who is the best on-line for fish and coral

[EILAT]

Hi,
Just want a few suggestions on where to shop on-line for fish and coral, and ,is it better to shop on-line v.s buying locally. thanks

 

[MtnDewMan]

All of our sponsors here on Reef Frontiers are great, give them an email and see what they can do for you.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/html.php?file=../html_files/sponsors.htm

 

[fishermann]

I was over to "Under The Sea" in Mt. Vernon tocheck them out since they are new. I was very impressed with the quality of their live stock and they have super prices. They are just getting started but seem very knowledgabe and were very friendly, and willing to spend time talking to you (which is nice for a change). Their prices so good that I don't think it would pay you to buy online when you add the shipping, and if they don't have it they well get it asap for you they said. I don't know them at all but was very impressed with the place and the condition of their livestock tanks. Give em a call.

 

[wrightme43]

this is all from www.vividaquriums.com
Who had better get his ass in gear and become a sponsor so I dont feel so bad when I recomend him on here
This guy is great, 15 day garuntee and price match. Super high quality livestock and great customer service.

 

[johnehr]

You really have too many local options to buy online, stay local. If you are just starting out, then you dont want to add a bunch of livestock at once. You have to order a lot at once online in order to overcome the shipping charges to save $$$...

 

[wrightme43]

That is a very good point, unless you are unable to get what you want at lfs it is better to get small orders from them. I did not do it to save money, I wanted the quality Dave has to offer. I have ordered from him, marinedepot, saltwaterfish.com, reeftopia, and roes marine world. He has been the best supplier by far in relation to size, color, health, and ease of buying. In the other tanks I have stocked from his store, I have been able to get huge corals sold for the same price as local ones half the size and with less color.
HTH STEVE

 

[mattseattle]

My experience is that our local fish stores are way overpriced for what you get. Now if you can catch a Buy 1 Get 1 50% off sale then that is another story. If you order just a few items online you can still save money even with the shipping costs. Also the selection online is much better. AZ Coral is also a sponsor and I recently ordered from them. I was very pleased with their selection as well as what I received.

Group orders are always a way to save money as well.

 

[LowCel]

I always try to buy from other reefers. There are a lot of great ones out there. I recently placed two seperate group orders with a reefer named Greg Hiller. I have also made a couple of purchases from David Playfair. My orders came in perfect everytime.

I just like to give my money to people that are in the hobby for the hobby, not just the money. Don't get me wrong though, there are a lot of retailers out there that are in it for enjoyment as well.

I always try to get a couple of other local reefers to go in on orders with me. That makes it much easier to swallow the cost of shipping.

 

[edgerat]

one other thing I like about vivid aquariums is his 15day guarantee which I do not have at a LFS around here and the fact that he will hold fish for you to insure that they are healthy and eating readily before he ships them to you.... that is hard service to find, at least for me.
Isaac

 

[blennyluv]

saltwaterfish.com

 

[captc7]

Having lived in florida for a couple of years I agree that if you are in an area with an abundance of lfs then you should be able to find a store that is willing to find just about anything for you at an affordable price. Once you build a rapport with your lfs then they are usually pretty reasonable with the limit of their guarantee. Now on the other side of the spectrum, I now live in Connecticut and there really aren't many lfs to pick from, so online is the best alternative. Currently i am looking to get back in the hobby so a reliable online site with a good selection of both species and sizes would be of great help.