30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee
Dry goods may be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund, replacement, or store credit.
Return shipping is included for covered dry goods. Items must be complete and free from damage caused by misuse, neglect, modification, improper installation, or accidental breakage.
Original packaging is not required, but the item must be packed securely enough to meet carrier requirements for return shipping.
Defective Items
If an item arrives defective or develops a manufacturing issue within 30 days, contact us so we can help resolve it with a replacement or refund.
Some products may include manufacturer warranty coverage or Blue Zone Aquarium coverage beyond the 30-day return period. Contact us if you need help with warranty or manufacturer support.
Non-Returnable Live Goods
Fish, plants, shrimp, snails, and other living items are not returnable because of biosecurity and our active quarantine process.
Dry goods may be returned within 30 days of delivery for a refund, replacement, or store credit.
Return shipping is included for covered dry goods. Items must be complete and free from damage caused by misuse, neglect, modification, improper installation, or accidental breakage.
Original packaging is not required, but the item must be packed securely enough to meet carrier requirements for return shipping.
Defective Items
If an item arrives defective or develops a manufacturing issue within 30 days, contact us so we can help resolve it with a replacement or refund.
Some products may include manufacturer warranty coverage or Blue Zone Aquarium coverage beyond the 30-day return period. Contact us if you need help with warranty or manufacturer support.
Non-Returnable Live Goods
Fish, plants, shrimp, snails, and other living items are not returnable because of biosecurity and our active quarantine process.
Live arrival issues for overnight shipments are handled through our Arrive Alive policy, not the 30-day dry goods return policy.
What To Do If There Is a Problem
If any fish, shrimp, crustaceans, or plants appear damaged during shipping, take clear photos while the bag is still sealed and before opening it. These photos help us verify shipping damage and assist you as quickly as possible.
Contact Blue Zone Aquarium with the photos and your order details as soon as possible after delivery.
Important Limits
Live goods are living animals and plants, so they cannot be returned after delivery.
Live goods cannot be returned once they leave our care and are added to an aquarium, pond, or plant system. For biosecurity reasons, any returned livestock or plants would require a full quarantine and observation period before resale, and quarantine space is limited. Because of this, fish, plants, shrimp, snails, and other living items are final sale except for covered live-arrival issues.
Local delivery of live goods requires someone present to receive the delivery.
Fish
All fish are quarantined for a minimum of 14 days and monitored to make sure they are healthy, active, and feeding well before shipment.
Preventative treatments are used when appropriate. Any fish that does not meet our standards is not shipped.
Shrimp are kept in stable systems and carefully observed before sale. Only healthy, properly conditioned livestock is shipped.
Aquatic Plants
Incoming plants are inspected before being placed into our holding systems. Plants selected for shipment are inspected again and hand-rinsed before packing to remove debris and reduce the chance of hitchhiking organisms.
We monitor our holding systems and inspect incoming and outgoing plants, but aquatic plants cannot be guaranteed completely pest-free. Small organisms such as snails, algae, or microscopic life may occasionally be present. The only way to ensure completely pest-free plants is through laboratory tissue culture propagation.
Shipping Options
Livestock ships in insulated packaging with oxygenated bags and temperature control, including heat or cold packs when needed.
- Live fish ship overnight only to minimize stress.
- Shrimp may ship overnight or 2-Day Air, depending on the shipping option selected.
- Plants may ship by 1-3 Day Shipping or Express 2-Day Shipping, depending on location and preference.
- You may request a Tuesday-Friday delivery day in your order notes.
- Livestock shipping is flat-rate, with no per-fish shipping charges.
Processing time and shipping day may vary based on order volume, destination distance, weather conditions, and carrier schedules.
Weather Holds
We inspect, prepare, and pack every order with the goal of helping live orders arrive healthy and in good condition.
We monitor weather and transit conditions and may delay shipment if conditions appear unsafe. If shipping conditions are not suitable, we will hold the order and ship at the next safe opportunity instead of risking damage to live plants.
For sensitive or high-value plant orders, or during periods of extreme heat or cold, we strongly recommend Express 2-Day Shipping to reduce transit time and weather-related stress.
Before Opening the Bag
Turn off aquarium lights before opening the bag to help reduce stress. Float the sealed bag in your aquarium for 15-20 minutes to equalize temperature.
If anything appears damaged during shipping, take photos while the bag is still sealed before continuing.
Fish Acclimation
- After temperature acclimation, carefully pour off most of the shipping water, leaving just enough water to support the fish.
- Gently release the fish and the remaining small amount of water into the aquarium.
- This reduces the amount of shipping water entering your tank while avoiding unnecessary handling.
You may transfer fish with a soft net or smooth colander over a bucket to avoid adding shipping water to your aquarium. Use caution with nets, because species such as Corydoras and plecos can become caught in netting and may be injured.
Shrimp and Crustaceans
Do not use a colander for small crustaceans. For sensitive shrimp and other crustaceans, slower acclimation is recommended.
- After temperature acclimation, place the crustaceans in a clean container with the shipping water.
- Add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of aquarium water every 10 minutes.
- Continue until the added aquarium water is about equal to the original shipping water.
- Gently pour the contents through a net into a bucket or sink, then release the crustaceans into the aquarium.
After Introduction
Keep aquarium lights dim or off for several hours after introduction. Livestock may appear pale or inactive after shipping; this is normal and usually improves within a few hours.
Some species may take a few days to begin feeding. Avoid overfeeding or using unnecessary medication. Healthy fish can often go several days without food after shipping while they settle in.
Water and Feeding
Blue Zone Aquarium water parameters are pH 7.0, GH 6.5, and KH 3.5. Some specialist species may be maintained under different conditions.
Our fish are fed quality dry foods along with frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and mysis shrimp. Offering similar foods can help new arrivals begin feeding more quickly.
Plants After Shipping
Plants may appear slightly compressed after shipping. This is normal. Rinse if desired, remove any damaged leaves, and plant as usual.
Most plants return to normal shape within 24-48 hours under proper aquarium conditions.