If you’re looking to get into the guppy growing business but don’t know where to buy them, I’m here to help. It would be ideal for getting your guppies from professional breeders with a high reputation in the business.
The problem is that these guppies tend to be more expensive, requiring a more significant initial investment. Not to mention, finding reliable, professional breeders can be a handful if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Fortunately, many of them sell their guppies on a variety of online marketplaces. Here where to go to get your first guppy pair today:
Amazon.com
Amazon needs no introduction. Such a massive marketplace is guaranteed to offer numerous options in terms of guppies. There are probably 2 noticeable problems that I’ve noticed strolling through the Amazonian online habitat:
- Too little diversity – Many offers contain regular mutt guppies. Depending on what you need, you have to do some digging to find fancy guppies or specific strains.
- Too many dead fish – The number 1 complaint on all sellers involves the guppies arriving dead at their destination. In many cases, people have ordered 5-6 or even 10 guppies, with most or even all of them arriving dead. And I mean stinking dead. On average, 20% of the reviews claim dead guppies on arrival. Some sellers have 36% of their reviews as 1 star, and all of them mention dead guppies. Be wary.
eBay.com
I would say eBay looks a lot more trustworthy in selling high-quality guppies compared to Amazon. This is the perfect marketplace to go to for personalized purchases as it offers a wild variety of guppy strains.
Quality-wise, the differences are astronomical in the good sense. eBay works via transhippers which have pretty much worldwide coverage. You choose the closest transhipper to your location, inform the seller about your selection, and things will start moving.
All sellers will replace your guppies if they arrive dead, so long as you provide photo proof within 24 hours of arrival. The website will even display how many successful transactions each seller has made, which is another plus.
Petco.com
On a bright note, Petco is a renowned, pet-specific shop with a wide variety of pets and pet-related products. They also offer free shipping if your fish order exceeds $139. Now for the main problems:
- There aren’t that many offers for guppies
- All sellers have average ratings of 3 out of 5 stars
- Most complaints are about dead guppies on arrival
- Several other complaints mention various issues like guppies arriving infected with Camallanus worm, fin rot, or dying within a couple of days after arrival
Overall, I suggest only using Petco at your own risk.
Petsmart.com
This marketplace has probably positively impressed me the most. They offer an impressive variety of live fish, not just guppies, and client satisfaction is above average in almost all cases.
I have even seen sellers with over 200 customer reviews, and only 10 of them were 1 star, mentioning dead or sick fish upon arrival. Overall, this is a reliable marketplace to get guppies, Bettas, Oscar fish, and even shrimp, snails, and crabs.
Not to mention, many sellers also offer instructions regarding guppy feeding, water requirements, and various accommodation tips.
LiveAquaria.com
LiveAquaria provides a wide selection of guppies and other aquarium fish at varying prices. You can choose from a variety of strains, and you’ll get relevant info on each strain before purchase.
This allows you to make informed choices and have an easier time finding the type of guppy you like. Overall, customer satisfaction is positive, with some occasional complaints of guppies dead on arrival or dying shortly after. However, the ratio isn’t as bad as other marketplaces we’ve already mentioned.
AquaBid.com
AquaBid has a pretty suggestive name. This isn’t so much of a marketplace as it is a bidding one. Sellers post their offers, and you can either bid or buy the product directly. The prices are reasonable, and each seller will usually provide ample information about the fish, including type, environmental preferences, breeding tips, etc.
You should always contact the seller prior to making any purchase in case you have any queries. Clicking the seller will take you to their review page to check other people’s experiences with them. Good feature if you ask me.
AquariumFish.net
AquariumFish isn’t a marketplace but a website specializing in selling a variety of fish and aquarium creatures. They are the sellers. You can find multiple products here, including tank-related products and accessories.
One of the major problems I’ve noticed is the lack of a ‘Customer Review’ section, which I believe to be essential, no matter the nature of the products on sale.
Another red flag, if you want to call it that, is that the website looks too flashy for its own good. It’s like one of those scamming websites trying to lure you into buying a crash course on how to get rich. This website is clearly not a scam, but it doesn’t help that it leaves that impression.
