Buying fish online?
- Thread starter scuba_steve
- Start date
I have bought all of my inverts online; the one thing that didnt make it was a fancy serpent sea star. Ironically, I went to specialty aquatics place in a somewhat adjacent city (what I like to refer to as my LFS, even though it isnt) and purchased a star; now it lost all its legs, cost me almost four times as much as online, was smaller than what they sent me from the online store, and there wasnt any guarantee at all!
The place I always buy my stuff from is www.liveaquaria.com . I have visited saltwaterfish.com a lot, but have never bought anything from them, for whatever reason (even I dont know :roll: ). I like buying stuff online cause my LFS usually has NOTHING I want, can NOT get it, and charges way more (including the shipping factor) than online stores. Also, most reputable online stores have a certain gurantee period, usually a matter of days. liveaquaria.com's is 10 days, the most Ive ever seen. There have been only two occasions where I have actually had to use the guarantee; for the star and a fancy turban snail. Both times I got the price of the item credited to my next order so fast I thought I was losing blood!
I have never bought fish online, but I am about to recieve an order of two false percula clowns, my first fish-in-the-mail(!), either tomorow or the day after. Ill post again and tell you how it goes over if you want!
By the way, I always like to think that buying online is better than buying locally, for one reason different than those above; whatever gets stuck in a small dark box and is sent jumbling down bumpy highways and handled like an Italian soap opera during the middle of the night only to be brought out again and set into a whole other surounding and still fight for its life HAS to be a tough sucker! They gurantee it, and the system works, so you be the judge... 8)
Also, dont be afraid to let someone pick something out for you; theres more excitement in it that way, Ive found!
The place I always buy my stuff from is www.liveaquaria.com . I have visited saltwaterfish.com a lot, but have never bought anything from them, for whatever reason (even I dont know :roll: ). I like buying stuff online cause my LFS usually has NOTHING I want, can NOT get it, and charges way more (including the shipping factor) than online stores. Also, most reputable online stores have a certain gurantee period, usually a matter of days. liveaquaria.com's is 10 days, the most Ive ever seen. There have been only two occasions where I have actually had to use the guarantee; for the star and a fancy turban snail. Both times I got the price of the item credited to my next order so fast I thought I was losing blood!
I have never bought fish online, but I am about to recieve an order of two false percula clowns, my first fish-in-the-mail(!), either tomorow or the day after. Ill post again and tell you how it goes over if you want!
By the way, I always like to think that buying online is better than buying locally, for one reason different than those above; whatever gets stuck in a small dark box and is sent jumbling down bumpy highways and handled like an Italian soap opera during the middle of the night only to be brought out again and set into a whole other surounding and still fight for its life HAS to be a tough sucker! They gurantee it, and the system works, so you be the judge... 8)
Also, dont be afraid to let someone pick something out for you; theres more excitement in it that way, Ive found!
My reason for looking into online buying is my Local Fish Store is not so local. It takes over an hour to drive. I do buy from them, but I cannot get there as easy as going upstairs to my computer. Unfortunately, I am in the sticks, so-to-speak.
browncj7: How did you acclimate/quaratine all your species when you bought them as a group online?
browncj7: How did you acclimate/quaratine all your species when you bought them as a group online?
i figured that..just wanted to see if you thought it would be cheaper than an LFS..liveaquaria isnt MAC certified, to my knowledge....they have pulled their sponsorship from Reefs.org also...there are many online stores...livefishdelivery.com , marinedepot.com petsolutions.com harboraquatics.com and many more...you'll have to browse to find what suits your needs the best...
Steve- I live in the sticks too. I make a lot of online orders, and one thing I always do is have FedEx hold the package for pickup. They call me when it comes in, usually around 8:30 am. That saves it from bumping around in the back of the truck all day, getting lost etc.
I have a better survival record getting stuff overnighted than from my LFS, and the LFS really doesn't carry anything good.
I have a better survival record getting stuff overnighted than from my LFS, and the LFS really doesn't carry anything good.
Jandree22":sipdgcdi said:
Probably not, but it's more cost effective to buy more then less due to the (more or less) fixed shipping costs.
I've bought livestock from dozens of different online retailers and for the most part, I can recommend the experience.
I just ordered 6 green chromis, 6 peppermint shrimp, 2 cleaner shrimp, and a "simple 100" cleaner package from west coast tropical marine (wctropicalmarine.com), orders of $75 ship for free. Which was not a problem since I have a 135G tank that I need to stock with snails & crabs.
Good News, Everybody! (Thanks Futurama!)
I got my shipment of two tankraised false perculas, an electric blue legged hermit (refer to my avatar,yee seeking visual enlightenment), three margaritas, and some hermit crab shells (with a hitchhiker hermit!).
Everything acclimated perfectly, and aside for my dropping one of the perculas on the floor
... Everything did great, as usual. The clown recovered from being dropped as though it never happened; another beauty of tank-raised fish! ...
Just thought Id let you know...
I got my shipment of two tankraised false perculas, an electric blue legged hermit (refer to my avatar,yee seeking visual enlightenment), three margaritas, and some hermit crab shells (with a hitchhiker hermit!).
Everything acclimated perfectly, and aside for my dropping one of the perculas on the floor
... Everything did great, as usual. The clown recovered from being dropped as though it never happened; another beauty of tank-raised fish! ...Just thought Id let you know...
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