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This is a topic which has been discussed at length in this house over the years between friends and I but would appreciate any feedback from others. Is it better to buy from a fish/aquarium shop or better to buy on-line through the post? There is a bit of cross over which we will get to as well, ie from a shop through the post? Bear in mind this is my thoughts from here in the UK where it is obviously easy enough to get delivery next day as UK is a lot smaller than other countries and that needs to be taken into account. BUYING FROM A GENERAL PET, FISH & AQUARIUM SHOP This is where I got my first cherry shrimps and these didn't do well, though a lot of that would be down to me not knowing what I was doing back then, it was my first aquarium ever. Shrimps will go from a breeder/expert probably keeping them in ideal parameters, to the general shop where they will probably be kept in not ideal parameters usually, if they are kept in tanks all linked together with the other fish etc, this is how it seems to be done over here anyway? Even if they are is a separate rack of just shrimps they are usually linked together and therefore in the same water even though the different types have different parameter requirements! If they survive that then they will go from the shop parameters to the purchasers tank parameters which I am assuming are ideal parameters similar to the breeders. Therefore the shrimp have probably had to adjust twice to different water and been moved twice in quick succession so no wonder they get stressed and don't do well! BUYING FROM A SHRMP SPECIALIST STORE This one probably has the greatest number of variables. If you are buying through the post then the same as the above 'pet, fish ad aquarium store' applies but is likely to not have the water parameter differences (it shouldn't anyway) but if they get them from a breeder there are still the 2 steps/moves. If they breed their own then there is one move less so that should be better and similar to 'buying from a hobbyist' as below. BUYING FROM A HOBBYIIST ONLINE I have done this about 10 times in the past via ebay (next day by 1pm delivery) and not had a problem with any, not a single dead shrimp dead on arrival. If the hobbyist is selling shrimps that they have bred, they almost certainly know what they are doing and the parameters etc are likely to be good/perfect, and these only face the one trip and need to adapt to a very slight change in parameters if the purchasers know what they are doing and therefore have similar parameters to the sellers. What do others feel about this topic as I would very much like to know, even/especially if they disagree? Simon