32 Of The BEST Online Fish Stores For Freshwater & Saltwater Fish: High Quality And Great Offers! (2024)

The team and I spent a good few days deciding on our best online fish store picks. Between us, we’ve bought fish from all these places over the years.

We chose not to review feedback on the retailer’s websites themselves.

Instead, we chose stores that had high positive ratings from independent review sites (think Trustpilot, Facebook, and Google!).

That way you get to see unedited feedback from buyers.

So skip to one of the categories below, or keep reading for the full list!

• Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater And Saltwater Fish
• Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater Fish
• Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater And Pond Fish
• Best Online Fish Store For Saltwater Fish
• Best Online Fish Store For Aquarium Supplies

Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater And Saltwater Fish

Often online fish stores specialize in either freshwater or saltwater fish.But the guys below deal in both.

So if you’re looking for stores with a large range, or you want to browse different collections check out my top picks!

1. LiveAquaria

LiveAquaria is one of the largest online fish stores in the U.S.

They have an extensive collection of what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) livestock called Diver’s Den ®. Here you’ll get the exact fish in the picture.

Diver’s Den ® is great for marine tanks and has some fantastic corals, but it’s excellent for freshwater fish too.

Another factor I like is you can filter by care level, tank size, and other criteria making things easy for beginners.

Their 7-day guarantee on most livestock beats many other stores.

2. Aquarium Fish Sale

AFS is based in Nevada but has facilities across the U.S.

They have a huge range of freshwater and saltwater fish, corals, invertebrates, and plants.

Bettas, killifish, plecos, and South American cichlids are just a few of their freshwater species. And for marine tanks, they have everything from dottybacks to seahorses.

They also carry food, medication, and water treatment supplies.

AFS takes great care packaging their livestock and they guarantee live arrival. Although this does not extend past the day of delivery.

3. That Fish Place/ That Pet Place

Whilst they don’t only deal in fish, these guys have an extensive aquarium section.

They stock a huge range of aquarium supplies for freshwater and marine tanks. Their aquarium livestock section is also sizable for both.

As a household name, they carry the comfort factor. This is reflected in the high number of positive online reviews – although some of these are related to the other sections of the site.

You can feel confident ordering fish online here. They offer a 14-day guarantee on most livestock supported by solid customer support.

4. Aqua Imports

Aqua Imports have been operating their retail location in Colorado, U.S. since 1989. They started online in 2017.

Their website has a good selection for freshwater and marine tanks. In addition to fish, plants, and corals they also sell some reptiles and amphibians.

Stocking lists are updated frequently so it’s best to check their website. You can often pick up unusual and oddball fish as they import from around the world.

They offer a live arrival guarantee but do check their exceptions.

5. eBay

If you’ve never thought of eBay for live fish it’s definitely worth trying.

Bettas and corys are frequently available. You can also find rare fish here at good prices, although what’s available varies from week to week.

Some sellers offer local pickup only. For those that ship, check they properly pack their fish. For example, do they fast them first to reduce waste and ammonia build-up?

Many sellers are professional breeders or wholesalers so there is usually no issue. But check the seller’s feedback to be safe.

6. Pete’s Aquariums

Whilst Pete’s offers freshwater fish, koi, and invertebrates, it’s the marine livestock that dominates. They offer a great range, with everything from clownfish to more exotic stingrays, cucumbers, octopus, and sharks.

Based out of New York, they offer cheaper shipping if you live in the Tri-State area. Their 14-day guarantee is a great offering. But there are exceptions for expert-level fish, so do check with the exotic species.

And while we’re on the subject of marine life, maybe think about taking a trip to see the dolphins dance in Mexico!

Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater Fish

Depending on what you are looking for you may be used to buying most freshwater fish from your local fish store.

But if you are looking to find rare or cool freshwater fish, going online is often a better option.

Check out these freshwater specialists below.

7. Imperial Tropicals

These guys specialize in African and South American Cichlids.

I love their rainbowfish collection too and have bought some great fish in the past.

They are very helpful with online orders and take great care in packing and delivering your fish.

This is reflected in their highly positive Facebook and Google reviews.

