1) What courier(s) do you use?
3) Can you ship during the winter?
5) Do you ship to Canada or anywhere else outside the USA?
6) Do you use bag buddies and O2 when bagging the fish?
7) If I buy a large amount of one species can I get a discount?
8) Can I pick from photos of actual fish you have on hand to select my show fish?
9) How do I acclimate my new fish once I have received them?
10) The fish came in with some fin or scale damage, what do I do?
12) Will you ship the fish before you have received my funds?
13) What kinds of payment to you accept?
14) Do you take personal checks?
1) What courier(s) do you use?
We use FedEx and U.S. Airways for live shipments. My rates are very competitive and you will often times find that my rates just cannot be beat. We recommend priority service, as generally the fish will be at your door by 10:30 am. For dry goods, USPS can be used.
2) How do you pack the fish?
All fish are double bagged as a minimum and we use 3mil bags for almost all the fish we ship. At my discretion, we will use a box bag that we can put all of the double-bagged fish in and this helps to preserve the structural integrity of the box.
3) Can you ship during the winter?
We can ship in the winter and to the coldest places in the United States. We use heat packs and insulated coolers that are not put together and have a nice tight seal to prevent the coolers from loosing heat.
4) Can you ship to Hawaii?
Yes, we can ship to Hawaii and overnight service is available.
5) Do you ship to Canada or anywhere else outside the USA?
We can currently ship to Toronto and Montreal.
6) Do you use bag buddies and O2 when bagging the fish?
All bags are filled with O2. We do have and use bag buddies but are using them less and less do to the fact that if a fish needs to be truely sedated for its safety then we do not use bag buddies. If you need further explanation about what kinds of products will be put into the bag with your new fish please ask, as what we use changes with each kind of fish to be shipped.
7) If I buy a large amount of one species can I get a discount?
Yes, if you get 10 or more of anything you can expect a 10% discount.
8) Can I pick from photos of actual fish you have on hand to select my show fish?
Yes, but only as time allows, as we sometimes don't have time to photograph every single show fish we have. We will eventually provide photos of all of my show fish at your request as we am all about you getting the fish of your dreams!
9) How do I acclimate my new fish once I have received them?
Let the bags float in the tanks that the new fish are going into for 15 minutes. After this time has elapsed open the bag and net the fish and place into the tank. NEVER, open and bag and trickle water into the bag as this will likely cause the PH to rise and the ammonia that is in the bag can become deadly.
10) The fish came in with some fin or scale damage, what do I do?
Often times a fish can get a minor injury during shipping due to trying to escape from the bag and/or bumping into other fish. We recommend treating their new tank with Stress Coat or MelaFix as even a small injury can get fungus and be deadly if not properly treated.
11) I am buying these fish because I wish to breed them and sell the fry. Can I do this in my community tank?
Yes, you can but we do not recommend doing so. If you want to be a reputable breeder then you need to either setup a temporary species only breeding tank or a permanent species breeding tank so that you can ensure that there has been no hybridization in your process. Lake Malawi cichlids are all mouth brooders and can generally hybridize with any other cichlid in the lake. Lake Tanganyika has different kinds of cichlids not just mouth brooders so do your homework on them as you can breed several species in the same tank. Lake Victoria is about as bad as Lake Malawi when it comes to hybridization so be sure to separate the species when you want to sell fry. For further questions on tank stocking of any kind you can send me an email.
12) Will you ship the fish before you have received my funds?
No, we cannot ship the fish until we have received funds.
13) What kinds of payment to you accept?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Money Order, Cashier's Check and PayPal. If you wish to pay from some other means besides a personal check send me an email.
14) Do you take personal checks?
No, we cannot accept personal checks.
15) Some breeders do not want me to breed the fish they sell can I buy breeders from you and sell the fry?
Please email if your question is not answered in the FAQ.
