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I have only bought online one, from Aquabid. The BNs all survived, and were cheaper even with shipping than it would have been at the lfs. However, I do believe in buying locally if it is available to encourage local business. But if it isn't available, I'd order online.

Your lucky to have a Big Als opening near you they are a very high quality fish store in my experience. Generally they have a very good selection of fish with excellent specimens that are most often quite hardy.

I've had generally good experiences ordering fish through the mail. I tried AZ Gardens once, and they are super-friendly with good customer service, but their shipping costs are very expensive, and I wasn't altogether pleased with their packing (no styrofoam box, just a bit of foam matting). My SAEs arrived in good health, but my shrimp and sparkling gouramis were not so fortunate and I lost over half of each, which was disappointing.
I've had fantastic results on AquaBid, though. The shipping is less expensive most of the time, and it provides a chance to network with breeders and suppliers who can give you exactly what you want. Most of the time, they are very accomodating, and the feedback posts are very informative.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I think they meant "freight" charge, the regular shipping done by truck.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I notice that that site has a "fright charge." what is that?

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

Hi, i havent ordered fish online yet, though im looking around ,where i live my LFS is a bit small and their suppliers tend to stick only to the regular selling fish.

http://ebetta2u.com/

This is 1 shop that seems to offer good fish/prices, the shipping may be a little high though, this is the type of place that alot of LFS get their stock from.

It all depends on what fish you want. For cichlids its usually better since there are so many different ones that you can't get in stores. If your doing it for basic community fish then I would be hesitant. Unless your stocking a 75g+ all at once then I would try and go with your lfs. Shipping fish in the summer isn't very hard either. I've done 2 shipments this summer at 90F+. I always got the shipper to get the package held at the fedex center and then I picked it up.

Another option is to let your lfs store know what you are looking for and ask them to order them for you. That way, no shipping charges. Then, if you have a quarrantine tank, ask them to call you as soon as the fish arrive, and you can bring them straight to your tank. That way, one less tank to get acclimated to.
Of course, always get a price quote before you have them place the order.
Carol B

Most fish can ship without a problem. I would look on aquabid (if any online site at all), as liveaquaria is a blatant ripoff.

Alot of the fish at your lfs were shipped there from a distributor who may have had them shipped in from somewhere else. Even overseas. Then you come and buy them and haul them home. By the time they reach your tank they've already been shipped at least once and aclimated to the lfs tanks then gone on a 2nd trip to your house but they may have been shipped and acclimated to the distributors tanks then shipped and acclimated to the lfs tanks then made the trip to your tank. I would say it's alot less stress to have them shipped directly to you and only acclimated to 1 tank than 2 or 3. I've lost alot less fish buying from azgardens or tank raised fish on aquabid than buying from even high quality local stores. You should see what shape the fish come into the LFS at and how much of a die off they have on the first day. One of the reasons I haven't lost many fish is because I don't order in winter or summer. I buy online in spring and fall when a simple hot or cold pack will work. The fish coming into the lfs are often not heated or air conditioned at all on their trip.

I was wondering if anyone has over orded fish online and what experiences you have had. I have found this one site http://www.azgardens.com]http://www.azgardens.com[/link] that looks very good. There is also Drs Foster and Smith's site for live fish [link=http://www.liveaquaria.com which also looks good. I wanted to know if anyone has ordered from either of these sites and if they would recommend doing it or not. Thanks in advance .

Last edited by ericm at 20-Jul-2005 20:40

I've ordered cross country from a seller on aquabid. The fish was much cheaper than I would have paid in the LFS, even with shipping and came super healthy and in great condition.
HTH
Jen

i have ordered from liveaquaria.com and everything was good. but alot of the fishes were small. but everything came nice, well packed as well.

I am not going to order online but I saw some cool fish. I was just wondering if any have done it. Shipping is expensive and thats why I wouldnt order fish online. But there is a Big Als opening up here soon, so I can now probably have a more wide variety of fish available.

There are many other online alternatives. I don't really want to give any recommendations on any of them, as I've been hesitant to order. Shipping costs are just outrageous, and the summer heat in my region is just too dangerous to ship in. Unless you really, really, really HAVE to have something that is online and your lfs doesn't ever carry, I'd be reluctant to order from online dealers. But that's just my opinion.

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

I have visited both above mentioned sites in the past, but I am still hesitant to buy fish online. I think it adds yet another trip for them and stresses them out more than the ones that have settled into the LFS tanks. But, I might be wrong and the price difference between my LFS and these sites is tremendous.

If I had to pick between these 2, I would probably prefer liveaquaria as it is a Drs Foster & Smith subsidiary.

ThatPetPlace is also a good option for me as it is not too far away.

Arizona Aquatic Gardens gives me the creeps, somehow. I am usually skeptical of web sites that sell plants and fish, but show on their front page some lady. I guess it must have something to do with the family-run business.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Azgardens will get you live fish for a good price but their shipping is way beyond that of most other sites. Actually it's more than any other site I've looked at but all my fish did arrive in good health. The prices also came out less than the lfs even with shipping added in. The shipping though is about as much as the order everytime I try getting fish or shrimp from them. I've been thinking of trying liveaquaria when I get my 90g fully setup.

Shipping can always be a little risky, so it is best to buy the fish locally if you can. If you cannot, try to look on aquabid and then sometimes you can find the fish you want and closer to you. Also, check your local aquarium club as they will have breeder's name on hand.

People here might be of help, what kind of fish are you looking for and where are you located?

I have ordered fish 3 time online. AZ gardens shipping supposedly very expensive. Also liveaquaria prices are expensive. I haven't ordered from either of these places but I've seen and heard good things about petsolutions.com and thatpetplace.com.

I have not used them personally (my lfs is waaaay too good) but I've heard many good things about them and I've seen other's recommend them as well.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients