Online livestock retailers in Canada

[Katie3G]

Given that my LFS does not always stock livestock that I would like, I thought I might try an online retailer. Does anyone in Canada have any suggestions regarding a good online retailer? I have been looking at J&L Aquatics. Any opinions about this retailer? Are there any good online retailers located in Toronto?

[sevendigitcake]

i have oredered dry goods from j&l aquatics and it was a good experience, i would imagine it would probably be the same. they are one of the better ones out there imo. are we talking fish or fish and corals or just corals?

[Katie3G]

If I place an order it will be for fish and corals. Given the cost of shipping to the Atlantic provinces ($65 for orders under $100), there is no point ordering one or two fish or coral. If I do make an order it will be for 3 fish (I have two tanks), about 3 corals and probably some inverts like feather duster, shrimp, etc.

[Katie3G]

Sevendigitcake, I see you are from Toronto. Are there any reliable Toronto retailers that ship livestock to other places in Canada? What is also interesting is that you have purchased dry goods from J&L. This leads me to think that the Toronto shops are not that competitive in terms of pricing.

[sevendigitcake]

its not that toronto shops arent competitive, its just that a good deal is a good deal.i bought a canister filter from jl aquaticcs for like 150 bucks i believe, that same filter was 220 at big als. when talking dry goods it is almost always cheaper to shop online. as far as places that ship in toronto im not sure but i can give you a couple websites to check out there is:
www.reefaquatica.com- they specialize in clownfish morphs,
www.reefconcept.com- they are in quebec so shipping to you may be cheaper than going with jl aquatics(BC)
www.oceanaquatics.com-nice looking website and nice looking stocklist
and as far as corals go:
www.fragalot.ca-very nice corals, although i recently heard a complaint on here
www.ottawainverts.com

that should probably get you started. if you look around you can probably find a couple more.

[sevendigitcake]

oh yeah im not sure the links will work you may have to type them in to get the websites

[Katie3G]

Thanks. I will check out the websites.

[rsaha]

You could check out the Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society site. I believe both Ottawa Inverts and Aqua Valley ship livestock. I am local to these guys so I see their tanks - lots of nice stuff but I have no experience with mail order.

[Katie3G]

Thanks rsaha. I will check it out.

[Katie3G]

Having checked a number of the suggested websites I have found that none can compete with J&L Aquatics, especially in terms of shipping rates.

Thanks for the advice so far.

[richp]

there are lots of good lfs in Toronto. maybe you need a new lfs. what are you trying to find?

[richp]

sorry saw your location thought you were in Toronto lol.

[Katie3G]

RichP - lol, yes there are lots of good lfs in T.O. Unfortunately there are only two lfs in St. John's!

[Nebthet]

There is also Oceans Direct, which is the online store for North American FishBreeders out of Toronto. Their store is really good for Coral and they always have cheap frags available.
http://oceansdirect.ca/?page=shop/FAQs&PHPSESSID=tii1jfnhssdts72f3cbmvgpc31

fraglot.ca is hit and miss. At least half of the people who order from him have had issues with their orders coming DOA or missing frags and then it just doesn't get fixed. He has a lot of nice looking SPS for $10 frags..and he clip and ships. So I would recommend searching all forums for reviews on him before deciding to order.

[KeMo]

Oceans Direct Like Nebthet said is a good bet. J&L is good but there prices are pritty high when you put the shipping in. That is for Live Stock.
I don't buy live stock online as i live in Toronto and well I want to see this fish before i but to make shure he is active and looks healthy. But in your case with not to many stores you dont have a much of a choice.
What i can help you with is anything other then Live Stock.
I was in the market for a 150 watt Mh light . Went online and found it selling for 253.00 Us on Dr.Foster&Smith. The Same Light sells for 399.00 Can on BigAls web site.
So I emailed Adam the webmaster of BigAls and told him this. Next day i got an email back saying that they would help me save money. Well Long story short I got the light from BigAls for 300 can. Over 100 in savings. Most Items that are not live stock are priced well alot of the times double here than down in the states, But if you state that to the seller the will usallly make up the diff. As Dr Foster and smith Will delivery to canada just not live stock.
If you are that Hard up and need SomeLive stock that you cant get Let Me know I live 5 min from big als on young and would have no problem walking is and picking you up something then sending it Over Express same day. Anything to help out a Fellow Refer.

[Fishdisease]

If you're ever in the Peterborough area, there's a great LFS there (my old LFS) and he carries lots of fish and coral, you can give him a call and see what he's got. He also would order in for me what I wanted (plus gas to Peterborough is far cheaper then shipping from J&L)

Its called Under the Sea, and is in the phonebook.

[Katie3G]

Thanks everyone so far for the suggestions. Oceans Direct does have some nice looking coral (at least according to the photos) at decent prices and decent shipping. I presume overnight Fed Ex works well and is just as safe as shipping via airlines. If my presumption is inaccurate please let me know.

FishDisease. Thanks for the tip. I live in St. John's and rarely get to Toronto let alone Peterborough.

KeMo. Thanks for the tip about online orders for dry goods. I will have to become more aggressive when I do order online, lol. Also, thanks for the nice gesture about helping me purchase fish. I am probably best sticking with online, however, because of the greater insurance regarding live arrival. Thanks anyway.

[Cooper Inc]

Check these out:
www.goreef.com
www.progressivereef.com
www.reefperfection.com
www.reefsolution.com
http://oceansalive.webs.com/

I believe they all have Livestock, plus the websites already mentioned.

Good Luck Katie

[Katie3G]

Thanks Cooper, I will check out the websites.

[yeloowtang]

hi katie !!

up a few post someone mentioned ottawainverts !!

i live about 15 minutes from them and can say that they have
amazing stuff,mind blowing acans ,every sps you can think of,lps of evey size and price,i'm just about to go and get that amazing orang/mango coloured hammer coral they have :)

they don't have lots of fish but can get anything you want,thats what they told me when i ask about certain fish !!!

can't say how much shipping is but can say for sure that the corals they have are realy nice and prices are fair compared to other shops arround my region..

steff

[Katie3G]

Thanks yeloowtang. I just checked their website - some interesting looking corals. They don't have any info about shipping one the website so I will have to give them a call.

[Allmost]

Toronto ?

goto SUM www.seaumarine.com

Ken is the owner, Very nice and knowledgale person, GOOD live stock. he can order almost any fish /coral. good rates.

[Katie3G]

Thanks Allmost. They don't seem to have online orders. Since I live in St. John's I am looking for online livestock dealers.