# Where do you buy your fish online?



## nfrohwein89 (Feb 17, 2017)

Just as the title reads.. WHere is the best place in your opinion to buy fish online.


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## zackariah (Jan 17, 2013)

I have been happy with Aquabid.c** (we are not aloud to promote on this website) I have never had issues and there is a large variety of plants and animals. Also here in the Tradewinds 

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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

msjinkzd is pretty good for micro fish and shrimp. She also carries Tropica tissue cultures, seiryu, and dragon stone.

A nice little family business, literally. Mom, dad, and kids.


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## BrynnaCC (Jan 5, 2014)

+1 on msjinkzd. Healthiest fish I've ever bought.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

I've only bought fish from 2 sellers on aquabid,but both shipments have been excellent! I got some longfin BN plecs from a breeder in NY,and about a month ago got some SAE's and Cardinals from a store in oregon,both sent priority mail,not one loss either time.Healthy fish that stay alive.

Way better than the box stores here.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Aquabid for me, too. I ordered twice, with outstanding transactions from both sellers. One is a powerhouse seller who posts a few auctions once a week, and the other is a regular seller who posts a certain species every few weeks. Both sent healthy fish that were well packed. 

And although I haven't had any personal experience with her, I would also have to recommend Msjinkzd, just based on all the good things I've heard. Whenever my wants, and her stocklist are in agreement, I will eventually get fish from her, too. 

And as far as buying from Aquabid, Just like any other auction site, check feedback, ask questions, and READ THE TERMS! If you do that, the only variable would be if the shipper mishandles the package. And most of the good sellers will guarantee their fish for live delivery, and will replace the fish at no cost, only shipping is on you.


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

I have never had a bad experience ordering fish online. I also prefer aquabid because the guys posting there are ready to sell. I have found fishroom operators to be difficult to deal with because they never want to sell you what they are offering, although I have gotten quality stock from them after dealing with their quirks.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Every time I go on Aquabid, I kick myself for giving away my endlers. I gave away over 30 properly colored black bars that had the metalic patterns, unlike the pale mostly plain ones that go for $30+ a pair.

Nobody knew what endlers were or cared, two months later there was crazy demand.


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## cobra (Feb 4, 2005)

Rachel, The Wet Spot.


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

I really like gunpowder aquatics, he has a huge farm here in florida. Ive never not been impressed by the quality of fish i get. 

And of course aquabid is good too.

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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

Also mrs jinkzd has great stuff, based in California 

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## mndblwn (Jan 15, 2017)

Aquatic Delight said:


> Also mrs jinkzd has great stuff, based in California
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk




Based out of Pennsylvania 


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

mndblwn said:


> Based out of Pennsylvania
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you. Who am i thinking that is based out of cali?

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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

Beer said:


> msjinkzd is pretty good for micro fish and shrimp. She also carries Tropica tissue cultures, seiryu, and dragon stone.
> 
> A nice little family business, literally. Mom, dad, and kids.


Do you know if her hardscape is good? like woods, ie spiderwood....


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I'd imagine so, but I haven't ordered any of that from her... yet. I may pick up some dragon stone.
If you asked for some photographs, I'm sure she would be more than happy to oblige. I know she will make custom hard scape designs for tank dimensions you give her and she will send pictures of it for you to approve before she sends it out.


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## appleton71 (Nov 11, 2016)

I purchased all of my saltwater fish from liveaquaria. Every fish I received was very healthy and arrived in great condition. I haven't tried them for freshwater yet, but I will be soon.


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## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Tangled Up In Cichlids is my favorite...Jeff is a good guy and his selection is epic. Otherwise I have used and use from time to time: Gunpowder Aquatics, MsJinkzd, Ebay(some good sellers just look at the reviews), Aquabid, The Wet Spot, etc. 

For common fish or schooling fish i either hit up Petsmart or a somewhat local LFS I have a relationship with to order what I want. Got 25 BRbarbs for $2 each from the LFS cant order them for that online. 

But for specialty fish or specific high end cichlids....Tangled up In Cichlids or The Wet Spot are my favs.


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## TankPlanter (May 31, 2015)

Aquatic Arts!


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

We've got cichlids EVERYWHERE up here. It seems like everyone is breeding them. At the club auctions they are close to half the lots. We have a bunch of stores that specialize in them as well as a couple of dedicated clubs.

