How's everyone experience with Live Aquaria Diver's Den in 2021?

[chiefifd]

I bought a Bluehead Fairy Wrasse from LiveAquaria's Diver Den a month ago. Fish arrived in great shape, my only issue was I didn't get a shipping notification. I live only abut 2 hours from their Rehinlander facility, I actually got the fish the very next day. Kinda expecting the fish to arrive the following day, but it all worked out. The Wrasse is in quarantine still and doing well.

 

[Miami Reef]

PS: this was not from divers den; it was from regular live aquaria.

I am a customer of Live Aquaria for years.

They were a very good company, but the past 2 months have been pretty bad. The 2 moorish idols they sent were in a soggy box with wet newspapers and bags without oxygen blown into it. It gave me a fishermen on a boat vibe - as if they boxed it in the middle of Indonesia.

But the worst was yesterday. I received a purple dottyback INFESTED with ich and about 80% dead. Couldn’t even swim properly without rolling on it’s back. It died within the same day in the tank and all the ich left the carcass.

Good thing it was in a quarantine tank.

 

[Lyss]

I am a customer of Live Aquaria for years.

They were a very good company, but the past 2 months have been pretty bad. The 2 moorish idols they sent were in a soggy box with wet newspapers and bags without oxygen blown into it. It gave me a fishermen on a boat vibe - as if they boxed it in the middle of Indonesia.

But the worst was yesterday. I received a purple dottyback INFESTED with ich and about 80% dead. Couldn’t even swim properly without rolling on it’s back. It died within the same day in the tank and all the ich left the carcass.

Good thing it was in a quarantine tank.

Was this from Diver’s Den?

 

[Miami Reef]

Was this from Diver’s Den?

I’m so sorry. I intended to specify this in my original post. NO! This was regular Live Aquaria.

I’m going to edit my original message.

 

[Lyss]

I’m so sorry. I intended to specify this in my original post. NO! This was regular Live Aquaria.

I’m going to edit my original message.

Oh, okay haha — I was like yikes!

 

[Miami Reef]

Oh, okay haha — I was like yikes!

Thank you for catching that. I would be so upset if I put a company down for something they didn’t even do!

 

[Chrisv.]

I have only heard wonderful this about TSM. I have also heard good things about Dr Reef.

Marine collectors has had some bad reviews lately.

Marine collectors is saltwater robbery. They sell royal gramma for $150.

TSM sells the same fish with equivalent QT for $50. KP sells them with no QT for $16.

There was a whole thread about this, but unfortunately nobody realized it was in the marine collectors sponsor forum and the mod squad shut it down. Now it just looks like happy bunnies at marine collectors.


Re. The OP's question, it bums me out to say it but it seems that LA/DD is not what it used to be.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

What is KP?

Can you summarize what humble fish says about marine collectors?

Thanks

 

[Chrisv.]

What is KP?

Can you summarize what humble fish says about marine collectors?

Thanks

It was Dr. Reef that was a concern on humble fish. It was a massive thread of him basically ghosting on people because his company got too big too fast and he is taking a break, but maybe still taking orders? He was listed as an endorsed vendor there but the endorsement got taken away. Drama. Worth a read if you're considering it.

The marine collectors thread was here on R2R and it was one guy who posted a glowing review that was then swarmed by a dozen people with horror stories, which all got deleted by mods.

KP is KP aquatics, a small family business that does collection in the Florida keys. They are famous here for having amazing live rock. Everything else I've bought from them has been amazing too. Nice folks. Husband and wife duo. They literally scuba and catch fish for you.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

More mixed reviews lol I’ve had no issue as far as live arrival. My only issue is they brought ich into the aquarium and killed all my other fish only to be the last ones left

That doesn't really sound like live aquaria's fault.

 

[Miami Reef]

That doesn't really sound like live aquaria's fault.

I agree. Any LFS fish will bring ich. Live Aquaria is like an online LFS.

 

[Chrisv.]

That doesn't really sound like live aquaria's fault.

