Alternative to Live Aquaria

jsvand5 · Feb 10, 2020

DeniseAndy said:
I had read they would do well in groups and they stay fairly small. However, I really wanted Talbots and or Smith's and they are just not available anywhere. I love the azures (kupang) as I have had them before in my 210g and they are very peaceful. We will see how my 4stripes do. I may just add them to my more aggressive tank with clowns and carpets. We will see in qt how it goes.
I have had Blackmouths (as I was told they stay small and after research knew they grew large, but wanted to try them). What a nightmare! They are very aggressive and large! Do not be fooled by the cute juveniles yellow and black stripes.
Time to go see the babies in qt!

Try these instead of the 4 stripe. More expensive but way less aggressive

Tuxedo Damselfish

The Tuxedo Damselfish is also known as the Threeband Damselfish and originates from the waters of Fiji. They are white in color with three prominent black bands running vertically within the body of the fish. A 30 gallon or larger aquarium is suitable with plenty of hiding places. Due to its...

m.liveaquaria.com

Reef AquaCult · Feb 10, 2020

Mical said:
Vivid Aquariums has been great, ORA fish from LA has been good but if you want pre-quarantined fish Marine collectors is the go-to -> https://marinecollectors.com/

+1 on LiveAquaria ORA. Shipped directly from Florida ORA site is usually a good bet for aquaculture animals.

DeniseAndy · Feb 10, 2020

I just ordered those guys (Tuxedos) along with some Talbot's I finally found. Thought I would give Liveaquaria one more try as I have my qt tanks running again and ready to go.
My Reefs4Less order is so far good. One of the 4stripes is looking iffy, but all other fish are out eating and seem okay. When I start my meds, I hope they all continue to do well. I want them eating before possibly suppressing the appetite with meds.

DeniseAndy · Feb 13, 2020

So, added 3 tuxedo damsels, 3 talbot damsels, one yellow coris wrasse, 2 yellow striped cardinals (one DOA) from Liveaquaria to the qt. Everyone is doing great and we start propholactic treatments tonight after water change. My 4 stripes have already stated as they are in a different system.
I also got two clarkii deluxes from ORA. They are absolutely adorable. They are captive bred and came directly from ORA, so they went into DT.
Here are some pics. My phone is not so good and fish are not cooperative.

DeniseAndy · Feb 13, 2020

The colors are very vibrant. Not picked up by phone.

jsvand5 · Feb 13, 2020

Looks good. How large of a tank do you have? Having three of each type may leave one getting picked on once they form pairs if your tank isn’t big enough.

truetricia · Feb 13, 2020

USMA36 said:
Over the past year or so Live Aquaria quality and service has really fallen off. Today was the last time I will use them. I'm looking for an alternative. I don't have a Lfs near me. Here's the story. I ordered a leaopard wrasse from Divers Den and 3 cleaner shrimp from the regular live Aquaria site. The fish came doa ice cold. No heat packs in the box!! They never shipped the shrimp. I called and they couldn't tell me why the order did not ship or when it would. This seems to be happening more and more often. It's really unfortunate. They used to be great. I am wondering if anyone else has noticed the drop off in quality.

I really really love @Dr. Reef 's service! He has QuarantinedFish.us/ which provides special order fish pre-quarantined and then delivered at your door. This means that you are getting healthy fish, free of major diseases, and eating shipped direct to your door. His prices are reasonable, and in some cases, even cheaper than other online vendors, but you're getting an amazingly healthy fish.

I recently worked with him to order two sunburst anthias, one rhomboid wrasse, and an exquisite wrasse. They arrived to my house well-packed, healthy, and nearly instantly integrated into my reef. They're out and about, eating, and gorgeous! My rhomboid wrasse is still a juvenile male, but already his gorgeous colors are starting to show. I'm excited that I'll get to watch him mature and gain the deep purples and golds that are so renowned in the species. The customer service he showed as well was above and beyond.

I've also ordered two captive bred angels from POMA LABS. I love them! My blueline angel is engaging and constantly moving around the tank searching for algae. His pattern is beautiful and unique, and at just over two inches, he still has plenty of growing to do. My singapore angel is also gorgeous, and his colors are vibrant in the tank. He's constantly on the lookout for food, and readily accepts anything I put in the tank. The fish arrived extremely well packaged, and practically started eating within hours of going in the tank. I adore these two fish so much!