I was never interested in keeping cichlids (most of what I knew about chiclids was people with nasty looking tanks keeping aggressive fish strictly for the aggressive behavior. Chauvinistic male posturing.) but I've been finding out that there are some more docile smaller species that are endangered or extinct in the wild, which has piqued my interest. I've had some C.A.R.E.S. fish in the past, but didn't have the space to dedicate to a breeding program. Helping keep endangered species or those that have no known wild population going in the hobby to help reduce strain from the hobby or to possibly help reintroduce populations into the wild feels like a useful contribution to the hobby.


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## ustabefast (Jan 24, 2017)

I also like Aquatic Arts. I think I ordered through Aquabid, which is the best platform I've found for buying and selling aquatic stuff from a variety of sellers.
Be sure to check the feedback of the listed sellers. Feedback score should be around 99% for an excellent seller.
And be certain of the shipping rates before ordering. Sometimes a seller will upcharge for basic shipping or is only willing to ship expensive overnight.

I also like MsJiinkzd and another seller, bobstropicalplants, who charges very little for shipping.
Good to support the mom and pops.


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## Dogstar (Apr 21, 2016)

Aquatic Arts for me too. I've really liked them so far. And if you sign up for their newsletter they send out discount codes sometimes.


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## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Beer said:


> We've got cichlids EVERYWHERE up here. It seems like everyone is breeding them. At the club auctions they are close to half the lots. We have a bunch of stores that specialize in them as well as a couple of dedicated clubs.
> 
> I was never interested in keeping cichlids (most of what I knew about chiclids was people with nasty looking tanks keeping aggressive fish strictly for the aggressive behavior. Chauvinistic male posturing.) but I've been finding out that there are some more docile smaller species that are endangered or extinct in the wild, which has piqued my interest. I've had some C.A.R.E.S. fish in the past, but didn't have the space to dedicate to a breeding program. Helping keep endangered species or those that have no known wild population going in the hobby to help reduce strain from the hobby or to possibly help reintroduce populations into the wild feels like a useful contribution to the hobby.


I keep the aggressive species....the big the ugly...rough tough and tumble cichlids. Large CA/SAs offer more than just an ego boost for lacking male appendages  Many of these fish are very pet like and incredibly intelligent they offer something different than flocks of prey fish schooling around; they can learn and will interact with their keeper. As for their tanks being nasty...that is bad husbandry and lack of motivation. Sure some cannot be kept with live plants; however it is not excuse not to create a decent hardscape. 

With that said in the right conditions many of the bruiser cichlids do very well with plants. The key is to rear them in an aquascaped tank from a small size and don't just introduce a few plants to an adult fish. If the fish views plants as part of its natural territory it will not destroy them in most cases. Sometimes you also have to meet your fish middle ground as many do dig as part of their behavior but that does not mean you cannot have a fully planted or scaped tank using plants grown on wood/rock.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I wasn't knocking those who keep them, necessarily. It is amazing how typical pet like some of the larger fish can be. It is clear that some do have a much higher intelligence level.

You are correct that they were not keeping them properly. Over crowded, under maintained tanks. My early impressions were not good ones, which gave me a negative bias towards those types of tanks. I shied away from them and started off with densely planted Walstead style tanks of smaller sizes, so I didn't really have anything that was appropriate for keeping them not being part of the Cichlid community 17 or so years ago. Not that I was really interersted then, but I wasn't aware of their diversity in behavior, coloration, distribution, size, and breeding habits.

A lot of the ones that only make their rounds through the clubs are actually quite beautiful and have interesting behaviors. I just tend to have more interest in some of the smaller, more unique fish that are not as easily found. There is something apealing about having micro fish in a mid size aquarium that you really need to search out to find. Their behaviors seem to be a bit more natural and there are always new things you are discovering.


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## zzyzx85 (Feb 13, 2008)

Aquatic Delight said:


> Thank you. Who am i thinking that is based out of cali?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


Bob's Tropical Plants?


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## SallImSayin (Jan 30, 2017)

The 4 Albino Corycats I got from Ebay from sallyann517, $10 for the fish and $12 for shipping, have done very well. I've had them for almost a month. 

