FAQ

Unless a fish is listed as a specific size (e.g., 3″+, 5″+, etc), all our sizes are approximate. Our fish are measured using total length- so from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail fin. This sizing does not reflect the size that the fish will reach in adulthood, but rather is an estimate of the current size of the fish in the tank.

The sizing list is as follows:
XXS (.25″+ to .5″)
XS (.5″+ to 1″)
SM (1″+ to 1.5″)
MD (1.5″+ to 2″)
LG (2″+ to 3″)
XL (3″+ to 5″)
XXL (5″+)

When a fish is listed as an attempted pair, it means we will do our best to attempt to select a male and female fish. Fish listed as “attempted pair” are not a breeding pair.

Any fish listed as an “attempted pair” does not guarantee that you will receive a male and female but we always do our absolute best to try and select a male and female.

If a fish is listed as an “attempted pair” or “pair”  the price listed is for the two fish. If you order 2, you will receive 4 fish, if you order 3 you will receive 6 fish, etc.

When fish are marked as “unsexed” that means they are generally too small or difficult to sex to reliably provide sexing requests; Or that particular fish doesn’t require a specific ratio. Regardless of requests, if we are able to attempt sexing the fish we will always attempt to provide a healthy ratio. 

Examples of fish we are regularly unable to sex: African cichlids under 3”, small tetras, and plecos.

All of our fish are quarantined upon import. During this time they are observed and treated for any medical issues. The quarantine usually lasts for a week, but can go for longer if they are not responsive to medication. Our fish are only listed for sale once they have cleared the quarantine period. We order from the same supplier every time we import, who has quality fish that we trust to be healthy. This is why we typically only have a week long quarantine unless health issues are observed.

Every day the fish are checked for health by a row keeper who observes them for any possible issues. If any issues are noticed, the fish are removed from our stock sheet. As well as being checked every day, when you place an order with us, we physically go and check the quantity and health of the fish you are requesting. If we are unsure about the quality of the fish, we will not add them to your quote and will let you know that they are on QT or not acceptable quality at the moment.

All that being said, our fish are only medicated if necessary. We believe that overmedication is harmful to fish, as it can be hard on their livers and kidneys. We request customers do not instantly medicate upon arrival, especially anti-parasite and deworming. These medications combined with the stress of shipping usually kill fish and will not be covered in our live arrival guarantee.

Our general water parameters are as follows:
pH – 7.5 – 7.8
Water Temperature – about 72°F (room heated at 82°F)
dGH – 32ppm (1.79°)
kH – 107ppm (5.98°)
We keep our Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika Cichlids at a pH of  8.4. 
WARNING. After shipping, the bag water may have a lower pH due to the effect of accumulated ammonia once opened. 

Many of our Discus and Loricariidae species are kept at 86°F – 88°F, but the vast majority of our fish are kept in unheated tanks which keeps their water temperature around 72°F.

The fish shown on our website are representative of the fish you will receive and not the exact specimens. Many of our fish are still juveniles and haven’t gotten their adult coloration yet.

Please be aware that wild caught fish may come with imperfections such as torn fins, missing fin rays, etc.

Fish are likely to change color during shipping as the stress can cause them to temporarily lose color. Here is an example of just 20 minutes of being in a bag:



You can see how the once black fish is starting to turn gray/white. You will likely see this happen with the fish you order as well. After a few hours in your tank, the fish should return to normal coloration as long as they feel comfortable. 

We opened our doors in October of 1999 as a local fish store in Portland, Oregon. Our brick and mortar store is still open to the public, and if you’re ever in Portland, swing by for a visit! We have been shipping fish since 2005. You can read more on our About Us page.

The song is called “Underwater Cavern” and it’s by Purrple Cat. You can find more information on their website at www.purrplecat.com.

Shipping insurance is an extra feature that we offer our customers that extends our Live Arrival Guarantee should UPS fail to deliver your package on the estimated date of arrival. UPS does not cover the loss of “perishable” items, so we have a special insurance policy with them that we can apply to your package for a fee.  If you choose to purchase this feature, any fish that arrives DOA beyond the estimated date of arrival will be covered by us and we will issue a credit for the DOA fish provided that proper documentation is given to us (see the Live Arrival Guarantee section). If you choose not to get shipping insurance and UPS delays your package beyond the projected date of arrival, we will be unable to submit a claim on your behalf to issue credit.

– Only applies credit towards any fish that arrive DOA on the projected date of delivery and are properly documented. 
– Document ANY order issues by following the directions on the red sheet included in your box or clicking HERE. Order issues must be documented within 4 hours of delivery to qualify for credit.
– We provide shipping insurance starting at $5. We highly suggest purchasing shipping insurance as this allows us to place a claim with UPS if your order is delayed and recoup costs to provide you a reshipment or credit. We are still a small business at the end of the day and cannot afford to eat the cost of delayed packages. You can add shipping insurance during check out.
– Order issues includes DOA livestock, incorrect items or incorrect quantities. If your fish comes in very bad, feel free to document that as well as we are more than happy to work with the customer. Our goal is to have healthy fish delivered.
– Our live arrival guarantee does not refund shipping costs. Your shipping fee was used completely for shipping & handling. Most of the time because of our flat rate shipping, we subsidize the shipping cost for the customer. 
– If you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected].  Please allow 24 hours to get a reply.

