p.pep85
got more salt then money
has anyone ordered fish durning the winter. the only lfs is petco around here. and i would rather not use them. i would like to stock my new 55 gallon reef tank. thanks for the help
ordering fish online in the winter
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Would recommend Liveaquaria. Awesome guarantee and packed very well.....good prices too
pugcrush
Well-Known Member
+1 Reputable vendors will pack livestock well & will not ship in the middle of a snow storm. How far is your LFS? I hate hearing of fish being shipped & personally see it as a last resort. There's always stories of FedEx losing a livestock shipment, which is pretty depressing to read about.
Dtackett
Valuable Member
my closest LFS now is 40 minutes away. if he wasn't there my next closest is an hour and a half and I would rather drive that than order online. but that's just me, you can order online, just be sure to do it from a reputable vendor.
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Thats how the LFS gets them.....they have to be shipped one way or another......
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Huge benefit of buying in person.
..you can actually see the fish your buying....online however is usually cheaper, bigger selection and guarantee is huge.
pugcrush
Well-Known Member
Ha, yea I knew someone would mention that & figured I'd have to expand on that. There's no need to stress them even further. Plus, when they're shipped from the other side of the world, the boxes probably won't go missing. There is some debate on the amount of loss from shipping fish from that far. I've read a thread somewhere that someone from the inside said it can be pretty bad. Granted this is the internet, so everything is true.
Dtackett
Valuable Member
not really cheaper for me. bigger selection to a point and all of my local shops give a great guarantee. factor shipping into the cost of the fish. unless youre saving 30+ dollars on a fish, or ordering 5-10 fish, its not cheaper than most lfs ive been to.
as for shipping to the LFS, youre correct. it has to be shipped. but when a distributor is shipping a hundred of fish to the same location, there Is great care in the packing. and they've been doing it for so long they know exactly how to maintain temp. but when youre ordering from some (not all, LA is a great place to order from year round) they don't have the experience to know. they don't run tests. I was watching an interview a while back and they said they actually sent out a package on a round trip several times with a thermometer and a small logging system so it measured the water temp throughout the trip and recorded it. they did this until they perfected how they packed the fish. think it was segrest farms doing the interview
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That's not the shipping I'm referring to. A LFS generally gets thier fish from a domestic wholesaler. When you order from LiveAquaria, a wholesaler ships directly to the customer. Point is, they go through the same amount of shipping regardless how they arrive in your tank.
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Definitely agree that it all depends where you order from. You have a LFS that will refund your money if a fish dies a week later?? Never heard of it.....I can imagine any I've been to would tell me to stick it where the sun don't shine.
human
Active Member
If I'm ordering online in the winter I usually make arrangements to pick up my package at the closest UPS or FedEx facility so my order isn't stuck in a truck all day while they make their rounds. I live in the country so the closest lfs is over an hour drive. I've only ever had 1 doa and I was refunded all but shipping.
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If you really want to save money and you need a bunch of fish, buy directly from a diver.
Dtackett
Valuable Member
yeah, im not against ordering online, however I just don't do it. and all of my LFS have a guarantee of some kind. the main ones we goto wont even sell a sick fish. they actually QT the fish when they get them. same with coral. but if the fish gets sick and you do what they tell you to do, which is basically stick them in a qt tank, then yes they will replace the fish. one of my other LFS has a 14 day guarantee. you have to bring in the dead fish/coral and a water sample. they test it tell you if it was your parameters or not then replace or refund the fish.
OP
OP
p.pep85
got more salt then money
i love liveaquaria.com i used them in the past in warmer weather. thank you vary much!
rayn
Bluefin Believer
One other point I didn't see mentioned. Let them know in the comment section what the temp is on the day or so of arrival. No point packing heat for 20 degrees if it's fojngnto be 50. Or visa versa.
