buying fish online

[Michelle3]

After a 7-year hiatus I decided to restart my saltwater tank. My tank is fully cycled. I purchased four fish from the pet store and for the past 6 weeks they have been doing well. Now, I would like to add a few more, but it is four hours RT to/from the pet store and their selection is very limited. To have a better selection, and to save the driving, I have been looking at buying online. Is it safe? Are the fish healthy? Its intimidating not to be able to see the fish in person before buying. What if they have ick? Are there any online stores that you recommend? Which stores have the healthiest fish?

 

[blaxsun]

Is it safe? Generally, yes. In terms of fish health this can really depend on the online vendor, delays in shipping, etc. Basically a multitude of factors. The vast majority (if not all) online fish vendors will have some sort of live arrival guarantee. Sometimes this will extend out 24-48 hours after arrival. You should inquire with your local store to see if they can special order in any particular fish that they may not regularly stock. Often they can.

Ich is an unfortunately reality. You should plan for it eventually making its way to your tank via a fish or invert and make the necessary QT arrangements (especially when purchasing fish online). There are numerous threads that detail what's involved in setting up a basic QT setup and various methods of treatment, ie: observation, copper, tank to tank, hypersalinity, etc.

I don't know what the type or size of your tank is, but a UV sterilizer is another option that many recommend.

 

[jfoahs04]

After a 7-year hiatus I decided to restart my saltwater tank. My tank is fully cycled. I purchased four fish from the pet store and for the past 6 weeks they have been doing well. Now, I would like to add a few more, but it is four hours RT to/from the pet store and their selection is very limited. To have a better selection, and to save the driving, I have been looking at buying online. Is it safe? Are the fish healthy? Its intimidating not to be able to see the fish in person before buying. What if they have ick? Are there any online stores that you recommend? Which stores have the healthiest fish?

Just like physical stores, most of the answers to your questions will vary depending on which online vendor you're using. Some are better than others.

"Safe" is hard to answer. Are you in a remote area? How do the different shipping services do in terms of reaching you on time? With fish shipments, there's really no room for delays. If your UPS Next Day Air delivery turns into 48 hours because you're in the sticks and weather was iffy, it's not safe at all. But if shipping is generally good/on time, you'll probably be alright. Just be cognizant of the time of year (avoid ordering during the holiday season as delays are common) and the weather (try to avoid ordering if it'll be shipped during extreme heat/cold or weather that could cause delays).

Fish health depends entirely on the vendor. Personally, I have only purchased through vendors that have a quarantine process. Dr. Reef is my personal favorite. I also like TSM Aquatics and I've had luck with Diver's Den (though I rate it 3rd of this bunch and avoid the standard Live Aquaria section). On top of treating fish for normal ailments like ick, flukes, velvet, etc. (you should still QT anyway), buying pre-quarantined fish ensures that the fish is doing OK an an aquarium environment (not hiding a disease, eating, etc.). It's not perfect, but it's a safer bet than most other options. Some online stores (like Divers Den) have a "What you see is what you get" option if you want to actually see the specific fish you're getting.

 

[Michelle3]

I have been looking into a small UV sterilizer. There are so many on Amazon, and the reviews are all over the place. Is there a trusted brand that is not too expensive that you recommend?

 

[Michelle3]

Just like physical stores, most of the answers to your questions will vary depending on which online vendor you're using. Some are better than others.

"Safe" is hard to answer. Are you in a remote area? How do the different shipping services do in terms of reaching you on time? With fish shipments, there's really no room for delays. If your UPS Next Day Air delivery turns into 48 hours because you're in the sticks and weather was iffy, it's not safe at all. But if shipping is generally good/on time, you'll probably be alright. Just be cognizant of the time of year (avoid ordering during the holiday season as delays are common) and the weather (try to avoid ordering if it'll be shipped during extreme heat/cold or weather that could cause delays).