Through experience, we have found there are a few species which are more prone to poor relocation, even when transported in perfect conditions, some fish will always struggle with shipping. It is for this reason that we are unable to apply our Live Arrival Guarantee to these Guarantee Exempt Fish.

– After placing your order, allow 24 hours for us to contact you about your order, however most times it will be less than 24 hours. We will do a health/quantity check and let you know if your order is good to go or ask about possible substitutions.
– If we are missing items from your order or livestock isn’t up to snuff, we will ask if you want to substitute items into your order, receive a partial refund or cancel your order. We never ship without checking with the customer so watch your emails!
– We will email you with a proposed shipping date, we do not ask for a signature upon delivery. Instead we require you to respond letting us know the proposed shipping day works for you.
– If three shipping days go by without contact from the customer we will cancel your order.
– We can only hold fish for two shipping days, so if you place an order and request us to hold the fish for a week, we will not be able to do that. If we cannot secure a closer shipping date we will cancel your order.

– We accept all major credit & debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. We also sell ONLINE SPECIFIC gift cards (cannot be used at Portland brick and mortar store), PayPal and Pay in Four via PayPal. (We are unable to take checks, money orders, bank transfers, Venmo, crypto-currencies, or payments via other platforms.)
– We do not take any payment information over the phone – This includes credit/debit card information. If additional payment is needed, we will email you an invoice for you to securely enter in your payment information. 
– Your order will show as ‘pending’ or ‘on hold’ until the day of shipping. All charges reflected in your bank statement are “pending” and not captured until the day of shipping. We keep your order pending to make easy order changes and cancellations. Your card will be run on the day of shipping and the payment will be captured.
– We cannot charge your card for more than the original purchase. If you want to make an addition to your order, we have to send you another invoice and have you refill out your payment information. If you request an order addition, your order will be delayed as we work in order of orders placed. Customers who placed orders after your original order but before your addition have first priority.
– If you cancel your order, be aware that the hold on your account may take 5 days to be released. If you request your order to be canceled after confirming your shipping day, you will be charged a 10% restocking fee. This fee is 10% of the whole order total, including shipping.

– If we have out of stock items and there’s no substitutions that work for the customer, we always will refund either the whole order or the unspent portion of the order.
– If your fish arrives DOA, we do not provide refunds. In the case of a total loss we may be able to provide a reshipment, but in most cases we only provide credit. Reshipment/issued credit is at the discretion of The Wet Spot Tropical Fish.
– If a refund is demanded or there is a chargeback, we will request that you purchase fish elsewhere in the future. By purchasing from us, you accept our terms and conditions which includes accepting credit for any DOA fish and understanding that there is no refund or credit for shipping charges. Failure or refusal to follow policy after accepting the terms of purchase (completing your purchase) will result in a blacklist status.

– The Wet Spot does not offer any bulk order discounts. 
– We do not provide discounts to clubs or societies, however we will allow club orders under our flat rate shipping. 
– The Wet Spot does donate a certain amount of fish every year to clubs. We ask that requests for the year be sent in January if possible. To get more information, email [email protected]

– The Wet Spot is happy to consider advertising partnerships and carrying your product. Please email us at [email protected] with more information.
– If you are interested in social media partnerships or sponsorship please email [email protected]. Be ready to share your analytics!
– If you are wanting to film onsite, please contact [email protected]. We ask that people request permission to film at our retail store. Our quarantine/online sales facility is not open to the public.

– We cannot special order fish for customers. We purchase fish from collector & breeder curated lists and cannot purchase fish they do not have – though we are happy to keep an eye out. We are also required to buy fish in certain quantities and it is usually more than any handful of hobbyists can care for, so we are required to try and sell the rest of the possibly rare and unknown fish requested.
– There are fish listed on our site we haven’t had in months (or years). Some fish are seasonal and only show up a few times a year, other fish haven’t been seen in years because of protection laws, world events, or environmental factors. We leave these listings up because we want to be able to give hobbysts some sort of trail to follow in case the fish is able to be obtained again in the future. 
– We do not send pictures of current stock to customers. On occasion, for very rare or uncommon fish, we can provide photos but only after orders are placed. Waiting for a photo before purchase can risk the fish selling out before we can get a photo to you, as processing current orders is top priority.
– You can request certain sex ratios in the notes section during checkout, however we cannot always provide the request. Some fish are not possible to sex at the sizes we carry, some examples being most tetras, african cichlids & plecos. Other times, fish come in heavily skewed towards one sex or the other, and we cannot provide any requested ratios. 
– Paroon Sharks, Pangasius, and other “tank buster” fish are not something we carry or condone in the aquarium trade. These fish are often recommended for small aquariums, and then frequently “set free” into local waterways. They can decimate native species and ruin ecosystems. Paroon Sharks in particular can grow up to 6 feet long! Even in a public aquarium setting their size is considered massive. The Wet Spot would strongly urge you to reconsider looking for and purchasing this and other tank buster fish.

We’re always happy to take resumes! You can send your resume and employment inquiry to [email protected].