pros and cons of buying online?

Hello

I hear you! I also have done some searching around a lot of the on-line dealers and found some nice fish and stuff and at nicer prices then my LFS. HOWEVER, as you said then you have to add the $30 or more in shipping! So that nice price for 1 or even 2 fish gets inflated by quite a bit. There's no way I'd pay twice as much for shipping as for a fish so my LFS will have to do. They are actually pretty nice and will try and order something in particular if I ask. If you don't like the added cost of shipping I'd just get to know your LFS really well and become a good customer, if they are a good retailer they'll have no problem helping you when you need it and even bend over backwards to try and get you something you want once you establish a "bond" so to speak.

The only city I ever bought from LFS was Saskatoon. Small city. Seems they do not much business in salt anymore, the online orderring here is way cheaper. I am from Canada by the way

I have ordered from LiveAquaria a couple of times (I am assuming you are referring to their 10day guarentee-I believe they are the only ones with that long of a guarentee) and have mostly been really happy with them. I have given up ordering Lions from them because everyone we have bought from them has died (within the 10 day guarentee) but they have come in with some scrapes on their bodies and refuse to eat anything. We have ordered a bunch of other things (also ordered from their counterpart eTropicals) and have been very happy with each. The ONLY way it really makes sense to order on line is if 1) you are stocking a well established tank, 2) have many quarentine tans to put them in, or 3) you have a bunch of tanks. I currently have 9 tanks 8 of which are saltwater so it makes sense for us to do it but I generally go to a lfs's Buy in Bag sale which is the greatest thing ever. They get a sw shipment in early Sat morning then have the sale between 8:30 and 12 and the fish are 30-60 percent off retail which is HUGE!!!! Anyway, hope this helps and good luck with whatever you decide.

i've never bought online, mainly because I built the online site for my LFS. www.emarinefish.com , the LFS where I worked for a bit, has a great selection and while the website doesn't have everything he holds in the store, his selection is one of the largest in SW Florida, perhaps in all of Florida. And if he doesn't have it he will order it for you.

Online fish

I bought fish from live aquaria also quite a few times. I luckily never lost any of my fish. I was close though just the other day. I got a shipment in last week and the weather was around -30 degrees F. The water was ice cold and the two blennies I ordered where like rocks. Amazingly somehow after I put them into the tank they came to and are just fine. Otherwise I go to Foster & Smith and get my fish from their local store. Same price as online.