I got 5 Striped Kuhli Loaches + 1 extra for 6 total and 1 Peppered Cory with 1 extra from Trinsfish that are all doing well, especially the corydoras. They were super active (the kuhlis were also extremely active) and looking for food right out of the bag. Getting 2 extra fish was a nice bonus.


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## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Beer said:


> I wasn't knocking those who keep them, necessarily. It is amazing how typical pet like some of the larger fish can be. It is clear that some do have a much higher intelligence level.
> 
> You are correct that they were not keeping them properly. Over crowded, under maintained tanks. My early impressions were not good ones, which gave me a negative bias towards those types of tanks. I shied away from them and started off with densely planted Walstead style tanks of smaller sizes, so I didn't really have anything that was appropriate for keeping them not being part of the Cichlid community 17 or so years ago. Not that I was really interersted then, but I wasn't aware of their diversity in behavior, coloration, distribution, size, and breeding habits.
> 
> A lot of the ones that only make their rounds through the clubs are actually quite beautiful and have interesting behaviors. I just tend to have more interest in some of the smaller, more unique fish that are not as easily found. There is something apealing about having micro fish in a mid size aquarium that you really need to search out to find. Their behaviors seem to be a bit more natural and there are always new things you are discovering.


I think it is safe to say there is a cichlid out there for everybody....some folks its an Umbee some folks its a Shellie. 

Microfish are fun...kept a lot of them in the past; unfortunately don't have any now. Favorites were always Scarlet Badis and Chili Rasboras with Dwarf Hovering Loaches. 

If you are looking for a neat plant friendly cichlid; Saulosi are awesome and on the CARES list. Lots of cichlids are also endangered or even extinct to the wild these days. My Lyonsi is critically endangered in the wild thus sourcing an F1 specimen was quite lucky. My Crassipinnis is also extremely rare and rarely imported into this country...I get the appeal of the hard to find or unusual


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## ustabefast (Jan 24, 2017)

I believe Bobstropicalplants is based in Long Beach, Ca.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

aquabid, aquatic arts, imperial tropicals, MsJinkzd


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Just placed a very large order through an online vendor (100+ fish). We shall see how things go. This thread was quite useful.


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

Freemananana said:


> Just placed a very large order through an online vendor (100+ fish). We shall see how things go. This thread was quite useful.


Good luck and looking forward to hearing how it goes. Aquariumfish.net is only a couple miles from my house and they may allow me to do a local pickup. However, I cannot find out much about them as far as user experiences are concerned and they have a terrible website.


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

Aquariumfish.net is owned by Tom and Nevin Bailey. They are veterans in the industry and had a long running podcast. I'd have every confidence in that source.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

Let's keep this going, I'm interested to hear more.


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

Just a thought. I have gotten to know my LFS which I like supporting and although this isn't answering your question, consider the cost of shipping and that often times fish don't make it and work your relationship with your LFS. The best time is when you're planning a tank, so you know you're going to be buying a bunch of fish, or if you know a friend who is also about to buy some fish, let our LFS contact know you want to give him your business and that you'd like to place an order because he doesn't have the fish you want. Make sure you need the fish to be a certain size though as fish dealers will often give you small fish, as in nearly fry size and that's always a drag. Also, you can bring your water in and let them test it when you're buying your fish. 

If any fish die, you'll have less issues too. 

Anyhow, everywhere I've ever lived I've done this and I "just" did it last week. I ordered 50 fish from the guy and when I got there they gave me a bunch of plants and threw in some food as well. Nothing like doing a good deal with the LFS, plus it's more fun to go to a fish store, especially if it's a good fish store. It's one of my favorite things to do. 

That's my humble "O" pinion.  

Otherwise, ya, where everyone else is pointing you is a great place. TWS AKA AquaBid.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

So I've been to three of the only LFS in my area and tried to give them my business multiple times trying to procure a specific species. I asked them to special order it being as they didn't stock it. One of which didn't take any interest in special ordering freshwater specific. The other two have taken my information and stated they would call me they received them. A quoted time was given of approximately two weeks. It has now been 3 months and still no fish. There are times when you are forced to spend your money elsewhere. I believe that 3 months time is adequate for sourcing a fish, it only took me 5 mins after I was told "not this week" for the 3rd time.

