Cheapest most reliable place to buy fish?

fishykid9212 · 04/26/2006, 03:34 PM

Hi I went to the pet store today and there is no way I am going to pay those high prices. I was wondering if anyone know a place (with a garantee of course) thats reliable and cheap. I was thinking saltwaterfish.com since if I spen $80.00 it free shipping. What does everyone think?

andiruleu · 04/26/2006, 03:38 PM

check your LFS
you can always get deals there..

ste6168 · 04/26/2006, 03:40 PM

i wouldnt order any livestock online except for clean up crew (snails and hermits) I do not know how much the pices are jacked up around you, but i am willing to pay the premium prices for fish around my area becuase, IMO it is worth being able to see the fish, observe it eating, and watch its behavior before you buy it.

Mike

DitchPlains2 · 04/26/2006, 03:43 PM

Saltwaterfish.com is great I have ordered 3 fish from them including a week ago for a Flame Angel.

Its a good place, not excellent but for the money its very reasonable.

David

fishykid9212 · 04/26/2006, 03:51 PM

well the thing is the prices are outrageous, I mean porcupine pufer is 80$ then theres lions that are 80$ these are just a few examples, oh its also 93$ for a bucket of kent salt

fishykid9212 · 04/26/2006, 03:53 PM

saltwaterfish.com look the best with the garantee, are they reasonable on the garantee? And also its free shipping after 80$ but there 14.99 porcupine puffers are a better deal than my LFS 80$ porcupine puffers

ste6168 · 04/26/2006, 03:55 PM

Im not saying you shouldnt order from them, but those prices do not seem that off the wall for a LFS, those are about the same as around me... maybe a couple dollars higher. I have ordered snails from liveaquaria.com and they are very good with customer service.

smatter · 04/26/2006, 04:06 PM

I prefer to observe fish before I purchase them. Most LFS treat loyal customers well and I like to support local business. Don't get me wrong, I like to save a buck, but were not talking about detergent here.

MCary · 04/26/2006, 04:49 PM

I've ordered from Saltwaterfish, liveaquaria, and marinedepotlive. I've had good luck with all three. Live aquaria has a great gaurantee, and there's no hassle. I called about a bleached pociolopora and they credited me on the spot. I had a Naso die within the gaurantee period, called and they credited me. Everything from all three places was very healthy and the size they said it would be.

DecoyDave · 04/26/2006, 05:42 PM

I would also go with Live Aquaria. I have ordered roughly 10 fish, 6 shrimp, and over 100 snails and 50 hermits, and not one death has occured, except for the hermits eating the snails, and themselves. Not one fish arrived sick, got sick, or wasnt eating when it arrived. They are the BEST imo.

mnmsea · 04/26/2006, 05:52 PM

we have ordered from Live aquaria and had mixed luck. We had purchaed a clownfish,jawfish and a clowngobey which did very well. but we did also order (different shipment) two cardinal fish which died at about 12 days. They gave us a full refund of the cost of the fish. Of course I was out the shipping costs. I haven't tried the LFS yet. No matter what, if you quaranteen, you eliminate a lot of risk to your existing fish.

xdusty6920 · 04/26/2006, 06:37 PM

ive hears some super shady stuff about saltwaterfish.com. check the vendors feedback forum and youll see what i mean. the fact they dont have a posted telephone number tells me alot. but thats just me. liveaquaria is good and will stand up and take account when a mishap occurs.
i disagree with paying 4x the cost of the cost of the fish just to support an lfs. i understand thier will be some overhead but when it gets to the point were they are trying to pay half of thier power bill with each sell, i'll go elsewhere. they have to try and make at least some effort to keep prices competitive.
plain and simple. if your lfs knows more about ringing your fish up then they know about your fish........find another place that offers what your looking for. there are several online places that are just as reliable as an lfs but at a fraction of the cost.

pledosophy · 04/27/2006, 12:10 PM

I think you will get better anwsers if you post your location and duplicate this thread in your local area forum.

There is a good chance that someone there will no of a store you don't.

sttroyiii · 04/27/2006, 01:18 PM

You can look for a club in your area and ask if they get discounts. Some LFS will give discounts to clubs (~10%).

MCary · 04/27/2006, 01:44 PM

I help the local fish store by buying online. Its simple economics. I could not afford this hobby without buying the inexpensive items available online. Therefore without the online availability I would not be into reefing and I would buy nothing at the LFS. As it is, I buy items at the LFS and make special trips for fish food, medications, carbon and filter media's etc. This sometimes leads to an impulse purchase of other things, like maybe a fish I got to have. Never feel guilty about getting the best price. You're doing everyone a favor.

