On line and mailorder ordering of livestock can be a great way to get hold of fish, invertebrates or plants that
are otherwise rarely available locally through shops, local breeders or CDAS auctions. There can also be
some great bargains on-line. But before you load up your shopping cart and press “pay now”, it is worth
taking a few moments to consider whether this is the right thing to do. There are a few traps for the unwary.
Do you have the right accommodation for what you are ordering?
Those new Peruvian Altum Angels may be very tempting at just $150 each, but where are you going to put
them when they arrive? What about quarantine? Do you really want to mix them immediately with your rare
Green Discus? Are your water conditions right for your new arrivals?Just as when you visit the aquarium
shop or a CDAS auction, DON'T BUY ON IMPULSE. Plan ahead and think it through.
Is your supplier legal?
Lots of people will offer or advertise to send fish, invertebrates, aquarium plants or live food to you through
the post or via courier. Apart from blatantly false and misleading claims (scams) the main thing you have to
be alert to is overseas operators. IT IS ILLEGAL TO IMPORT LIVING THINGS INTO AUSTRALIA VIA
MAIL. Importing fish, plants and other livestock into Australia is tightly regulated (thank goodness) and using
a supplier outside of Australia, including through ebay, will not only mean you loose your money, it also
means your order will either be destroyed by Customs or Quarantine authorities before you see it OR you
may be prosecuted for a criminal offense if it does get through. Don't do it. Not even once. You may also find
that non-living aquarium items, like food, driftwood and some water treatments, are also illegal to import. You
are pretty safe with equipment purchases (but buyer beware, for lots of reasons).
Does your supplier know what they are doing?
Once you are sure you can properly house your purchases and your supplier is in Australia, the supplier's
experience and practices are the things that make the most difference to the success of your order . Buying
from an established and specialist mailorder business like Aquagreen (a CDAS sponsor) is very different from
buying from an individual on an on-line forum or from an interstate aquarium shop who says they can ship but
has no obvious track record. Fish and invertebrates do travel OK, most of the time – after all, 90% of what
we see in aquarium shops has already traveled a long way to get there.
But there are a few basic protocols that every seller should follow:
The livestock should be shipped as fast as possible after they are
removed from their normal accommodation. You don't want them
sitting around in bags at a wholesaler's warehouse or at an airport for
any longer than is absolutely necessary.
All good mailorder suppliers offer express shipping and try to get your