I cannot say enough about the quality of service and fish from both of these vendors!

Luis1992 · Feb 13, 2020

Salgado aquatics is a great option and has amazing prices

albano · Feb 13, 2020

Sorry to say... those adorable clarkii may end up worse than the 4 stripes, as serial killers... be prepared to get them out if they start attacking other fish

DeniseAndy · Feb 13, 2020

I plan to use one of the pre-qted fish for my triggers or angels in the future. I can handle the smaller guys.

To answer above, yes, I have plenty of room for the fish. I have kept many in my 210g before with lots of space to hide, they are good. My 210g is 7ft long (a bit odd size cuz custom built) by 2ft wide. Cannot wait to get them all in. 30 days and counting.

DeniseAndy · Feb 13, 2020

I have had clarkiis in the past. I do have a carpet nem tank if needed. I had to remove clarkiis due to my blackfoots in the past. I do not mind those terrors. My other fish should be able to handle it.

Infidel · Feb 13, 2020

USMA36 said:
Over the past year or so Live Aquaria quality and service has really fallen off. Today was the last time I will use them. I'm looking for an alternative. I don't have a Lfs near me. Here's the story. I ordered a leaopard wrasse from Divers Den and 3 cleaner shrimp from the regular live Aquaria site. The fish came doa ice cold. No heat packs in the box!! They never shipped the shrimp. I called and they couldn't tell me why the order did not ship or when it would. This seems to be happening more and more often. It's really unfortunate. They used to be great. I am wondering if anyone else has noticed the drop off in quality.

I really miss Foster and Smith.

Bacon505 · Feb 13, 2020

I bought a lot from Liveaquaria. their quality might have went down hill and big price tag now but their customer service is what gotten me to come back. they have good customer service IMO although they had recently changed from full refund to store credit. still better than most only store out there.

DeniseAndy · Feb 15, 2020

Okay, all fish from Reefs4Less are doing fine. Eating, currently being medicated and seem colorful and happy. Even the striped with the faded markings looks better.
However, the fish from Liveaquaria are not fairing as well. The three yellow striped cardinals are dead along with my yellow coris wrasse. All dead in 36 hrs. The damsels are doing fine and look good. On second day of meds in that qt.
so score from Reefs4Less: 20fish purchased 1 dead in 12 hours.
Liveaquaria: 10 fish purchased, 4 dead in 36hrs.
Now the fish ordered were hardier from Reefs4Less (except the tang). The cardinals and yellow coris are known bad shippers, so there is that too.

bsr2430 · Feb 15, 2020

Hal3134 said:
I haven’t ordered from them yet, but Aqualocker.com looks good. I spent probably 15 minutes on the phone talking with the owner. Prices there can be quite a bit cheaper than LA.

something you forget to tell us when going to this site?

Isaac Alves · Feb 15, 2020

I would only be buying from these specialized TRUE QUARANTINED and conditioned vendors going forward:

Forum list

A diverse reefing community working together for healthy fish and all things reefing.

humble.fish

Humblefish Aquatics, LLC
Marine Collectors
Quarantined Fish, LLC
Quarantined Marine

DeniseAndy · Feb 15, 2020

For my more sensitive fish, that is the plan.

DeniseAndy · Feb 17, 2020

Well, if anyone cares, one of my Tuxedo damsels from Liveaquaria died last night. He had spots and was labored breathing and not eating well like the rest for a couple days. Poor thing. Also, the tiniest of the 4striped passed today from Reefs4Less.
So, I have refunds from Liveaquaria, but I hate having fish die. So wasteful. No guarantee from Reefs4Less.
If all my fish die, I will let you all know. Otherwise, I am done tracking them. They are working through protocol and hope they all survive.

Hal3134 · Mar 16, 2020

bsr2430 said:
something you forget to tell us when going to this site?

I was as surprised as you for this. Now I’m looking for another alternative to LA. Reefs4less looks promising. Prices are on the better side. I still need to order: hippo tang, naso, firefish, pencil wrasse, moorish idol, and blue throat trigger.