anyone order FISH online?

[TrojanScott]

I've never done it. Corals, sure... but fish, I've always wanted to watch them eat, look at 'em, and pick out my own.

But, for fish that may be tougher to get, seems like doing it online is an easier route.

Anyone have bad experiences? Good? The thought of a fish bagged up, (again) and shipped overnight, (again) makes me cringe a little bit, especially for a fish like a Powder Blue Tang. (not what I'm interested in, but first thing that came to mind.)

 

[bureau13]

I've had pretty good success with both Liveaquaria and Vivid Aquariums. I've heard Marine Center is pretty good, but I've never ordered from them, and they can be a bit pricey.

jds

 

[Ritten]

I've had great luck with liveaquaria.com and saltwaterfish.com

 

[DrBegalke]

Re: anyone order FISH online?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8293023#post8293023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TrojanScott
The thought of a fish bagged up, (again) and shipped overnight, (again) makes me cringe a little bit, especially for a fish like a Powder Blue Tang. (not what I'm interested in, but first thing that came to mind.)

How do you think they get to the LFS?
Sure, there is some risk involved, but its not exactly unheard of for a fish to be shipped.

 

[Galloyien]

I got a Yellow Watchman Goby from Liveaquaria two months ago. He shipped overnight from CA to KY. He arrived in great condition and took right to my tank. After two days he became really friendly.

I use to buy locally but my good experiences with online ordering has changed that.

 

[2farNorth]

I just got in a Lawnmower Blenny last nite from Liveaquaria, so far so good, but I've received alot of inverts from them so far , and so far no losses!! The only problem is that you don't see the fish your getting,, but the 14 day guarantee is nice!

 

[chip721]

I try to buy livestock local. But I've used LiveAquaria before too. You're fortunate to live on the west coast. Your shipment may only involve a bumpy truck ride.

 

[ReefBuilderNJ]

i used to deal with fishsupply. com, but then they stopped shipping and went to totally walk-in, that sucks..but i had great experiences with them. i think they are out by you.

 

[TrojanScott]

Re: Re: anyone order FISH online?

Re: Re: anyone order FISH online?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8293372#post8293372 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DrBegalke
How do you think they get to the LFS?
Sure, there is some risk involved, but its not exactly unheard of for a fish to be shipped.

Which is why I typed, "again."

Of course I realize it's how they get there.

 

[Sk8r]

Liveaquaria has been good for me, too.

 

[Duchess]

Seven fish (at different times) from Marine Depot Live. All arrived healthy and survived nicely. The guarantee from MDL is not as long as from LiveAquaria, but they had fish I wanted that LiveAquaria did not.

Be sure to follow the acclimation procedure and all should be well.

Best of luck.

 

[Duchess]

Seven fish (at different times) from Marine Depot Live. All arrived healthy and survived nicely. The guarantee from MDL is not as long as from LiveAquaria, but they had fish I wanted that LiveAquaria did not.

Be sure to follow the acclimation procedure and all should be well.

Best of luck.

 

[Duchess]

Oops, sorry for the double post.

 

[falconut]

I only ordered one fish online ever. My female Watanabei Angel. I got her from www.petsolutions.com and couldn't be happier. They do guarantee their fish for 7 days too.

She shipped at the end of the day on Monday from LA and arrived at my house in NJ at 9:45 AM. She looked beautiful and was eating by the end of the day.

I was told that they don't ship a fish unless it looks healthy enough to make the trip and is eating. If I ever need a hard to find fish again, I'll definitely order from them again.

 

[affan]

I've ordered from PetSolutions.com as well and with great success.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I tried to order from petsolutions about 6 different times (same order), it turned into a 2 months long affair. I would not reccomend them at all.

LiveAquaria is a different story. I just recieved an order from them 2 weeks ago with 4 jawfish and 3 anthias. I have also ordered from eTropicals a few times. Great customer service, great selection, pretty good prices (much better than LFS) and they have an awesome guarantee. If something is going to die prematurely, 99% will die within the first two weeks.

 

[falconut]

LobsterOfJustice - What problems did you have with Petsolutions? The only thing I didn't like was items would be marked as instock, but they couldn't garantee it would be shipped until they received the fax back saying it shipped out. I was told it was because they they are the middle man. They simply put in the order to their supplier and if still instock by that time it goes out. Or if the fish doesn't look healthy enough at shipping time they won't ship it. Sounds complicated, but it worked fine for me.

 

[Craig Lambert]

All of mine are from liveaquaria. I've never lost one...including a leopard wrasse.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Falconut, I had out of stock problems as well. I would order, take off work for the day of the order, then recieve an email that day saying it would ship in 2 weeks. Repeat that about 5 times and you get my situation. They finally had two of the fish in stock that I wanted, so they shipped those, but were still out of stock of the two fish that made me decide to order from them. Once the fish finally got in one had a open sore on it's side and both died within 12 hours.

I do have to say, I asked for a full refund and they gave it to me (shipping included). That was nice. Customer service seemed alright, but they just didnt have their act all the way together.

 

[GoldWing]

I buy 95% of the fish on line. If it dies I get a credit, If I buy a fish from my so called LFS and it dies after I leave the store, I'm SOL.