Martinismommy

Has anyone bought fish online and had them shipped to your home? What kind of experience was it if you have.....Is it cheaper than buying at a fish store? Any input will be appreciated....

susitna-flower

Hi, I've purchased fish on line. No I didn't find it less expensive, but I also have been able to get fish I have never seen in a fish store. You must be willing to pay for the fastest shipping available....this is what usually will add to the cost, but will result in a better survival rate...You can't buy on line and expect a fish to live for a week in a bag of water , overnight is usually the safe way to go.

To date I have only had one shipper not come through for me. They ended up not shipping the fish, and returned my $$$.

All other fish have come through and been healthy.

If you are thinking of buying from aquabid, only buy from people who have a good rating in the feedback section.

Dino

I ship and receive fish on almost a weekly basis March thru September.

99% of what I sell you will not find in a fish store.

I use only people with a 95% of better rating on Aquabid.

Martinismommy

Dino......

Can you send me a link to Aquabid please....I have a 100% score on E-bay does that count? ....I'm a little concerned about shipping here to AZ because it gets so darn hot here....

susitna-flower

Thats easy.


www.aquabid.com

Have fun...

sirdarksol

I wouldn't worry too much about temp during shipping. High quality sellers (which will have a high percentage rating) will use enough insulation to overcome the time that the package is in the mail.

I have used liveaquaria.com. It was not cheap, but at the time, you couldn't get Amano shrimp from anywhere around here. (Should have waited two months).

Also, insert shameless plug for Dino and CWC here. I was extremely happy with what I bought last year.

Butterfly

yep another shameless plug I just got fish from them(Dino & CWC) also and they did a superb packing job and even put a heat pack in because a little weather was expected.
Carol

Tayful

I was thinking about purchasing some fish online especially since I can't find what I want around here - even the most common fish. The main thing I worry about is the prices of overnight shipping. Is two-day shipping a possibility or would it be too huge of a risk?

Also, where do you all purchase your fish *and* plants online? I remember seeing a site I loved before, but now I can't locate it again!

Sorry if overran your thread.

Tavel

I can't believe those fish don't come through with brain damage after the way they're tossed around in the system. lol.

sirdarksol

Tay; Some places will do 2-day shipping, but many will not. The shipping prices on Aquabid are pretty wide-ranging, though. It might be worth checking them out.
It partly depends on the animal in question. Shrimp, for example, can pretty easily survive a few days in transit as long as they aren't exposed to extreme temps. A delicate marine fish, on the other hand, is going to suffer even in overnight shipping, let alone two day.

Tayful

Thanks very much for your help, I've never done anything like buying fish online before. I've been researching for months and just got my 70 gallon, am going to cycle, and in the meantime I'm trying to figure out the exact fish I'm getting - it'll be a peaceful freshwater community setup. I just can hardly even find cories close to here, so I suppose to get the fish I like I'll have to order online or drive a ways (well, get my parents to drive me). Thanks again.

Mike

For saltwater fish I'd recommend liveaquaria.com. I've not had a chance to buy freshwater fish from them yet. They only ship live animals via next day or two day I believe. If the package has to go through cold areas they will put in heat packs that should last the duration of the transit. I've bought several saltwater fish and corals myself from them, even in cold weather, and I've only had one fish show up doa, which they refunded to me after I called them.