Dr. Reef

[Pickle_soup]

Some people will disagree but often I do observation only for a minimum of 30 days. Especially for sensitive fish. I have a copper band in observation only right now. My goal is to get the fish eating and fat before introducing to the DT. If I don't see anything abnormal after 30 days I'm comfortable moving fish to the DT. I don't recomend it because their are risks but I do it.

EDIT : another benifit to not using copper is I can add live rock to the QT along with a seasoned sponge and not have to worry about ammonia build up. It's an instant cycle.

That's pretty much the same approach I take. I too have LR in my QT, even if it means dealing with copper harder than it needs to be. I think it's a more natural, less stressful transition to the DT. I am in the process of adding fish for the next 5-6 months or so, so I will just leave my DT. I am planning to run carbon along with water change before I buy the next batch of fish. I don't want to keep adding fish. Once I get what I really want, I am leaving the tank alone to make it easier and minimize the risks.

 

[rtparty]

I think I’ve gotten at least 15 fish from Dr Reef. It has gone super smooth. I have had some DOA but that’s because the fish is super poor shipper. They refunded me or gave me store credit immediately. I highly recommend Mike and his team

They go right into the DT and not a single issue or disease to date

 

[Pickle_soup]

So far it's pretty much all supporting Dr. Reef.

 

[JoJosReef]

Almost all of my fish except first two, clowns, from Dr. Reef. Some DOAs, but not because of poor health of the fish (they arrive in good body shape), but likely injury during shipping. Mike has been steadily improving his operation and communication over the past couple years in my experience.

 

[Jedi Knghit]

As I have stated in previous threads, I have had three orders from Dr Reef. The first two went perfectly and the third had a few issues. One fish was deemed not healthy enough to ship and one DOA, both were credited immediately. I also had a couple fish on another order that a friend placed, and they were healthy too.

I haven't always done it, but an observational QT from ANY pre QT'ed vendor is probably a good idea for several reasons.

1. It places the already stressed out fish in a less stressful environment.
2. Makes the fish easier to observe after acclimation.
3. The salinity from Dr reef is on the low side, so you can have the QT salinity set lower to minimize the acclimation time and get the fish into fresh water faster then raise the salinity slowly over the observation period
4. It gives the new fish time to adjust to your food and schedule before having to compete for food in the DT.
5. It provides extra insurance against introducing a disease into your DT.

 

[MnFish1]

I am pretty certain this will be my last PBT. With that said, years ago I had a Hippo that completely obliterated a convict tang 1/2 its size.

Tangs are extremely long-lived (in the wild they can live to be > 40 years old). So - it may very well be your last .

 

[Pickle_soup]

Tangs are extremely long-lived (in the wild they can live to be > 40 years old). So - it may very well be your last .

 

[Daenion]

Dr. Reef is good. They work with you on your order. And I have been happy with my purchases.

One thing to keep in mind. Even though the operation got bigger, you still need to treat them like a smaller vendor and do your due diligence like following up and so on.

 

[MnFish1]

I have not placed an order - but I do know he is an upstanding person, and would not hesitate to use him (in fact he would be the only person I would order fish from on the internet)

 

[t5Nitro]

My n=1 experience with dr reef: the best

 

[BeanAnimal]

I am a happy customer of @Dr. Reef
You will find that most of the disgruntled folks have rather a rather unrealistic understanding of what it takes to ship a fish. That is then often bolstered by a "positive" experience from a different vendor and a DOA or short lived fish from Dr. Reef.

So unrealistic expectations, dumb luck and reality collide and people get rather upset. The reality is that shipping fish is extremely hard on them. Your LFS loses numerous fish on every order and, to be clear, these usually get shipped DIRECT from Airport to Airport not passed through dozens of processing endpoints like residential overnight packages.

Set you expectations accordingly and trust that Dr.Reef does his best, even given all of the variables, to get you a healthy fish. He (no vendor) gains anything by taking shortcuts and sending you unhealthy fish.

 

[sabor]

dr reef is an awesome place to order fish from. I had some issues prior and he always took care of it. I would order again from them.

 

[kbnh]

Thank you. What did you order from them?

Chromis
Ruby dragonet
mandarin dragonet
Two spot bristletooth
Rainfordi goby (rather tiny one tbh)
Clownfish
Carpenter flasher wrasse
Cleaner shrimp
Conchs
This was over two separate orders, first time did take a while(early last year) but the second time was within the time frame given and email responses were quick.

 

[cdnco2004]

At minimum, give them a ruby Rally Pro bath for 60 minutes

Rally Pro and not Ruby Reefs HydroPlex?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Rally Pro and not Ruby Reefs HydroPlex?

Correct

 

[cdnco2004]

Ruby Reef recommends HydroPlex for the use you mention. They list it as "An Extremely Broad Spectrum Dip Treatment for New Aquarium Arrivals."

 

[Syntax1235]

I have had mixed results, some fish arrived in good health and and others doa. I ordered a melanurus wrasse with my last order and received a lunar wrasse….. very different fish.

I will say that Dr. Reef provides excellent customer service, and doesn’t hesitate to refund for any troubles.

 

[cdnco2004]

I have three fish currently on order with Dr Reef. I ordered on Aug 10th. All three fish were listed as in qt available to ship in 2 weeks. Figure I will give until the 1st to ask for status.

 

[temphermitcrab]

I just received two C-Quest Onyx Clownfish from Dr. Reefs today. I couldn't be happier with the fish, the process, and the customer service. This is only my second time receiving shipped fish and it still scares me but it allowed me to get the exact fish we wanted and have them quarantined. I'm trusting the service and put them straight into our DT, but the fish are captive bred. For me it's diminishing returns to QT again.

 

[Cody Seer]

I have not ordered yet, but I was planning on ordering in the spring and was hoping for Pre-QT fish.
I normally do 4-5 weeks QT with Hybrid TTM or Copper and have had good results, but it is a lot of work.
I’m hoping to order an Ornate Leopard wrasse, and a captive bred mandarin pair.

Also considering a black leopard wrasse and would love a Potter’s wrasse, but that isn’t offered.

I had seen some people have had some illness (or claimed) from new fish - which is a concern since I’ve safely quarantined all my current fish myself.

There’s still the benefit of the fish going through weeks of treatment (and feeding) before arriving, but I guess there’s always more research to do.