Bump: AquaEmporium. Nice shrimp, shipped with care, live plants and premium food samples included.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

sdwindansea said:


> Good luck and looking forward to hearing how it goes. Aquariumfish.net is only a couple miles from my house and they may allow me to do a local pickup. However, I cannot find out much about them as far as user experiences are concerned and they have a terrible website.


Terrible website turned me off to one place all together. The place I ordered from had bulk discounts and free shipping with my order. 


My LFS does not do custom orders. They have what they have. They also don't do larger quantities. Their plant selection is very lack luster as well. For the quantity of the specific fish I ordered, online seemed to be a good option. Like I said, free shipping as well. They have a 14 day guarantee and live arrival guarantee. 


Florida is heavy into salt water and very few non-chain stores deal in freshwater fish.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Freemananana said:


> Florida is heavy into salt water and very few non-chain stores deal in freshwater fish.


That's surprising to me. I think of Florida as the freshwater fish farm Mecca of the US (or at least, the East coast). One local shop owner nearby goes down to a few farms each month and comes back with 40 -50 boxes of hand picked fish, mostly fresh. It seems like most wholesalers around here buy from FL fish farms as well. I guess the market down there is too saturated to be profitable locally?

Man, you bursted my bubble! Here I thought you could go into any FL convenience store and come out with a bag of chips and 50 cardinal tetras, haha.


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

I don't know what to tell you guys. I always go in with my wife and she just smiles and we usually get whatever we want to order. Maybe I'm just having good luck at the LFS?


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

KayakJimW said:


> Man, you bursted my bubble! Here I thought you could go into any FL convenience store and come out with a bag of chips and 50 cardinal tetras, haha.


I don't doubt that there are tons of fish farms here, I'm just saying the local fish stores have mostly salt water fish and equipment. We are also right next to the ocean. Salt water is WAY more profitable as well. I don't have a wholesale license so I have to work with my LFS-es. There is a salt water store owner who said he could get me anything from his provider, but his prices on the fish he had there were insanely high, so I passed on that offer. The site I ordered from had Rasboras for about half the price my LFS was asking. When you're looking for 50+ harlequin rasboras, that's a pretty big deal. Even without free shipping, I was saving quite a bit by ordering online. 

My local petsmart does stock denison barbs and has them on sale for $5 sometimes. I'll be picking up a bunch when they offer that again. 

Also, I could just have terrible luck and be dead wrong. Maybe Florida is the mecca of fish.


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

DigityDog70 said:


> I don't know what to tell you guys. I always go in with my wife and she just smiles and we usually get whatever we want to order. Maybe I'm just having good luck at the LFS?


"Yes Ma'am, and those fish marked 'display only' are for sale too."


I gotcha @Freemananana , I usually find better deals online too. I had just assumed that Florida's cup runneth over and was surprised that isn't the case. It's what I get for assuming. Those 50+ harlequin rasboras are gonna look awesome in your tank


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

KayakJimW said:


> "Yes Ma'am, and those fish marked 'display only' are for sale too."
> 
> I gotcha @*Freemananana* , I usually find better deals online too. I had just assumed that Florida's cup runneth over and was surprised that isn't the case. It's what I get for assuming. Those 50+ harlequin rasboras are gonna look awesome in your tank


LOL! The 'this is my wife' photo is actually quite humorous to me. :grin2: Anyway, the online deals are really something when you realize what species you can select from and shipping is free after you buy so much. I'm quite excited for my school of rasboras as well. 3 days and counting!


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

Freemananana said:


> LOL! The 'this is my wife' photo is actually quite humorous to me. :grin2: Anyway, the online deals are really something when you realize what species you can select from and shipping is free after you buy so much. I'm quite excited for my school of rasboras as well. 3 days and counting!


It was purely for the sake of "comic relief" and nothing more. 

Cheers All!

Bump:


KayakJimW said:


> "Yes Ma'am, and those fish marked 'display only' are for sale too."
> 
> 
> I gotcha @Freemananana , I usually find better deals online too. I had just assumed that Florida's cup runneth over and was surprised that isn't the case. It's what I get for assuming. Those 50+ harlequin rasboras are gonna look awesome in your tank


KayakJimW that was pretty funny! I appreciate humor and am glad that you read into my attempt at it.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

As long as we're off topic here....I buy most of my plants and fish online.We only have a petco that had an outbreak of camallanus,and so I'm kinda scared to get anything there,plus an assortment of the same 3 species of tube plant.We also have a petsmart,fish from there I've had a 50% mortality rate with.they do have a few tube plants though,and a few bagged ones in packages.

