LFS vs online

[jamest0o0]

well.... I just want to know advantages and disadvantages of buying livestock online or at the LFS..... online there seems to be a much larger selection and seem to be healthy(from the pics) so I liked the idea of just ordering things instead of running out to the LFS to look at their limited selection... whats everyones opinion on this?

[nikonosis]

I honestly think the only downside to buying online is that you don't get to hand pick what you want.

Most LFS's dont offer a guarantee on live stuff, they are more expensive, and they normally never have what I want.

[NewFish3]

I like to support my LFS, but I have bought on line before. I like www.liveaquaria.com

The only thing is that if you buy from your LFS & something goes wrong, you can go back and throw it back in his face.

If you buy on line, the best you can do is throw it back at the fedex guy.....but I heard that the fedex guys dont like that.....lol lol

[lloydkeller]

I like to see and pick out what I getthats half of the fun and im sure to get healthy stock not that online is bad i just want to be the one picking it out

[rlm2005]

I've done both. I usually prefer to hand pick my fish so I stick to my LFS for those. The online stores have a bigger variety of inverts and I tend to buy those online.

[rbursek]

LiveAquaria has a 14 day no question guarantee, and I have a situation where it was almost 14 days and the fish wash not looking good and they extended it. I buy all my stuff from them, The Divers Den section of theirs is you get what you see. and Collector Corner.

[jamest0o0]

yeah.... that's where I've been buying my stuff from... Liveaquaria especially since they have divers den and seem to be very good with returning things and keep their livestock healthy..... also things online seem to be a little cheaper taking gas money+lfs price into account and online price+shipping the LFS usually turns out to be a bit more

thanks guys!

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11983969#post11983969 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rbursek
LiveAquaria has a 14 day no question guarantee, and I have a situation where it was almost 14 days and the fish wash not looking good and they extended it. I buy all my stuff from them, The Divers Den section of theirs is you get what you see. and Collector Corner.

I am going to start buying all my live stuff from them. I am sick of stupid employees at LFS's, no guarantees, being lied to so they can just make a sale, not knowing anything, and the list goes on and on.

One of my LFS's uses IO test kits and a hydrometer to test the water on their sps tank, they have no idea where the sps's come from, they don't know if they are wild caught or aqua cultured, they have no idea what species they are. To be honestly there is 3 LFS's within 30 miles of me and all 3 are about the same way.

They care WAY WAY WAY more about making money and complaining about online stores stealing their business than they actually do about their customers.

[NewFish3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11984027#post11984027 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikonosis


They care WAY WAY WAY more about making money and complaining about online stores stealing their business than they actually do about their customers.

I dont know how far you are from this place.............
I have a home in Boca Raton, Fl...... Try... The Barrier Reef...(561) 368-1970. 1921 Nw Boca Raton Blvd

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11984114#post11984114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewFish3
I dont know how far you are from this place.............
I have a home in Boca Raton, Fl...... Try... The Barrier Reef...(561) 368-1970. 1921 Nw Boca Raton Blvd

thats a 6-8 hour drive from me. Im up near jacksonville.

[lloydkeller]

that is true lfs employees are hard to deal with, when I first started they sold me a koran angel the size of a quarter saying it was completely reef safe well a year later every soft coral i had was nipped into submission he was beautifull but cost me i geuss it was a lesson learned I now try to know all I can about anything I purchase

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11990716#post11990716 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lloydkeller
that is true lfs employees are hard to deal with, when I first started they sold me a koran angel the size of a quarter saying it was completely reef safe well a year later every soft coral i had was nipped into submission he was beautifull but cost me i geuss it was a lesson learned I now try to know all I can about anything I purchase

Its hard to do that if you go into an LFS and you see something you might like, like some sort of fish you have never seen before, but you don't have your computer with you too look it up. So you have to ask an employee and they will either lie to you or not know what they are talking about.

[kevin2000]

I purchase dry goods on-line and livestock from LFS.

On-line fish prices are often lower .. but when you consider shipping cost your not always getting a significant discount. Purchasing multiple fish might lower shipping costs but comes with the problem of QTing multiple fish, acclimation and tank maturation issues. IMO the risk element of a blind purchase outweighs the 14 day gaurantee.

I like seeing the fish I am going to purchase .. I know whether he has any obvious damage .. whether he's eating and what he's eating .. and I also get info about the water parameters of the LFS tank which helps me during the acclimation process.

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11990902#post11990902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevin2000
I purchase dry goods on-line and livestock from LFS.

On-line fish prices are often lower .. but when you consider shipping cost your not always getting a significant discount. Purchasing multiple fish might lower shipping costs but comes with the problem of QTing multiple fish, acclimation and tank maturation issues. IMO the risk element of a blind purchase outweighs the 14 day gaurantee.

I like seeing the fish I am going to purchase .. I know whether he has any obvious damage .. whether he's eating and what he's eating .. and I also get info about the water parameters of the LFS tank which helps me during the acclimation process.

most places have free shipping on orders over $250 and its pretty easy to get an order over $250. I personally have never ordered a fish from liveaquaria that had any damage on it or was in bad shape.

I wouldn't trust my LFS's water parameters, they will either lie about them or tell you what they got using the cheapest kits possible.