AquariumFishSale.com
This is a professional fish sale website, providing a variety of products, including live fish, snails, shrimp, aquariums, corals, plants, food and accessories, etc. You have a multitude of fish species to choose from, and the website offers extensive fish care tips.
Their Live Arrival Policy is a welcomed addition in a market where the selling responsibility is minimal. They will refund your dead-on-arrival (DOA) fish, no replacements. Fortunately, their DOA rates are extremely low, or so they claim.
Make of it what you will. One thing is for certain, however – the website looks professional, run by professionals. I just wished they had a ‘Customer Reviews’ section or allow buyers to rate their orders.
TropCo.co.uk
This is a solid website selling a variety of aquarium fish. They also offer fish food and accessories, including different substrates, water treatments, decorations, cleaning accessories, etc.
Many of their fish offers have customer reviews, which is a more-than-welcome addition. I am a fan of the extensive information you get with each fish you’re looking to buy. The info section contains details about the fish’s optimal water requirements, current and expected adult size, special requirements, depending on each species, and compatible and incompatible tank mates.
Overall, it looks good, although they could use a more professional website layout instead of the flashy one they have on currently.
GuppyKing.com.au
This is one of those no-nonsense websites that like to go straight to the point. There’s no redundant information, the categories are clean and straightforward, and the website is easy to navigate and overall user-friendly.
The problem I have is with their presentation. When going to a specific order, you will meet the notorious ‘Add to Cart’ button and pretty much nothing else. No information on the fish, no customer reviews, no information of any type.
This can make the website seem rather barren and unappealing. Personally, I would rather not order from websites that don’t allow customers to review the products. But that’s just me.
How Long Can Guppies Survive in the Mail?
The answer will depend on many variables, including:
- How many fish there are in the bag
- The temperature in the shipping container
- The water’s oxygenation level
- Whether the fish have eaten prior to shipping or not, etc.
Typically, guppies should be fine in a shipping bag for about 24 hours. Anything beyond that will increase the risk of them dying significantly. That’s because the bag is a small, enclosed environment, causing the ammonia levels to spike fast.
The problem is that few shops will deliver your guppies overnight. Add to this the occasional delays coming from the delivery company, and the situation doesn’t look so bright.
Is it Safe to Buy Guppies Online?
It depends where you’re getting them from. I suggest researching the topic with care and make sure you know the details of the delivery process. The most important aspect relates to its duration. Guppies shouldn’t spend more than 24 hours in the delivery bag since anything more than that will greatly decrease their likelihood of surviving the trip.
You should also check the seller’s reviews to get a grasp it his professionalism and transparency. The refund policy is another important aspect, since many fish will die during delivery because of mishandling from the delivery company or unforeseen delays.
The problem with buying guppies online is that you can’t verify their health status or gene pool. It’s not uncommon for people to purchase already sick guppies or specimens infested with worms or bacteria. The risk is part of the process.
You can minimize it by researching the seller properly before purchase, but there are no guarantees either way.
How Do You Keep Guppies Warm During Transport?
If you’re transporting the fish yourself, the best advice I could give you comes in 3 parts:
- Be careful where you place the fish – I recommend placing the fish somewhere in the vehicle where you have a heating or air conditioner. This will help you preserve the bag water’s temperature or, at least, stop it from fluctuating too wildly.
- Use insulation – This is a pretty simple and effective technique of keeping the water’s temperature within acceptable parameters.
- Use heat packs – heat packs can provide a constant temperature for up to 24-48 hours to your fish. You can purchase heat packs online on Amazon or other stores.
- Monitor the temperature – If you are transporting the guppies yourself, you should monitor the water’s temperature, especially if the trip or delivery lasts for more than 24 hours. This will allow you to intervene in case the temperature reaches sub-optimal parameters.
If you’ve sent the fish through a delivery company, your options are limited. In that scenario, the delivery company will handle the transport. Your duty is to specify that it’s a live transport and require for specific transportation services tailored to your case.
Conclusion
Guppies are rather fragile creatures that I don’t’ recommend moving too often. The situation is clearly unavoidable if you’re buying or selling the fish.
Overall, I would suggest only buying your guppies from high-profile sellers with positive customer reviews, impeccable customer support, and a solid refund policy.