Mail Order Coral & Fish

spafeature

spafeature

Member
What have peoples experience been w/mail order coral and fish.
I've purchased snails mail order and was happy, but am a bit skeptical about fisha nd coral.
Can purchase limited selection of coral from LFS, but it's more expensive (especially if I buy 3 or 4 things at once).
Dont' need to name specific places==just want overall opinions.
Thanks!
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Well.. I've only done it once from this site.. and it was alright for the most part.. the corals were way better than I expected them to be.. the fish was much larger than they said it would be and the shrimp I ordered was DOA and they have yet to inform me on any reimbursment yet... :p
Just kinda sucks not knowing what you're getting.
 
chazz66

chazz66

Member
I have ordered on line through a few different sites and all have worked out well. Some vendors will drop their shipping prices now that the weather is warming up. I have ordered mostly zoo's but have also got live rock,snails and hermits shipped to me. :D
 
itchy

itchy

Member
I order most of my stuff from this site and have had great luck. I have only had one fish DOA and they gave me a credit for my next purchase. Just now getting into corals and have bought a few, so far so goood. True you don't get to hand pick but the quality has been much better for me as opposed to getting them from local LFS.
 
gkl

gkl

Member
I recently purchased a few things from this site and had a DOA cleaner shrimp and my yellow pygmy angel croaked one day later. It looked really skinny when I put it in the tank, hid the whole time and found it dead the following morning. Really sucks.
 
G

glaekenjz

Guest
I have ordered online twice, and both times I have had little success. This last time that I ordered, I had two clownfish die with enough time to mail them back for a refund, but as soon as the refund period was up, two more died, and the other three fish that I ordered look really sick. You can get some really good deals, but be aware that alot of fish can't handle the stress of being shipped. At the LFS at least you can see your exact fish before you buy it.
 
cbarnes

cbarnes

Member
I have ordered fish/inverts and LR online from another site. The live rock was beautiful--better than expected---just had a problem b/c i didn't know to cure it again when it arrived--my own stuipd mistake. Only had 1 fish DOA. Had a few fish die w/in a week--but again that was my stuipdity and the stuipdity of my LF guy that services my tank b/c the day after they arrived we did a water change and removed the damsels and I just think it was way to much stress on them--also put in too many fish at one time. But the company that I dealt w/ was VERY understanding and credited me back for everything no questions asked as well as gave me 1/2 of shipping rate back. They are a VERY reputable co. I have been VERY happy w/ them and they have a GREAT selection and very good prices. Also the prices were more than 1/2 that of my LFS - of coarse the only problem is you don't get to see them b/f you buy them. Also, another quick note after 1 1/2 weeks I thought one of my fish wasn't doing well and I called them and they said if still looks bad at end of 2 wk gaurantee call them and they would extend guarantee for nothing!! I though that was impressive.
Hope that helped.
CMB
(edit: Providing email for this use is a violation of the terms of use of the board, thanks)
 
funkyman

funkyman

Member
I bought shipped coral frags from 5 or 6 different sources, all from a well known auction site. I don't think I will do it anymore. Approximately 25% of them ended up dieing after a week or two from stress or fungus. The frag prices were great, but once the freight and die off was factored in, it's more logical to just get your coral from a LFS or other local source. At least that's been my experience.
 
cbarnes

cbarnes

Member
since my e-mail address got kicked off for whatever reason I will give you the name of the vendor that has been so great. [LINK VIOLATION] I have nothing to say but great things about thier stock and customer service. They have been wonderful!! :joy: :joy:
[EDIT: Out of respect to the owner and operator of this site, please do not post links to competitors, Thanks!]
 
cbarnes

cbarnes

Member
I am sorry orphria---I hope I did not make anyone angry. This website has been full of great info for me!!! I am sorry if I offended you or anyone else that monitors this website. I just wanted to give my experience thus far. you expecially have been a tremendous help w/ questins that I have had and I hope not to lose that.
Thanks
CMB
 
ctgretzky9

ctgretzky9

Member
I won't ever order again online. Minimum order amount and the imaginary charges make it a non-value in my opinion. The only fish I ever had die were from an online retailer. I like being able to go to LFS and pick and choose myself. I would order dry goods from online though.
 
cbarnes

cbarnes

Member
Thanks ophuria---and sorry I never spell ur name rite :) . you really have been a big help as well as most of the other members on this board. Unfortunately, I have not had the experience of ordreing from sw.c so I could not comment on that. I could only comment on other experiences. Thanks for understanding.

hope to get more great advice from you in the future.
:jumping:
CMB
PS--could you check out my thread on the reef board regarding my red tip hermit and give me any feedback---much appreciated.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
In this case, the original poster asked (smartly!) for general impressions, and not specifics on this store or others. Just if you felt comfortable overall or not. Which is a good way to handle it, IMO :D
 
cbarnes

cbarnes

Member
Understood. I have just had very good luck---I understand that is not always the case though. Sorry again. :yes:
CMB
 
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