Long ago, I did a group buy of LR with 3-4 other reefers from an e-tailer. While the rock was nice looking, the shipment did not have the shapes and sizes of rocks I was looking for. Of course, I ended up curing and using the rock, but overall, I was dissatisfied with it even though it was half the price of lfs rock. Even though LR prices locally are absurdly high, imo, I still like to hand pick the rocks that go into my tanks. The satisfaction of having the right shapes and sizes of rock make up for the higher prices, at least to me.
The only fish I ever bought from an e-tailer were CB seahorses, with which I was very satisfied. However, the SH e-tailer was a small operator, and I spoke with the store's owner a few times before buying from him. He seemed to genuinely adore the animals in his care.
That said, I have been to LFSs in the city and found each of them lacking in one way or the other. I'm sure if I saw the fish in e-tailers' tanks, I would find each of them lacking in the same ways. Even though e-tailers may have significantly lower prices, I am unable to look at their tanks the way I can a lfs's tanks.
Before buying any fish from a lfs, I scope the place out over a period of weeks before buying fish from them. That way, I can observe over a period of time whether or not there may be disease in their banks of tanks, in which case, I will put off buying fish from them. When dealing with a lfs, I can also pick out the best looking fish if there are more than one of the species I'm interested in. For these benefits, I am willing to pay the premium prices LFSs ask.
I view buying corals the same way I view buying fish. With the exception of a small shipment of zoanthids I made two years ago, which I was not particularly impressed with, I do not buy corals from e-tailers. I like to look at corals in the tanks so I can choose the best looking ones from the variety the lfs has available. Granted, the lfs I usually deal with does not have many corals that I like or need, I am not so sure the corals from an e-tailer are that much better, though they may be.
With one lfs, I am able to buy some dry goods in bulk at prices pretty close to those from e-tailers. All I have to do is ask.
However, I had a recent large shipment of dry goods from an e-tailer, and plan to do another large shipment within a few weeks. And I'm ALWAYS in for a good salt group buy from either an e-tailer or lfs.
And, for the record, I am not a big consumer of fish or corals, anyway. I do not want or need to have the most unusual fish or corals in my tanks. As a matter of fact, I ridiculously understock my tanks with fish and corals compared to many tanks I have seen. For instance, in our 120g, most of the corals came to me as frags from other reefers, and I frag these corals from one place to another to fill in the spaces. The tank actually looks pretty good with these few soft corals grouped in various places throughout the tank. The three fish that live in the tank are all pretty good buddies. One of them will have an adult size of 5.5", so I keep in mind the eventual bioload this and the other fish in the tank will have on their glass box.
Low stocking levels suit me fine on so many levels....
First, I am not over utilizing wild fish or corals stocks from our oceans. I buy captive bred fish whenever possible, but, in all honesty, I do have more wild caught than CB fish.
Second, fewer fish makes maintenance so much easier and cheaper. I do not need skimmers or sumps on my tanks when I understock fish. The fish also have lots of room and not too many tankmates to deal with, lessening the chances of aggression overall.
Third is tied in with the second point, in that I do not have to be a heavy consumer of reefkeeping equipment. IMO, being a consumer of "stuff" of any kind isn't particularly environmentally friendly. Not having sumps, skimmers, special and expensive pumps to keep my tanks all going not only saves me money, but saves on the environment a bit. Yes, having a reef certainly does tax the environment in many ways. But I'm hoping the restraints I have on stocking my tanks lessens the impact I am personally having on the environment.
So, back to the lfs vs. e-tailers. I use them both for different reasons. If I can talk to a lfs and get close to e-tailer pricing on their products, I go with the lfs every time.
Cheers
