Buying fish?

Hello again. So heres my concern. As I mentioned in the thread below (Eclipse System 12 stocking... still need tips there...) I'm going to be starting a 12 gallon tank at my workplace. I've done extensive reading and research and I'm starting to get an idea of what species I might be insterested in buying to inhabit my tank. However, the problem I'm running into is where to buy them. I live in Seattle, WA, but my office is about 45 minutes south of the city. The only place selling fish that I know of in close proximity is a :'( petsmart. For reasons I doubt I have to explain here, I hate the place. I'll explain anyway though. Bettas in tiny cups/jars with sealed lids. 30+ tanks on one centralized filter system. Selling birds/small mammals. That's just for starters. Anyway, I find myself in a bit of a dillema. I don't want to give one cent to a place like this, yet if I want to stock this tank, and not put fish through the stress of being in transport for a 45 minute or more drive, I'm not sure what else to do. I've looked on aquabid, I can't seem to find any local sellers. I really don't want to order fish online, I find the idea of shipping fish by mail somewhat cruel, and the price to do so is incredibly steep. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as what I can do to stock my tank without giving money to a megastore with some shady practices? ???

 

Transporting fish for 45min will not harm the fish as long as you get the fish at a store that knows what they are doing. I have left my fish in the transport bags for up to 2.5 hours with no problems to the fish. As long as the bag is large enough and enough air is put into the bag, your fish should be just fine.

 

Getting hooked up with a local aquarium club is an excellent way to find the fish you want and to share yours should they breed. Most clubs hold auctions and they are a lot of fun. As it happens there is one right in seattle

It usually cost very little to join(both of the ones I belong to cost $15 to join for our whole family)
The club maybe able to recommend a local breeder for teh fish you are wanting. Most are very friendly and helpful even if you don't want to join their club.
just a thought
Carol

 

As Tumbleweed said, the fish will be okay on a 45 minuite journey. I live 1 hour away from my nearest pet store & it's been okay. Just make sure you tell them you will be travelling a distance & what my pet shop did was put the fish in a bigger bag so there was more air available for them - they use an air pump so the bag is really full of air.
The first fish I bought were zebra danios & they zoomed around their bag the whole way home. When I bought platies I got scared because they hardly moved the whole trip.....I'm just saying this to tell you not to be too concerned about fish behavior when you're transporting them!
Enjoy choosing your fish!

 

I ship fish thru the mail.
They are generally in transit for 24-48 hours.
A cross town trip would be no problem.

Dino

 

Getting hooked up with a local aquarium club is an excellent way to find the fish you want and to share yours should they breed. Most clubs hold auctions and they are a lot of fun. As it happens there is one right in seattle

It usually cost very little to join(both of the ones I belong to cost $15 to join for our whole family)
The club maybe able to recommend a local breeder for teh fish you are wanting. Most are very friendly and helpful even if you don't want to join their club.
just a thought
Carol

Great suggestion! I went ahead and emailed the main people involved with this group and asked for some local breeder reccomendations. No responses yet, but keeping my fingers crossed!

 

I have purchased almost all of my fish through the mail from online breeders and they have come to me in the utmost comfort. Much more sanitary and much more cared for in packing and protection than any pet store would do. They are double wrapped in a liter sized plastic bag half full of water and half full of oxygen. then they are wrapped in newspaper or something to protect the bags and placed in a 6 pack sized styrofoam cooler with a small heat pack that is good for 72 hours. It usually stays warm for a good 24 hours after the fish arrives. They are then padded all around with polyester insulation material to keep them from being jostled in the cooler. They have not been fed for a day or two before being sent to cut down on the amount of solid waste in the bags. The water is treated with a pill that enhances the oxygen content and puts in nutrients that keep the fish healthy. I have had fish arrive in the middle of a blizzard and they are nice and warm and toasty and do fine with the acclimation process and are happy and healthy.

If you know your breeder and the care and attention and ethics he practices, you should have no problem with ordering online. There are some who charge a fortune to mail fish and others where the cost is really quite reasonable compared with the quality rewards of the fish you receive.

I am not putting people down who do decide to do their shopping in the stores, but I have a problem being able to shop and getting to the stores and this has really worked for me. I have had some beautiful fish and have one dealer in particular who is totally capable and I would recommend in a moment. Also now that Dino is shipping fish through the mail, he would be an excellent source for stock for your tank.

Rose