Buy Fish Online or Aquarium Shop

[mtnxtreme]

Just getting back into this after a 10 year hiatus, how is the online fish game vs. buying in a store, who has the best prices, guarantee, we bought some fish from Petco, no guarantee. And we are pretty rural closest store is 1-1/2 hours away. What are most of you guys doing ? Thanks in advance !

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just getting back into this after a 10 year hiatus, how is the online fish game vs. buying in a store, who has the best prices, guarantee, we bought some fish from Petco, no guarantee. And we are pretty rural closest store is 1-1/2 hours away. What are most of you guys doing ? Thanks in advance !

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Are you planning on quarantining your own fish? If not, I would suggest going with pre quarantined fish from an online vendor. Another option would be tank raised fish directly from the breeder (so they don't get mixed in with wild caught fish).

Here is a link to our current quarantine protocol:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

I'm not a big fan of Petco fish. In addition, some of the online fish stores are simply drop shippers - fish are imported and then bounced right back out in a day or two to the customer. That is really stressful.

Overall, there has been a decrease in fish size and quality over the past 10 to 15 years.


Jay

 

[aws2266]

I placed an order with BlueZooAquatics.com last month. They shipped excellent specimens and all arrived healthy and are still going strong. I normally just buy from my lfs who has a great selection but didn't have one that I wanted. So I placed an order for it and a few more to get the free shipping. Below is what I ordered. Oh, and you get free stuff depending on the amount you spend. I got a free lawnmower blenny.

Starcki Damsel
Yellow Watchman Goby
Pistol Shrimp
Lawnmower Blenny
Humu Trigger

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I would say to make a day out of it and visit any shops within driving distance of you. If they are clean and well run, and are willing to order fish that you want, patronize those businesses first.

At some point you'll have no option or can't get the fish you want locally so ordering in is a good idea.

Be prepared to quarantine and medicate everyone coming in to protect your investment and you should be good.

 

[Reefing102]

I stick with LFS but that’s only because shipping is so expensive online. I hear bluezooaquatics is great with a fairly low free shipping amount. Also good things about saltwaterfish.com. Liveaquaria has gone down hill from what I hear (not the best specimens around plus a shorter guarantee than before, though divers den isn’t too terrible).

There are also sponsors here that offer pre-quarantined fish (never used any of them though). Also if your looking for unique tank raised (besides clowns and other common fish) Biota seems to be the place to go

 

[Mr Cypher]

I have gotten all my fish pre qt online because I dont trust my self I trust marine collectors and TSM aquatics every thing I have gotten from them has been healthy and happy just picked up a pair of triggers 2 days ago came in no issues just wish they weren't so shy oh well so la vi

 

[FiddlersReef]

Be prepared to quarantine and medicate everyone coming in to protect your investment and you should be good.

You know, for some reason, even though I've finally started to QT after my tank got something and I lost loads of fish, I still was only thinking of QT as "so they don't get sick". It just didn't quite click fully with me until you said it was to, "protect your investment." But that is spot on. The tank is an investment, a huge one, at least in time if not money. Protecting that is so worth it.

I know, obvious. But for some reason that comment really resonated with me. So thanks for that!

 

[FiddlersReef]

I stick with LFS but that’s only because shipping is so expensive online.

That's exactly what I thought until an LFS fish brought in disease, and I lost hundreds of dollars more than a couple shipments would have cost me. I definitely recommend TSM Aquatics. Darn near made me just sit on the floor and cry. It was devastating. (Though that could have been avoided if I had been doing my own QT then, presumably.)

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

You know, for some reason, even though I've finally started to QT after my tank got something and I lost loads of fish, I still was only thinking of QT as "so they don't get sick". It just didn't quite click fully with me until you said it was to, "protect your investment." But that is spot on. The tank is an investment, a huge one, at least in time if not money. Protecting that is so worth it.

I know, obvious. But for some reason that comment really resonated with me. So thanks for that!

You are very welcome. I prophylactically treat every fish coming into my tank. Had a velvet wipeout at the beginning of the year and I'm not doing that again.

