Next Bite Pleco Pellets

Thank you for visiting and shopping with us. The following are the terms and conditions that constitute our Shipping Policy.

Coral and Live Food Shipping

Enjoy unparalleled savings with our exclusive free shipping offer on coral purchases! Indulge in a vibrant selection of coral frags or colonies and receive 100% Free FedEx Priority Overnight Shipping on orders over $200. For orders under $200, shipping is available for a nominal fee of just $49. No additional charges or hidden fees apply.

Product Shipping

Enjoy complimentary standard ground shipping on all dry goods purchases exceeding $49. For orders below $49, a nominal flat shipping and handling fee of $16 will be applied, ensuring your products are delivered efficiently and affordably.

Plant Shipping

Receive free shipping on all plant orders over $100. For orders under $100, a shipping and handling fee of $16 is applied, making the delivery of your plants both straight forward and cost-effective.

Shipment processing time

All orders are processed within 2 business days. Orders are not shipped or delivered on weekends or holidays. Livestock orders are shipped Mon-Wednesday. Orders placed after Wednesday at noon will be shipped the following Monday.

If there is any delay in shipping of your order, we will contact you via email or phone.

Shipping rates & delivery estimates

Shipping charges for your order will be displayed at checkout if free shipping is not applicable.

Delivery delays can occasionally occur.

Shipment to P.O. boxes or APO/FPO addresses

Zooxae.com ships to addresses within the U.S., U.S. Territories, and APO/FPO/DPO addresses.

Shipment confirmation & Order tracking

You will receive a Shipment Confirmation email once your order has shipped containing your tracking number(s). The tracking number will be active within 24 hours.

Damages

We are not liable for any products damaged or lost during shipping. If you received your order damaged, please contact the shipment carrier to file a claim. We will do our best to help anyway possible.

Please save all packaging materials and damaged goods before filing a claim.

International Shipping Policy

We currently do not ship outside of the Continental USA.

Our first goal is to get you the correct product at a great price, and follow up with great service. Before ordering a product you are unsure of, please call us and we will be happy to help you out. This will allow you to order the correct products in the first place.
In the event that there is a problem with your order we will work with you until resolution.

Returns

In order to receive a full refund of your purchase price the item(s) must ...

1. be unused.
2. be in its original packaging which must also be in new condition (including sealed internal packing)
3.  include all parts, warranty and registration cards, instructions, special packaging, etc.
4. be mailed with return authorization no later than 30 days from the date received. Please insure all shipments. We can not be responsible for packages that arrive damaged due to mishandle or poor packaging.
5. Products that are cut to size (Flexible tubing, PVC tuning, air tubing, RO tubing, CO2 tubing, and aquarium backgrounds) can not be returned.
6. We are unable to process refunds or exchanges on any returned item that does not fit these requirements.

1. Shipping charges are not refundable. Orders processed without shipping charges, or where shipping charges has been waived or subsidized, will be charged actual shipping expenses which are not subject to return credit.
2. Customer is responsible for all return shipping costs.
3. Your refund will only be given after we have received the returned item in original, undamaged condition.
4. All items require authorization before returning.
5. Please allow up to 2 weeks for processing.

Requesting RMA:
All returned products need to be sent back to us with "RMA Inventory Control Sheet".

1. In order to return product simply log into your account, go to RMA section, and click on "Request New RMA" link.
2. From drop down box select order number and check which product you are returning.
3. Select if product is new or used and if you are returning it for refund or exchange.
4. Attach file or picture if needed.
5. Click "Submit Request" button.
6. Your RMA request will be reviewed within 24 hours. Once the request is approved you will receive email confirmation. 
7. Once you received confirmation that your RMA has been approved go to your account and from RMA section of your account print "RMA Inventory Control Sheet"
8. Include this printout with your return. 

Damaged Merchandise:
In the unlikely event that your shipment arrives damaged, please contact us within 12 hours of delivery. We will do everything we can to get a replacement sent out as soon as possible.

Damage Claims
A damage claim will be filed with the carrier. Because the carrier may choose to pick up both the damaged item(s) and packaging material for inspection, we ask that you hold on to these items for 14 business days from the date you report the damage to us. If the carrier does not pick up the damaged merchandise within this time period, you may then dispose of the damaged item(s) and packaging material.  

NOTE: All shipping damages must be reported within 24 hours from the time of delivery.

Defective Merchandise
Each manufacturer has a different policy regarding defective merchandise. In many cases we will be able to take your defective product and ship out a replacement. However, some manufacturers require that you deal with them directly. In either event we will work with you to insure that your defective item(s) is replaced as quickly as possible.

NOTE: After 30 days from the time your order is placed, all electrical equipment and light bulbs are covered by the manufacturer's warranty and should be returned directly to the manufacturer for repair or replacement.

