Mail Order Fish

[CaptainK]

Hi All,
I have bever done this but what has anyones experience been with mail ordering fish??
Are they any better than getting a fish at the LFS?
How bad is the stress on them during the shipment?

I am looking at getting a Yellow Assessor, possibly from Jeffs.
Has anyone had any experience with this fish.
I have read that it stays small and is a good tank mate and also reef safe.


Thanks,
CaptK

[kevinpo]

I ordered 10 fish or so from Marinedepotlive in S. Ca I live in E. Wa. They all arrived in perfect shape. Better than 90% of the LFS here. They also were much cheaper. Shipping was free due to a special they were running. I have only ordered from them once so they are 100% so far. I have purchased corals from Aquarium City also down in S. Ca and 12 frags and 1 T. crocea all arrived in good condition.

Regards,
Kevin

[Aragorn]

I've ordered corals, LR, and invertebrates w/ no problem. However, the one time when I ordered fish, the little guy arrived DOA. That's just one experience though. I've read that most others have had good experiences. With the weather getting colder(at least here it is) just make sure they ship priority overnight and w/ heat packs...JMO.

[organicreefer]

they all get shipped at some point(pretty much);) and ive ordered stuff with no problems .
that said ,i dont think id order any fish i could get locally,i just like to pick em out i guess.

[SomeHairyOldGuy]

Lets think about this for a sec. How do the fish get to the LFS's in the first place? How do they get to the wholesalers that send them to the LFS's? Who do they get to the wholesalers? It wouldn't be by some sort of mail would it? How ever I choose like organicreefer to pay more and make my selections looking through glass. If you decide to mail order make sure the place has a "arrive alive stay alive" policy. Let us know how things go, and good luck!
SHOG