L
lstt
Guest
do most of the people on this message board buy fish and other living things from saltwaterfish.com????
robchuck
Active Member
I can't speak for everyone, but when I place an order with Saltwaterfish.com, it's usually to replace dwindling areas of my cleanup crew, and I'll typically add in a fish or coral to the order.
But most of my livestock is aquired locally; either from a LFS or from other hobbyists.
But most of my livestock is aquired locally; either from a LFS or from other hobbyists.
guineawhop
Member
i would but i don't have enough money to buy any on this site as the minimum you are allowed to spend is almost 80 before you get free shipping. the only way i'd be able to afford it is if my friends pooled together to order fish.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Yeah, I have thought about doing a joint order with someone in my area but up to now, I have bought all of my stuff locally. I cannot afford to spend $79 at one time on livestock unless I was buying an expensive fish like a harlequin tusk, queen angel, or something along those lines.
lillibirdy
Member
I have wondered about that myself. If you make an order for several fish to get to the no shipping charge..., then how do you add to tank or QT all at once without overloading the bio load?
KathyW
KathyW
rubberduck
Active Member
they thing is i save and buy a little. but my Lfs i can find and pick out individual items that i like the look of. but i have had good success ordering from here!
jjlittle
Member
I have never bought fish online I like to look at the exact fish I am buying to make sure the color & health appear to be very healthy and in great shape I dont know if there fish come looking that way or not I just dont want to pay for a fish that I really didn't expect to look the way they send it meaning it could have a poor color or health problem yo have no control. I know they state there fish are healthy and all i just really dont want to risk it myself.
scubadoo
Active Member
I assume many folks frequent this site to buy fish/inverts and also frequent the boards. If you can buy the same animal locally, check for disease, eating etc, why would you purchase something you have never seen?
Many folks live in small towns where a trip to a fish store and the nearest big city can be quite lengthy. Factor in time, fuel, etc and purchasing something online is a better allternative from a csot/time factor.
If I an unable to see the animal, I would at least like the oppurtunity to chat with someone regarding the animal they will se sending. How long have you had it? What is it currently eating? Etc, Etc.
If you cannot do this then you are left to only guess what you will receive and the shape it will be in. Is it eating? If so, what is it eating?
Sites offering guarantees of days will certianly be carful at what they ship but you never know if someone is "having a bad day" and they take it out on your order.
One problem I have with most guarantess is that they will give you a credit on the cost of the animal but you will have to eat shipping which can be more then the original cost.
The best approach would be to pool and order from this site where you get free shipping if you purchase 79 bucks or more, . It is not really free as a 10 dollar additional charge is levied...still a good deal.
If this is not possible then you most buy from reputable sites offering gurantees beyond the opening of the box and hope you don't have to pay the shipping twice.
Even with shipping, this site is still cheaper then the one lfs store in my small town. ..on most animals.
Many folks live in small towns where a trip to a fish store and the nearest big city can be quite lengthy. Factor in time, fuel, etc and purchasing something online is a better allternative from a csot/time factor.
If I an unable to see the animal, I would at least like the oppurtunity to chat with someone regarding the animal they will se sending. How long have you had it? What is it currently eating? Etc, Etc.
If you cannot do this then you are left to only guess what you will receive and the shape it will be in. Is it eating? If so, what is it eating?
Sites offering guarantees of days will certianly be carful at what they ship but you never know if someone is "having a bad day" and they take it out on your order.
One problem I have with most guarantess is that they will give you a credit on the cost of the animal but you will have to eat shipping which can be more then the original cost.
The best approach would be to pool and order from this site where you get free shipping if you purchase 79 bucks or more, . It is not really free as a 10 dollar additional charge is levied...still a good deal.
If this is not possible then you most buy from reputable sites offering gurantees beyond the opening of the box and hope you don't have to pay the shipping twice.
Even with shipping, this site is still cheaper then the one lfs store in my small town. ..on most animals.
speg
Active Member
Well.. im a lucky one that happens to live 5 minutes from 4 different fish stores that all supply saltwater fish... though I still order online.. why you ask? Well i'll tell you.. when I want something.. when I have my mind set on something.... I want it NOW. It is just the way I am. Online ordering feeds my craving due to having just about anything I could want always right at my finger tips.. sure you gotta pay shipping.. but you get that piece of coral that you've been looking for rather than waiting for 5 months for it to finally show up the fish store.
I so far have ordered from 3 different sites online. saltwaterfish.com being one of them.. I will honestly say my purchase with saltwaterfish.com while not being perfect.. has been the best out of all 3 so far =c)
I so far have ordered from 3 different sites online. saltwaterfish.com being one of them.. I will honestly say my purchase with saltwaterfish.com while not being perfect.. has been the best out of all 3 so far =c)
itchy
Member
I agree with Speg. I have bought from 2 different sites and everything I have bought from Saltwaterfish.com has been much better quality and health wise. I have only had one DOA and they replaced that for me. Now the thing with replacement is you have to wait until your next order to get the item and it does not count towards the 79.00 minimum order. It is a catch 22.
I try to buy online because most of the LFS here are terrible. Fish are diseased and corals look like poop and I get no quarantee from any LFS locally. Thats my .02.
I try to buy online because most of the LFS here are terrible. Fish are diseased and corals look like poop and I get no quarantee from any LFS locally. Thats my .02.
speg
Active Member
Yeah most of the online fish places give you a great guarantee period.
I asked a LFS owner how long they would guarantee a fish that I wanted to buy there... he said 24 hours and i'd have to bring a water sample in.. I said what about the corals/inverts? His response was - no guarantee on those, sorry.
I've seen online places that offer up to 14 day guarantees.. thats awesome.
I asked a LFS owner how long they would guarantee a fish that I wanted to buy there... he said 24 hours and i'd have to bring a water sample in.. I said what about the corals/inverts? His response was - no guarantee on those, sorry.
I've seen online places that offer up to 14 day guarantees.. thats awesome.
chelle
Member
I have ordered online alot of fish. I have found that it is VERY important to throughly acclimate the fish before you put them in a tank. I have even doubled my acclimation time if I feel the animal has been shipped for a while. So to me the trick is being patient. Where I live there really isnt any real good LFS, I could drive a hour or so, but the guarantee most online stores is so much better anyway.
Just My experience
Chelle
Just My experience
Chelle
cougar
Member
I have purchased a lot from online, always like the guarantee that the lfs don't have. Yes I make sure to take advantage of the free shipping, make sure your order is just above the free shipping limit. Add a couple extra snails or crabs. I hate buying an expensive fish with no gaurantee. The good thing is with swf.com I have never needed to use the gaurantee on an expensive fish, only a green chromis and a lobster. I have lost a lot more from LFS.