Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Not every UK courier is — under the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 and its devolved equivalents, only carriers holding the correct DEFRA authorisations may commercially transport live fish. We work exclusively with licensed specialist live-animal couriers, and their drivers are briefed to keep live-fish parcels upright, insulated, and away from hot or cold vents at the depot.

Each fish is individually bagged with pure oxygen, the water volume sized to the species. Bags go into an insulated polystyrene box with newspaper padding so nothing moves in transit. From October to April (and whenever the forecast drops) we include heat packs. The outer cardboard box is clearly labelled “LIVE FISH — THIS WAY UP” for the courier.

We dispatch live fish on Tuesdays and Wednesdays via 24-hour courier service — your fish arrive the very next day, on Wednesday or Thursday. Orders placed Wednesday to Friday before 4pm are dispatched in the following week's window. Orders placed after 5pm on Friday, or on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, are dispatched in that week's window. We never ship for weekend transit; the exact day for your order is confirmed in your tracking email.

Yes, this is essential. Live fish cannot be left on doorsteps, with neighbours, or in courier ‘safe places’ — the cold chain breaks within a few hours and the fish will not survive. Please only order for days when someone will be in to sign for the parcel. If your plans change, message us on WhatsApp before dispatch and we will hold the order for the next dispatch slot (Tuesday or Wednesday).

You'll be notified by email with your tracking number and the confirmed delivery date so you know exactly when to be in. From there you can follow the parcel live, every step of the way. Kevin is on WhatsApp at +44 7464 593131 if anything looks off on the tracking — real person, same-day replies in working hours. If Wednesday or Thursday won't work for you, please message us before dispatch and we'll happily move your delivery to the next slot — live animals can't be left at the door, so a moment of communication keeps every fish safe.

Yes, we ship year-round. During cold months we use heat packs and extra insulation to keep water temperatures safe. If extreme weather is forecast we may delay dispatch by a day to protect your fish, and we will notify you by email if this happens.

Delivery is a flat rate of £20 for any number of items. We combine all fish into a single shipment and do not profit from shipping charges — the fee covers the courier, insulated box, oxygen, heat packs, and packing materials. All orders include full tracking via 24-hour courier service.

Yes. At checkout you can pay with Klarna (pay in 3 interest-free instalments, or pay in 30 days) and PayPal Pay in 3 / PayPal Monthly Payments, subject to each provider’s eligibility and credit check. We do not charge anything extra for using buy-now-pay-later — the price stays exactly the same. Klarna and PayPal handle all credit decisions, terms, and repayments directly.

Most of the UK mainland, yes — but not everywhere. There are two kinds of places we can’t safely ship live fish to. First, a handful of postcodes (some remote Scottish areas and islands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands) are simply outside our licensed live-animal courier’s network — no licensed carrier will take a live-fish parcel there. Second, some areas (parts of the Highlands and far North Scotland, parts of rural Wales, Northern Ireland) are a minimum two-day transit with the carriers that do serve them, and mortality climbs sharply past 30 hours in transit. In those regions we decline to dispatch because we’d rather lose the sale than ship fish that won’t arrive alive. If you’re not sure whether your postcode is affected, WhatsApp us at +44 7464 593131 before you order and we’ll check.

Possibly — it depends on your exact postcode and the species. Some remote areas are entirely outside our licensed live-animal courier’s network; others are a 2+ day transit where mortality is too high for us to honour the Live Arrival Guarantee. Hardier species (shrimp, snails, some coldwater stock) in warmer months can sometimes be arranged with the guarantee waived in writing beforehand. Always WhatsApp us at +44 7464 593131 with your postcode and what you want before placing an order — don’t order first and hope for the best.

Place a new order and select the ‘collection’ option at checkout. Then contact us via WhatsApp at +44 7464 593131 and we will combine both orders into a single shipment with no additional shipping charge.

Float the sealed bag in your aquarium for 20 to 30 minutes to equalise the temperature. Then open the bag and add a small amount of tank water every 5 minutes for 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, gently net the fish into your tank and discard the bag water. Never pour shipping water into your aquarium.

Most tropical freshwater fish thrive between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius. Always check the specific requirements for your species on the product page. A reliable heater with a built-in thermostat and a separate thermometer for verification are essential equipment.

We recommend changing 20 to 25 percent of your tank water every week using dechlorinated water at the same temperature. Regular water changes keep nitrate levels low and maintain stable water chemistry, which is the single most important thing you can do for healthy fish.

Many species are compatible, but always research before combining fish. Check the compatibility information on each product page. Avoid mixing aggressive species with peaceful community fish, and make sure all tank mates require similar water parameters and temperature ranges.

Every live fish, shrimp, and snail in every order is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee, in every season. If any livestock arrives dead, dying, or in clearly compromised condition, we will replace it on the next shipment or refund it to your original payment method. To claim, contact us the same day your fish arrive with a short unboxing video (required — see below). Once the video is approved we don’t ask for receipts or make you prove fault — if it arrived wrong, it’s on us.

Contact us the same day your fish arrive on WhatsApp +44 7464 593131 with a short, continuous unboxing video that shows the parcel still sealed, being opened, and the fish still in their sealed bag. The video is mandatory — we cannot process a DOA claim from a phone call, a text-only email, or a still photo alone. Include your order number. Once the video is approved (usually within an hour in working hours) Kevin arranges a replacement or refund straight away. Claims made after the day of delivery fall outside the guarantee because the cold chain is already broken.

Four honest reasons. (1) Anti-scam: without video evidence, a small number of bad-faith claims would force us to build refund fraud into every price, which would punish the 99% of genuine customers. (2) Root-cause documentation: Kevin personally reviews every DOA video so the packing, routing, or heat-pack setup can be fixed before it happens to the next customer. (3) Courier insurance: our licensed live-animal courier only accepts insurance claims backed by continuous video of the unboxing, so without one we can’t recover the cost. (4) Speed: with a clear video, claims are approved the same day, usually within an hour. A photo on its own can’t show the parcel being opened for the first time, which is the key evidence all four of those reasons depend on.

A 60-second phone video shot vertically is fine — no editing, no polish. Start recording before you open anything so the parcel is clearly still sealed, cut the tape on camera in one continuous take, show the poly box being opened, then lift out each fish bag so the fish is visible inside the still-sealed bag. Pan across each affected fish for a couple of seconds. Stop recording and send it on WhatsApp with your order number. Don’t acclimate or release the affected fish until we’ve replied — we may ask for one more angle. The full step-by-step is on the Returns page.

Due to the live nature of our products, we cannot accept returns once fish have been acclimated to your aquarium. If you experience health issues within 48 hours of delivery, contact us with photographs and water test results and we will do our best to help resolve the situation.

We stock a mix of captive-bred and responsibly sourced wild-caught fish depending on the species. Captive-bred fish are clearly marked on the product page where applicable. We work with trusted breeders and suppliers who prioritise healthy, ethically sourced livestock.

Yes, we offer quantity pricing on many species, especially schooling fish like tetras, rasboras, and corydoras that do best in larger groups. Check individual product pages for group pricing, or contact us directly for large orders and we can arrange a custom quote.

No, we are an online-only store. We do not have a physical shop, showroom, or collection point, and we do not offer visits. All orders are dispatched via tracked 24-hour courier delivery with specialist packaging to ensure your fish arrive safely.

Gender is not typically guaranteed unless explicitly stated in the product listing. If you purchase two of the same species, you will most likely receive one male and one female. For specific gender requests, contact us via WhatsApp at +44 7464 593131 or email [email protected] before ordering and we will do our best to accommodate.