How live fish delivery works

Live fish aren't posted like a parcel of dry goods. They're packed by aquatic specialists and travel overnight with a dedicated livestock courier, so they spend the minimum possible time in transit.

1. Your delivery day depends on when you order. Livestock is delivered on Tuesday to Saturday only (no Sunday or Monday deliveries). The delivery day shown at checkout is calculated automatically from your order time:

2. We pack on dispatch day. Fish are packed in insulated boxes designed for live transport, with heat management appropriate to the season.

3. Overnight courier. Your fish travel with our dedicated livestock courier and arrive before 1:00pm on your allocated day. You'll get tracking by email the day before dispatch and a text with a specific delivery window on the morning of delivery.

4. Someone needs to be home. Live fish cannot be left on a doorstep, with a neighbour, or in a safe place. If no one is available to take delivery, the courier will attempt redelivery the next working day at an additional charge, and we cannot accept liability for losses caused by a missed or delayed delivery — so please make sure someone will be in on your chosen day before you order.

5. Check your tank is ready before you order. Please make sure your tank is fully cycled, at the correct temperature, and free of livestock-affecting issues (disease, poor water quality, incompatible tankmates) before ordering. Our Live Arrival Guarantee does not cover losses caused by unsuitable water conditions or an unprepared tank.

6. Unbox straight away. Open the box as soon as it arrives and follow the acclimatisation steps in our When Your Fish Arrive guide. Fish must be acclimatised and released promptly — delays in unboxing or acclimatising are not covered under the guarantee.

7. Live Arrival Guarantee. Every fish is guaranteed to arrive alive and is covered for seven days after delivery, subject to the terms of our Live Arrival Guarantee. Full details, including how to make a claim, are on our Live Arrival Guarantee page.

8. Extreme weather. In periods of extreme heat or cold, we may delay dispatch by a day or more to protect the welfare of the fish. If this affects your order, we'll contact you before dispatch to agree a new date.

9. No right of cancellation once dispatched. Because livestock is perishable and cannot be resold once dispatched, orders cannot be cancelled for change of mind once they have been packed for delivery, in line with the exemption for perishable goods under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. This does not affect your rights under our Live Arrival Guarantee or your statutory rights if livestock arrives unfit for purpose.

Livestock delivery is £20 per order, regardless of order size. Any dry goods in the same basket ship as normal, on your chosen delivery option.