Buying coral and fish online

[mmaassoonn]

I’ve been wanting to buy some corals and fish online but I have no clue what websites I can actually trust. Any suggestions for the best ones for coral and the best ones for fish?

 

[James M]

I would use the selling forums on here for corals and support fellow reefers.

Selling Forum (livestock)

This forum is for selling coral, fish, and anything else that lives in our tanks.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Spieg]

I've used saltwaterfish.com several times in the past with good results. Out of more than 2-dozen fish, only had one fish die (2 days after arrival ,and they stood behind their warranty without problem).

 

[mmaassoonn]

So do you think I would be fine getting a mandarin goby from them? My only worry is that they might not get fed properly so they will be really skinny and die on the way. What are your thoughts?

 

[Jseimo]

Best bet is always lfs if you have one, next best is local reefers. There are so many online retailers now and most are good (there is always someone that has a bad experience). check The vendor section here and find one that fits your budget

 

[argiBK]

For Mandarins, I’d recommend going captive bred, either from ORA or Biota since they take prepared foods.

Algae Barn and a few other retailers sell the Biotas, I’ve ordered two from them and they’re both fat and healthy.

I believe Live Aquaria, Pacific East Aquaculture, Oceans Garden and a few other reputable retailers sell the various kinds of captive bred options.

 

[pochaxoo]

I have had good experience with Worldwide corals and Tidal Gardens for coral

 

[User1]

It depends on what you are looking for and price point. There are several reputable online sellers of both coral and fish but some carry only exotics and named, others captive raised only, no names, and then there are the boutique shops, etc. I've had success with LA and Divers Den. I have purchased probably 90% of my corals from Pacific East Aquaculture. Also 2 captive bred fish (matted file fish and yellow assessor. Everything has been amazing and doing well.

I'm sure you will find a few you can do some research on and will be happy.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I use LFSs for in-person buying, but I recently bought my first fish online in 25 years. I got a WYSIWYG Pink Tail Triggerfish from the “Diver’s Den” section of Live Aquaria. The fish came healthy, packed magnificently, and on time.