If you been out the game a while, you may soon find out that this is now a polarizing statement.

Do what works best for you and your little slice of reef. For me, that is a fully medicated qt.

 

[Reefing102]

That's exactly what I thought until an LFS fish brought in disease, and I lost hundreds of dollars more than a couple shipments would have cost me. I definitely recommend TSM Aquatics. Darn near made me just sit on the floor and cry. It was devastating. (Though that could have been avoided if I had been doing my own QT then, presumably.)

I guess I should add, I do have a quarantine set up.

My protocol is, I first do a 2-3 week observation at the LFS, if they can hold it, great! If they can’t and it sells, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. But that allows time for the stressors of initial shipment to hopefully rear their head. I then do an additional 1-2 week unmedicated observation in my home QT and then go from there with medication (if necessary)

Is it proper? To many, nope. It has worked for me though. I’ve only lost 2 fish (2 clowns in qt) due to my own stupidity (ammonia spike…to many fish in one tank that didn’t have the bacterial build up to handle 6 clowns) but otherwise no losses or known disease.

As @Lost in the Sauce stated, do what works best for you and your little slice of the reef.

 

[atomos]

Where we are at----there is probably only one LFS that I have confidence with. But as everyone mentioned, QT'g your fish and observing them is a good best practice. TSM and Dr Reef are my top picks IME.

 

[mike89t]

I like to support a couple of my LFS. Mainly because I want to make sure they stay in business because I enjoy stopping by and seeing what they have.

I quarantine everything that I get from a LFS. I've never seen a LFS that properly quarantines their fish. Usually they unpack the box, acclimate, and then straight into the display tanks the fish go.

 

[mtnxtreme]

You know back when I had my first set up we never did quarantine. Who sells pre quarantined fish and how can you trust they actually do it ?

 

[davidcalgary29]

You know back when I had my first set up we never did quarantine. Who sells pre quarantined fish and how can you trust they actually do it ?

I trust vendors who are completely transparent; are methodical in their treatment; and offer no certainties. For Canadian reefers, this essentially means Ethical Aquatics, and even there the owner, Chris, recommends a further observation period before placing livestock in your display(s). I've never had a problem with his fish, but still put new arrivals in observation. Just in case.

I generally trust no one system to be infalliable and quarantine all incoming livestock. I decided not to do that for one tank, after being told (repeatedly) that "quarantine wasn't necessary", and had a near-total tank wipeout in August. I'm not doing that again.

 

[jgirardnrg]

I buy local and never online. If they don't have what I want they get it for me.

 

[Jedi1199]

In answer to your question, I buy my fish from LFS. The only fish I have gotten from an online vendor is my captive bread Yellow Tang that I got from Biota group.

Here are things to consider when buying online beyond the shipping cost:

Will the vendor work with your schedule? If you order a $200 fish and it arrives promptly on your doorstep at 7 am, but nobody is there to receive it till 5pm,,.? It is coming up on the rainy season here in California, which means winter in upstate NY... lol

I personally have never QT anything in my tanks, ever. That is not to say that I have not picked up a few unwanted beasties. Somehow got ich in my 180 that wiped out a few fish before I could get meds to treat it. Fortunately, that tank is a FOWLR setup so I was able to treat the tank directly rather than set up a few hospital tanks for the fish so I would not kill the corals. That does not make me any happier that I lost the fish that I did from something that is absolutely preventable.

 

[mtnxtreme]

You make some good points, I'll trade you rainy season for the winters of the Catskill Mts. !

 

[Jedi1199]

You make some good points, I'll trade you rainy season for the winters of the Catskill Mts. !

HAHA thanks but no thanks.. I don't have to shovel rain!!

 

[Schraufabagel]

I've had good success with online from Liveaquaria and good success in store from Meijer, oddly enough. I've had bad success with PetSmart and Animart (my local fish stores). Honestly it varies

 

[Reefing102]

One other thing, I found most LFS, I’ve heard even Petco (may vary from store to store), will special order fish in as well. 9 times out of 10 it’s only slightly more expensive than online and I don’t have the huge shipping charge on top of the price