Welcome to Dan's Fish!

Humane Sourcing:

The aquarium fish industry was established shortly after WWII and its ethos and methods of operation have not changed much since that time. There are problems in the established industry supply chain that need to be rectified, including long transit times, overcrowding during transport, and a lack of proper quarantine procedures. At Dan's Fish, we are working to address these issues and create a more humane supply chain for the fish we sell.

Responsible Transit:

It is common for fish to change hands many times and to be moving through the supply chain's transit system for several weeks before they end up in a retail location. This results in extended periods of stress which compromise the fishes' immune systems and prevent them from thriving in home aquariums. To fix this issue, Dan's Fish purchases its stock as close to the source as possible, often dealing directly with breeders and collectors so that the fish we bring into our store are only in transit for a couple of days. This shortened supply chain reduces the fishes' stress so they arrive at our store happier and healthier.

To further ensure our fish stay healthy during transport, we have established our own import hub right next to the LAX airport. This allows us to begin caring for our newly imported fish the moment they are released from the custom's office. At our import hub, the fish are checked for health after which they receive fresh water, fresh oxygen, and are given the care they need for the remainder of their journey to our store.

Reducing Crowding:

Fish moving through the industry supply chain are often overcrowded. The more fish that are crammed into holding containers and bags during transit, the worse it is for the fish. The reason for this crowding is simple economics. Transporting a commodity is expensive, so the more of a commodity that can be moved in a single container, the better the financial return.

At Dan's Fish, we don't think of fish as commodities: We think of them as living animals that deserve respect. We have made special arrangements with several of our suppliers so that they pack fish at 50% or less of the industry's standard density when shipping to our store. This greatly reduces the amount of ammonia and other toxic wastes which build up in the transport container, greatly increasing the health and happiness of our fish. Whenever possible, this is taken a step further and our suppliers send us fish which are individually bagged. We are constantly working with our suppliers to implement better transport practices. This increases our costs, but it is a much more humane way of doing business.

Quarantine and Veterinary Care:

Normally, when fish reach a retail location, they are immediately mixed into aquariums with other fish and offered for sale without being quarantined or given time to recover from the stress of their journey through the supply chain. This form of "flipping fish" prevents them from thriving in home aquariums because, upon import, they are susceptible to disease due to stress induced immunodeficiencies.

At Dan's Fish, we don't flip fish. Upon arrival at our store, each fish is quarantined for as long as it takes them to destress from their journey, rebuild their immune systems, become accustomed to aquarium foods, and grow fat and sassy. This quarantine period usually lasts 2 weeks, but in some cases can take several months depending on the species and their condition upon arrival. We work with a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian to identify and treat issues that might arise. Fish are never offered for sale until they have been given adequate time to destress, are eating well, and have cleared their health inspection.

Healthy Environments:

At Dan's Fish, each aquarium receives a 30% - 40% water change every day. We do this because clean water is the best medicine. Fresh, clean water increases our newly arrived fishes' ability to quickly recover from their journey to our store. In addition, fresh water greatly reduces the outbreak of disease. To further prevent illness, all of our aquariums are independent systems. This means that each aquarium has its own filtration and doesn't share water with any other aquarium. This greatly reduces the risk of illnesses spreading from one aquarium to another.

Humanely Shipping to Customers:

When multiple fish are shipped in a single bag, more ammonia and other toxins are produced, stressing all the fish in the bag. If one fish in the bag dies, the effects of its decomposing body quickly kill all the other fish in the bag. The safest way to transport fish is by individually bagging them, so that's the way Dan's Fish sends our fish to our customers...one fish per bag. In addition, we have a multi-day shipping preparation process which ensures that our fish travel in clean water with plenty of dissolved oxygen to breathe. We only ship in well insulated boxes and use adequate heat or cold packs as needed to ensure that our fish do not experience intolerable temperatures during transit. Every fish is double bagged and heat sealed to ensure there are no leaks. Electrolytes are added to the shipping water to help the fish maintain osmoregulation during its journey. Fish are sent via next day delivery service so they are usually only in transit for about 18 hours, however, they are packaged so they can travel for 3-4 days and still arrive in good shape in the rare event there is a delay during shipping.