online livestock buying...
- Thread starter dadstank
- Start date
K9coral":flpwtyjr said:
In this respect you're right: all the LFSs are not giving any guarantees...
On the plus side however, they take my frags and give me credit...
Actually I never bought fish online (only corals, rocks and cleanup crew), so I obviously have no bad/good experience with it.
M.
I buy at my LFS for most of my livestock. I'll only buy online for captive bred fish or corals or if something really rare (WYSIWYG) pops up. The LFS around here are often decent, but I live in Los Angeles with many choices.
I've had success buying from Marine Depot Live, Marineaquatics.net, Pet Warehouse (formely FFexpress), and The Marine Center. Often my LFS are cheaper though, so don't jump to the conclusion that online = cheaper. My suggestion is to find some reputable LFS while also using reputable online vendors too. FWIW, I hate ebay for the very reason that I see so many shady "vendors." Also, some coral prices on ebay are ridiculously high for reasons beyond me.
My LFS do not offer me any stay-alive guarentee. However, you have to think of it this way. You take delivery of the merchanise when you pay and leave the store. Thus, you are essentially getting a DOA policy because you are buying a live fish (if you're smart
) when you take custody of it. Few online vendors I know offer any policy other then death on arrival.
IMHO, No reputable wholesaler should be selling direct to the consumer.
I've had success buying from Marine Depot Live, Marineaquatics.net, Pet Warehouse (formely FFexpress), and The Marine Center. Often my LFS are cheaper though, so don't jump to the conclusion that online = cheaper. My suggestion is to find some reputable LFS while also using reputable online vendors too. FWIW, I hate ebay for the very reason that I see so many shady "vendors." Also, some coral prices on ebay are ridiculously high for reasons beyond me.
My LFS do not offer me any stay-alive guarentee. However, you have to think of it this way. You take delivery of the merchanise when you pay and leave the store. Thus, you are essentially getting a DOA policy because you are buying a live fish (if you're smart
) when you take custody of it. Few online vendors I know offer any policy other then death on arrival.IMHO, No reputable wholesaler should be selling direct to the consumer.
thanks for the input... i live in NYC, so i assumed that everything is more expensive here. i have found one in midtown almost near where i work. i am going to take a walk after work and check it out.
i agree that it may be best to support an LFS in case i have a real problem and need help asap.
does anyone know of a good LFS anywhere in manhatten?
i agree that it may be best to support an LFS in case i have a real problem and need help asap.
does anyone know of a good LFS anywhere in manhatten?
A couple worth checking out:
Absolutely Fish in clifton, NJ, about a 15-20 minute drive from manhattan during non-rush hour. Excellent selection, awesome fish. Not the cheapest, however...
Fishtown-USA... on Northern Blvd in Queens. Decent selection of supplies and livestock, prices are very reasonable.
Those are the two immediate ones that I'd put near the top of my list. Good luck
Absolutely Fish in clifton, NJ, about a 15-20 minute drive from manhattan during non-rush hour. Excellent selection, awesome fish. Not the cheapest, however...
Fishtown-USA... on Northern Blvd in Queens. Decent selection of supplies and livestock, prices are very reasonable.
Those are the two immediate ones that I'd put near the top of my list. Good luck
Absolutely fish must have its ups and downs, because when I have been there the fish have looked terrible.
Country critters (in patchogue out on the island) has a wicked awesome fish selection; stuff you can usually find just online at Marine Center etc. Pricy though. The last 2 times I have been there the frag tanks have been infested with flatworms. Its a huge store and you can spend hours there.
New York aquaria in Mamaroneck was a real reef shop; they had some upheavals and I haven't been since, so not sure about that.
Country critters (in patchogue out on the island) has a wicked awesome fish selection; stuff you can usually find just online at Marine Center etc. Pricy though. The last 2 times I have been there the frag tanks have been infested with flatworms. Its a huge store and you can spend hours there.
New York aquaria in Mamaroneck was a real reef shop; they had some upheavals and I haven't been since, so not sure about that.
i had been going to absolutly fish, because that was where my dad went, but now that i am in the city, and i don't have a car it is really hard to get there.
i went to the fish store here and was not impressed. they had several larger fish but not much in the smaller. their display tank was really nice, but their holding tanks weren't very clean. the fresh water displays were even less attractive.
it turns out that my girlfriend had gone here on monday to buy some phosphate remover for me, and it was a) aluminuim based, and b) the same as i already had. they wouldn't give me a refund only store credit. all of the dry goods i felt were REALLY expensive. so, as i said i wanted a "nemo", but the only ones they had were less than 1/2". they had one larger one but the tail was missing. so here i am in a store that i don't want anything but have to spend twenty beans... and no blennies. well one, but it was teeny tiny....
i found a cluster of caribbian feather dusters that they said "had just come in", and i bought a blue and yellow tail damsel (best looking of the bunch). i positioned the feathers inbetween two rocks, and the damsel is being slightly tormented by the other two fish in the tank. an all blue damsel, and a psuedo. i feed the others right before i put it in, and feed all of them right after. they aren't actually biting it, just chasing around. but otherwise looking pretty good.
also got three little itty bitty teeny tiny snails with the dusters...
will the chasing stop? or do i have to worry?
is it alright to dose the tank with calcium tonight or should i wait until tomorrow?
i went to the fish store here and was not impressed. they had several larger fish but not much in the smaller. their display tank was really nice, but their holding tanks weren't very clean. the fresh water displays were even less attractive.
it turns out that my girlfriend had gone here on monday to buy some phosphate remover for me, and it was a) aluminuim based, and b) the same as i already had. they wouldn't give me a refund only store credit. all of the dry goods i felt were REALLY expensive. so, as i said i wanted a "nemo", but the only ones they had were less than 1/2". they had one larger one but the tail was missing. so here i am in a store that i don't want anything but have to spend twenty beans... and no blennies. well one, but it was teeny tiny....
i found a cluster of caribbian feather dusters that they said "had just come in", and i bought a blue and yellow tail damsel (best looking of the bunch). i positioned the feathers inbetween two rocks, and the damsel is being slightly tormented by the other two fish in the tank. an all blue damsel, and a psuedo. i feed the others right before i put it in, and feed all of them right after. they aren't actually biting it, just chasing around. but otherwise looking pretty good.
also got three little itty bitty teeny tiny snails with the dusters...
will the chasing stop? or do i have to worry?
is it alright to dose the tank with calcium tonight or should i wait until tomorrow?
dadstank":232q6g6k said:
Well, first of all you should have quarantined your new damsel - that would ahve given it the time to recover from the stress of shipping and it would ensure that it's not sick.
Second, damsels are very teritorial - you shouldn't buy two of them (IMO not even one) unless you have a very large tank and you don't plan to put other fish in it. How large is your tank.
Finally, why do you want to dose Ca? Do you need it? You should never dose anything you don't test for. Also, I hope you know that if you need to dose calcium you also need to dose some buffer.
It seems to me that you need to slow down a bit, enjoy what you have, cross your fingers that your recent puchase makes it and read a bit. Say, Bob Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" is a great start. Not as good (IMO) but still good books are Michael Paletta "The New Marine Aquarist" and "Natural Reef Aquariums" by Tullock (not sure of the name or author spelling on the last one).
M.
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