Shipping

We offer free shipping for orders over $100*!


Simply use the code "SHIPFORFREE" at the checkout!


*for shipping costs up to $15, excludes certain items, such as discounted plant packages, and branded goods such as UNS, Hikari, Fritz, and Aquario unless stated otherwise!
 
We know you're excited to get your order, so we try to ship orders out as soon as possible! However, at the moment we generally are only shipping packages out on Mondays and Tuesdays, or Saturday for orders shipped using USPS.
 
If there is a delivery date that is best for you, or you are planning on going out of town soon, we are more than happy to try to accommodate what is best for you and your aquarium and can ship an order out after or on a certain date. Please remember to read our Live Arrival Guarantee Policy before placing an order! 
 
Note that some plants we carry may be considered noxious weeds in your state. It is the customer's responsibility to check with their own state's rules and regulations before ordering. Please do not order plants that are considered noxious weeds in your state.

Our Shipping Options

  • Standard Shipping (2 - 5 Business Days) - USPS Ground Advantage
  • Expedited Shipping (1 - 4 Business Days) - USPS Priority or UPS Ground (Occasionally, we may use FedEx 2 Day Air)

NOTE: Any shipping/delivery times shown below are ESTIMATED Business Days, which DO NOT include Weekends or Public Holidays, and does not include order processing time. We do not guarantee delivery times. 

    Service
    		 Est. Shipping Time
    Shipping Dates
    Categories

    USPS Ground Advantage

    (Formally known as USPS First Class)

    2 - 5 Business Days 

    (Expect Delays)

    Mondays, Tuesdays & Saturdays**
    • Dry-Goods
    USPS Priority

    1 - 3 Business Days

    Mondays, Tuesdays & Saturdays**
    • Live Plants
    • Live Animals
    • Dry-Goods
        UPS Ground 1 - 4 Business Days

        Mondays & Tuesdays***
        • Live Plants
        • Live Animals
        • Dry-Goods
            FedEx 2-Day Air 2 Business Days Mondays & Tuesdays***
            • Live Plants
            • Live Animals
            • Smaller Dry-Goods

            ** Note that USPS does not deliver mail on Sunday or federal holidays
            *** Note that FedEx and UPS do not count weekend days or federal holidays as a ship day, nor do they deliver on weekends or public holidays for these shipping services.

            We generally try to ship packages out on Mondays and Tuesdays to avoid having your package spending extra time during transit due to the weekend (as most Shipping Carriers will not process these shipments on weekends).

            We may ship out orders shipped with USPS on Saturdays as from our experience, USPS Packages generally still move through USPS' system on Sundays, so shipping on Saturday may not mean that it will spend an extra day in transit.

            THINGS TO NOTE:

            • Your package MIGHT be shipped the following week if your order is not placed before the cut off time on Sunday 11:59PM.
            • If you've ordered items that are pre-ordered, the order will only ship out once we have all items instock.
            • If we realize we are out of stock of (blank) and are due for a shipment containing (blank) that week, we may wait until that shipment arrives to ship an order out.
            • If there is extreme weather, with temperatures way below freezing (<20F) or extremely hot (>90F) in your area or Chicago, we might decide to delay mailing your order to ensure your plants/animals have the best chance of survival. If weather insurance or a cold pack or heat pack was not added to your order, we may wait till temperatures in your area or Chicago are warmer/cooler.
            • We may hold off on shipping out orders to the following week if there is a federal holiday that week which will mean packages may potentially get delayed or spend an extra day or two in transit, e.g. Thanksgiving or Christmas, or New Years.

            Shipping During Extreme Weather

            Chicago Current Weather:


            If there is extreme weather in Chicago or your area (under 25F or over 90F) we might delay shipping to ensure your order has the highest chance of arriving alive and healthy! We will most likely send you an email to inform you if we plan to delay shipping your order.

            If you expect to have your local temperatures are not within the acceptable temperature range (32-82F for Plants, 60F-82F for Animals unless stated otherwise) you will need to add the appropriate Shipping Upgrades, such as a Heat Pack, Cold Pack, Heat Reflective Insulation or our Weather Insurance to your order to ensure the highest chance of survival for your plants or animals. This is be required in order to be covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. 

            Some carriers may offer the option to hold your package at a near by store, and we highly suggest you do this if your local temperatures are on the extreme side, to avoid having your plants or animals sit in a cold/hot delivery truck before they are delivered to you. For orders shipped via UPS, you can schedule your delivery or update your delivery instructions, by signing up for UPS MyChoice.

             

            Shipping Addresses

            Please ensure that your mailing address you have entered is the full and correct mailing address at the checkout before placing your order. We cannot ship to PO Box Addresses and we will NOT be responsible for any costs for re-shipping your order if your package is returned to us due to an incorrect, insufficient, or incomplete mailing address or anything that is beyond our control.

            NOTE: UPS and FedEx both have a $17 "Address Correction Fee" that you will be responsible for paying for if you do not enter your address correctly or there is a typo in the address and the shipping carrier has to attempt to correct your given address in order to successfully deliver your package.

            USPS PRIORITY MAIL DELIVERY MAP​

            USPS Map

            UPS GROUND DELIVERY MAP

            NOTE: All Illinois orders and certain surrounding areas/states (as shown in the UPS Ground Delivery Map) should be 1-day shipping using UPS ground.

             

            International and Non-Contiguous U.S. Shipping

            At the moment we only ship to the contiguous U.S. We do not ship internationally, or to AK, HI, and other U.S. territories at the moment.