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Recomendations for online fish purchasing


IHOctopus
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I happen to live in Indianapolis where Aquatic Arts is located. They are an online store but locals can arrange to pick up the order. I have been very happy with the quality of the fish and plants I've purchased from them. Like AquaHuna they are frequently sold out, but you have the option to be notified when new stock is in. I've only waited a week for the stock. I haven't checked any other online sellers, so I don't know how competitive Aquatic Arts is with shipping. I've paid much less for plants, inverts, and fish than the other lfs here. My most recent purchase was Hillstream Loaches for $15 each. 

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On 12/13/2022 at 4:17 PM, IHOctopus said:

That's actually the only one I've looked at, they do seem to be sold out of a lot of fish.

I have only ordered fish from them once, but it was a good experience.  Put your email in to be told when the fish are back in stock, in my experience they seem to be 2 or 3 days out and then back in stock at least the ones I was interested in. 

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I second the suggestion for the Wet Spot. I order almost all of my fish because I live in rural Washington state. Used them multiple times and haven't had a DOA with them yet. Aquatic Arts is pretty good too. Only reason I don't use them as much as the first is that shipping is cheaper for me from the first because of location.

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On 12/14/2022 at 12:45 PM, Pepere said:

local Petco gets fish on Wednesday and they are largely sold out by Thursday evening…

My lfs has 15% off every fish on Tuesday because Wed they get their new fish in. On the bright side those fish have been in a tank for a week in the store so they are probably in good health. 

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Always ask about their quarantine protocol, no matter who the seller is - unless you are fortunate enough to buy from a breeder. 

Can't count the times I've been @ Petco, Petsmart, etc and saw the dreaded "we have Ick and are now treating our fish" signs.

And I'm sure there are times they don't inform the customer.

"shudder"

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Several people have mentioned Aquabid.  I've been to that site a number of times but never used it.  I went there earlier today and found a listing I'm very interested in, so I registered.  I'm waiting for the confirmation email with my password before I can proceed.

In the meantime I have a question I'm hoping someone can answer.  I can't find anything about shipping costs on this particular listing, though I've seen it on others.  Will that information be available if I choose "Buy it now", or do I need to ask the seller first?

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I also live in an area without much in the way of lfs.  I've ordered from Aquatic Arts with good success several times.  I also recently purchased from Dan's Fish and was very happy.  They bag each fish individually and ship overnight.  Yes, the shipping cost is high, but the fish get here quickly which is important.  One nice thing is Aquatic Arts sometimes has nice sales which help.  

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On 12/14/2022 at 11:45 AM, Pepere said:

I have looked at several places other than Aqua Huna and found shipping VERY expensive in the $40.00 plus range.  And many of them will only refudn for doa so long as you email within 1 maybe 2 hours of first delivery attempt.

 

if first delivery attempt is a failure, no refund.  What if delivery service attempted at the wrong address?

 

no refund for fish that are technically alive but obviously stressed, sick?

I have not had much confidence in many of  their guarantees…

I received 1 shipment of three American Flag Fish where 1 was in serious distress upon arrival and died with 24 hours and a 2nd died the next day. These fish were shipped same day I placed order so liklihood of their being fasted before shipping was not great.  Obvious ammonia burns to skin and fins..

 

but they were technically alive when they showed up so “No Soup for you!”

 

I will admit to being less than enamored with the entire fish purchasing experience over all.

local Petco gets fish on Wednesday and they are largely sold out by Thursday evening…so if you want to buy fish there you are getting them same day… recent purchase of 8 Serpae Tetras resulted in 6 deaths….

 

You make some excellent points. Customer service is a big deal too and my experiences with aquahuna has been amazing in that regard. I haven't had to deal with customer service with other sites so I can't speak for that but I know for sure aquahuna will make it right if something is wrong!  Their shipping prices aren't bad too!  The only reason I look elsewhere is variety. Sometimes I need something they don't have or I want both fish and plants and don't want to pay shipping for 2 orders. Otherwise aquahuna is by far my #1 pick. 

Edited by Cinnebuns
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My experiences have also been mixed in terms of customer service, but this is to be expected in any industry or hobby marketplace or whatever.  I've not had any bad experiences buying online, just some vendors are better than others on the customer service end of things.

To be honest, and I hate to say this, my only truly bad experiences come from buying fish locally from the LFS's near me. I feel bad saying that, but it's true. 

Dan's Fish is excellent in all regards. Highly recommend. Top notch. However, they are a tad more pricey than other online sellers.  But . . . . you do get what you pay for. You want excellent healthy fish, delivered fast and alive and backed by a very helpful, knowledgable staff who will assist you should things not meet your expectations, you have to pay a little more for that.

Their shipping rates are comparatively decent in my experience. 

Edited by tolstoy21
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On 12/14/2022 at 3:51 PM, JettsPapa said:

Several people have mentioned Aquabid.  I've been to that site a number of times but never used it.  I went there earlier today and found a listing I'm very interested in, so I registered.  I'm waiting for the confirmation email with my password before I can proceed.

In the meantime I have a question I'm hoping someone can answer.  I can't find anything about shipping costs on this particular listing, though I've seen it on others.  Will that information be available if I choose "Buy it now", or do I need to ask the seller first?

I ordered from there one time. They use standard priority mail and all shipping was listed as 12.99. This was a 2+ years ago so that may have gone up a bit. 

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On 12/13/2022 at 4:59 PM, IHOctopus said:

My LFS has a really small selection, and I'd like to branch out. 

If it's a good LFS otherwise but just has a small selection, it's worth asking if they can special order whatever species you're looking for. My LFS does that, and they're better equipped to deal with shipped fish than I am.

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 I have always try to get fish good for my area water ,,,  and always try to get them from the store i go to  to keep them in business  i travel 2 hours to the store  the  fish store i go to is very small and only carry full time fish that is good for our  type  water in our area  or what sells the best but they will special order  for you if you are looking for something special you might be able to ask your store   if they will special order  

mine you have to allow time for them to order and get them in and quarantine them  but i know my fish are good and healthy before bringing them home been going to the same store 15-16 years 

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