40 miles the other way is a pet shop with a few fish,no plants to speak of.They get their fish from the same place as petsmart.

so,some of us would love to support the LFS,but we have no choice.

OTH,all of the fish I have bought online have been quality and they all live,plus they are species the locals don't get or have never heard of,like SAEs.


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## DanPlanted (Jun 15, 2015)

I know this isn't an online store. But if you don't have any good freshwater LFS' in your area, what about Petco? Most will special order whatever you want and i've been to plenty of stores that are sometimes better than an LFS.


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

Unfortunately Aquariumfish.net will not let me do a local pickup so I will not be able to speak for them. I cannot stomach paying for overnight shipping when it is only 3 miles away .


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

sdwindansea said:


> Unfortunately Aquariumfish.net will not let me do a local pickup so I will not be able to speak for them. I cannot stomach paying for overnight shipping when it is only 3 miles away .


That's crazy, I can see not letting you browse around, but to refuse to take an order for pickup, just seems like lost revenue.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

DanPlanted said:


> I know this isn't an online store. But if you don't have any good freshwater LFS' in your area, what about Petco? Most will special order whatever you want and I've been to plenty of stores that are sometimes better than an LFS.


Petco is limited to what they can order. I purchased a Golden zebra loach(last one they had). Set on stocking more of them. I left my name and number and the fish I wanted. The aquatic specialist was not in at the time but i called when they received their order and and asked. They stated they were unable to order anymore of the loaches. I tried the petco 5 miles away and they stated that they were unable to order them to that store. Apparently they are given a set guide of which fish they can stock and the loach wasn't on the closer store. Seems each store has a different stocking. The petco across town who had the 1 loach I purchased continually said to call back on Tuesday to see if they ordered them. This went on for weeks before they took the bar code down and the aquatic specialist told me to visit liveaquaria for my fish because she was unable to get them back in. She said occasionally they will get oddball fish and then not see them again for months. Very nice people but it just seems odd how my local fish store including the chains can't find one fish. It might sound like I'm opposed to purchasing locally but I would much rather go down the street and pick my fish up than spend $35 dollars to have them delivered. As my interest in the hobby grows and I want to try something other than mollys, platys, barbs, angels, tetras, and common plecos. The place to procure these apparently rare fish are online.

Bump:


sdwindansea said:


> Unfortunately Aquariumfish.net will not let me do a local pickup so I will not be able to speak for them. I cannot stomach paying for overnight shipping when it is only 3 miles away .


That is downright silly, I get that they may not have a retail front but a pickup option should always be available.


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## DanPlanted (Jun 15, 2015)

Carpathian said:


> Petco is limited to what they can order. I purchased a Golden zebra loach(last one they had). Set on stocking more of them. I left my name and number and the fish I wanted. The aquatic specialist was not in at the time but i called when they received their order and and asked. They stated they were unable to order anymore of the loaches. I tried the petco 5 miles away and they stated that they were unable to order them to that store. Apparently they are given a set guide of which fish they can stock and the loach wasn't on the closer store. Seems each store has a different stocking. The petco across town who had the 1 loach I purchased continually said to call back on Tuesday to see if they ordered them. This went on for weeks before they took the bar code down and the aquatic specialist told me to visit liveaquaria for my fish because she was unable to get them back in. She said occasionally they will get oddball fish and then not see them again for months. Very nice people but it just seems odd how my local fish store including the chains can't find one fish. It might sound like I'm opposed to purchasing locally but I would much rather go down the street and pick my fish up than spend $35 dollars to have them delivered. As my interest in the hobby grows and I want to try something other than mollys, platys, barbs, angels, tetras, and common plecos. The place to procure these apparently rare fish are online.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> That is downright silly, I get that they may not have a retail front but a pickup option should always be available.