Mike

NewSchool04 · 04/27/2006, 02:09 PM

saltwaterfish.com is good but if you have any problems, you don't get a credit, you get a credit for that fish. That means on your next order with them you can get that fish, which means you have to order again.

asfullax · 04/27/2006, 02:21 PM

liveaquaria or basically anything with drfostersmiths. They have treated me wonderfully.

Only one death with the thousands of dollars I have spent with them and they shipped out a new one the same day I recieved the dead one and did not charge additional shipping (Although it was an $80 fish)

I have always gotten a live person every time I have called and they seem to be knowledgable about the trade.

I only have one LFS here that I trust, but unfortunatly they only stock "Common" fish such as yellow tangs and hawkfish. and they arent the best at special ordering because you pay up front and the fish is yours regardless of what it looks like when it arrives, which IMO defeates the purpose of using a LFS to see the livestock.

DitchPlains2 · 04/28/2006, 10:16 AM

with each place you order from, some do right, some do horribly wrong.

As afar as a gurantee?? In the words of Tommy Boy, "I can take a dump in a box and mark it guranteed if you want, I have free time!"

David

fish_taste_good · 04/28/2006, 10:25 AM

drsfostersmith owns me.

They are great. I loved them since they were / bought pet warehouse.

Man, petwarehouse used to have some killer deals. Guess thats why they were bought

Tava176 · 04/28/2006, 12:09 PM

Cheap?? Reliable?? buy from a local reeefer. I would rather get a fish or coral from a local reffer than an LFS anyday!

04/26/2006, 03:34 PM	#1
fishykid9212 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southern NH Posts: 1,470	Cheapest most reliable place to buy fish? Hi I went to the pet store today and there is no way I am going to pay those high prices. I was wondering if anyone know a place (with a garantee of course) thats reliable and cheap. I was thinking saltwaterfish.com since if I spen $80.00 it free shipping. What does everyone think?

04/26/2006, 03:43 PM	#4
DitchPlains2 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: DIRTY JERZ Posts: 586	not a bad spot Saltwaterfish.com is great I have ordered 3 fish from them including a week ago for a Flame Angel. Its a good place, not excellent but for the money its very reasonable. David

04/27/2006, 12:10 PM	#13
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	I think you will get better anwsers if you post your location and duplicate this thread in your local area forum. There is a good chance that someone there will no of a store you don't. __________________ 120g mixed reef 90g QT

04/27/2006, 02:09 PM	#16
NewSchool04 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Go Bears! Posts: 7,629	saltwaterfish.com is good but if you have any problems, you don't get a credit, you get a credit for that fish. That means on your next order with them you can get that fish, which means you have to order again. __________________ 180 w/ Tek 8 bulb T5 fixture 2 6105 Tunze w/ 7095 controller Tunze Wave Box

04/27/2006, 02:21 PM	#17
asfullax Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: albuquerque, NM Posts: 415	liveaquaria or basically anything with drfostersmiths. They have treated me wonderfully. Only one death with the thousands of dollars I have spent with them and they shipped out a new one the same day I recieved the dead one and did not charge additional shipping (Although it was an $80 fish) I have always gotten a live person every time I have called and they seem to be knowledgable about the trade. I only have one LFS here that I trust, but unfortunatly they only stock "Common" fish such as yellow tangs and hawkfish. and they arent the best at special ordering because you pay up front and the fish is yours regardless of what it looks like when it arrives, which IMO defeates the purpose of using a LFS to see the livestock. __________________ 129 Reef, Custom Cree LED Lighting, 2x54w T5HO, Bubble Magus BM-Curve 7, 55Gal sump - fuge, Iwaki MD40RLXT, Vortech MP40, multiple Hydor's - born 5/1/16 Current Tank Info: 2.5yr old, 129 Mixed Reef

04/26/2006, 03:38 PM	#2
andiruleu Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 631	check your LFS you can always get deals there..