Double Ended HQI Metal Halide Lamps: All aquarium lamps including HQI metal halide lamps are warranteed against manufacturer defect only. Damage to the lamp ceramic sockets is not covered under this warranty. We inspect every single lamp at the time of shipment to ensure that no damaged lamp is shipped to the customer.

Canceled Orders
You may cancel any order, except special orders, custom equipment, and tubing sold per foot, without penalty prior to shipping. If you cancel the order after we have shipped it, or you refuse delivery on your order, we will refund the price of the product minus all applicable, actual shipping fees (including actual initial shipping fees, return shipping fees and additional carrier charges).

Failed Delivery
If the carrier is unable to deliver the package to you, you can either have us re-attempt shipment or you can cancel the order. In both cases, you will be charged for all shipping fees.

Our first goal is to get you the correct product at a great price and follow up with great service. Before ordering a product you are unsure of, please call us and we will be happy to help you out. This will allow you to order the correct products in the first place.

In the event that there is a problem with your order, we will work with you until resolution.

Coral Care

Every coral that enters our facility is inspected, dipped and quarantined for a minimum of 30 days, before being listed on Zooxae. This is to prevent the transmission of unwanted pests into our system and your home aquarium. Our goal is to provide you with healthy and thriving coral! If for some reason the coral that you selected has any signs of stress or damage before shipping, we will contact you for a substitution or provide a refund.

All corals are professionally packaged with insulated boxes and appropriate heat or ice packs, depending on the seasonality of the shipment. Each bag is carefully sealed and wrapped to prevent loss or damage.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)

With the exception of corals that are found in our frag section, all of our corals are WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get. You will be receiving the exact coral that you see on our website!

Shipping Options

Zooxae offers free priority overnight shipping on all orders over $200. For all orders below $200, we offer a flat rate shipping of $49, with no hidden fees; regardless of how many corals you order. We ship UPS priority overnight. Sales tax will be applied to all orders placed from the state of Illinois.

We ship Monday through Thursday. Any orders placed on Friday through Sunday will be shipped on the following Monday. We ship to the Continental US only! No shipments outside of the Continental US will be accepted.

There must be a person at the delivery address to receive the shipment. The shipment must be received on the first delivery attempt or the guarantee will be void.

Guarantee

All Zooxae corals are guaranteed for live arrival and backed by a 7-day guarantee. If for some reason the coral dies before (7) days, a claim must be submitted with photographs of the coral. Corals will be replaced or a credit will be given towards your next purchase. Please note that we do not cover shipping costs for replacement coral unless the coral arrives DOA.

There must be a person at the delivery address to receive the shipment. The shipment must be received on the first delivery attempt or the guarantee will be void.

DOA Guarantee

If for some reason your coral arrives DOA (dead on arrival), you will need to send photos of the DOA coral within two hours of delivery. Please provide photos in and out of the water, along with your order number, through the Contact Us section of the zooxae.com website. Someone from our team will look over the photos and get back to you within 48 hours.

After receiving an approved claim, we will send you replacement(s) with a future order. We do not give refunds. Please do not discard specimens without our consent as this will void our guarantee. The customer must receive package(s) on the first delivery attempt -- even if the delivery service provider is late. We will not issue refunds or credits for shipping costs. We are not responsible for incorrect addresses given. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 847-780-1113 or email us at service@zooxae.com We would be happy to help!

There must be a person at the delivery address to receive the shipment. The shipment must be received on the first delivery attempt or the guarantee will be void.

WYSIWYG Corals

All corals in the Coral section of the website are WYSIWYG corals (What You See Is What You Get). These corals are photographed on egg crate, with each egg crate square measuring approximately ¾” or 2 cm. 

Coral Frags

All Coral Frags are mounted and then quarantined in our facility for at least 60 days prior to selling. Coral Frags are not WYSIWYG, unless otherwise stated. We will choose the biggest and healthiest pieces that we have in stock.

Coral Acclamation

To properly acclimate your coral pieces to your aquarium environment, float the coral in your aquarium while it is still inside of the shipping bag, for approximately 20 minutes to bring the coral to the same temperature as the aquarium.

Open the shipping bag and pour the water and into a small shallow container, something like a Tupperware container and gently place your coral into this water. Add some of your aquarium water to completely cover the coral.

Gently remove any debris from the coral. We recommend the use of a small baster. It is very important to be gentle during this process!

When first adding corals to your aquarium, we recommend putting them at the bottom of the aquarium so that they can easily adjust to new lighting conditions.

Use super glue or epoxy glue to adhere your new coral to its new home. Make sure that the coral is secure to prevent it from being dislodged.

Keep an eye on your new coral. Look for signs of stress. Often, it takes a few placements to get your coral in its ideal long-term location.