Looking to Purchase Fish Online

[MD Guppies]

Hi All - 

I was hoping to buy fish on Aqua Huana's site, but they are practically out of all the fish that I would be interested in (freshwater for 29g or indoor 15g tub pond). I'm hesitant to purchase fish from someone on Ebay or Aqua Bid because I've never purchased fish online before so I'm looking for similar vendors to AH. Anyone have any advice?

Also, has anyone noticed how poor the fish are at Petsmart these days? So sad. If I had the space, I would have rescued those poor fishies.

Cheers

[Cory]

We don't promote other sellers here on this forum as it's a conflict of interest. However most sources of fish are going to be less than normal as the world wide transportation system is stressed beyond levels ever seen. There is far more cargo moving than ever, with less flights due to covid. Until things settle down, all retailers will struggle. We run into limits we can purchase, products out of stock for nearly a year etc. I still advise aquabid, as these are usually bred in country which is a boost when getting fish around the world is so difficult.

[PineSong]

I just recieved my first order from an Aquabid seller. Like buying on eBay, you can see feedback from people who've bought from that seller before, so you can feel somewhat comfortable that you'll get what you are ordering. 

I only considered sellers in the US and tried to find the closest one to me geographically to reduce transit time for the fish.

The fish arrived healthy and active this afternoon. The shipping I paid was nothing compared to the amount of time I would have spent driving from one store to another in search of the kind and number of fish I wanted. I went to four stores this past weekend looking for female guppies and only found two. The guy waiting ahead of me bought one. So, two hours and 25 miles of gas spent and one female guppy purchased. Paying shipping from Florida is quite literally cheaper!

 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Aquabid has gone well the vast majority of the times I’ve used it. Most of the time people try to make good if things don’t go well. 
Aquahuna is nice due to the shipping $ 12.95 is a bargain. 
I have not been impressed with the sellers on eBay. Poor communication and service. 
There are several places that are well regarded and if you DM me I can give you some of those sellers as they have a wider selection. 

[Kathy F]

What has been the most affective strategy for me is to get on our LFS website and read their shipment lists then head out there within 1-2 days of them releasing the desired fish from quarantine.   You can't delay more then 2 days because the fish will be gone.   Due to limited supply our LFS has even started allowing ordering while the fish are in quarantine although you have to wait until the fish are released from quarantine to pick them up.   My other way is I sometimes hit up a locally owned franchise pet store in a smaller metro area.   They aren't online and don't get much foot traffic so they are usually well stocked and even though they are small, the tanks are clean and the fish have been healthy.    I do have a few online sources I trust, they are all fairly small businesses but have a good reputation.   Be careful with shipping if you buy online.   Shipping has been delayed at times due to pandemic/volume after lossing an entire shipment of guppies I no longer buy online anymore unless I can have the fish overnighted to me with a guaranteed arrival date.     

ETA:   I forgot one other tip, ask your store when they put out their shipment of fish for the week and make sure you get there after they stock so you can get a good selection.   

Edited August 19, 2021 by Kathy F

[MD Guppies]

I appreciate all the insights and totally understand the aspect of not being able to promote online/brick and mortar vendors. I would also love to support my local shops, but I haven't had too much success with them for varying reasons.

If I don't have success, I'll keep on working on breeding my guppies -- much to the dismay of my wife! '

@Cory - Appreciate the information. I've certainty gleamed from Aquarium Co-Op's videos how challenging it is to receive and move product. I suppose, this makes how quickly you guys ship out and get the products to customers all the more impressive!

[gardenman]

You have to be careful on sites like Aquabid, e-Bay, or Etsy these days as some sellers are now simply buying stock from overseas instead of selling stock they bred themselves.  Instead of buying a locally bred fish you can just be buying the same fish you could get at Petsmart. It's often cheaper, easier, and more profitable for sellers to just buy and resell fish than raise them. This is especially true of adult fish. Those selling fry are typically selling fish they've raised, but the adult fish sellers, eh, it gets a bit iffier buying those. There are people who made a reputation breeding their own fish and selling them who now have pretty much abandoned breeding their own and just buy wholesale and resell. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, unless they're misleading the buyer. Some guppies from Israel or Indonesia may be better than stuff raised locally. You just have to be a smart consumer.