Well, yes and no. DD advertises several weeks of observation and medication if required on all DD fish.

We should all qt, but DD is supposed to be better than a random lfs.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Well, yes and no. DD advertises several weeks of observation and medication if required on all DD fish.

We should all qt, but DD is supposed to be better than a random lfs.

DD does not put fish through a copper treatment.

Shipment and acclimation are both major stress events that can and do hit a fish in the immune system.

We are responsible for not bringing disease and pests into out glass boxes. We all know the diseases in the pipeline.

I think your last statement is just false personally. They are supposed to be better than LA apparently, but nowhere does it say, imply, or guarantee fish free of any disease.

 

[Chrisv.]

DD does not put fish through a copper treatment.

Shipment and acclimation are both major stress events that can and do hit a fish in the immune system.

We are responsible for not bringing disease and pests into out glass boxes. We all know the diseases in the pipeline.

I think your last statement is just false personally. They are supposed to be better than LA apparently, but nowhere does it say, imply, or guarantee fish free of any disease.

I completely agree that they don't do a full medicated QT by default, but their description sounds a heck of a lot better than what I see at my LFS. A decade ago, DD fish came in super healthy. Like so robust that there was no way that a LFS could keep up.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I completely agree that they don't do a full medicated QT by default, but their description sounds a heck of a lot better than what I see at my LFS. A decade ago, DD fish came in super healthy. Like so robust that there was no way that a LFS could keep up.

I'm at disadvantage there. I've only been around a short bit, and LA/DD has been sketch with a poor reputation as long as ive known of them.

I've received a few healthy fish, and a few not super healthy ones. All are treated the same. Medicated quarantine, low stress, lots of food.

 

[Chrisv.]

I'm at disadvantage there. I've only been around a short bit, and LA/DD has been sketch with a poor reputation as long as ive known of them.

I've received a few healthy fish, and a few not super healthy ones. All are treated the same. Medicated quarantine, low stress, lots of food.

I know it sounds unbelievable, but they honestly used to be one of the best. As far as I knew at the time, there was no online supplier who did any real qt. Their two week survival policy was the first from a major online supplier. And out of many orders, I never once had to use it.

 

[Chrisv.]

I know it sounds unbelievable, but they honestly used to be one of the best. As far as I knew at the time, there was no online supplier who did any real qt. Their two week survival policy was the first from a major online supplier. And out of many orders, I never once had to use it.

Obviously it doesn't matter what they used to be. Only what they are now.

 

[mfinn]

Live Aquaria's shipping just got really bad.
I'm going to do a review thread, but I'm waiting to hear back from them about a coral issue.
I made 3 orders in the last couple months. All 3 were delayed. Is there a priority they can assign over night packages?
The last order was for almost $400 ( before discounts) worth of coral.
While it did get to me on the correct day, it was at 7:30 at night.
I took the box inside and was kind of shocked.
The top of the box was open to the air. Inside was this cheap bag that has about 1/8" foam on one side and a foil on the outside. No styrofoam box.
Inside this bag which was also wide open was my 2 corals in bags like they should be, but they were just rolling around inside the box. They did put about a dozen air pillows in the box, but there was nothing to keep the bags from bouncing around.

I did find 2 cold hard heat packs on the outside of the bag, next to the cardboard box.

I've been a customer for a very long time, but not anymore.

 

[piranhaman00]

They’re no longer owned by Petco (Petco sold the business a while ago).

Besides the WYSIWYG factor, the main difference is that DD fish and corals are held longer, quarantined and medicated before being put up for sale. That’s where the extra costs come into play.

DD fish are NOT quarantined , they are conditioned , HUGE difference

 

[LPS Bum]

DD fish are NOT quarantined , they are conditioned , HUGE difference.

Sure about that? Direct From the Live Aquaria website.

What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG): the EXACT item you are ordering, not a representative photo. Diver's Den® items are held, quarantined and shipped from our state-of-the-art Coral Farm & Aquatic Life Facility in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.