Goodbye Live Aquaria

ThRoewer said:
Which of the core people they got rid of?
I assume Kevin Cohen is still there but I doubt he still has as much say as before.
I also noticed that a lot of the rare and really pricey stuff on DD didn't really sell as they thought. Two of the three Gramma dejongi they put up on DD two weeks ago still haven't sold. A pair of Japanese Interruptus angels is there even longer unsold.
It wasn't too long ago that such fish would have sold within minutes if not seconds.

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Im referring to the Foster and Smith team that ultimately made the decisions on how LiveAquaria was ran. I have been buying fish from LA for the past 14 years, its a shame they changed the refund policy. I'm assuming your credit is only good for 1 time ie I get a credit for said loss and spend that credit re-buying the livestock that I lost either DOA or within the 14 days... I don't think they will keep issuing a credit for the loses after that. I have no confirmation of this but that is how it works at all the other online retailers in this hobby.
 
In many ways this is a good thing because it levels the playing field for the LFS. Fortunately, in my area there are many great places to buy livestock, but I feel bad for those folks who live in areas without access to a good LFS.

I used to buy from many online vendors -- primarily LA/DD and Blue Zoo. With the aforementioned changes to LA/DD as well as Blue Zoo (prices aren't as good, and the livestock I'm looking for isn't available) I haven't made a purchase in over a year.

The only time I buy online now are for clean up crews (John at Reef Cleaners) and more recently for "clean" macroalgae from Algae Barn.
 
Anyone have a Aqua Japan

Anyone have a Aqua Japan

Getting back in the hobby and looking at the Aqua Japan 120 Reef tank. Any advice?
 
bbleifus said:
Getting back in the hobby and looking at the Aqua Japan 120 Reef tank. Any advice?
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My advice is that you start a new thread. :love1:

OK, all kidding aside, it looks like there's only one place that you can get these tanks, which makes me wonder if they're just re-branded. I can't imagine that they actually come from Japan.
 
Good point, D-Nak. When considering the shipping cost, plus the cost of meds to keep mail order fish alive, the LFS looks better than ever.

I also know that lots of folks are having no problems with Live Aquaria. If you're OK with the changes and condition of the fish, you should stick with them, and enjoy.

For the last year or so, I've had several LA orders with DOAs and sick fish that died within days. Having the guarantee made it a little easier to live with. Lately, I find I care less about the cost and more about being able to keep fish alive. On my last LA order, I ended up spending more on the meds than the fish. With the policy changes, it's no longer worth the risk, to me at least.
 
Michael Hoaster said:
Good point, D-Nak. When considering the shipping cost, plus the cost of meds to keep mail order fish alive, the LFS looks better than ever.

I also know that lots of folks are having no problems with Live Aquaria. If you're OK with the changes and condition of the fish, you should stick with them, and enjoy.

For the last year or so, I've had several LA orders with DOAs and sick fish that died within days. Having the guarantee made it a little easier to live with. Lately, I find I care less about the cost and more about being able to keep fish alive. On my last LA order, I ended up spending more on the meds than the fish. With the policy changes, it's no longer worth the risk, to me at least.
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What I can find locally I buy locally. I'm quite picky with my fish and like to see them before I buy them, not just seeing a picture but see how they act and behave. Problem is that, despite having a couple of good LFS here, not everything can be found here. So some things got to be mail order
 
That sounds like the way to go, ThRoewer. I'll give my LFS the first shot at my business, and fill the gaps with online stores.
 
I was happy to see the change from a few months to use my credit to a year from the date of issued credit. I liked the original credit back to my card, and the $99 min. free shipping. But at the end of the day they are matching what is out there as far as their competition. Like most have stated I am watching and ordering more from my LFS. Sorry about the crappy picture but I picked up this awesome male Pintail for $80
 

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I've had problems with LA for quite awhile now. They used to be my favorite place to order fish from. But anymore the fish were always showing up sick or diseased. Sometimes I swear they threw a dead fish in a bag just to complete an order. The way some of those arrived, there was no way they were alive when they bagged them judging by the looks of the fish. It got to the point where nothing was making it past quarantine. I've had a few problems with their customer service being rude as well. I no longer do business with them. I've started buying my fish from local fish stores and have less problems and the fish seem way more healthy.
 
I'm going to chip in my experience, even thought it's mostly been said already. I made 3 orders each with 10 blue/green chromis. Out of those 30 fish about half were DOA, and at the end of it only 1 survived QT to make it into the DT. After the first 2 orders I thought maybe they were killing each other off, so the third order I kept them all separated, and they still died. The first two orders were still under the refund system, and the last was the store credit. While the refund was nice, but it doesn't refund the shipping costs. Overnight shipping + the adder to deliver on Saturday (cuz I'm not taking a day off work to wait around for UPS) it adds up, and I got tired of paying that too
 
I quit buying Liveaquaria stuff and only bought Divers Den stuff when Petco purchased them. If you don't have a quality LFS then I think DD is still a good option. Petco destroyed Drs. Foster and Smith and I won't even got to Petco anymore. The last time I went to Petco I needed some frozen fish food. I walked in and their frozen food delivery had arrived about five hours earlier and was still on the floor outside the freezer completely defrosted and at room temp. I am sure they eventually put it back in the freezer after setting out all day.
My LFS were hit or miss for years but loving my latest in PDX. I am supporting local as my latest is way more conscientious and I prefer seeing stock and keeping transfer stress low.
 
I just purchased these on 9/25 everything showed up at my door 9/26 by 10am ,Purple Dottyback, 2 Kaudern's Cardinalfish, 4 Blue/Green Reef Chromis,
3 Emerald Crabs, 25 Banded Trochus Snails. Everything is doing well I have not lost a single fish
 
My issue is that lately my LFS has had a not so good record with fish. I haven’t bought any but a lot of ppl I know locally have bought from them and they loose them at a higher rate on top of paying more. It’s quite the conundrum for most.


Corey
 
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