In most cases, it is prudent to purchase all of your aquatic animals from the same dealer. Maintaining a good relationship with this person will assure you of the highest-quality stock, and it will also enable you to trace any problems that arise back to their original source. Reputable dealers, especially small-scale private breeders, are usually quite willing to share their expertise with customers and alert those with specific interests as to the availability of unique creatures.

Retail pet stores vary widely in the degree of expertise of their staff and in the quality of the animals that they supply. If you are fortunate enough to have a high-quality store nearby, use it to purchase the majority of your animals and supplies. Purchasing animals from a number of different sources will complicate the process of tracking down the origin of a disease and will make it less likely that individual suppliers will cooperate in helping you with such problems.

Public aquariums, aquarium societies, and aquarium trade magazines are all excellent sources to check when attempting to locate responsible fish and invertebrate importers and breeders. An additional benefit of using such organizations is that you may obtain access to the expertise of serious hobbyists and professional aquarists.

The Internet has opened to hobbyists vast new sources of freshwater and marine organisms. In many cases, the range of species available can be overwhelming. It is, in some ways, “too easy” to buy aquatic creatures today. The ease of ordering all manner of creatures without leaving your home can lead to problems that are not faced when you must go out and locate an animal. Animals purchased sight unseen and shipped to your home present a number of risks that were not faced in earlier times. Remember that it is essential that you exercise control when shopping on the Internet and that you remain mindful of all of the cautions that were outlined concerning purchasing animals firsthand.