FAQ
FAQ
Placing an Order
Q: "How do I place an order?"
A: The easiest way to place an order is directly through this website. Once an order is placed, I will reach out to schedule a ship date that works for you. Someone must be present at the time of delivery to bring the fish indoors and unpack them immediately.
Sexing the Fish Offered for Sale
Q: "Can you sex the fish on your price list when the sex is not indicated?"
A: Most of the fish I stock are juveniles, so I do not guarantee sexes on fish that are not specified as a certain sex. I will always do my best to select the desired ratios on young fish, and can certainly do better than a 50/50 guess on most.
Shipping Costs
Q: "How much will it cost to ship an order of fish to me?"
A: I offer two shipping options: FedEx Priority Overnight, and Southwest Airlines Cargo. FedEx rates vary based on the weight of the box and distance shipped, and will be delivered direct to your door. Southwest Airlines Cargo is a flat fee, and must be picked up at a Southwest Airlines Cargo facility at an airport they service. The shopping cart will default to the cheapest shipping method, but you can click the drop down menu to view the other option.
Special Orders
Q: "Can you special order fish for me which are not on your current list?"
A: It depends on what it is. There are often minimum order quantities, or fish that are unavailable from any of my sources. I also will not bring in species that would not do well if my hard, alkaline water parameters.
Water Chemistry
Q: "What is the pH and hardness of the water you keep your fish in?"
A: Our tap water has a pH of 8.0 to 8.3 and a hardness of about 240 ppm.
Fish Survival During Shipment
Q: "How likely is it that the fish I order will arrive alive?"
A: Believe it or not, even the loss of a single fish is very rare in our shipments. Well more than 95% of the fish we ship arrive alive and healthy. We like to say that we bag for 48-hour survival. Once we had a customer receive a "lost" shipment in which every single fish arrived alive after almost four days en route!
Extreme temperatures
Q: "Is it too cold (or too hot) to ship my fish?"
A: While we cannot guarantee handling given to a shipment of fish by the carrier, we have shipped fish successfully and repeatedly to destination temperatures as low as -44 degrees (Fairbanks, Alaska) and as warm as 100+ degrees (Arizona). Our live arrival guarantee on air freight shipments applies regardless of your outside temperature.
Sources of Fish
Q: "You have lots of rare species. Where do you get them?"
A: Our secret!! ...Actually, we are able to maintain the broad selection for which we are known due to the wide variety of resources we have developed and use. We directly import fish on a regular basis from both Africa and Europe. We acquire fishes from other importers. And we purchase fishes from other breeders throughout the U.S. In addition, we breed large numbers of our own fish and buy fish from other breeders in our local area. We receive multiple shipments of fish on a weekly basis.