Shipping fish has become more common after the late 90s. You used to have to go to a local fish store or tradeshow to get Bettas (AKA Siamese Fighting Fish). The problem with getting fish locally is that you did not have access to every Betta variety out there.
When trying to find a specific betta breed, sometimes brick and mortar stores just can’t get what you’re looking for. If you’re into the latest breeds or something imported from Thailand, you may have no choice but to do your shopping online. If that’s the case, then through this article you are going to know the best places to buy betta fish online.
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Bettas & Art
Bettas and Art is a Betta importer based out in Brooklyn, New York. They offer a variety of unique betta fish you usually will not find at local fish stores. If you’re looking for the highest quality and most unusual imported male show bettas then Bettas & Art is a great place to start shopping. While their prices are definitely the highest on this list there’s no question that you’re also getting your money’s worth.
As specialty betta retailers they can also accommodate requests, such as aquarists looking for breeder pairs from the same line. Bettas & Art has extensive resources in Thailand they can tap for anything from Halfmoon Koi to Crown tail Midnights, Red Golds, and many more bettas that few people ever see.
- Price Examples: $75 Imported Red Gold HMPK Male Betta
- Shipping Rates: USPS/FedEx Priority and FedEx Next Day Air
- Website: https://www.bettasandart.com/
eBay
eBay has a number of import Betta breeders that sell a number of betta fish types. It’s a great place to purchase HMPK (Half Moon Placate) Bettas. You can shop on eBay for everything from socks to houses these days. The variety is astounding; but have you ever searched for tropical fish?
Not only bettas but cichlids, marine fish, corals, and freshwater plants are all on offer at the world’s largest auction website. Occasionally, you’ll even find free shipping listings, though the price is actually bundled into the purchase price. Still picking up a high-quality Koi Betta for $40 with free shipping is a great deal compared to some of the other distributors in this list.
Brick and mortar stores, small time hobbyists, transhippers, and specialty breeders based in Asia all have listings available. And unlike Aqua Bid, bettas tend to be Buy it Now, making them standard purchases. These speeds up the process, ensuring your betta will be swimming in its new home in mere days!
- Price Examples: $30 Halfmoon Koi Betta
- Shipping Rates: Highly variable
- Website: https://www.ebay.com/
Coast Gem USA
Gold Coast Gem USA is a local fish store located in San Diego, California that sells Betta fish online. All of their fish are quarantined for 2 weeks, ensuring you’re purchasing animals that have shaken off the rigors of travel and are already eating. For a single location storefront, their betta collection is really impressive! Coast Gem has everything from the latest Alien Betta varieties to rare wild Bettas. And they also offer Danaids, African Cichlids, Arowanas, and other in demand fish.
Coast Gem offers a reasonable Live Arrival guarantee as well, covering both their 2-3 day and overnight air options. So long as you get them a photo within 2 hours of delivery, they will credit your next purchase with them, minus the shipping fees.
- Price Examples: $15 Wild Betta malachiid, $45 Copper Alien Bettas.
- Shipping Rates: $18 via USPS 2-3 Day, $58 via FedEx Overnight Air
- Website: https://coastgemusa.com/
Frank’s Bettas
Based in Eastern Thailand, Frank’s Bettas is the work of over 15 years of wild collecting and captive bred genetics research to find the most attractive betta lines for development. Like many fish in rapidly growing Thailand, bettas are at risk of extinction as farms and cities expand and their native habitats are lost. However, Frank intends to ensure that bettas continue to live on in captivity. Frank’s bettas are shipped using transhippers.
Meaning he uses intermediaries in the final destination countries that handle import duties, paperwork, retag the fish in clean water, and then ship the bettas onwards to their final home. This step increases the shipping price but considering their international origin you have little choice here.
- Price Examples: $40-60 for show-quality specimens
- Shipping Rates: Variable; $40-60 via selected transhipper
- Website:https://www.franksbettas.com/
Betta Squad USA
Betta Squad USA is well-known for its large variety of healthy betta fish. They are an online fish website that primarily focuses on betta fish. The farm is rooted in Houston, Texas, where the founder was first introduced to a betta fish.
Years later, they have now established betta breeders with various breeding farms. The owners are renowned betta hobbyists and put a lot of effort into breeding for quality. The Betta Squad USA has the best value for money and all the bettas are priced according to their colour and quality grading.
Unfortunately, the fish are only able to be shipped within the USA. Most distributors end it there – but Betta Squad is willing to honour that guarantee past an hour but no later than three hours for a $10 loss in the refund amount. Since they rely on Priority Mail shipping via USPS and bettas are extremely hardy when shipped, you shouldn’t have to worry about this little bit of fine print!
- Price Examples: $24-27 for nearly all Bettas, male and female
- Shipping Rates: $13.50-$40 via USPS from Texas
- Website: https://bettasquadusa.com/
Blackwater Aquatics
Blackwater Aquatics has a huge selection of different betta species for sale. The selection includes alien hybrid bettas, embellish, and other rare species of betta sold at a reasonable price. The two owners are experienced hobbyists that have over a decade of fish keeping and raising.
They both have a passion for blackwater fish and wild bettas which lead to the creation of the website. They have a live-on-arrival guarantee and ensure that each fish is healthy before being shipped to your door. The customer service is slow due to the owner’s personal life and jobs, but they do answer queries and support customers when possible.
- Price Examples: $25 for Betta splendens varieties, $30-50 for rare wild Betta species
- Shipping Rates: $15 via USPS 2-3 Day Priority Mail (no live guarantee) or $40 via UPS Next Day Air (live guarantee) from Orange County, CA
- Website: https://bwaquatics.com/
Important Things to Consider When Finding the Right Betta Fish for Your Needs
When it comes to shopping online for bettas, you do not need to know what type of betta fish you want to buy beforehand. The websites allow for browsing and you can select the type of betta that sticks out to you. If you are looking for a specific type of betta fish, you can check through the subheadings of each betta fish to see if a label describes the type of betta fish you are looking for.
This is hard to achieve with specific colours and is more so for body types like half-moons or deltas. Most bettas will not look as attractive as they do in the picture, this can be down to false advertising or a stressed fish on arrival who will have dull colours. The main picture is to be used as a guideline for what the fish you buy will resemble.
