Terms of service
Terms of Service
Last updated: 29 April 2026
These Terms of Service govern your use of the Tropical Fish Co website and your purchase of products from us. By placing an order, you agree to these terms.
Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.
1. About Us
Tropical Fish Co is a trading name of Hand on Web Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales.
Registered address: 20 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU
Email: hello@tropicalfishco.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 7464 593131
We are an online-only store. We do not have a physical shop, showroom, or collection point.
2. Products
We sell live tropical fish, coldwater fish, invertebrates, aquarium plants, fish food, equipment, and related aquarium goods.
Images on the website are illustrative. The exact size, colour, sex, markings, and maturity of live animals may vary from the photographs shown. Gender is only guaranteed where clearly stated on the product page.
All livestock should be researched before purchase. You are responsible for ensuring your aquarium is cycled, suitable, and safe for the species you order.
3. Orders and Payment
All prices are shown in GBP. Payment must be completed at checkout before an order is accepted.
After placing an order, you will receive an order confirmation email. This confirms that we have received your order, but it does not guarantee availability. If stock becomes unavailable, we may contact you to offer a substitute, delay dispatch, or issue a refund.
We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any order where there is an obvious pricing error, stock issue, delivery restriction, welfare concern, suspected fraud, or other operational reason.
4. Delivery
Live orders are dispatched using tracked courier services suitable for live-animal transport.
Live fish are normally dispatched on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for delivery on Wednesday or Thursday. We do not dispatch live fish for weekend transit.
Delivery is charged at the rate shown at checkout. For live orders, someone must be available to receive the parcel on the first delivery attempt. Live animals cannot be left in a safe place, with a neighbour, or unopened for long periods.
If your plans change before dispatch, contact us as soon as possible so we can move your order to a later dispatch window.
Some UK postcodes may be unavailable for live-fish delivery because of courier coverage or extended transit times. If we cannot safely deliver to your area, we may cancel and refund the order.
5. Live Arrival Guarantee
Every live fish, shrimp, snail, crab, and live plant is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee.
If livestock arrives dead, dying, or clearly compromised on the day of delivery, contact us the same day with your order number and evidence.
For live animals, a short continuous unboxing video is required. The video must show the sealed parcel before opening, the parcel being opened, and the affected livestock still inside the sealed transport bag.
We cannot usually approve Dead-on-Arrival claims from phone calls, text-only messages, or still photos alone.
Once a claim is approved, we will offer either a refund to your original payment method or a replacement on a future shipment.
The guarantee may not apply if no one was available to receive the parcel, the parcel was left unopened, the claim was not made on the day of delivery, or the livestock was released before evidence was provided.
6. Returns and Cancellations
Live animals cannot normally be returned once acclimated or released into your aquarium, because re-catching, re-bagging, and transporting them again is stressful and can be fatal.
If you are unhappy with live fish on arrival but they are alive, do not release them into your tank. Contact us the same day while they are still in their original transport bags.
For non-live items, you may cancel and return your order within 14 days of receipt. You then have another 14 days to send the goods back. Items should be unused, complete, and in their original packaging where possible.
If an item is faulty, incorrect, or damaged, we will cover the return cost. If you are returning a non-live item because you changed your mind, return postage is your responsibility.
7. Refunds
Approved refunds are made to the original payment method.
Live Arrival Guarantee refunds are normally processed within 3-5 business days after approval.
For returned non-live items, refunds are processed within 14 days of us receiving the item back or receiving proof that you have sent it.
Payment providers such as PayPal, Klarna, and banks may take additional time to show the refund in your account.
8. Customer Responsibilities
By ordering live animals, you confirm that:
- your aquarium is cycled and suitable,
- you understand the care needs of the species ordered,
- someone will be available to receive the parcel,
- you will inspect the order on arrival,
- you will acclimate livestock carefully,
- you will not release unsuitable species into the wild.
We are happy to give care advice, but we cannot be responsible for losses caused by unsuitable tank conditions, poor acclimation, incompatible tank mates, ammonia or nitrite spikes, incorrect temperature, untreated tap water, or other aquarium issues after delivery.
9. Care Information
We provide care guides, compatibility notes, and aquarium advice in good faith. This information is for general guidance only and may not cover every individual aquarium setup.
You should always check whether a species is suitable for your tank size, water parameters, tank mates, and experience level before ordering.
10. Website Use
You agree not to misuse the website, interfere with its security, scrape it excessively, attempt unauthorised access, or use it for unlawful purposes.
We may update, suspend, or withdraw parts of the website at any time.
11. Intellectual Property
All website content, including text, design, images, graphics, product descriptions, care guides, branding, and code, belongs to Tropical Fish Co, Hand on Web Ltd, or its licensors unless stated otherwise.
You may not copy, reproduce, republish, or commercially use our content without written permission.
12. Limitation of Liability
We are responsible for foreseeable loss caused by our breach of these terms or our negligence.
We are not responsible for business losses, loss of profit, indirect loss, or losses caused by events outside our reasonable control.
Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot legally be excluded.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may update these terms from time to time. The version published on this page at the time you place your order will apply to that order.
14. Governing Law
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales, unless consumer law gives you the right to bring a claim elsewhere in the UK.
15. Contact
Questions about these terms, orders, delivery, returns, or livestock care can be sent to:
Email: hello@tropicalfishco.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 7464 593131
Website: tropicalfishco.co.uk/contact
I based this on your site’s delivery, returns, FAQ, about, and contact pages, plus UK consumer guidance from GOV.UK returns/refunds and the Consumer Contracts Regulations guidance. This is a strong practical draft, but a solicitor should review it before you rely on it legally.