04/26/2006, 03:40 PM	#3
ste6168 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,066	i wouldnt order any livestock online except for clean up crew (snails and hermits) I do not know how much the pices are jacked up around you, but i am willing to pay the premium prices for fish around my area becuase, IMO it is worth being able to see the fish, observe it eating, and watch its behavior before you buy it. Mike

04/26/2006, 03:51 PM	#5
fishykid9212 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southern NH Posts: 1,470	well the thing is the prices are outrageous, I mean porcupine pufer is 80$ then theres lions that are 80$ these are just a few examples, oh its also 93$ for a bucket of kent salt

04/26/2006, 03:53 PM	#6
fishykid9212 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southern NH Posts: 1,470	saltwaterfish.com look the best with the garantee, are they reasonable on the garantee? And also its free shipping after 80$ but there 14.99 porcupine puffers are a better deal than my LFS 80$ porcupine puffers

04/26/2006, 03:55 PM	#7
ste6168 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,066	Im not saying you shouldnt order from them, but those prices do not seem that off the wall for a LFS, those are about the same as around me... maybe a couple dollars higher. I have ordered snails from liveaquaria.com and they are very good with customer service.

04/26/2006, 04:06 PM	#8
smatter Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 2,055	I prefer to observe fish before I purchase them. Most LFS treat loyal customers well and I like to support local business. Don't get me wrong, I like to save a buck, but were not talking about detergent here.

04/26/2006, 04:49 PM	#9
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	I've ordered from Saltwaterfish, liveaquaria, and marinedepotlive. I've had good luck with all three. Live aquaria has a great gaurantee, and there's no hassle. I called about a bleached pociolopora and they credited me on the spot. I had a Naso die within the gaurantee period, called and they credited me. Everything from all three places was very healthy and the size they said it would be.

04/26/2006, 05:42 PM	#10
DecoyDave Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Vacaville, CA Posts: 26	I would also go with Live Aquaria. I have ordered roughly 10 fish, 6 shrimp, and over 100 snails and 50 hermits, and not one death has occured, except for the hermits eating the snails, and themselves. Not one fish arrived sick, got sick, or wasnt eating when it arrived. They are the BEST imo.

04/26/2006, 05:52 PM	#11
mnmsea Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 88	we have ordered from Live aquaria and had mixed luck. We had purchaed a clownfish,jawfish and a clowngobey which did very well. but we did also order (different shipment) two cardinal fish which died at about 12 days. They gave us a full refund of the cost of the fish. Of course I was out the shipping costs. I haven't tried the LFS yet. No matter what, if you quaranteen, you eliminate a lot of risk to your existing fish.

04/26/2006, 06:37 PM	#12
xdusty6920 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 2,261	ive hears some super shady stuff about saltwaterfish.com. check the vendors feedback forum and youll see what i mean. the fact they dont have a posted telephone number tells me alot. but thats just me. liveaquaria is good and will stand up and take account when a mishap occurs. i disagree with paying 4x the cost of the cost of the fish just to support an lfs. i understand thier will be some overhead but when it gets to the point were they are trying to pay half of thier power bill with each sell, i'll go elsewhere. they have to try and make at least some effort to keep prices competitive. plain and simple. if your lfs knows more about ringing your fish up then they know about your fish........find another place that offers what your looking for. there are several online places that are just as reliable as an lfs but at a fraction of the cost.

04/27/2006, 01:18 PM	#14
sttroyiii Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 378	You can look for a club in your area and ask if they get discounts. Some LFS will give discounts to clubs (~10%).

04/27/2006, 01:44 PM	#15
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	I help the local fish store by buying online. Its simple economics. I could not afford this hobby without buying the inexpensive items available online. Therefore without the online availability I would not be into reefing and I would buy nothing at the LFS. As it is, I buy items at the LFS and make special trips for fish food, medications, carbon and filter media's etc. This sometimes leads to an impulse purchase of other things, like maybe a fish I got to have. Never feel guilty about getting the best price. You're doing everyone a favor. Mike

04/28/2006, 10:16 AM	#18
DitchPlains2 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: DIRTY JERZ Posts: 586	its a crapshot with each place you order from, some do right, some do horribly wrong. As afar as a gurantee?? In the words of Tommy Boy, "I can take a dump in a box and mark it guranteed if you want, I have free time!" David

04/28/2006, 10:25 AM	#19
fish_taste_good Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 632	drsfostersmith owns me. They are great. I loved them since they were / bought pet warehouse. Man, petwarehouse used to have some killer deals. Guess thats why they were bought __________________ Looking for a day job Current Tank Info: 240 Reef

04/28/2006, 12:09 PM	#20
Tava176 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sloan, NY Posts: 578	Cheap?? Reliable?? buy from a local reeefer. I would rather get a fish or coral from a local reffer than an LFS anyday!