8. AquaBid

Aquabid is an eBay-style auction site specializing in aquarium and fish sales. You also have the option to ‘Buy Now’ if you don’t fancy the auction aspect.

Whilst you do get saltwater and coral listings, the majority are freshwater fish. This is a great place to find rare cichlids and killifish, and to buy bettas direct from Thailand.

Most sellers are reputable wholesalers and professionals but always check the feedback scores.

Shipping rates vary. Often Thai sellers use a third-party transhipper, who then delivers the fish to you. This can sometimes make rates quite expensive.

9. Aquatic Arts

Based in Indiana, U.S. Aquatics Arts have been shipping a variety of premium fish and aquatic life since around 2015.

They offer a wide variety of freshwater fish, plants, and invertebrates like crayfish, crabs, and shrimp.

These guys provide great customer care and are really responsive to any queries on your order. Read some of their Facebook or Google feedback and you’ll see how highly regarded they are.

They offer a live arrival guarantee on all plants and animals.

10. The Wet Spot Tropical Fish

The Wet Spot carries a huge range of freshwater fish. This includes corys, catfish, rainbowfish, killifish, plecos, tetras, and cichlids.

They update their listings every Friday, so it’s worth keeping your eye on their site if you are looking for a particular fish.

Based in Portland, Oregon, U.S. you can get local rate shipping for $29.99 for Oregan and Washington.

They have great feedback on Facebook and Google and do all they can to ensure your fish will arrive in excellent condition.

11. Live Fish Direct

Live Fish Direct is a specialist in Lake Malawi Mbuna Cichlids.

They also stock Lake Tanganyika Cichlids, haps, catfish, and plecos along with some invertebrates.

All their fish are packaged with care, and they come with a 14-day guarantee.

If you are looking for cichlids it’s definitely worth checking them out.

12. Rain Forest International Tropical Fish

Rainforest Farms International has been in business since 1987. They have been shipping fish around the U.S for over 30 years.

They started out specializing in discus fish and still stock many today. But they have expanded enormously, and now carry everything from cichlids and killifish to stingrays.

Shipping costs vary depending on where you are in the U.S and on the price of your order. The best price will be closest to their facility in Indiana.

13. Flip Aquatics

Flip Aquatics is one of the best places to visit if you want to stock your nano tank.

They have a variety of shrimp, loaches, catfish, gourami, and tetras along with a good selection of freshwater plants.

Flip Aquatics offer a live arrival guarantee and are very careful with quarantine. They hold their shrimp for at least 30 days before making it available for sale.

That way they make sure their shrimp are in the best condition before shipping to you.

14. Twin Cities Guppies

Another specialist site, Twin Cities Guppies operate out of Minnesota, U.S.

They do offer some plecos and mystery snails, but their main business is importing and breeding guppies.

Prices can be relatively expensive, but if you are into your guppies I’d really recommend you check them out.

They are a small, family firm and focus on breeding quality guppy strains.

15. Aquarium Plants Factory

As the name suggests, Aquarium Plants Factory deals mainly in aquarium plants.

They have a huge range with both common and very rare varieties such as Hygrophila Chai.

APF offers a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on many of their plants, which you can use to stock up your aquarium.

They do also carry a few fish and a small range of invertebrates with many types of shrimp and snails such as nerites.

Best Online Fish Store For Freshwater And Pond Fish

Pond fish such as koi are expensive, and if they’ve been imported without proper quarantine you can sometimes get problems with disease.

Specialist online retailers like these below can often be a safer option than your local fish store.

16. Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Pet Zone is a Californian company. They specialize in freshwater aquarium fish, pond fish, invertebrates, amphibians, and plants.

They also have an extensive range of aquarium and pond supplies.

Not only do they ship within the mainland U.S, but they can also ship to Hawaii and Canada too.

Pet Zone offers great customer care backed up by a ‘great’ rating on Trustpilot across 500+ reviews.

17. The iFISH Store

The New York-based iFish Store holds a large selection of freshwater aquarium and pond fish.

From African and South American cichlids to plecos and rainbow fish, you’ll find all you need for your tank.

