What on-line store do you use?

[Pain Devine]

I'm building my saltwater aquarium and have come to the point where I need to start ordering stuff like pumps, heaters even Live sand.

Where do you guys shop online? I've heard that Liverocks.com is good for rock and sand but their shipping is just plain silly. $40 shipping on a $50 order is price gouging as far as I'm concerned.

drsfostersmith.com has a lot of the stuff I need, including live sand and their shipping is only $4.50 extra for the sand. Are they a good store? Any other suggestions?

Anyone know where I can get a opaque blue background?

 

[Gauge]

I'm a bit of a newbie, but based on what I gather, the www.doctorsfostersmith.com, www.liveaquaria.com, and www.etropicals.com are all run by the same company and are all reliable big names in online aquarium shopping. I would order from them if you're looking for a dependable, secure, reputable site.

Other sites that I'm aware of include:

www.fishsupply.com
www.saltwaterfish.com
www.themarinecenter.com
www.marinedepot.com

There's probably more that just aren't coming to mind at the moment. If I think of any, I'll post 'em.

 

[superswamper]

Don't forget to check out some of the sponsors' sites.

 

[captivereefs]

i know which one i like the best

 

[jamal-188]

i know which one i like the best

Lol, you really should check out our sponsors, great deals and very nice people that are more than willing to help you out with actual usefull information....unlike the 16yr old kids at my LFS

 

[Pain Devine]

well, my LFS is easily 3x to 10x as expensive as any of the online stores. Live Rock is $6/lb for Figi. Salt is $30-$50 for 50 gallons worth of mix. They don't have ANY pumps that are less than 300 Gallons/hour and they are $70+ They don't have ANY live sand... or dead sand. They have crushed coral for $20-$30 a 20lb bag. 90 watt light fixtures are $400... screw that. I got my tank there because I dont want to ship it. I'm ordering everything else.

 

[fishfreek]

Your gonna pay alot for shipping of live rock no mater where you get it. its just flat out not cheap to ship heavy rocks to you over night. Not to mention the packing materals that is used to keep it from freezing in the sub freezing winter temps.

www.thatpetplace.com
www.marinedepot.com
www.captivereefs.com
www.captiverasedcorals.com
www.liveaquaria.com
www.petwarehouse.com
www.hellolights.com

thats a list fo a few. you can find many personal experences with those and many more reatilers in our retailers forum

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

All the places named are nothing, you need to go to Bigalsonline for supplies & food and Equipment since they match any advertising price then give you an additional 5% off. Also, you get points for all your purchases that count toward money off your next purchase.

As for Live stock and corals, you can either go to Liveaquaria.com or Marinedepotlive.com

 

[An t-iasg]

I have ordered from DrsFosterSmith many times. They are reliable, and the order comes quickly. You can pay extra for rush shipping, but the normal shipping seems to come fast enough, within 4 days for me. I had a question about a sponge filter for my betta tank, and the order-taker transferred me to an "aquarium tech" person who helped me figure out which sponge filter would fit in my tank and work with the air pump that I already had. I've noticed that most of the FW supplies that I got were cheaper than at the lfs. I wonder if the SW supplies are also cheaper thru them than at the lfs.

 

[reefobsessed]

I cant help but jump on this one.... I have ordered from many sites but the only one I will ever use again is Darin at captive reefs. I can tell you without hesitation you will not be disappointed..

 

[Bearfan]

I will never use bigalsonline.com again. Search this site for other people who feel the same.

On the other side, I love my live rock from www.liverocks.com

Also, just ordered two CF bulbs and a heater from www.coralreefsupply.com with no hassle. Confirmation sent with tracking number. Arrived in about 4 days including the Christmas delays.

 

[bizzybeas]

I agree, Darin is the best!

 

[captivereefs]

Every store has it's draw abcks. Sure the big stores are the cheapest but usually there customer service is pretty bad and they have all kinds of terms that apply to the order that make it hard on you to return or et your money back. The smaller retailer really cares more about his customers because he does not have the volume of the large store and wants to keep his base. Usually the smaller retailer really knows his products because he chhose them himself; they were not chosen by a marketing team based on sales data! The smaller retailer may be a littel higher in price but you have to decide what is more important a dollar or two or great customer service.

 

[pecan2phat]

I agree with Darin especially when you order specialties such as RO units @ a 34% discount with free shipping.

 

[Doan]

I have talked with both captivereefs and captiveraisedcorals they have both been great to deal with.

Just my 2 cents

Doan

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

Hey Bigalsonline has techs available for advice and if I can get money off my next purchase for buying from them and get price match gauranteed plus 5% off the match price if its cheaper elsewere, I am buying from their over any where else.

 

[fishfreek]

www.thatpetplace.com has marine bioligsts on staff and they also have a simular price match policy. They are also based in PA so for you and me on the east coast that means you get your product FAST.

 

[captivereefs]

You are entitled to your opinion and i respect it. That is what the free market is all about. Every retailer has to compete for consumers one way or the other. Some do it through low prices and some do it through customer service and superior knowledge.I will say that the techs at big als have very poor reef experiance as compared to the sponsor's of this fine board.

 

[cj10488]

I have been using Darin from Captivereefs since dealing with him for some test kits.. AWESOME service..

He comes Highly Recommended..

James

 

[An t-iasg]

I've looked at Captiveraisedcorals and Captivereefs. Both look excellent, but they don't have the things I need for 5.5 gallon betta tanks.

I'll have to wait until I start my saltwater tank!