Marine Angelfish Buyers Guide

The Best Online Retailers for Dwarf Angelfishes

May 25, 2008

Blue Zoo Aquatics, LiveAquaria and Marine Depot are three online retailers of marine livestock with a great selection of dwarf angelfishes, but which is best?

So you want to buy the best dwarf marine angelfish online, but where do you begin? This mini tropical fish guide for marine angelfish looks at which online retailers have the best selection, keep the most number of fish in stock and, of course, offer the best price. Whether you want a beginner angelfish or an exotic angelfish appropriate only for expert aquarists, these three online retailers consistently lead the field in terms of dwarf angelfishes. They are, in alphabetical order:

Selection

Online retailers of marine livestock frequently offer a wider selection than what they actually have in stock at any one time. By looking at the overall selection, however, you get a sense of the type of retailer with which you are dealing. While this number may go up and down somewhat over time, comparing a snapshot tells you a lot about the company’s reach in terms of the collectors and wholesalers with which they frequently work.

More isn’t always better. It would obviously be easy for a retailer to pad its selection with lots of species rarely (if ever) offered. It is therefore a good idea to look at a snapshot of the number of species the company has in stock compared to the number of species offered. Again, this number will change based on season, shipment schedules, etc., but this snapshot gives you, the consumer, an idea of the retailer’s inventory capacity and commitment level to that particular group of fishes.

Based on species offered, species in stock and a percentage relationship between the two, here are how the three retailers stack up:

Selection/Stock Summary

Blue Zoo appears to have the greatest reach and commitment to dwarf angelfish given they offer the most number of species. If you are looking for a very specific, somewhat unique dwarf angelfish, Blue Zoo may therefore be your best starting point. On the other hand, Marine Depot has more of the species they offer in stock. If you don’t have a particular species in mind and are in instant gratification mode, shopping at Marine Depot leaves the least chance for disappointment, as it is most likely that the dwarf angel you see on their website will be in stock to ship the next day.

Price

Of course price is always an important consideration. It’s therefore worth looking at each company’s most expensive fish and least expensive fish as a point of comparison. While prices may change over time, the retailers are all, to a certain extent, dependent on the wholesalers’ cost, and you can expect their prices to go up and down more or less in sync unless the company makes major changes.

In addition to looking at the most expensive and least expensive fishes, it is useful to compare a common species’ price across the board. Finally, what about “hidden costs” like shipping? Based on price, here’s how the three retailers stack up:

Live Aquaria

Blue Zoo Aquatics

Marine Depot

Price Summary: If you are less concerned with price and more concerned with finding a retailer that deals with quality rare and exotic (albeit expensive) livestock, Blue Zoo and LiveAquaria should be your first stops. On the other hand, if price is a major determining factor for you, Marine Depot appears most competitive, especially given that they offer the best shipping rate.

The copyright of the article Marine Angelfish Buyers Guide in Saltwater Fish is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Marine Angelfish Buyers Guide in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.