Fish health depends entirely on the vendor. Personally, I have only purchased through vendors that have a quarantine process. Dr. Reef is my personal favorite. I also like TSM Aquatics and I've had luck with Diver's Den (though I rate it 3rd of this bunch and avoid the standard Live Aquaria section). On top of treating fish for normal ailments like ick, flukes, velvet, etc. (you should still QT anyway), buying pre-quarantined fish ensures that the fish is doing OK an an aquarium environment (not hiding a disease, eating, etc.). It's not perfect, but it's a safer bet than most other options. Some online stores (like Divers Den) have a "What you see is what you get" option if you want to actually see the specific fish you're getting.

Thank you, this is very helpful

 

[Michelle3]

Thank you, this is very helpful
I do live in the "sticks" and had worried about the stress on the fish during a long shipping trip.

 

[vetteguy53081]

After a 7-year hiatus I decided to restart my saltwater tank. My tank is fully cycled. I purchased four fish from the pet store and for the past 6 weeks they have been doing well. Now, I would like to add a few more, but it is four hours RT to/from the pet store and their selection is very limited. To have a better selection, and to save the driving, I have been looking at buying online. Is it safe? Are the fish healthy? Its intimidating not to be able to see the fish in person before buying. What if they have ick? Are there any online stores that you recommend? Which stores have the healthiest fish?

You have to be careful who you buy from
Review their warranty and DOA policy
Request video of fish eating
Assure they are shipping when temperatures are favorable and Never have items arrive on Monday or Friday or Holiday weeks

 

[Tamberav]

I have been looking into a small UV sterilizer. There are so many on Amazon, and the reviews are all over the place. Is there a trusted brand that is not too expensive that you recommend?

small UV isn’t really what you want for parasites. Parasites are much larger than bacteria and take certain flow rate and contact time. Even then it isn’t a cure and fish can still get sick.

You can certainly get ich or velvet from many online stores just as you can a LFS.

You can’t personally observe and pick out fish in person so the options when buying online:

1. Pay premium and buy form quarantine venders

2. Quarantine yourself

3. Add directly to DT and pray

 

[Lyss]

Yes, buy from vendors that quarantine the fish like TSM, etc. Another option is to buy direct from someplace like Biota -- it is still recommended that you QT for observation, but when the fish are shipping straight from their facility to you the risk is very low.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I'm basically just restating what Lyss beat me to saying above, but buying from quarantine vendors or directly from aquaculture facilities is a good route for online ordering (it is still possible to get ich/velvet even with them, but I don't think I've ever personally seen someone get either from a reputable QT vendor or an aquaculture facility).

The safest route (which would let you deal with any diseases that may come with the fish) regardless of where of you order from is to have your own quarantine/observation tank to observe/treat the fish in before you add them to the display tank. This way, if one of the fish does come in sick, you can treat it without killing your CUC/Corals or med sensitive fish. Plus, having the spare tank comes in handy for things like removing problem fish until you can rehome them, dealing with fish aggression, injuries/infections, etc.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Ocean devotion does pre-QT and also have non-qt fish if you don't care/do your own. They are on the humblefish list so I'd say they are fairly safe. I also ordered a springer's damsel from bluezoo that came very healthy to my door despite unexpected cold weather. Just finished HTTM for quarantine a day ago and it's looking good so far. It never showed any symptoms of anything, though, and went right into the qt tank as though it owned the place. I would order from them again 100%. Too many horror stories from LA these days and hardly anyone but them and bluezoo have a really big catalog.

 

[redfishreef96]

It's a roll of the dice when getting any fish from non-QT vendor, some survive...some don't. Best to setup QT tank and medicate/observe fish yourself, otherwise pay for a professional to do it for you. Best of luck with your fish.

 

[Lavey29]

Stay away from Elliot at Marine Collectors. Multiple people including myself received poor quality fish from him which were dead in 48 hours. Over priced and extremely poor quality service.

 

[redfishreef96]

Well there you go...even more of a crap shoot.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Nyaquatics.
I'll look for some.more I would buy from...
D

 

[Michelle3]

This has been so informative and helpful. Thank you for taking the time to respond and for all the great advice.

 

[Jacaine]

After losing 2k in fish! Qt. Is cheap and stress relieving.

 

[aggrofish]

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