Divers Den
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
IMO it is much better (or at least consistently better) than direct ordering, but a fish still isn't going into my DT without my doing a separate QT and treatment.
If you go to the DD website you have to dig a little, but you can find where they recommend using QT for any fish you order from them, or anyone else.
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Jimbo662
2500 Club Member
+1 First time I ordered from Live Aquaria (several orders) I lost most of the fish. Back in April I ordered 4 fish from Divers Den and all arrived very healthy and ready to eat for the most part.
I've been ordering from live aquaria for over 12 years and I've placed a few orders on dd and the colors are more vibrant from dd but I ordered a blueface from dd and it would eat nothing but sponge. I've gotten several leopard wrasses from live aquaria and they all ate frozen the first day and pellets within a week
Maddlesrain
Valuable Member
I always think the DD fish are higher quality, however, the customer service they provide really makes any order worth it IMO. You can get a bad shipment from any vendor, but a lot of them don't have all the guarantees that Live Aquaria has. I have never felt hassled calling in about a DOA specimen or with any sort of concerns.
And the "bulk" fish are usually of pretty good quality. Always end up eating for me and acclimate pretty quickly. As stated above, I stick everything in an observation tank just in case, but I have never received a diseased fish from them.
And the "bulk" fish are usually of pretty good quality. Always end up eating for me and acclimate pretty quickly. As stated above, I stick everything in an observation tank just in case, but I have never received a diseased fish from them.
Maddlesrain
Valuable Member
The only way you'd be able to get all your wrasse through the DD section is if they miraculously listed all of the fish you're interested in on the same day unfortunately.
You might get lucky and snag one or two from that section and then grab the rest from the other portion of the site! And if they don't have everything you want right now, you can hold off and sign up for an email alert for when the fish you do want come in stock.
You might get lucky and snag one or two from that section and then grab the rest from the other portion of the site! And if they don't have everything you want right now, you can hold off and sign up for an email alert for when the fish you do want come in stock.
JaimeAdams
2500 Club Member
I have nothing against DD and have used it a few times myself. However, do not listen to the misinformation out there. The fish ARE NOT Quarantined. Generally they are nice healthy active fish. Just be aware that they can and do harbor parasites just like fish from anywhere else. There have certainly been cases of people thinking that they were good to go and tossed them into DT and had lots of issues. Granted that being said it goes the same from everywhere else as well. I just feel that a lot of people for whatever reason assume that they are already been through QT when they have not.
Tuffyyyyy
2500 Club Member
Talked with the DD guy yesterday at MACNA and asked about this to clear it up. To your point, they didn't give the impression that they quarantine and treat for diseases but they do hold them on site for 2 weeks before listing for sale. DD wants to make sure they're okay and eating before shipping out.
GHsaltie
Valuable Member
DD conditions the fish for 2 weeks. They watch for illness, feed them and get them fat and happy. I have gotten 2 wrasses and a waspfish from DD and I was fairly pleased with the service. My waspfish did come in with high salinity, so I do recommend double checking the bag before acclimating. Another time they misunderstood an order note and sent my fish on Saturday instead of Friday like I asked. Anytime I've needed to call them they've been good about answering questions etc. I haven't ordered from LA, but from my understanding it would about the same as purchasing from a wholesaler quality and health wise.
Yes, they are "conditioned" but that's far from being adequately quarantined. It does make them much more viable and easier to quarantine successfully. Nothing but good to say about DD. Problems with LA have been the exception not the rule.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Here is their procedure. It really is good, but it isn't good enough for me to not do my own QT.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=425
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Divers Den (WYSIWYG) Fish - Wisconsin
From my personal experience over many years, is about the best you can do and better then their "liveaquaria" option that comes out of Cali.
Not a full QT but about as good as it gets.
From my personal experience over many years, is about the best you can do and better then their "liveaquaria" option that comes out of Cali.
Not a full QT but about as good as it gets.
Antics
Valuable Member
Quarantine/conditioning aside, LiveAqauaria/Divers Den is most useful when you can take advantage of specials. Free shipping @ 99$ is a great deal depending on what you're looking for. It's also nice to have a coupon to get an additional 15% off or whatever.
Buying WYSIWYG fish with the above conditions while also getting a two week hassle free guarantee? I think there really isn't much to lose if you want to try them out.
Buying WYSIWYG fish with the above conditions while also getting a two week hassle free guarantee? I think there really isn't much to lose if you want to try them out.
Orcus Varuna
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Couldn't be happier with all the fish I have gotten over the years from LA or DD. The DD specimens tend to be very healthy. In March I ordered a bonded pair of gold head sleeper gobies & a bonded pair of Randall's gobies with a pistol shrimp. Aside from the bonded part they were healthy as can be. This is comensurate with my previous DD experiences as well.
As for LA they ship most fish directly from Quality Marine out of Los Angeles which is a top notch wholesaler. I have suffered some inconsistencies with LA but most of the time it's a rock solid purchase. For instance on the march DD order I also added a H. Claudia wrasse from LA. Fish was healthy but I received an H. Ornatissmus instead. They promptly refunded me but man what an a hole that fish is.
That last point highlights the best part about LA/DD which is the guarantee. The fact that they trust their customers and you don't have to jump through hoops to get your money back seals it for me. Others may match the guarantee but they make getting your money back easy.
As for LA they ship most fish directly from Quality Marine out of Los Angeles which is a top notch wholesaler. I have suffered some inconsistencies with LA but most of the time it's a rock solid purchase. For instance on the march DD order I also added a H. Claudia wrasse from LA. Fish was healthy but I received an H. Ornatissmus instead. They promptly refunded me but man what an a hole that fish is.
That last point highlights the best part about LA/DD which is the guarantee. The fact that they trust their customers and you don't have to jump through hoops to get your money back seals it for me. Others may match the guarantee but they make getting your money back easy.
Orcus Varuna
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Also wanted to add other quality consumer facing fish vendors include pieces of the ocean, reefwise, Coralreeftn (Sustainable Aquatics retail outlet), ORA direct through live aquaria, and sometimes bluezoo (this one has been iffy for me but others love it).
Another +1 to positive experience ordering from DD (multiple purchases). Not sure if it was just an one-off instance but the packaging for DD was also better than regular LA in the one time that I ordered fish from LA instead of DD.
