FastAquatics

Section 1: What is covered

The Living Guarantee is an optional add-on at checkout that extends our standard Buyer Protection past the 4-hour DOA window. Once purchased, your specimen is covered for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months from delivery against the things that actually go wrong with live aquatic livestock:

Section 2: What you need to file a claim

1

Sign in and go to the order.

The claim form lives next to the affected line item. One click opens it.

2

Upload a few photos.

A clear shot of the specimen. If it died, photograph it in the bag or in your tank with a finger or coin for scale. If it has visible disease, get a closeup of the affected area.

3

Include a parameter log if you have one.

Test strip photo, app screenshot, or a quick note. Required for 6-month and 12-month tier claims; optional for 1-month and 3-month.

4

Submit. Wait for the vendor.

The vendor has 24 hours (48 on weekends) to approve, ask for more info, or escalate. If they do not respond, Fast Aquatics mediation steps in automatically.

Section 3: How approved claims are paid

Once the claim is approved, you are offered two ways to make it right. Pick whichever works for you - both are protected, neither is "the catch":

Option A (recommended): 120% store credit. We add 20% on top of the lost specimen's value as a thank-you for sticking with us. The credit is good across the entire marketplace - any vendor, any species. Most customers stack the credit with new livestock to hit the vendor's free-shipping threshold and effectively get the replacement shipped free.
Option B: Replacement specimen. If the vendor has the same species in stock, we generate a no-charge replacement order against their inventory. Standard live-shipping rates apply unless the vendor has opted to ship Living Guarantee replacements free. Look for the badge on their profile.

A 100% cash refund to your original payment method is also available if neither option fits. Most customers do not pick this because the 120% credit is genuinely the better deal - but it is your money and the option is always there.

Section 4: What is NOT covered

Covered

  • Death from natural causes inside the policy window
  • Latent disease (ich, velvet, flukes, AEFW) within 14 days
  • Stress death within 30 days, all tiers
  • Vendor-shipped specimens delivered through Fast Aquatics

Not covered

  • Shipping fees on a replacement order. Live livestock shipping is not bundled into the guarantee.
  • Tank crashes from negligence (heater fail, no top-off, salinity spike)
  • Predator events (the new wrasse ate the cleaner shrimp)
  • Specimens kept outside species-appropriate parameters
  • Anything outside the policy window (day 366 on a 12-month tier)

The shipping line is the one that catches some people, so we want to be very clear: the Living Guarantee covers the value of the animal, not the box it ships in. We say so on the warranty checkout page in the same font size as the price. The reason is straightforward - if we wrapped shipping into the guarantee, premiums would have to roughly double, and most customers prefer the lower price plus the option to stack credit toward free shipping at any participating vendor.

Section 5: The timeline

0h

Delivery scan + DOA window opens

The carrier marks your order delivered. The 4-hour DOA window (Buyer Protection, free) starts ticking.

4h

DOA window closes, Living Guarantee window continues

If you bought the Living Guarantee, your coverage now picks up and runs for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months depending on tier.

+24h

Vendor responds to your claim

Once you file. 48 hours on weekends. Mediation kicks in automatically if the vendor goes silent.

+48h

Resolution lands in your account

Approved credit posts to your account immediately and is available at the very next checkout. Replacement orders ship on the vendor's next regular shipping day.

Still have questions? Read the full Living Guarantee page, or email claims@fastaquatics.com and a real person will get back to you within one business day.