They also have a wide selection of koi including Shubunkin, Butterfly, and Kohaku for your pond.

Their ‘excellent’ rating on Trustpilot with over 3,300 reviews, reflects their high-quality customer care and shipping standards.

The iFish Store offers a flat-rate shipping fee regardless of where you live in the U.S, along with a live arrival guarantee.

18. Aqua Huna

Aqua Huna offers a great range of freshwater aquarium fish.

This includes bettas, catfish, angelfish, cichlids, parrotfish, guppies, and loaches.

You can also find a good range of pond fish and shrimp.

They have a 3-day guarantee on all their livestock and are very responsive to any queries.

One point to note is they often tend to deal in larger quantities and carry a lot of schooling fish.

So if you have a medium to large size tank they are definitely worth a look.

19. The Consolidated Fish Farms Inc.

The Consolidated Fish Farms started raising angelfish and grew to distribute a wide range of fish to pet stores across the U.S.

CFF stocks aquarium and pond fish including Mbuna cichlids, plecos, angelfish, rams, corys, and koi.

They also have a separate WYSIWYG betta section on their website where you can often find beautiful fish like Koi Bettas.

CFF has a fairly standard DOA policy for all their livestock covering the day of arrival.

You can get 10% off at The Consolidated Fish Farms by visiting the link above and using coupon code SimplyAq at the checkout.

20. King Koi And Goldfish

King Koi And Goldfish are a family-run business based in California. They started their online store in 2017.

They are specialists in importing premium Japanese koi and Chinese and Thai goldfish.

Additionally, they sell a wide range of Bettas on their site.

Buying bettas here means you don’t have to deal with import sellers. It also means you don’t have to risk poor overseas shipping conditions for your fish.

King Koi And Goldfish also ships to Canada and Hawaii.

21. Kloubec Koi Farm

Iowa-based Kloubec Koi Farm operates an 80-acre site with over 55 mud ponds.

Here they breed koi varieties including Sanke, Showa, Butterfly, Longfin, and many more. You can also buy pond supplies and koi medication via their website.

As well as flat rate shipping across the U.S, Kloubec Koi also ships to Canada for a $175 flat fee.

They are very responsive and knowledgeable if you need to contact them. This is reflected in positive feedback in their Facebook and Google reviews.

King Koi And Goldfish also ships to Canada and Hawaii.

22. Next Day Koi

Next Day Koi started in 2006 and ships live Koi, Butterfly Koi, and goldfish across the US.

Koi include Gosanke and Koromo, while goldfish include Fantail, Oranda, and Shubunkin. But there are many more varieties on their website!

They source fish from one of the most established farms in the US, Blue Ridge Koi & Goldfish, and Hazorea Aquatics in Israel. Hazorea uses a bio-secure facility and quarantines for at least 2 weeks before shipping to ensure healthy fish.

Customers give great praise for beautiful, active fish and fantastic customer service. And you can use the link above along with the coupon code simply10 at the checkout to receive 10% off your order!

Best Online Fish Store For Saltwater Fish

I’ve put together my top picks of the best online saltwater fish stores below. They are all specialists in marine fish and invertebrates.

You’ll also see I’ve included coral specialists. So whether you are looking for Mushrooms, Small Polyp Stony (SPS), or Large Polyp Stony (LPS) varieties you’ll find them here!

23. TSM Aquatics

TSM Aquatics is a saltwater specialist based in Sewell, New Jersey.

One of the reasons I recommend them is their comprehensive quarantine procedure. All new fish go through a series of steps, including a minimum of 30 days copper treatment.

Whilst this means their fish can be expensive, they are still very competitive. Particularly when you know you are getting high-quality, healthy fish.

They offer exotic marine species (often WYSIWYG) including wrasses, butterflyfish, dartfish, and tangs.

TSM also stocks SPS and LPS corals, mushrooms, and zoanthids.

24. Vivid Aquariums

Vivid Aquariums started out building reef tanks and saltwater aquariums in Los Angeles, U.S.

Since then, they have been shipping saltwater livestock for over 10 years.

