Because our first concern is for the health of the aquatic life we offer, we have developed the safest, most stress-free shipping system in the industry.

Before your fish, coral, invertebrate, algae, live rock is expertly packed for shipment, it has to pass a health inspection by trained technicians to ensure you get the absolute best specimen available. When our specialists select fish for our customers, we only choose "top specimen" aquatic life, meaning the brightest and most vibrant, with no signs of disease, stress, aging, or physical imperfections.

LiveAquaria.com insists that any handling of the aquatic life - from collection or breeding to holding and shipping - is done so with the highest quality care and best practices for each species.

Collection & Breeding
We are proud to offer one of the largest selections of captive-bred and aquacultured aquatic life. We seek out fish, corals and invertebrates from aquaculture facilities, breeders and hatcheries in the United States, Asia, and Europe to provide a viable alternative to wild caught fish to minimize the impact on our valuable natural resources.

When wild-caught alternatives aren't available, the divers that collect fish in the countries we focus on - such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Australia, Coral Sea, Melanesia, Maldives and East Africa - employ the most current and modern methods that minimize stress on both the fish and the environment.

Holding & Export Facilities
Once collected, the holding and export facilities that maintain our stock use advanced filtration techniques and equipment in their specialized holding tanks to maintain optimum water conditions replicating natural environments. In these tanks, fish and aquatic life are rested and inspected before they are shipped into the country.

A fish that is collected and then shipped straight away will produce excessive liquid and solid waste during the flight. When this happens, the water quality in the shipping bag will decline to a point where it can cause damage to the animal's health. While it's more expensive to rest and observe the new stock rather than just "ship them through," this is a very important step for us in the chain of distribution to ensure the fish and aquatic life arrive at your door in optimal condition. As a company managed by veterinarians, we will never compromise health!

Import Acclimation & Holding Facilities
Our first step is to make sure the incoming life isn't exposed to bright light or rapid changes in water conditions. A special acclimation room has been built just for this task. The room features a limited-spectrum lighting system so the technicians unboxing the fish can operate properly and see what they're doing, but the fish still think they are in dim ocean or lake light.

Because rapid changes in specific gravity, pH, and temperature of the water can place a significant amount of adverse stress on the marine life, we release the animals from the bags and place them in specialized containers that slowly acclimate the fish and invertebrates into their new seawater. From there the fish and invertebrates are slowly adjusted to the water conditions where they will be inspected, maintained, and monitored. Any fish showing signs of poor health or stress are immediately isolated for treatment.

All of the water in the entire facility is biologically filtered using bio towers and propeller driven bead filters. Cartridge filters are used to mechanically remove solid waste and particulate matter. On every row of holding tanks, UV sterilizers are used in order to help eliminate free-floating bacteria and parasites which are ever present in the water.

The most important pieces of equipment are industrial grade protein skimmers that utilize ozone to remove organic pollutants and maintain the best possible water conditions. All water parameters are tested manually several times per day, and the ORP, pH, and temperature are electronically controlled and monitored.

Packaging & Transit
Once the animals in your order have been selected for shipment, they're carefully placed in new freshwater or saltwater of the proper pH and specific gravity inside multiple poly bags with thick liners to limit the chances of punctures or leaks. The bags are then filled with pure oxygen and sealed with a special aluminum fastener for an air and watertight seal. From there the bags are placed in special insulated coolers to maintain a stable temperature during the transit, and warmers or ice packs are used to compensate for extreme temperatures depending on the season. The cooler is placed in a corrugated cardboard box for proper identification of the contents, and then the package is shipped Priority Overnight to arrive at your door the following day

When your live shipment arrives, you'll also receive detailed instructions on how to properly acclimate your healthy fish, invertebrates or live coral to their new aquarium. We guarantee your new aquatic life will arrive alive and stay alive for 7 days after arrival or we will gladly offer credit for the item(s) lost.

Not only do we want to ensure the best health for your fish, we want you and your family to enjoy the new additions to your living aquarium for as long as possible. We hope that every aquarium hobbyist can use the information LiveAquaria.com provides to share their passion with the next generation of aquarists.