Huh, I always thought that the aquatics manager ordered the fish that they wanted. Maybe it depends on the location, I know that they order almost exclusively from Segrest, so they "Can" get whatever they want as Segrest carries almost everything, although I would assume that it depends on what time of year and other factors. I know one of the Petco stores in my area where they aren't and LFS' around has signs up on the tanks saying that they take special orders.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Carpathian said:


> It might sound like I'm opposed to purchasing locally but I would much rather go down the street and pick my fish up than spend $35 dollars to have them delivered. As my interest in the hobby grows and I want to try something other than mollys, platys, barbs, angels, tetras, and common plecos. The place to procure these apparently rare fish are online.


$35 is fair though. Most companies offer free shipping at a point. For instance, Boesemani Rainbows are like $10-15 a piece usually and a dozen of them would put you into free shipping. There are tons of fish that are $30+ as well and 4-5 would put you into free shipping for some places. If you are stocking 20 barbs, online is definitely not the best option.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

Freemananana said:


> $35 is fair though. Most companies offer free shipping at a point. For instance, Boesemani Rainbows are like $10-15 a piece usually and a dozen of them would put you into free shipping. There are tons of fish that are $30+ as well and 4-5 would put you into free shipping for some places. If you are stocking 20 barbs, online is definitely not the best option.


$35 is fair, Try sending anything overnight and it'll cost you. It's not like the breeders are trying to bank on the shipping costs. I had a gentleman send me some angels for $8 shipping. Mind you it was a state away and 2-day priority. He individually double bagged each fish and then bagged all of them together. He fasted over the weekend and shipped tuesday. The post office delayed the package and I picked it up from the post office Friday morning. Each fish is currently growing fine in my qt with no issues. I also had ordered shrimp from cali(I'm in TN) and paid $7 for 2-day priority. They arrived nicely packed with plants to hold onto. I think that most breeders opt for overnight to ensure no fish are overly stressed during ignorant handling of post. The package I picked up at the post office hadwarning labels all over the box stating it was fragile & this way up. Yet the clerk threw the box from end to end trying to find a label he needed to verify the recipient, not once taking notice until I stated that he be a bit more careful with my live fish. I think most breeders could opt for cheaper shipping it would just open them up to more customer complaints if the post doesn't deliver as promised.

Bump: I know imperial tropicals offers free shipping at a low $45. That's the lowest I've seen other than a few breeders on aquabid who sell 4-6 of the same species at a time.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

DanPlanted said:


> Huh, I always thought that the aquatics manager ordered the fish that they wanted. Maybe it depends on the location, I know that they order almost exclusively from Segrest, so they "Can" get whatever they want as Segrest carries almost everything, although I would assume that it depends on what time of year and other factors. I know one of the Petco stores in my area where they aren't and LFS' around has signs up on the tanks saying that they take special orders.


So it might be the manager I spoke to but it was definitely someone who ordered the fish. They seemed like they were genuinely trying to get the fish I wanted but there hands were tied. My local petco just 5 miles away has a young woman who came from an ATL store and said she could get anything in ATL but here she is limited what sells, which is the same thing I could get at the walmart tanks 3 stores down. The local store doesn't carry SW but the petco across town and the other one about 20 miles away have Saltwater. So they all stock differently and order differently. As far as coming from the same distributor I don't doubt but my local petco stores don't seem to be on the same page.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Carpathian said:


> $35 is fair, Try sending anything overnight and it'll cost you. It's not like the breeders are trying to bank on the shipping costs. I had a gentleman send me some angels for $8 shipping. Mind you it was a state away and 2-day priority. He individually double bagged each fish and then bagged all of them together. He fasted over the weekend and shipped tuesday. The post office delayed the package and I picked it up from the post office Friday morning. Each fish is currently growing fine in my qt with no issues. I also had ordered shrimp from cali(I'm in TN) and paid $7 for 2-day priority. They arrived nicely packed with plants to hold onto. I think that most breeders opt for overnight to ensure no fish are overly stressed during ignorant handling of post. The package I picked up at the post office hadwarning labels all over the box stating it was fragile & this way up. Yet the clerk threw the box from end to end trying to find a label he needed to verify the recipient, not once taking notice until I stated that he be a bit more careful with my live fish. I think most breeders could opt for cheaper shipping it would just open them up to more customer complaints if the post doesn't deliver as promised.
> 
> Bump: I know imperial tropicals offers free shipping at a low $45. That's the lowest I've seen other than a few breeders on aquabid who sell 4-6 of the same species at a time.


