How do I know my order will arrive alive?
Simple, we guarantee
that all livestock arrives alive and we cover any livestock that is shipped to
arrive within one day. For example, you can use Ground Shipping if you are
within the 1-day area from the map below or Overnight in other areas. Anything
with Free Shipping and/or any items shipped at our discretion is also covered
under our guarantee.
If you experience any DOA (Dead on Arrival) in your order, simply take photos
of the items still in the bag and continue with the acclimation process, once
completed email us through the Contact Us on our website. We will credit your
account or reship the DOA items. The cost of shipping is not included.
Anything else not explicitly stated in the FAQs will be handled on a case by
case basis, please contact us with photos using the DOA option and we will get
back with you.
I just received my order, and something did not make it, what do I
do?
Sorry to hear something
did not make it. It doesn’t happen often, but unfortunately it does happen
when shipping live animals.
If you encounter this simply take photos of the item still in the bag and send
them to us via the Contact Us page within 3 hours of receiving your order. We
must have the email with clear photos sent in .jpg or .png format for the item to be covered. Any claim submitted
without photos will not be processed. Calling us on the phone or contacting through Social Media will not
initiate a DOA claim.
My livestock is alive, but does not look good, what should I do?
Livestock that appears dead often recovers once properly acclimated. The depressed pH levels in the water the animal was shipped in may create the appearance of death. It is important to note marine life from any online fish store will be subjected to some form of stress when packed, shipped and acclimated into a new aquarium. Please take photos, and then acclimate the livestock as you normally would to your quarantine system. Take photos and send us an email letting us know, we will then check up in a couple of days.
What about Live Rock and die off?
The best way to ship
Live Rock is completely submerged, through the Airlines, you will have very
little die off when shipping this way. However you must ask for this becasue it
does add some to the price. We ship our rock packages wrapped in wet newspaper
in an insulated box. This allows us to offer a lower cost alternative that will
ship to your door, however you will have some die off, mostly the very fragile
things, such as sponges and tunicates, but should preserve the corals, clams
and other more hardy life.
UPS says my order has been delivered and I do not have it?
Please contact UPS for
all shipping questions. We have no control over packages once they are
delivered to UPS, however we still cover everything that was in the package but
in most cases UPS is able to locate the package quickly.
Shipping - Frequently Asked Questions
How should I have my order shipped?
All Live items should be
shipped with no more then 2 days in transit. Many fish, corals and anemones
need to be shipped with only one day in transit. That does not mean you have to
choose overnight shipping, we have supplied you with the map that shows transit
times from our location. Please use the map and determine the best shipping
method for your order. For extra protection you may
consider shipping your aquatic life order to your local UPS store or
location. This will keep your aquatic life order protected from potential
inclement weather and extreme temperatures in a secure, enclosed area when you
ship directly to your local shipping location nearest you for pickup.
Can I ship 2nd Day, it is much cheaper?
Yes, in some cases
2nd day will work fine, normally this is for orders with plants and most
invertebrates during mild weather. If you have questions, please contact us and
if we let you know it is appropriate, that order will be covered under alive
arrival guarantee.
Why is Ground Shipping Available is it is not a good way to ship
my order?
Ground shipping is a
great low-cost option for dry rock, dry goods and anyone within the 1 day/ 2
day (for most inverts and some fish) area on the map above. Ground shipping is
not good if you live in California and order anything live. We ship orders
nationwide, so the options are there, we expect you to know what will work best
for you and your situation.
Why am I being asked to upgrade my shipping?
If you order and select
a option that we do not feel will be a good way to have your live stock
delivered, we will contact you and let you know. If you feel you do not want to
upgrade your shipping, we will ship it the way you selected, however you are
then taking responsibility for all items in that shipment. We do not make
anything on the shipping, this is not a ploy to extract more money as some
people have suggested, this is simply to supply you with live healthy animals.
I Ordered with Overnight shipping and have not received my order yet?
The shipping method has
nothing to do with when the order leaves our facility. It is purely how long
the animals will be packaged in bags. You want this time to be as short as
possible. Please keep in mind we are only 2 people that do everything from
diving, packing, contacting customers, website maintenance. Some items are
also easier to get at certain times of the year, the weather also
plays a major role in the speed of which we are able to fill orders.
Why is shipping so expensive?
Shipping fees are paid
to the shipper, these are not fees that we have any control over. If you feel
like you are being over charged you are more than welcome to supply your own
shipping method or pick up from our location.
When will my order ship?
We try to ship the next
business day after you order, sometimes not everything for your order may be in
stock. If this is the case we will contact you and give you a date that we
expect to be able to ship your order. We normally contact each customer and
verify that they will be available on the expected day of delivery. You can
also leave notes in your order if you want to receive it on a specific day.
Monday is the best delivery day for me, can you ship it for then?
Sorry, unless you are
ordering dry goods or using Airlines shipping. Otherwise your box will be
sitting somewhere over the weekend and that is not good for live animals as
UPS/FedEx/Post Office does not work on Sunday. We would have to ship on Monday
for Tuesday or Wednesday delivery.
Can I get my order delivered on Saturday?
No, Saturday Delivery has proven to be unreliable and comes at an extra cost. We do not ship for Saturday Delivery.
Live Rock - Frequently Asked Questions
I want to make a Caribbean tank, can I get rocks with native
corals on it?
Yes and no. We are
allowed to take hard corals that are attached to our rock, however the
fisheries has a list of corals that we are not allowed to take, and that list
seems to grow each year. Directly from The National Marine Fishery “Seven
coral species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. If you
find a piece of live rock material with a threatened coral species attached,
you MUST leave that piece of rock on the bottom. Do not touch or collect the
coral.” Those seven species are Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis),
Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), Star corals (Orbicella
franksi) (Orbicella annularis) (Orbicella faveolata), Pillar coral (Dendrogyra
cylindrus), Rough cactus coral (Mycetophyllia ferox).