.



> 4. Bad quality food, look at the nutrition value and compare it to good food companies like hikari or tetramin, even the petsmart employees say its bad


Comparing Top Fin to Hikari is like comparing a Big Mac to prime rib. Again, it's economy food made for beginners.



> 5. Bad quality ornaments, there dyed ornaments and colored gravel lose color in the tank, although not fast enough to harm fish, enough to make the gravel look ugly after a few months


In all of the tanks I've owned, I've never noticed gravel losing color. All of mine is still as green/blue/black as the day I bought it. Same goes for the ornaments.

Amphibi-man:


> I believe you. I recently read that Petsmart does not give their rodents the proper veterinary care they need when the animals are sick. Go to their aquariums and you will find lots of dying and dead fish too. Those poor fish are at the point of no return and should be euthanized and disposed of properly.


I'm not sure where you read that, but I can assure you as a former employee that the statement about their rodents is completely false. It's their policy to make sure each animal that is sick gets veterinary care as soon as a problem is noticed. This goes for everything from the $4 mice to the $200 chinchillas.


Sticky:


> This section is for posts about personal experience with a specific product (not a product line, unless you have personally tried every product in the line and can comment on each). Please do not make generic statements such as "I heard about this" or "I read about that". We want to hear about your personal experience with the product or service you are posting about.


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## herefishy

CD2, do you work for PetSmart?


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## ndjs

> ...but I can assure you as a *former employee* that the statement about...


I'm gonna guess he used to be.


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## GW

This thread is a good lesson for everyone.
Use your Judgement at Any place you go shopping...
If you see something that looks wrong..mention it to the staff!
If you decide to go back, days later, and it's still the same...go somewhere else.

This situation is in reverse where I live(IMHO).
The local "Mom & Pop" LFS has lost my business and the Walmart gained it!
The last time I was in the LFS the kid working there, when I mentioned the dead fish in alot of the tanks, told me "The half eaten Puffer fish is half price".
The last time I was at the Walmart I got the distinct impression that someone cared about how they treated the fish! 
Not one overstocked tank!
Not one dead fish in any of them either!
Every Fish looked healthy!

I'd rather shop at a place like that...then shop at a place where you have to look for awhile to find a healthy fish :wink:


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