It's a liability thing. Overnight shipping keeps deaths to a minimum due to the reasons you stated. It's the same thing with plants. We all send plants priority but some places overnight them as well. I've had plants sent in padded envelopes and taken 4-5 days without any issue. I would be comfortable with 2 day priority on my fish as well. But the issue is some people just don't care about your stuff, which is what breeders and importers are trying to avoid. Every DOA is money lost for the seller. 


My fish will be here March 4th from the vendor I purchased from. Quite excited to see how everything turns out and how they packaged it all.


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## Featherstone (Mar 9, 2014)

I've order from Aquatic Arts (shrimp only), Msjinkzd (fish and shrimp), and The Wet Spot (fish and plants). Good experience with all, however I think Msjinkzd was the best (but I'm biased since I love nano fish, and shipping was WAY cheaper than The Wet Spot). The Wet Spot is good for the hard to find stuff that isnt strictly nano.


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

I always start at Aquabid and then depending upon who has the fish, that's where I end up. So remember, Aquabid is a good hub for "online" stuff.


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## Carpathian (Dec 23, 2016)

Freemananana said:


> My fish will be here March 4th from the vendor I purchased from. Quite excited to see how everything turns out and how they packaged it all.


I love receiving packages in the mail. It like x-mas. Have fun with your new fish



DigityDog70 said:


> I always start at Aquabid and then depending upon who has the fish, that's where I end up. So remember, Aquabid is a good hub for "online" stuff.


 All my aquabid purchases have been from the states, has anyone used an importer? I usually see them on Bettas that come from Thailand


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## Aryea (Apr 16, 2017)

I wanted to say this thread is extremely useful. I am very new to the hobby, and am very interested in learning about the online reputable vendors. My only 'online experience' with fish thus far has been with Aquatic Arts (they're holding fish for me while my tank finishes cycling), and they've been incredibly helpful with information. I very much look forward to receiving my fish from them!

I hope this thread keeps going to I can learn about more online sources


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## JamesW212 (Jan 18, 2018)

*What about Trinsfish*

My personal favorite is Trinsfish.com They have a pretty good selection all around. No salt water unfortunately but cheap prices good selection of plants. They get in some really rare and exotic fish at times too.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

After 28 years of fish-keeping, I no longer buy farm-raised fish-- throughout the years the quality of product has declined drastically. There is more frequency of Columnaris, mycobacteria, and over-all weakened specimens due to the massive scale of production, overcrowding, and poor handling.

My local stores predominantly sell these farm-raised fish- so I must seek fish elsewhere.

I buy wilds from Wetspot, Tangled Up in Cichlids, and Aquatic Clarity. The fish are robust, healthy, and it is a rare occasion that i lose one from shipping. 
I do pay more in shipping, but I save money in not having to treat sick, weak fish to begin with. It is money well spent.


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

Carpathian said:


> I love receiving packages in the mail. It like x-mas. Have fun with your new fish...


When I worked in pet stores, I used to love fish delivery day, and yes, it always felt like Christmas. What I REALLY miss from when I lived in South Florida, is going down to the fish wholesalers in Miami and seeing all of the variety available, and picking them out. So what if they wouldn't actually belong to me, it was still great fun. When I lived down there, you couldn't swing a dead cat(fish) without hitting a pet store! One of the most amazing fish stores was "Silent World" in Jupiter. That place was large and beautiful, almost like going to a public aquarium. 

Yeah, I miss all that and being able collect your own marine fish and critters for free, and just seeing them in their natural environment so you could duplicate it in your aquarium. 

Thanks for all the suggestions for ordering online. I only have a WallyWorld in town here, one Petco 45 minutes away and a Petco and PetSmart 1 1/2 hours away, with no independent fish stores that I know of within reasonable driving distance, so ordering online looks appealing to me. I actually have more luck with the WallyWorld fish than the ones from the pet chains, but that's probably because they have to be strong to even survive there! I will certainly check out all these suggestions in the not-too-distant future. I did order some plants at a good price from Malaysia through eBay the other day, so I'll see how that goes. Anyone else have any suggestions?

Olskule


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