Livestock

Everything you need to know about buying fish online

It has never been easier to buy fish online, thanks to Swell UK Ltd. We have a wide range of fish and other aquatic animals available to buy online, from iconic Clownfish to super rare Koi Carp. And best of all? These fish can be delivered directly to your door* via our trusted and licensed livestock couriers!

How are fish bought online delivered?

All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributors and delivered directly to your door. Our distributors dispatch and deliver livestock packages Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being held up in transit over the weekend. To further minimise time spent travelling, our livestock couriers aim to make livestock deliveries before 1pm on the day of delivery.

After placing your livestock order with us, you’ll receive a series of emails with all the information you’ll need to track your new pets from our distributors to your door. On delivery day, you’ll receive a polystyrene box packed with insulation and, where appropriate, heat packs. In this box there will be a plastic bag (or multiple bags in the case of a large order) containing your fish, securely fastened and filled with oxygen.

Any other, non-livestock items that you purchase alongside livestock will be sent via standard or express delivery and arrive at your delivery address in a different package. This means that, depending on when you place your order, you may receive your non-livestock items before or after your livestock package.

What do I need to do when my fish arrive?

It’s a good idea to get yourself, and your fish tank, ready before your new fish arrive. This may involve testing your water parameters to make sure your aquarium/pond is ready for fish, or simply getting your nets and buckets out of storage. As soon as your fish arrive, remove the plastic bag from the box and float it in your aquarium/pond. Then, undo the bag and gradually add water from your aquarium/pond into the bag. This will help your new fish get used to your water.

After 20 minutes, it’s time to release your fish. You can do this several ways, but we recommend emptying the contents of your bag into a small bucket before netting your new fish and adding them to your aquarium/pond. By doing it this way, you won’t empty the dirty water from the bag into your clean aquarium. It’s also recommended that, during this acclimation process, you turn off any lights to avoid spooking your new fish.

Your new fish will no doubt be stressed after their journey from our distributor to your door, so give them some time to settle into their new environment before you turn on your lights and offer them some food. After a few days, your fish will grow in confidence and be a lot more active. Their colours should also return and, before long, they’ll start begging for food, just like your other fish.

Why should I buy fish online?

There’s only so much variety on offer at a bricks-and-mortar aquatics store. At our shop, located in Hyde, Greater Manchester, we stock a lot of different marine, tropical, and coldwater species, but ultimately the number pales in comparison to the number of fish for sale online. If you’re after a very specific species, or a rare colour morph, then buying fish online is the way to go.

We’re also aware that not all of our customers can make the trip to our fantastic shop. We don’t want those customers who love fish keeping missing out on the opportunity to own stunning, healthy fish, so by selling fish online we make sure we cater to everyone. Whether you’re 10 miles down the road or a four-hour drive away, you can get your hands on some of our amazing fish.

Another reason to buy fish online is for the convenience; with just a few clicks you can browse hundreds of species and – thanks to our accompanying guides – learn exactly how to care for them. If you do choose to buy fish online, they’ll arrive at your door in a matter of days, saving you the time, effort, and expense it often takes to visit a quality aquatics store.

And lastly, by choosing to buy fish online you’ll guarantee that they arrive at your door in the most suitable packaging for travelling. The journey home from an aquatics store is very stressful for fish and, often, the correct measures aren’t taken. We make sure that our fish are kept as comfortable as possible, by both packaging them correctly and choosing the best livestock couriers in the business.

Why don’t my fish look exactly like they do on the picture?

It’s important to note that, as an online fish shop, all of our livestock images are for illustration purposes only. This means that fish and other aquatic animals photographed for our listings aren’t an exact representation of what you’ll receive. These are live animals, at the end of the day, and due to variations within fish species, yours may look a little different to the one in the photograph.

A stressed fish also looks different to a happy, healthy fish. As mentioned above, travelling is very stressful for fish and other aquatic animals, and during their journey to your door they may lose some of their colour. There’s no guarantee when their colours may return, but as long as you acclimate them correctly and put them in an appropriate environment, it should only take a few hours.

What kind of fish do we sell online?

We have a huge variety of fish for sale online. Currently, we have over 600 different aquatic animals available, split between coldwater & pond, marine, and tropical. And best of all, we’re adding more all the time! Here’s a list of some of the fish and aquatic animals currently available on our site:

Marine

• Angelfish
• Clownfish
• Damselfish
• Butterflyfish
• Wrasse
• Blennies
• Shrimps
• Crabs (including Hermit Crabs)
• Other Invertebrates
• And more…

Coldwater & Pond

• Koi Carp
• Fancy Goldfish
• Common Goldfish
• Sturgeon & Sterlet
• Mixed Carp
• Other Pond Fish
• And more…

Tropical

• Bettas
• Guppies
• Tetras
• Catfish
• Discus
• Gouramis
• Rainbowfish
• Peacock Cichlids
• Shrimp
• And more...

For a full breakdown of our fish for sale online, browse our livestock pages and lose yourself in the diversity of species on offer. Our site has been made by fish keepers for fish keepers; that’s why we’ve made them front and centre and as easy to browse as possible. It doesn’t quite match the feeling of walking around a quality fish shop, but it sure gets close!

What do I do if there’s something wrong with my order?

As expected, there are risks involved when you choose to buy fish online. A lot of these are outlined in our livestock declaration form at checkout and, by signing that declaration, you agree to accept all responsibility for your fish once they’re in your care. That said, we are aware that your fish may encounter some difficulties on their way to your door.

If you have any problems regarding your order, and/or concerns about the wellbeing of your fish on arrival, then please ring us straight away. We want you and your new pets to have the smoothest delivery experience possible so, depending on your issue, we’ll try to solve it as quickly as possible.

*UK mainland postcode restrictions apply.