We trust everyone to be honest about the condition of their fish when they receive them. If there are any fish Dead On Arrival (DOA) Then We expect you to quickly snap a picture of the fish in a bag with your digital camera and send it to us within 12 hours of delivery. Please be reasonable about the photos they will turn out best if you use a flash at a slight angle so it doesn't bounce straight off back into the camera. Cash Back refunds are calculated on a percentage based on the value of the fish that arrive alive. So as an example say 2 out of 10 fish shipped are lost during transit or within fourteen days of arrival. In that case, we would refund/credit the value of the fish and 20% of the shipping costs. For all other problems we will be happy to take care of your needs the best we can. If your fish die within 14 days give me an email with a picture and we will work out a credit or refund with you. If you don't have a digital camera just give us an email and explain your situation and we will work out something with you but pictures always help the overall situation. Special judgment will be used to give a fair credit/refund in all circumstances that merit concern.

We are pleased to announce that our retail store in Draper, Utah is now open to the public Friday and Saturday from 10:00AM-6:00PM. We would love to see Utah locals come and visit us. Our entire selection is available here at the same prices as posted online with a few additional "walk in specials." Our address is 12270 S. 700 E. in Draper right off I-15 Exit 291 headed East.

Tropical Fish Wholesale
12270 S. 700 E.
Draper, UT 84020
Friday 10AM-6PM
Saturday 10AM-6PM
Ph 801-571-8500
Fx 801-571-6148
Email Josh@livefishdirect.com

• We are the Breeder of Tropical Fish mostly African Cichlids. We have been breeding fish from our facilities for over 20 years
• We own a 40,000 sq foot fish hatchery in the Salt Lake Valley the largest tropical fish farm outside of Florida.
• Our hatchery is fed by constant stream of Geothermal water so 12,000 gallons per hour flow into the fish tanks and down the drain. This is like giving our fish 4-6 complete water changes per day! The pure, warm, nutrient rich, water keeps the quality and colors of our fish excellent.
• We have been packing and supplying our fish to major distributors, wholesalers, and major retail chains across the United States for 20 years.
• We have been selling fish online for 2 years now using various methods and have been very successful with all of our shipments.
• We have established good feedback on eBay. Click here to view our online auctions and established positive feedback.
• We are the only online store I know of that will supply you a picture of the actual fish you will receive before you are shipped the fish. (Details)
• Live Arrival is guaranteed or your money back for the cost of fish and cost of shipping. (Details)
• We can ship in any kind of weather hot or cold!

We have been shipping fish for 20 years. Right now we can ship mostly inside the USA. Alaska and Hawaii customers please email me after you order as there may be an additional $20 charge depending on how rural your area is. We can ship in any kind of weather. We stay up to date for overnight temperatures all over the country. We use insulated boxes and adjust with heat packs and cold packs as necessary. We ship everything with no signature required. The fish will arrive between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. You are going to select a date from a shipping calender as you go to check out so that you can confirm the date you can receive the fish. If you are not able to be there during the day consider leaving a fairly large insulated container on your porch or a heat blanket with a note to your driver to place the fish inside the container. The fish usually have enough oxygen in the bags to last 48 hours so as long as their temperature stays between 60 to 80 degrees they should be ok.

Most orders are shipped Fed Ex overnight to your door. We have set up a great business account with Fed Ex, and are constantly working with the various shipping providers to negotiate affordable shipping rates. Also, if you prefer, I have accounts with all major airlines for same day shipping to your local airport. This can be a very safe and reasonable way to ship fish if you can see yourself taking the time to drive to your local airport. It can become much more cost effective for larger orders as well which we will pass on to you if you see your order getting over $400 and don't mind driving to the airport give us an email.

To view our current shipping rates click here, or you can view them on our homepage.

