Cherry shrimp in real grades, snails that arrive alive instead of empty, nano fish in honest school sizes, and axolotls where they're legal. We source from specialist breeders, confirm the exact livestock is available, and quote the exact total before anything is charged.
Everything here was chosen because it genuinely travels well in breeder packaging. Anything with a ⚖️ badge sits behind a legality check: we confirm it's legal in your state before any charge, and the order simply doesn't happen if it isn't.
The nano-tank classic, in honestly graded color (sakura/fire red range, stated at confirmation). Shipped as young adults — the age that travels best and adapts fastest.
BeginnerShips wellBreeds in your tankThe algae crew with the reputation it earned. Bigger and hardier than they look — and they won't breed in freshwater, which is either a feature or a dealbreaker, stated plainly either way.
BeginnerAlgae crewShips wellBig, personable, and genuinely useful scavengers — in the color (gold, ivory, blue, jade) confirmed with your order. Shipped damp-packed the way snail breeders actually ship them, not sloshing in a full bag.
BeginnerColor confirmed per orderCaptive-bred juveniles in the morph confirmed with your order (leucistic, wild type, GFP, others as breeders have them). Cold-water, solo-tank, 10+ year commitment — the confirmation step includes a setup check.
⚖️ Legality confirmed for your state before charging — restricted in CA / NJ / ME / VA & elsewhereIntermediateCaptive-bredEmber-red, pea-sized, and only happy in a real school — which is why they're sold as six, not one. For soft, acidic nano setups; the confirmation step checks your parameters honestly.
IntermediateTrue schooling fishShips well baggedGalaxy-spotted nano fish that look like trout in miniature. Hardy for their size, cooler-water tolerant, and sold as a group because that's how they behave well.
Beginner–IntermediateGroup of 6We are a sourcing service, not a warehouse. Livestock shouldn't sit bagged in a warehouse waiting for a buyer.
Typical timeline: confirmation within 1 business day; most breeders ship live orders Monday–Wednesday only, so a Friday request usually ships the following Monday. We'll always tell you the ship date before charging you. Drip-acclimate shrimp and snails — the confirmation email includes the acclimation steps for what you ordered.
Live aquatics are perishable. Orders ship early in the week (Mon–Wed) to avoid weekend warehouse stays, in breather bags (which exchange gas through the membrane) or damp-packed for snails, inside insulated boxes. During extreme heat or cold, shipments may be held until a safe window — we email you before any hold, and you may cancel for a full refund instead of waiting. "Hold for pickup" at your local carrier hub is available on request and strongly recommended in summer and winter. Open and start acclimation promptly on arrival — a bag on a porch is the one risk we can't pack against.
If a significant portion of your order arrives dead, email us within 24 hours of the carrier's delivery scan with a clear photo of the shipment as received, still in the bag. We will, at your choice: reship once at no charge, or refund the item price (shipping refunded if the carrier/supplier accepts responsibility for a transit delay). Normal transit stress — a small number of losses in a bulk count — is not DOA; as a working rule, losses above roughly 10% of a counted order qualify. We never ask you to ship dead livestock back.
Live goods cannot be returned and restocked — that would be unsafe for the animals and for other customers. Cancellation is free any time before your card is charged (i.e., before you approve the confirmed total). After shipment, the DOA policy above is the remedy. Wrong species or count? That's on us: reship or full refund, your choice.
Axolotls are illegal to own in some states (including California, New Jersey, Maine, and Virginia) and restricted or permit-gated in others, and the list changes. Certain snails, shrimp, and fish face state rules too, and Hawaii restricts most aquatic livestock imports. So every restricted item on this page sits behind the same gate: we confirm legality for your state before charging — during the confirmation step, against current state rules, for your exact species. If it isn't legal where you live, the order doesn't happen and any hold is released; we'll suggest a legal alternative if one exists. Never order a restricted species to a friend's address in another state to get around this — we won't fulfill it, because the animal is the one that pays when it's confiscated.
Nothing from a tank goes into a pond, ditch, or toilet — ever. Aquarium species released outdoors are a documented invasive-species pipeline (that's partly why the restrictions above exist). If you need to rehome livestock, contact us or your local fish store; both will help.
Depends on the state — they're illegal in CA, NJ, ME, and VA, permit-gated or restricted in a few others, and legal in most. You don't have to research it: legality confirmation for your exact state is step 2 of our flow, before any charge. If it's a no, the hold is released and you pay nothing.
Young adult shrimp in breather bags with a bit of moss to hold onto are genuinely good shippers — 2–3 days in transit is normal for them. The keys are prompt acclimation on arrival (drip, don't dump) and not shipping into a weather wall, which is what our Mon–Wed windows and weather holds are for.
Because they're schooling fish. A lone chili rasbora hides, stresses, and fades; six behave like the species people fell for. Selling them singly would be selling you a worse outcome for a lower ticket — we won't do it.
The grade range is stated at confirmation (sakura to fire red), and price follows grade. Shrimp also arrive pale from transit stress and color up within days in a settled tank — if the color still doesn't match the confirmed grade after a week, email us; that's a wrong-item remedy, on us.
Never at request time — only after breeder confirmation, the state legality check, and your approval of the exact total. Can't source it at that price, or not legal for you? Hold released, you pay nothing.
Prototype form — submitting does not place an order or charge anything. In the live version, this form opens the concierge flow described above.