Shipping & Live Arrival Guarantee

Healthy live fish, shipped overnight with care.

Quick Summary

  • All livestock ships Overnight only
  • Orders ship Monday through Wednesday
  • Minimum livestock order: $59
  • $44.99 Overnight Shipping
  • $39.99 Overnight Shipping on orders $149+
  • FREE Overnight Shipping on orders $249+
  • Approved DOA claims receive Store Credit + 10% Bonus or replacement options for qualifying orders

1. Overnight Shipping Policy

At Source Aquatics, all live fish orders ship by Overnight service only. We use overnight shipping to reduce transit time and help ensure your fish arrive safely and in the best possible condition.

Every order is carefully packed using oxygenated bags, insulated packaging, and temperature control when necessary. Our goal is to give your fish the safest possible trip from our facility to your door.

Shipping Schedule

Livestock orders ship Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday only.

Orders placed after 12:00 PM Tuesday will typically ship the following Monday to avoid weekend transit delays.

Shipping Rates

Orders $59 – $149 → $44.99 Overnight Shipping

Orders $149 – $249 → $39.99 Overnight Shipping

Orders $249+ → FREE Overnight Shipping

Minimum livestock order: $59

Most community aquarium orders ship in one insulated box. Larger orders may require additional boxes depending on fish size, bag size, and the total volume of livestock in the shipment.

2. Live Arrival Guarantee

We proudly offer a Live Arrival Guarantee on all livestock shipments when the claim requirements below are followed.

We stand behind our packing process and work hard to make every order arrive safely. If there is ever a problem, our goal is to resolve it quickly and fairly.

Dead On Arrival (DOA) Claims

If any fish arrive DOA (Dead On Arrival), you must submit your claim within 2 hours of the carrier’s marked delivery time.

Claims submitted after the 2-hour window cannot be approved.

How To Submit A DOA Claim

Please submit your claim at: DOA Claim Form

To process a DOA claim, we require the following photos:

  1. Fish clearly visible inside the sealed bag
  2. Fish placed on a paper towel
  3. A clear photo of the shipping label on the box

DOA Resolution Options

Approved DOA claims may receive one of the following:

Store Credit + 10% Bonus (Recommended)

Receive store credit for the value of the affected fish plus an additional 10% bonus. Store credit never expires and can be used toward any future order.

Replacement Fish With Your Next Order

Replacement livestock may be added to your next order. Standard shipping rules will apply to that future shipment.

Replacement Shipment (Qualifying Orders Only)

In certain situations, a replacement shipment may be offered for qualifying claims.

  • Order value exceeds $150
  • DOA loss exceeds 40% of livestock value

3. Missing Items or Supplier Availability Issues

Because live fish are collected and inspected close to shipping time, there may be rare occasions when a fish in your order is unavailable or not in suitable condition for shipment after pickup from our supplier.

In these cases, we may still ship the remaining fish in your order so they arrive safely on schedule.

If this happens, we will contact you with one of the following options:

  • Store Credit + 10% Bonus
  • Replacement Fish With Your Next Order
  • Refund to original payment method for missing items if preferred

4. Shipping Charges

Shipping charges are non-refundable.

Because live fish require specialized overnight delivery and careful insulated packing, shipping fees apply to the delivery service itself and are non-refundable once an order has been shipped.

Approved DOA claims apply to the livestock only.

5. Delivery Responsibility

Customers are responsible for being available to receive the shipment on the day of delivery.

The Live Arrival Guarantee may be void if:

  • An incorrect shipping address is provided
  • Delivery is missed or delayed due to customer error
  • The package is left outdoors or unattended for an extended period after delivery

6. Eco-Friendly Packing

Whenever possible, Source Aquatics uses recyclable and eco-conscious insulated packaging materials to reduce waste while still protecting livestock during overnight transit.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions about your order, shipping, or a claim, please contact us:

Email: info@sourceaquatics.com

DOA Claim Form: Submit Here