Vivid offers a fantastic range of WYSIWYG corals including mushrooms, zoanthids, SPS, and LPS corals. They also stock a wide range of invertebrates and saltwater fish.

All livestock carry a 10-day guarantee.

Check out their sister site https://vividpetsupplies.com too.

Here you can find a huge range of saltwater, freshwater, and pond supplies.

25. Saltwaterfish

Saltwaterfish.com is one of the leading online marine retailers in the U.S.

They have over 4,600 Trustpilot reviews and have been rated one of the best online pet supply stores in a 2021 Newsweek survey.

Saltwaterfish.com offers a huge range of marine fish, invertebrates, live rock, and corals. They also carry saltwater and reef tank supplies.

One stand-out feature is their 15-day guarantee on all livestock.

Marine fish are expensive, and so this guarantee gives great peace of mind. There aren’t many competitors that can match this.

26. Blue Zoo Aquatics

Based out of California, U.S, Blue Zoo Aquatics specialize in marine fish, corals, plants, invertebrates, and live rock.

They also sell marine supplies, food, and medications.

You can view the Collector’s Choice section of their website for particularly rare marine fish and corals. All listings in this section are WYSIWYG.

Blue Zoo offers free shipping on orders over $140 and a 7-day livestock guarantee.

27. Top Shelf Aquatics

Top Shelf Aquatics was founded in 2011 in Florida, U.S.

They specialize in all types of coral, from beginner to high-end SPS.

Their range is huge and they have a Rare Coral Vault with many beautiful WYSIWYG listings,

You can also buy marine fish and invertebrates, although they have a more limited range.

Top Shelf Aquatics go out of their way to provide great advice and customer care, as shown in their many Facebook and Google reviews.

28. J And L Aquatics

J And L Aquatics are Canadian-based.

They offer a wide range of marine fish. This includes goatfish, lionfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, and wrasses.

J And L also stock a huge range of supplies including fish and coral food, lighting, CO2 equipment, pumps, and controllers.

They ship within Canada and to the U.S. 48 states.

You can get free shipping on orders over $99, although this doesn’t apply to livestock.

29. Cherry Corals

Based in Michigan, U.S, Cherry Corals is a premium WYSIWYG online retail store specializing in corals and anemones.

They have all types including SPS and LPS, mushrooms, palythoa, and zoanthids.

These guys are known for high-quality and vibrant corals, and with many of them being WYSIWYG you know exactly what you’ll be getting!

They have a great reputation for corals and over 200 reviews on Facebook.

30. Salty Bottom Reef Company

Based in Florida, U.S, the Salty Bottom Reef Company is a family-run business.

Salty Bottom specializes in saltwater fish, corals, invertebrates, and anemones.

They sustainably source all their livestock and offer an Arrive Alive guarantee on delivery.

Best Online Fish Store For Aquarium Supplies

The two retailers below are my go-to options for aquarium supplies.

They have the quality you can find in specialist stores, but a much larger range. You can usually find lower prices too!

31. Amazon

Amazon is one of the best places to buy aquarium supplies online.

You have all the benefits you would expect. Great customer support, solid shipping policies, and plenty of choices.

Prices tend to be lower than specialist fish stores too.

Amazon’s verified reviews are another of their stand-out features.

By using the reviews you can always be confident in the product you are buying.

32. Chewy

Chewy.com is one of the biggest online pet retailers in the U.S.

It came top in the best online pet supply stores in the 2021 Newsweek survey.

Chewy has a dedicated Fish Shop on their website. It offers everything from fish food, to tanks, filters, lighting, and water treatments.

They have similar ‘Amazon style’ reviews against their products which are well populated. So you can be confident in what you are buying.

Chewy may not have as large a range as Amazon for aquarium supplies, but often their prices are cheaper.

So it’s definitely worth comparing the two when shopping.

What To Do Next?

I hope this list of the 31 best online fish stores has given you confidence in shopping for live fish online.

If there are any stores that catch your eye, be sure to check out their website.

I’d also recommend you contact them to help talk you through or personalize your order where needed.

You can also check out our guides for freshwater fish ideas, or how to care for your goldfish or betta.

*All data gathered Nov 2022. All review ratings out of 5.