Well you shouldn't be if you are buying African Cichlids or other tropical fish from us. Most of the fish you see in local pet stores have been packed and shipped almost six times before they reach your tank. When you buy from us they are only packed and shipped once. Ever wonder where a lot of the fish that are stuffed into retailers tanks actually come from. I know for a fact the average life of a pet shop fish goes something like this:

This can be very hard on the fish, each time they have to be caught, hand counted, bagged, boxed, shipped, unpacked, hand counted, and the process starts all over again. Rarely are they given more than a few days to adjust before they go on another tedious journey. Now I know that there are pet stores that might find a way to skip one or two of these middle men but no one can offer you the same health and quality that we can. WE ARE THE BREEDER! Our diagram is much simpler:

You don't have to be skeptical about the quality of mail order Cichlids anymore. It has been said that a picture says a thousand words and I am willing to take a photo of the fish you will receive and email it to you so you know exactly what you will be getting before I ship. Now it is impossible to supply a picture of the actual fish to everyone who is just a little interested. Because I know that there are a lot of "Looky Loos" I require that you first make your purchase and pay for the fish you want. Then Email me a request for photos if you want them. This may delay the shipping date as I need at least a day or two. I will catch the fish from my hatchery and send you a photo of them. You then have until the night before I ship to cancel your order if you can tell by the pictures that they are not what you expected.

I get the question from a lot of people: "Can you get me Wild caught or F1 fish"? To this I have written the following response: Why?

Have you accepted the dogma that wild caught fish are better? I will explain ...

My fish are mostly all tank raised but that is not a bad thing. It is actually a good thing contrary to popular belief. Now I admit there are some reasons for getting wild caught or F1 fish but those reasons are few and far between. The junky fish you see in large cut throat stores are not junky just because they are tank raised. They are junky because their strains have been mixed with other fish, they have lived a life of stress being shipped all around the world to finally arrive there. They have been neglected.

My fish are different!

My fish have been pampered ever since they were born. With constant water flowing from a natural spring these fish receive 4 complete water changes per day. I always start out with the best strains. I select or line breed the best of the best. When you order my fish you are receiving "cherry picked" specimens which are the best of the batch. They are the ones which have grown the fastest have the most color and are the pick of the litter. Think about it ... if you order from one of these others guys picking fish from their basement, they only have 10 fish left and you are getting their "leftovers". With me you get the best of thousands of fish.

Wild Caught / Vs Tank Raised

1. Wild caught fish are usually slightly malnourished with their fins bitten off and nipped at. My tank raised fish are plump and healthy with pretty fins, eggspots, and color.
2. Wild caught fish have to be shipped 3 to 5 times before you ever get them which stresses them out. My fish are only shipped once.
3. Wild caught fish are not happy most of the time and cannot adapt well to captivity so they just hide. My fish are comfortable and will act pleased to be in your tank.
4. Wild caught fish are less likely to breed and show their full breeding colors in captivity. My fish will get their full colors rather quickly and will definitely breed in your tank.

F1 fish / Vs Tank Raised

1. F1 fish can be nice if the person selling you them is actually telling the truth. They may even think they are telling the truth only because they have been lied to by someone else.
2. F1 fish are expensive and look identical to my Tank Raised fish. You will not be able to tell the difference. My strains are excellent.
3. F1 fish are likely to be accidentally mixed with the wrong species especially when it comes to peacocks or certain haps.

When you should buy F1 or Wild Fish

Like I said earlier there are a few reasons for buying F1 or Wild fish. You would do this if you absolutely cannot find a certain species of fish anywhere else. Why are certain fish I carry F1? Because I could not find a high quality strain anywhere else. I've seen a really nice strain of Wild Ahlis and my F1 Ahlis are turning out to be gorgeous. I could not find Kelisa or Furcifer anywhere else so I went with F1's, but that is really the only reason. If my Cobalt Blues or Red Top Zebras were not drop-dead beautiful I would go looking for a better strain. OK, I hope you all can understand, as people are being duped into thinking they need F1 fish every day by people who only want to make a fortune off them.