I've never ordered fish online before...

[myriam]

I just went to PetSmart and Petco yesterday, and they do not have ottos. So I'm going to try some other more 'mom & pop' type stores in the area, but I'd also like to look into ordering fish online.

1) What are some good sites with reasonable prices for fish and S/H?
2) What kind of guarantees should I expect and/or look for?
3) If I order 3-4 tiny ottos, will they ship them all together in one order?
4) Hopefully they have driftwood I can order, too? I just need a very small one, as my tank is already pretty full.

Thanks

 

[possum]

Liveaquaria has descent prices and a 10 day guarantee. You could also try www.aquariumstuffers.com they have a pretty good selection but not sure about guarantee.

 

[madasafish]

*Myriam*

Ordering online can be good if you're looking for very specific fish that are unavailable locally. However, the shipping charges are usually crippling--$30+. For Otos, it's really not worth shopping online. Ask you LFSs and Petco/Petsmart if they can order the fish for you. They will almost certainly be able to get otos, as these are quite popular fish.

That being said...

1) *If* you do decide to shop online, check out www.liveaquaria.com, www.Fish2U.com and www.aquariumfish.net. These have a good selection, and each tends to ship for ~$30 for a small order.

2) Most of these sites guarantee at least live arrival and 48 hours after that. Liveaquaria.com now has a 10 or 14 day guarantee. Pretty good! BUT, it is a pain to send the fish back and prove that your tank wasn't the problem.

3) Yes, they will probably just send them together. These are not aggressive fish. They might bag each separately.

4) No. Most online stores that stock fish do not stock driftwood. For driftwood do ebay searches and google searches. I've gotten one large piece on ebay for $25 (see my gallery), and one smaller piece from Petco. Most Petcos have a small "wood" section near their reptiles. Do not buy the twisty wood that most ppl buy. Check for "Malaysian Driftwood" and get that. It should have a small tag on it saying "safe for aquariums and terrariums." The pieces should be 8-20 inches long and cost anywhere from $6 to $15. They're a very dark, brown attractive color out of water. I think they're quite a good deal, really. Make sure to scrub these before adding them to your aquarium, as the wood fibers often splinter off easily at first.

HTH

 

[gooyferret]

I have ordered from liveaquaria.com and many other places for SW i would recommend exoticfish.com. Although freshwater i would go with liveaquaria.com I have purchased many items from them and were very pleased with the customer service and the product. I had a bit of a problem with some fish i purchased from them and a few died, they backed their guarentee and didnt have any problems and didnt ask for water sample or the fish to be sent back. HTH

 

[Sati]

If you're looking for angel fish this site has a pretty amazing guarantee:
http://www.angelsplus.com/guarantee.htm

 

[myriam]

Madasa, my jaw is still agape at the $30(!!!) price for shipping. Good lord! 8O

I will see first if the LFS Sati mentioned having a 25% off everything sale stocks ottos, before I even consider ordering fish with that kind of a S/H charge. Gulp.

Thanks for the tips everybody!

 

[Sati]

Ooo, Myriam, it's Blue Sierra here in Issaquah. I could pretty much guarantee they'll have ottos. I got one there earlier.

 

[myriam]

Oh man, Sati, THANKS! I will call them first thing tomorrow

Which kind of otto did you get?

 

[Sati]

I think mine was just a Otocinclus vittatus. He passed away (my fault) ;[ Oh man, look at this cute zebra otto!
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loricari/otocincl/353_1.htm