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Shipping Policies

We use Fedex overnight service to ship live animals and charge $54.99. We also charge a $14.99 box fee on each order which covers the outer packaging, insulation and any requisite heating/cooling packs. Orders are typically processed within five days. This allows adequate time to prepare your animals for shipping. We ship on Mondays and Wednesdays. If this presents a problem, contact us and we will try our best to accommodate your request.

Dry goods are shipped Fedex ground. We do not combine live animals and dry goods in a shipment.

D.O.A. Policy

We offer a live arrival guarantee on all fish, invertebrates and corals. In the event of a DOA, please take a photo of the animal in the unopened bag and email to timothy.ilch@gmail.com along with a photo of the invoice within 2 hours of delivery. We will provide a refund of the sale price or a credit toward a future purchase. We do not refund shipping charges.

Acclimation Procedure

Shipping puts stress on fish. It is important that we do what we can to make the transition to your aquarium as easy on the fish as possible. Before opening your box, we recommend dimming the lights. Bright lighting can aggravate stress levels, particularly as the fish have spent several hours in a dark shipping box. Upon opening the box, examine the fish. In the rare event of a DOA, follow procedures to take advantage of our live arrival guarantee. Next, float the unopened bag in the destination tank to equalize the temperature between that of the tank and the bag. This should take roughly 20-30 minutes depending on the temperature difference.

We then recommend drip acclimation. This gives the fish time to adjust to the water parameters of your tank, which may be different from ours with regard to salinity, mineral content and ph. To do this, open the bag and gently pour the fish and water into an appropriately sized container. Place the container on a surface lower than your aquarium to allow for a siphon. You will need a length of airline tubing. At one end of the tubing, use a rubber band to fasten a small piece of live rock or other weight. Place this end with the rock into your aquarium, ensuring that the tube’s opening is not in contact with sand (you don’t want to suck up sand.) Let the other end dangle into the container with the new fish. You can cut the tubing to fit the distance between the tank and the container. Tie a loose knot approximately six inches from the end of the tubing inside the container. To start the siphon, suck air through the dangling end until water starts to come out of the aquarium. (You may have to loosen the knot to start the flow.) Adjusting the tightness of the knot will adjust the flow rate. You want two-three drips per second. When the water volume doubles in the container, remove half and allow the siphon to once again double the volume of water in the container. This process should take between 40 and 60 minutes. When finished, net the fish from the acclimation container and gently place it into the aquarium. Keep in mind that if room temperature is very different from that of the aquarium, you may need to once again equalize the temperature. A small heater set to the appropriate temperature placed in the acclimation container would avoid this; otherwise, another float may be warranted (the plastic shipping bag may be reused.)You may have to replenish water in your aquarium if a significant amount was lost to the drip acclimation process. Do not use the water in the acclimation container.

Invertebrates should be acclimated in the same manner, but in a separate container.

Most soft corals do not need drip acclimation. They should be floated to equalize temperature, then placed into your aquarium. Hard Corals should first be floated to equalize temperature, then slowly acclimated to your water parameters either by the drip method, or buy slowly introducing your aquarium water into the coral bag. Prior to introducing the coral into your aquarium, ensure that the temperature is correct, and you may choose to use a coral dip solution to rid them of any harmful hitchhikers. (Recommended)