Buying Livestock: Do you prefer to buy Online or in a fish store?

[krollins]

Buying Livestock: Do you prefer to buy Online or in a fish store?
I'll start. I prefer to buy from a fish store. At a fish store you can select the fish you want. Also, you can access the health of the fish. Finally, if you buy from a good store, employees can help you decide if a fish or coral is right for your tank.

 

[fish farmer]

Fish in person.

Corals wherever I can get them, usually online from known sellers.

 

[Silly clownfish]

So I take a hybrid approach: I plan out what I want then ask my trusted LFS to find it for me from one of his preferred sources. I don’t want to impulse buy something just because it is available. And this way I am not paying shipping on a single fish and can see it before I actually buy it. Yes, it sometimes means waiting a month or so for the right fish to come in, but that is ok.

Corals in trade at LFS, or other reef keepers.

That said, I have lost 2 great LFS in the last couple of years, so this is no longer an option.