Our Livestock Guarantee

We sell live animals. We take that seriously, and we would rather lose a sale than send out a fish that isn't ready to travel.

Before it leaves us

Every fish, shrimp, snail and plant is quarantined and observed before it goes on sale. If an animal isn't eating, isn't settled, or isn't right, it doesn't get sold.

If you picked up in store — 14 days

If an animal you bought from us dies within 14 days, bring it back with your receipt and a sample of your tank water, and we'll replace it or issue store credit.

The guarantee applies when your water test comes back clean — ammonia and nitrite at zero, and the rest within a reasonable range for the species. That isn't a technicality to get out of honouring it. It's the whole point. Nearly every livestock loss we see comes down to water, and the test is how we find out what happened and help you stop it happening again. Bring the water in either way, even if you think you know the answer. The test is free and the conversation is worth more than the fish.

Fourteen days is a long window compared with most stores. We can offer it because we'd rather you came back and learned something than quietly gave up on the hobby.

If it was shipped — 2 hours

If an animal arrives dead, email us within 2 hours of delivery with a clear photo of the animal in the unopened bag. We'll issue store credit for that animal.

Please don't open the bag before photographing it — once it's opened we have no way to tell what happened in transit. The short window is because transit losses look very different from acclimation losses, and after a few hours we genuinely can't distinguish them.

We can't cover losses where delivery was refused, where the parcel sat at a depot, or where an incorrect address was supplied.

Weather holds

We don't ship live animals when temperatures along the route are unsafe, and we don't ship to the Maritimes or the territories at all. If your order is held, we'll contact you. It isn't cancelled — it ships when conditions allow.

What isn't covered

Losses caused by an uncycled aquarium, incompatible tankmates, water outside the species' range, medication, or acclimation that skipped steps.

If you're not sure whether your tank is ready for a particular fish, ask us before you buy. That question costs nothing, and we would much rather answer it first than replace an animal afterwards.

Talk to us

tropicalfishimports@icloud.com · or come in and talk to us at 1509 3 Ave S, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 0K9.

See also our Shipping Policy and Visit Us page.