What's your experiences of buying livestock online?

[alindell21]

So I am a skeptical person and I generally do not like to buy or sell livestock online unless it is an awesome deal as I have screwed people over by accident and people have screwed me over. I prefer to WYSIWYG and will not buy something until I see it in person.So with that mindset I only want to make my tank filled with livestock from local reefers and shops, but also being a person who trys to keep an open mind, I want to know what your experiences are from buying livestock locally and from online? What trends or advice can you give?

 

[Haddonisreef]

We have so many sponsors in co there's no need to shop on line!! If your looking for something ask a sponsor and I bet that have it or can get it.

 

[rjl45]

I tend to agree, keep it local whenever possible. With that said, there is larger diversity available online, for that special coral or fish. 85% of my tank is stocked from local businesses.

 

[sethsolomon]

There are a bunch of local businesses that will order the fish in for you. 90% of my fish I had when I lived in CO was special ordered in. Just a shout out to Vince at Great White Aquatics and Cris at Aquatic Art for betting me most of my livestock.

Just don't be that person special ordering predatory fish and then changing your mind and sticking the vender with a nearly unsellable fish.

 

[aquarius]

Corals I prefer to see in person but with fish there's usually not much difference. When one of the local lfs steps up there game and can give a 2 week guarantee on there fish then I'll purchase from one until then my money goes to live aquaria and I've never been burned. Out of all the fish I've bought from them they've all arrived alive except one instance where ups lost the package and of fish that didn't make it live aquaria has always honored there guarantee. Can't say that for any local lfs and who wants to gamble on expensive marine life. The same with dry goods, I pay $300 for hydra 26 hd so why would I waste another $50 just to put it in someone else's pocket to "support" a local lfs. Quite honestly it's just bad business. IMHO

 

[SynDen]

I have bought online fish a few times, and honestly, unless you are buying a bunch of them, so that they pack better and stay warmer, you are just throwing away your money. I tried from several different online vendors and really it was 50/50 that the fish arrived alive and healthy in the first place. Most of the time they were so stressed from the trip they dont live much after that either. In fact out of the 10+ fish I ordered online when I started my tank, only 1 clown still survives
Much better to order through a vendor as you will save yourself much grief by doing so.

 

[Texco]

Corals I prefer to see in person but with fish there's usually not much difference. When one of the local lfs steps up there game and can give a 2 week guarantee on there fish then I'll purchase from one until then my money goes to live aquaria and I've never been burned. Out of all the fish I've bought from them they've all arrived alive except one instance where ups lost the package and of fish that didn't make it live aquaria has always honored there guarantee. Can't say that for any local lfs and who wants to gamble on expensive marine life. The same with dry goods, I pay $300 for hydra 26 hd so why would I waste another $50 just to put it in someone else's pocket to "support" a local lfs. Quite honestly it's just bad business. IMHO

Have to agree with a lot of this. Most stores around Denver have sick, dying or dead fish in at least some of the tanks. They typically fiercely deny ever having any diseases or parasites or problems and don't offer much warning. When I was naive and first getting into the hobby I purchased many fish that were clearly diseased and died shortly after. Never could understand why someone would take advantage of a person new to the hobby to make a few bucks at the expense of a sick animal. The troubling thing is I went to a local LFS I hadn't been to before in the Denver area two months ago, they assumed I didn't know much and suggested I buy a fish with severe ich and velvet and that it was healthy. That is not right.

It's very hard to support a local business that I don't believe in and will happily burn me. No one would be requesting a two week guarantee if they practiced good business.

 

[SynDen]

Well you haven't been to the right LFS then, but honestly sick fish happen even in the best stores, and even more when shipped individually. Trying to sell a sick fish is irresponsible and admittedly many vendors are just trying to make their margins. That's why I only buy from the one(s) I know and trust, because I am confident that they have my tank and the animal's best interest in mind. To me, Aquatic Art does this better then anyone.
Although I have to agree that if I had to order online, LiveAquaria would be the only one I would ever consider now days as they do have a good rep

 

[rmougey]

To address the OP question, one needs to be careful when buying on-line. The most common problem is photoshopping frags to appear better than they actually are. Even if the pictures have been white balanced, your computer monitor may not display them accurately. Generally, if it looks too pretty.. well.. buyer beware.

I have used LiveAquaria, Kevin Kohen's on-line marketplace, for over 16 years with excellent results. Their shipping is top notch and free for purchases over $150. They also offer a 14 day, no questions asked guarantee. Why would I purchase from LiveAquaria? Often times the animals that I am after are quite hard to come by.... and Kevin is known for getting in the unique. Even after the acquisition of Fosters & Smith (owners of LiveAquaria) by Petco, the service and quality remains outstanding.

Last year I purchase an adult Maze angelfish from LiveAquaria, an animal a bit north of four figures. As with many Cheatodontoplus sp, it decided to pout and not eat when it arrived. I contacted Kevin about the animal looking great, but refusing to eat after two weeks and he guaranteed the fish till it ate, regardless of the amount of time that took. My Tinker's butterfly pair came from LiveAquaria, as did my Gem. Several smaller fish and corals as well...

Their QT and supply chain are second to none....

On the other hand, if I was looking to buy a yellow tang and some frags... well... buying local certainly makes sense. And yes.. I own a yellow tang who happily lives in a Nuvo... Spaz (my wife named the yellow tang) came from Cris at Aquatic Art. Most of my corals come from Cris... though I have some nice pieces from Josh (Gonzo), Jeff (Aquamart) and Reefkoi as well.

If you are looking for corals, clean up crews and more common fish, our local vendors have great selections. If you are looking for something a bit more esoteric, online may offer some good alternatives.

 

[mabaeza15]

I bought a naso awhile back arrived dead and stiff. I called got a new one it was so skinny it didn't eat and died never ordered a fish online after that!

 

[alindell21]

If the item is rare and an awesome deal online I might be interested in an online buy, but for most of the things that i want I can get them cheaper and have peace of mind buying from local places since I at least can see it in person or I personally have seen the seller's set up and trust there system. I have heard good things about live aquaria, but have yet to take an order. It is hard for me to justify buying alot of items to get free shipping or pay alot for shipping and then to have no idea on the health of an animal surviving a trip in box being stressed to near death probably and then to not have a warranty. It is too much of a risk for specific animals that are too fragile to be shipped as death is almost certain. I have learned the hard way especially when buying a clam from PEA online that died shortly after it was in my tank. the only thing I would buy is certain corals or macro algea that I trust from a seller would be a good deal and would be an ok item to ship as it is not too fragile with more reward than risk which is hard for a business or seller to do so I keep to local people. I plan on stocking my 75 gallon build that i am working on only from local businesses and people here on masc. Just a good word of advice is dont trust everything people put online as it is not what the item is truly and sooner or later your gonna get screwed.