Is Blue Zoo comparable to Live Aquaria?

[geaux xman]

i've gotten a 5-6" false personifer from BZ on two separate occasions. both fish were very high quality specimens.

all the fish i've ever received from LA were of top quality also.

same with NYAquatics.

I would not be hesitant to buy from any of those three.

 

[dtt]

Neither of these 2 companies QT there fish. The use several wholesaler in LA to fill your order. If your order is shipped on a Monday most likely these fish arrived over the weekend from the South Pacific.

 

[alton]

Looking to order a Leopard wrasse from Blue Zoo because Live Aquaria is out of stock. Do they quarantine and hold the fish a few weeks like Live Aquaria does?

I just checked LA and they have like 3 different types?

 

[snorvich]

Guarantee is not comparable.

 

[Deinonych]

Neither of these 2 companies QT there fish. The use several wholesaler in LA to fill your order. If your order is shipped on a Monday most likely these fish arrived over the weekend from the South Pacific.

Very few, if any online merchants QT their fish. It just isn't practical from a business perspective. Diver's Den doesn't do true quarantine; it's really more of an extended acclimation than anything. The point is moot for me anyway, as I wouldn't trust anyone to QT my fish except me.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I like Blue Zoo because they let me do will call pick up. I just look at their online catalog, call to order and pick up my stuff the next day. I agree with Steve that guarantee is probably the main difference between the two vendors. If I didn't have BZA close by and did not have good fish stores around I would probably try both to see which one I liked best.
BZA has a better and bigger selection of tangs and wrasses priced on the higher end on somewhat regular basis outside of their WYSIWYG section. For example, BZA can carry black tangs and Clarion angels many of the times while LA doesn't. LA mostly relies on its DD section for higher end stuff. However, if you are into clams and big Acropora colonies DD always has more of them than BZA.

 

[ThRoewer]

Live Aquaria has everything drop shipped from either Quality Marine in Los Angeles or ORA in Florida. Only DD fish and inverts come actually from Live Aquaria in Wisconsin.

Blue Zoo is the retail outlet for Pacific Aqua Farms and everything ships from Los Angeles.

I've ordered from both, and with Blue Zoo the fish were fine while the pipefish I got from LA didn't make it. Blue Zoo is also more forthcoming with selecting pairs or sexing fish and shrimp.

LA has a little more hassle free warranty but I also had no issues with BZ.

Steve from Baja Reef doesn't have the highest opinion of Quality Marine but likes Pacific Aqua Farms. According to him they make more effort to avoid fish caught with poison.

In general I consider mail ordering fish and inverts always a risk. You never know what you get. I prefer cherry-picking my fish in local stores where I can observe them to avoid buying sick ones.

 

[Dmorty217]

They both sell fish... After that it stops. BZ pricing is off the charts and stock is limited at best

 

[snorvich]

They both sell fish... After that it stops. BZ pricing is off the charts and stock is limited at best

And guarantee excludes sensitive fish and is for store credit only.

 

[ca1ore]

If one employs a bit of common sense, both BZoo and DD/LA are good sources for fish. Ive ordered from both, and will continue to do so.

 

[microlady]

I've always ordered from LA and never lost a fish due to disease or it not feeding. I would bet that whichever wholesaler they are shipping from makes sure to perform some sort of quarantine and/or conditioning of the specimens before they are sold. LA makes it very clear that they are against cyanide caught fish too. How could they offer a 2 week guarantee on a fish that went through the stress of being on the reef just days before? How could they offer a 2 week guarantee on a sick, parasite infested fish? They are a solid company and will continue to get my business. I've had no experience buying from Bluezoo, so I don't have any input there. The next tang or angel I get will be from DD.

 

[microlady]

Our local pet stores are horrible, btw. Ich, velvet, and bacterial infections galor. It's really sad.