Buying Fish at Your Local Fish Store Versus Online

We are often asked: “Why should we buy our fish here, at Life Aquatic, when they are sometimes cheaper on the internet?”

Here are some things to consider:

Yes, at first glance it may seem cheaper to buy on-line. The reason for this is very simple: They have way less overhead and do much greater volume, especially when it comes to live stock. There is, however, much more than just the posted price to consider. And this is why, for the following reasons, we strongly recommend that you purchase all of your live stock from Life Aquatic.

1. The advice you receive from Life Aquatic.
We advise you on such matters as animal diet, temperament, compatibility, etc. We will make recommendations based on your exact tank set-up (the size of the tank, its inhabitants, the type of filtration and lighting, the way your tank is decorated, etc.) For example: An Internet company will never tell you NOT to buy a fish, something we do all the time, based on what we know about you and your tank set-up.

2. When you buy on line, you never know what you are going to get.
Nothing takes the place of selecting the actual specimen yourself, seeing its size and coloration, watching it eat and interact with other fish. Even though many web-sites offer guarantees on their fish, there are often problems that don’t present themselves right away as well as individual specimen variations not shown in their standard “stock” photo.

3. Though a mail order house may offer a guarantee and credit you for a dead fish (as will Life Aquatic), they will not allow you (nor would it pay) for you to return a fish that, among other reasons: You just don’t like or that’s not getting along with its tank mates.

4. At Life Aquatic we allow you to return a fish for any reason, at anytime within our 7 day guarantee period and we will give you a full credit or refund. We just require that the fish you are returning is healthy and in good condition.

5. One of the biggest reasons to purchase from Life Aquatic, however, is that, regardless of the size of the tank or the fish you are buying, you simply should not add a large number of fish to your tank at one time.

The reason for this is that adding a large number of fish at one time will likely cause an ammonia spike in your water which can be fatal to all of your live stock. It is always better to add slowly, just a few animals at a time. By the time you factor in the freight costs necessitated by shipping a live animal, and add that to the price of the one or two fish that you are buying, plus consider the other reasons noted above, it just doesn’t pay or make sense to buy your fish on-line.

6. Finally, it’s just plain FUN to visit Life Aquatic!
It’s like going to a zoo that has free admission and let’s you bring home its animals!