hello, online vendors

Hello, I have been lurking for a few months now, i am by no means new to the hobby but i am new to buying online, can anyone help me chose a site to order from?

I've had issues with aquacon in the past and would like to find a good seller.

 

I've had great service with aqua cave for tank needs... Will be doing a little research on the livestock side soon.

 

I've bought all my corals from HappyCoral.com Awesome experience!
I've bought Lights~Rock~pumps~aquafuge from BulkReefsupplys.com Awesome experience!
I've bought from MarineDepot.com Great experience
I've also bought from MarineandReef.com great experience.

 

I've never heard of Aqua cave, but my buddy did call me and tell me to check out Saltwater Aquarium Fish & Corals

Their prices are really low, and apparently you get two free ricordiea when you buy a members account.

I'm thinking about getting it just for the ricoridea

 

For tank supplies I use Bulkreefsupply.com the most. Also Marine Depot some. I like them both and have great experiences with them. I haven't bought livestock online so I'm not much help there.

 

Looks like i'm going to try reef-nuts.com i'll let you all know how it goes

 

i too have ordered from aquacon and had a bad experience. They were helpful on fixing the problem tho. so i decided to try another site and found bluezooaquatics to have a very big variety of fish and me and my roomate placed a big order thru them and nothing showed up that bad off and everything lived. they send you a air tube for acclimation purposes and some of their bluezoo food as well as some stuff to add to the bucket as your acclimating your livestock

 

oh and if you know someone who else wants to order i would suggest purchasing together becuase they offer free shipping at $140 and if you spend a certain amount the will give you a free gift

 

I personally buy from eBay I hear ibluewater.com is good

 

For livestock:

Live Aquaria (www.liveaquaria.com)

Pros:
Very good reputation, excellent quality livestock, only had one bad shipment that was likely dropped by Fed Ex and it was handled immediately

Cons:
Not personal service like smaller players (so less flexible and less attentive) and more expensive - but you get what you pay for. I have NEVER been disappointed and I get a lot of quality stuff from them.

What I Use Them For:
Fish and some SPS corals - mostly fish, though. I comb Diver's Den daily for unique stuff.


WorldWide Corals: (www.worldwidecorals.com)

Pros:
Personal attention. Good quality SPS. Different corals than I get elsewhere.

Cons:
A little expensive, but worth it.

What I Use Them For:
SPS and LPS Corals


Coral Morphologic: (www.coralmorphologic.com)

Pros:
Amazing soft corals, great prices, good service

Cons:
Soft corals only - is that a "con" or just a question of where you shop? They also send out emails with their new stock that somehow takes over my computer, goes to their site and buys a bunch of stuff... must be magic.

What I Use Them For:
Getting amazing Zoos, those just sick St Thomas mushrooms and incredible Ricordeas. Awesome stuff.


I've used a few others with varying results, but these are my "sure things" for livestock.

For dry goods I check Aqua Cave first then Marine Depot, Salty Supply and a few others. I also order wierd plumbing and support items from Aquatic Eco Systems. They have some things that are tough to find elsewhere.