setting up new tank,what are your experiences buying fish on line?

[davidlynch]

Hello! I am a brand new hobbyist and need a lot of help. Please share your experiences on buying fish on line,both pro and con.
Thanks! DAVID

 

[beth]

I do not have a local fish store in my area, just a pet shop that sells some fish and items. And the pickings and quality is poor. Therefore, I had to go to online purchansing. At first all I bought was dry goods, bulk salt, equiptment, supplies, etc. Excellent experience, and cheaper. the variety is endless. Many places even end up sending monthly catelogs. Customer service was better than at the local place and the prices are significantly reduced compared to the local shops.
Then, when I set up my reef tank, I had to take the plunge and start buying livestock online because I just was not going to get stuff locally. I got my live rock and half of my live sand from this site; I was very pleased with the quality. I've gotten corals from this site, as well as others; I've always been pleased. I've gotten fish and other inverts from this site as well as other sites. No complaints, everything is shipped well. One thing about this site is the free shipping for only $79. You can not find a better deal at any other place.....and I have looked.
Overall, if it was not for online shopping, I would not have never been able to set up a reef tank. Very happy with the experience.
Hope you enjoy your time at Saltwaterfish.com!

 

[saltisuzi]

I order EVERYTHING online!! The local pet shops are more expensive and the quality of ANY livestock....well...I wouldn't put it in MY tank!!
Since this site is sponsored by a merchant, I guess I am not supposed to sing the praises of another online fishstore?? If someone says it's ok I can recommend a great one!

 

[duke13]

The only disadvantage of purchasing online is that you don't get to see the livestock before you buy it so sometimes you'll get juvenile sized livestock. Other than that, you can't beat the price of online sites and customer service of certain ones are outstanding.

 

[sailfin]

I have not had one fish that I purchased online die. That is a better success rate than with the LFS'. I feel that the online guys flat out take better care of the items they have. Most LFS around here get their fish straight from the ocean. Survival rate is really low. Just my $0.02.
BTW, this site has awesome deals and great looking livestock.
Keep a reefin' :happyfish

 

[t n h]

have bought from this site several times with great success with corals and fish. love their deal on free shipping cant hardly beat it

 

[dacia]

From this website, I have purchased 100 pounds of live rock, various sponges, many many inverts including all my lovely astrea snails, and a couple of fish.
I have no complaints whatsoever with the critters that I bought. I only wish that ALL of them were available all the time instead of displaying "wish list" for some of the ones that I really want...
However, the quality of what you get is excellent, and the customer service is great. And, unlike my LFS, there's nobody going to answer this question "Can I add another yellow tang to my 55 gallon tank?" with this answer "as long as you buy a small one." I actually heard that at my LFS. The woman would probably try to sell you a bottlenosed dolphin for a 75 gallon tank as long as it had enough room to wiggle its tail fin...

 

[jasonk]

i have bought 3 fish, 1 BTA, and a bunch of snails and crabs from this site and never had a single problem. I think when buying online, it's always a good idea to talk to people who regularly use the site to make sure they're trustworthy, and this one is!!