Buying Fish Online

[rachh004]

Do you think buying fish online is ok? I was going to get them from petsolutions.com. I have purchased items from them before but I don't know how fish will handle delivery. Is buying fish online bad for the fish or should I try to buy them in a pet store?

 

[Blade118]

Thats up too you. Look at it this way, posting fish is stressful and i personally think its kind of cruel. BUT most online shops will refund if your fish dies in post (withing 24hours of gettin or something on them lines) Its really up too you

 

[OldMan47]

Rachh, you are better off getting your fish locally if they are available. I have bought fish on line and will do so in the future because I find that I can't get what I want locally. They have always arrived in good condition and I have had good survival rates after putting them in my tanks. The biggest difference that I have seen is that you must be home when the fish arrive and you need to deal with them right away. They can't be left sitting on the doorstep in the sun for hours and expect them to survive until you get home in the evening. I recently bought some cories on line for $1.50 that sold locally for $4.95. You would think it was a good deal until you start adding it up. The shipping was $30 so even though I got 10 of them it was about $3 each to ship. If I could have found enough locally, I would have got them all that way. These cories were some of the less common ones and I had already bought all that were available within 50 miles so I had little choice but to get them on line.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Look at it this way, posting fish is stressful and i personally think its kind of cruel.

But how do you think fish get to the shops? strap on wings and fly?

 

[Blade118]

Look at it this way, posting fish is stressful and i personally think its kind of cruel.

But how do you think fish get to the shops? strap on wings and fly?

OMG? thats what i thought happened?
No seriously come on, posting is stressful agreed?

 

[OldMan47]

Yes its stressful for the fish but as Ace of Spades said, how do you think they got to your LFS. At most the LFS may get 10% of their stock from local breeders and at the bigger stores its none. The rest are shipped in mostly from places like Singapore. That's a bit more of a trip and more stress than from Florida to California using overnight mail.

 

[freddythefish]

I agree with you!!!
Granted fish are TRANSPORTED to fish shops in buckets and other containers in lorries but thats a little different to them being sent in a brown packet with hardly any air and water for them...plus they could be banged about all over the place!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I agree with you!!!
Granted fish are TRANSPORTED to fish shops in buckets and other containers in lorries but thats a little different to them being sent in a brown packet with hardly any air and water for them...plus they could be banged about all over the place!

That is ridiculous, so a lorry or a van has a PERFECTLY smooth journey no "Speed pumps" "Pot Holes" "Sharp Corners" etc?, they would be all over the place, Mail is normally properlly padded so the fish feel miinimal movement, they have plenty of air for a overnight journey (in vans it can be longer) and most are supplied with heat packs.....So IMO it is not stressful or cruel...?

 

[gaz gun man]

personally I dont think its cruel to post fish, as stated thats how they get to the LFS in the first place.

 

[freddythefish]

Ok ok I admit defeat...its fine

 

[dwarfgourami]

If you buy online in the UK fish often get sent by courier, packed in a large box with lots of padding. And even if sent by mail, they are in plastic bags, with plenty of oxygen, and padded all round. I can't see how that can possibly be more stressful than being sent to the lfs in a lorry.

It's not like they shove them in a small envelope and stick them in the post box, you know.

And btw, the safest way to transport fish is not in buckets, but in plastic bags- less risk of bumps.

It does annoy me when people go on about the immorality of procedures that they know nothing about.

I prefer buying online from breeders in the country because you are cutting out so much of the stress that a fish from the lfs will have gone through.

 

[n3ont3tra]

I buy almost all of my fish online, mostly from liveaquaria.com.

 

[vonnie06]

hi ive bought fish online just recently they came in a carboard box with news paper wrapped round the bag they were in and they had a heat bag and they were alive all colourful and swimming happily in the tank but i will warn you ask round here of the shops people have bought on and there experince as the fish im on about were cardinals £35.00 for 50 which was a good bargain i thought but i only have 7 left as the rest died of neon tetra disease.so i would definalty ask around to see where people buy there fish as there is alot of shops out there that can be bad but apart from that some shops are good priced and they are packed well so not so much stress on the fish.

 

[ALW]

I used Trimar http/www.tropicalfish.org.uk/, they were Fab 5/5 Highly Recomended

 

[Blade118]

Yeah my arms been twisting 100% sorry! Does anyone know any UK websites where you can buy fish/items? cant find any good ones! just out of intress