"Köi-Lö" wrote in message
...

"Jolly Fisherman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 2 Dec 2006 15:49:04 -0600, Köi-Lö wrote:

I would NEVER order fish sight unseen by mail-order. I get all mine at
PetsMart or PetSupermarket. Since both places know me they'll replace
anything that dies even it's a little past the 14 days.
------------
That's fine if you are lucky to live near a well run PetSmart, PetCo,
etc. and you are not looking for anything unusual. Otherwise I'm not
sure what else you can do if you don't live near a good specialty LFS
that has what you want. The fish quality and health in my local
Petsmart and Petco are awful. You are very lucky down there in TN
Köi-Lö.

That's the pits! When I was visiting relatives down in Atlanta GA the
fish at PetsMart were every bit as healthy and nice as up here in TN. We
have a Petco here but it's a long drive through heavy traffic and the PH
of their water is too different than what I have out here. With the long
drawn out acclimation process, I don't go there any more. Pet
Supermarket has nice healthy fish but a more limited selection. Aquarium
plants there are really nice and low priced, when they get them in.

AAG is quite clear on their site that they are unavailable many days
of the week and that they only issue credit for DOA fish applied to
your next order. I called them once on their best day (Tues IIRC).
Someone answered promptly and gave good plant advice. Of course I
didn't have a big problem or complaint for them to deal with. The
shipping was so huge the one time I ordered plants there I have been
forever hesitant to order again. And also yes, Köi-Lö I don't like
the idea of ordering fish sight unseen either, although I have done it
before.

I'm really surprised the stores near you don't have the same nice healthy
ones we have here since they all come from the same wholesalers. Find out
what day they get their shipments in and be there late in the afternoon.
That may give you a better chance to get something still in good health or
those oddballs we all watch for.

That's one thing I've always wondered if I was doing the right thing. Do I
really want to get the fish the same day they arrive at the store. It seems
like a lot of stress on the fish to me.