Better to buy fish online or at LFS?

It's going to be about 2 months until i can buy my next fish, but is it better to buy online at a place like liveaquaria or at a LFS?

Reason why i ask, i was looking at a lfs website in their fish selection, and they have great prices, but only a 5 day gurantee.

Liveaquaria more pricey, pay shipping fee, but 14 day gurantee.

I was looking at the price difference on these fish

LFS
Blue Spot Jawfish*still not sure if i'm going to get one* = $59.99
Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse = $59.99
Bangaii Cardinal *not sure if tank bred or not* = $8.99

LiveAquaria
Blue Spot Jawfish = $150
Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse = $69.99
Bangaii Cardinal Tank Bred $29.99

What do you think would be best? Pay extra and have a fish go through shipping but have a 14 day guarantee, or pay less and have no shipping but only a 5 day guarantee?

 

well for the blue spot is do local... even if the first dies, you can buy one and a half more bluespots until you meet the same price as online

 

yea it's an awesome price for the blue spot, the only thing that worries me about them is them making rock slides

 

Pufferchick

I have never ordered anything live from the internet, so I am not the best judge
but I would rather visit the LFS, select the fish I want, watch it eat, watch how it behaves, check for any flashing against rockwork, check the condition of other fish in same tank and the condition of any fish that are on the same central filter system

so I would say LFS and collection would be the option for me.

Steve

 

that's a really good thing to consider. I was worried with my Helfrichi Firefish with ordering it online for the first time, but it came perfectly healthy no signs of ick eating great and beautiful.

But as you mentioned it would be nice to be able to see the fish in person and monitor it

 

it all depnds, my lfs has absolutely no guarantee the only fish i got that i was disappointed in was a watchman goby that died 24 hrs after i bought it, actually because i can hand pick my fish they are usually excellent... ive bought all my coral frags and fish there, they get some good stuff and its just easier than dealing with shipping. fish are gonna die, 14 day guarantee or not in my experience its rare to have a fish die in the first two weeks...

plus they're prices are way better even if shipping was free online.

i go online for stuff i cant find at the lfs or if i hqve something really specific in mind that they never get in.

exotic coral frags id usually get off a forum..... and if i was going to order online id get multiple items to offset shipping costs.

 

plus at lfs ill usually buy a fish and let it sit in their tanks for acouple weeks and see how it does, or i can see that its been there a while and is healthy so thats better than a 14 day guarantee, i want a good fish and i dont want to have to get one shipped 2x

 

I've never ordered off the internet, but I think I only would if there is a fish I really want and I can't find it at a LFS. I would rather see the fish in person before I buy. But it's really a personal preference!

 

Fish look so different from fish to fish. I've ordered online but if it's a fish I really want I'll get it from the LFS so I can see the size, color and health.

 

this is deffiently making me consider buying fromt he lfs, i mean LiveAquraia is only an hour away from me, and with my firefish i had to pay shipping, and that really hurt.

lfs' let you do that? i didn't know that

yea i like the fact of seeing them in person and being able to bring them home in the car, it's faster than receiving them in the mail