Good Online Livestock Suppliers ?

[mutley29]

Hi guys

Well now for another fun part of setting up an aquarium LIVESTOCK.
Have looked at a few online suppliers as my LFS are a touch on the steep side, so was after some tried and trusted names
Cheapest i have found so far is saltwaterfish.com,Marinedepot and liveaquaria look good as does jeffs exotic.
any horror stories from the afor mentioned?
any names and info appreciated

Anton

 

[Len]

Dealt with Marine Depot, Liveaquaria, and Jeff's without a hiccup. Marine Aquatics (www.marineaquatics.ca) is also a reliable, affordable vendor. Sorry, never dealt with saltwaterfish (I really should!).

 

[mooner]

I recall a post/vote a while back that ranked many online dealers. If I am not mistaken, and others please correct me if I am wrong, MarineDepot.com was the winner but there were others with very high rankings and I know there are a lot of good suppliers out there.

One thing to remember is that reputation and quality customer service are more important than price alone. I would rather order a Tang from company A for $52 along with class A service as opposed to a Tang from company B for $39 with a terrible customer policy.

I looked at your link and I have never seen it before so I cannot comment. However, I like some of their "build your own" flexiblitiy and their prices and shipping seem competitive enough.

I have used only local so far but that is an expensive way to keep a reef forever I have found. I believe in keeping local dealers and shops in business but they can get a tad pricey.

Good luck and take in a lot of opinions before you act.

 

[Anonymous]

www.liveaquaria.com is actually pretty good despite being the 300 pound gorilla of online fish sales.

www.seacrop.com offers net caught drug free fish and some nice corals - also a sponsor here

www.themarinecenter.com a little more expensive but they have the healthiest fish going - if you want a prime specimen that you will have for years this is the place.

 

[klingsa]

I highly recceomend thelogicalreef.com. I've used it, and the service was great. The animals came healthy, and are still doing well. He specializes in zooanthids (really colorful ones!), but has others as well. He doesn't have a huge selection, but it changes every week as they become available. Check it out, the guy is really nice and willing to answer questions.

Sara

 

[AQUADOC]

Oftimes when a dealer "specializes" in all things reef, you can be certain that they don't (my opinion). If you do your homework beforehand and ask questions on what you want AND shop around, you WILL find dealers/shops/wholesalers/collectors, that actually specialize in what you are looking for. Of course, if you don't like retail prices, check out transhipping, sometimes a risky and costly experience but on a scale of 100% being best and 0% being worst case scenario, you will have a 98% chance of getting what you want...Exactly what you want! Or, find a wholesaler, then you'll have to have a certain amount bought to receive a wholsale price, but hey, you needed all that stuff right? lol..
(Reliability, backup of products, honesty, KNOWLEDGE, ethical collection methods, quality of livestock all factor in.) Been there, I know!
Aquadoc-

 

[kparton]

I ordered my cleanup crew and some corals and a fish (orchid dottyback) from salwaterfish.com. I was very happy with the service and all the specimens I got were healthy and nice looking. The only mistake they made ended up in my favor, they sent me someone else's shipment and sent mine to him. We both ended up with extra animals for the tank for no money. They fixed the situation immediately and I got my order the next day. The only negative is that it's hard to get someone on the phone, so if you have a problem, be prepared to email and wait a few minutes for a response.