Where To Buy Fish

[Inchworm]

Has anyone ever had experience with buying fish online or by mail order? I've always been afraid to do this. I've been lucky to have excellent local fish shops so it was never necessary, but I know others are not so fortunate. Also, I've seen fish for sale online that I've never seen locally.

I'd like to find out how you've helped the fish recover from the shipping process and adjust to the new water, etc.

Were you happy with your purchases?

 

[juanveldez]

there are others that would be able to answer this better than what I could but I have ordered fish online and they basically double bag the fish and add 100% oxygen to the water and ship them so that they don't move too much but they do say not to just dump the water in so I say float them and get the water temp up to you tanks water then net them and add them in. I have not really had a problem other than a dominace issue that ended up killing 3 of my fish.

 

[plecoguy]

ive ordered two female endlers from petfish.net, they were in perfect condition, i even found two babies that were in there by accident. They were packed in these breather bags, that way they dont need oxygen in the bag, thus less movement. Then they were put in styrofoam cups, and filled with packing peanuts. Thats it.

 

[cory]

I've only had experience with one online site(a really reputable one), my problem was with the amount charged for shipping, which was $25.00. Now that amount covered as many fish as I wanted, and I did have friends who ordered fish too, but who's usually gonna buy enough fish to make it worth while?

-Oh, and out of the 10 fish ordered, 7 survived-

Luckily, I have some great people near b,y who can pretty much get whatever I need.

 

[Inchworm]

When I buy fish locally they have been in the water from the pet shop tanks, which is probably from the same source mine is from, for at least a little while. The ph and hardness/softness is probably close to the water in my tanks. But water from a different state or country would likely be quite different, wouldn't it?

Would floating be enough? Wouldn't you have to slowly change the water they are in? And how would you manage this?

Coludn't the fish be exposed to extreme tempertures while in transit?

 

[KnuckleHead]

Ive had pretty good luck with recieving fish thru the mail. First time I recieved 13 marble angels from Florida that arrived in perfect condition. Second I recieved my breeding pair of koi angels last tuesday from New York. One of my koi had a hard time with the shipping but pulled thru great. They spawned for me yesterday afternoon. Most shippers will fast their fish a day or two to cut down on any ammonia that would build up in the bag. They use special shiiping bags that allow oxygen in the bags. Usualy they will be double bagged and sometimes triple bagged like in my case. Mail order is a great way to get species not available in your area and more then likely are far more healthier then lfs stock. Granted there are mishaps that happen along the way but a good seller will refund or ship you a replacement. The fish will generally cost about the same as lfs but the quality is worth the extra shipping charges. As far as acclimating the fish to your setup there are a few important steps.
1. Never just empty the contents directly into your tank.
2. Place contents with water they came in into a clean sterile bucket of some sort. 3. Slowly over the next few hours add a little of your tank water into the bucket. This will slowly acclimate the fish to your water parameters.
4. Always, I mean always, quarentine the new arrivals for at least 2 weeks. You dont want to introduce disease to your current occupants.

Im sure Ive missed several steps along the way and Im sure someone will add them. This is just the basics of mail order fish. I suggest you also talk to suppliers to gain more specific info not covered here. One last thing. Research, research and more research never hurts. Hope this helps.

 

[platypus]

Luckily, I have some great people near b,y who can pretty much get whatever I need.

cory you don't happen to live in south london do you?!

 

[Inchworm]

Thank you for your response, KnuckleHead. It was so comprehensive. I'll save it because one of these days I'll probably be tempted to buy fish by mail order. I've seen some very beautiful varieties on the internet.

 

[plecoguy]

on the extreme heat thing....when i ordered my enlers, they were shipped on a saturday, and didnt arrive till wed. in 100+ degree weather, so i think they did pretty good.

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

In the UK, I have used a company called Tri-Mar. Fish arrived the next day in good condition. Still going strong 7 months later.

For the states you could try www.cichlidmaster.com

 

[CFC]

Tri mar are very good for those in the UK, ive recieved 4 fish from them over the last few months and all have been in excellent health and arrived exactly when they were supposed to. If you are after something unusual and your lfs like mine just arent interested in trying to find them for you then they are well worth a look, their stocklist is updated weekly too so if its not there the first time keep looking, you might come up lucky.

 

[smb]

Inchworm, I would have no problem at all buying fish online if it were from a reputable breeder like Jeff Rapps or cichlidmaster.

Infact, I would prefer it as I KNOW they are taken good care of and disease free.

I don't know of any lfs that has the stock that they do.

 

[kelpie]

Here you can see 100's of aquarium fish for sale from here.

 

[markandhisfish]

personally i dont like the idea of mail ordering fish. i mean i know thats must be how they get to the shops but its more because i like to select my own fish. i stand in front of thge tank and watch the fish for a good 10 mins. this way not only can you check for abvious diseases but also i like to choose the best looking 1 in the tank, with mail order you cant do tjis

 

[lilfishie]

Sep 4 2003, 10:33 PM