FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
FAQ
Q: Your shipping seems quite high, is there a reason for this?
A: Yes there is a reason. The health of the fish are our top priority, so we use FED EX's overnight service, that delivers to most of Canada overnight. Quick shipping ensures the fish are in bags for as little time as possible, and reduces ammonia exposure which can cause bacteria outbreaks after they arrive. We would like to see the fish come out of bags eating right away. Our shipping fee includes, heat-packs, pure oxygen in the bags, and insulated foam boxes, other online fish sellers will add those costs on top of the shipping cost. You also do not need to pick your fish up at an Airport as Fed Ex delivers in most cases right to your door, and our website offers tracking for you to track your purchase. Lastly because we do not have a minimum order requirement, shipping on a single fish will look very expensive, but on most orders it is reasonable for the service you get, and healthy fish out of the box. A complete guide to our shipping can be found here. https://aquaristsacrosscanada.
Q: What are your arrive alive policies.
A: We offer an immediate fish refund on any fish that show up dead on arrival (DOA), and a 50% fish refund for 5 days thereafter, as a thrive guarantee. In addition, if 50% or more of the order arrives DOA we also refund 50% of the shipping. If by some chance 100% of the order is DOA, a fish refund as well as 50% shipping, or a second option may be offered, a one time redo of the order with free shipping.
A complete guide to our arrive alive can be found here https://aquaristsacrosscanada.
Q: How do I know if I'm more than 1 day shipping?
A: 90% of Canada is in the one day shipping range, however many small to medium towns in BC; Like Port Hardy, PG, Kamloops, Cranbrook, in AB; Grande Prairie, Ft Mac, most towns in SK & MB, and many smaller towns in Ontario as well as the Atlantic provinces, NB and east as well all of NL. In warmer weather we can also send out 2 day shipments, but not in winter months as a general. We may notify you that we can ship overnight service somewhere relatively close to you where you can pick up your shipment. Staples office stores across Canada are Fed EX authorized pick up/drop off points.
Q: Do you quarantine your fish before selling?
Yes, all new arrivals go through a 4 day mandatory quarantine period before leaving the store. We will not ship ship sick, struggling, stressed fish, and if your order includes one of these, we may advise you to hold your order until it is safe to ship them, or remove from your order.
Q: There are many shipping options, which one do I choose?
A: This is actually simpler than it looks. We have put together various flat rate shipping fees that apply to different provinces, and order size. There are simply too many factors to have a one size fits all shipping fee. We have simplified it as much as possible to allow our customers to completely fulfill orders online. For instance if you live in Alberta, you would choose the FED EX AB option, in Ontario, choose FED EX ON. At times your only option is for a quote to be emailed, as in cases of very large orders or you live in the eastern coastal provinces. Use FED EX POR, price on request. Please DO NOT choose price on request unless you live in NS, NFLD or a territory.
Q: Do you ship to the US?
A: No, currently we do not offer US shipping due to many factors out of our control such as prohibitive costs, airline delays and legality of many species with each state having their own legislation. We have many CITES species legal in Canada but not legal in many or all states.
Q: When I put my order in, how long can I expect to receive it?
A: Usually within a week, sometimes a day or 2, pending several factors such as when you put the order in, and how many orders are in front of it. We ship Mon Wed and Thurs, so for instance if you put your order in Thursday or Friday, you may not receive until the following Tuesday as we do not ship weekends, however if you put your order in Monday and we aren't crazy backed up, you may receive it the following day. If however you chose FEDEX POR, price on request shipping option rather than the shipping option for your province, this will delay your order as we will have to email a shipping quote and wait for it to be paid before we send the order.
Q: If some fish are unavailable will you ship me something else?
A: This is an option, while we do our best to keep inventory as accurate as possible, with 25,000 fish among 800 species this can be quite hard (especially the counting). We inventory every Thursday afternoon, but between that time and the ship day, mortalities can happen, fish can get quarantined, and fish are sold in store. None of those factors are reflective on the website quantities until it's updated weekly. We also will never send fish not asked for unless requested first. If an order cannot be completed to 75% fill rate, we will advise the customer to make modifications, wait for them to come back in stock before sending, or cancel and refund the order if requested. You may also add notes to your order offering substitutes if low/no stock.
Q: Can I request certain fish that are not on the website?
A: No, our space is limited, and many species asked for may be unavailable or difficult to find at any given time, also what your looking for may be what no-one else is looking for, therefore we cannot offer special order species that aren't indicated on the website.
Q: Some of the species I am looking for are not in stock on the website. When can I expect to see them back in stock?
A: We get a number of shipments in a month, there are no exact set dates for each order, we do however let you know when new orders are expected in on the banner, have a specific area for only new arrivals, and also under every species that is out of stock, you can request to be notified when that species comes back in stock via push notifications, Email or messenger, whichever option you choose.
Q: I asked a question through the built in chat but have not received a response, why not?
A: The built in chat is to communicate information, that the website or the FAQ cannot answer, or about your order. There are simply too many communications on the chat to also answer questions that are easily found on the website. We will not answer compatibility, preference or fish health questions unless they are from us and you just received them. These questions are up to you to research, such as compatibility, tank size and tank mates, before you purchase, this is part of the hobby you joined. Our website provides brief descriptions and basic information of each species of fish we carry, a great place to start your research.
Q: can I ask Specifically for a male and or females of a given species?
A: If the species in question is Sexually Dimorphic meaning males and females are quite different in appearance, then yes if they are mature. However many times even dimorphic Species are difficult to sex because either they are too young to sex which is most often the case as many species we bring in as Juveniles or the dimorphism is extremely Minute. Sexing specific species can be extremely time consuming when its difficult so we may do the best we can. if you are looking for specific ratios of male/female please leave a note for us in the cart.
Q: Can we make a group order (2 or more accounts shipped to one person)?
A: Yes, but there are rules.
1) The group leader (the person & place we ship to) must place an order and add special instructions "Group Leader" and the names of participants. (ship George, Sally and Jims order with mine ) Select Fed Ex Quote Me for the shipping method. The group leader will be charged for all shipping and will need to collect from the participants their share of shipping. Group leader may change his shipping address to one of the participants. To add a new participant after the fact Group leader will need to phone and ask to add another name.
2) The participants must add in special instructions "Ship with then state Group Leaders name". Select quote me as the shipping method.
Note 1: This ensure both the Group leader and partcipants are instructing us to ship together, and ensure all shipments are included.
Note 2: If you write instructions then go back and add more stuff or even just browse you will need to re-enter your sppecial instruction notes.
Note 3: Failure to follow these rules may result in your order not being shipped. If this happens you will be given the option to cancel or pay for your own shipping.