New guys - baby Regal and Venustus

[sandwi54]

Never going to recommend giving them a try to anyone, and personally won't be ordering from them again either. I've since moved on to purchasing fish from LA and DD. Together, I've purchased 6 fish from them. Lost one fish for unknown reasons, and was given credit without hesitation.

+1. I've bought five fish from DD, and all five are alive and well till this day. I was not mad at NYA for the dead fish (I've been in this hobby long enough to understand some fish are just harder to keep), but rather that he still sells and ships fish that he knows are sick and are not in good condition. This in my opinion is not ethical.

 

[rorroreef]

yes, perhaps there is something else going on...

Seeing as how a lot of others share the same horrible experience with dealing with NYA and sick fish, you are either delusional or out of touch with reality. I understand he is your friend but after all the same type experiences from many reefers, you have to realize that at some point, we arent all novices that cant properly keep these fish alive. Michael sells sick fish and even you with your impressive fish list cant ever convince many of us to ever do business with nyaquatics again. I am done here and will leave this thread for good. Good night to everyone.

 

[jnc914]

The OP's issues with his fish is nothing new for me. Sorry to hear about your loss. I have documented my experiences with Michael and NYA in many of the other feedback threads, so I wont go into specifics here. Bottom line, I will not purchase, and have not purchased from NYA in almost a year. Michael has a strong fan base of supporters that claim to have only received nothing but healthy fish from him. I have been told that if you are local and can pick your own fish, he is the man to see. However, I guess I have been in the unlucky minority that did not have the same experiences. I have ordered fish from NYA when they were based in a garage, and I ordered when Michael opened his newer location. Over the years I have been sent DOAs, I have been sent fish with obvious bacterial disease, I have been sent fish with obvious parasite infestations, I have been sent the wrong fish, I have been sent fish in freezing cold water, I have been sent fish in barely any water/leaking bags, etc. The only fish that survived was a large Chrysurus Angel that came in a half empty bag. My current livestock have come primarily from Quality Marine/PIA/LiveAquaria/and Diver's Den or direct from Hawaiian divers. LiveAquaria is one of the few vendors that stands behind the quality of livestock and will offer either store credit or your money back. All of the fish ordered from the above mentioned vendors arrived healthy looking, survived QT without issue, and are thriving in my system.

During one of my last posts regarding NYA, someone in that thread told Michael and I was immediately contact by him via e-mail which I still have copies of). I pointed out that any/all fish lost in my QT have come from him. Instead of taking my criticism in a professional manner, he chose to belittle and blame me for the losses. I have been in this hobby for almost 13 years. I have a QT system that is more stable than most people's displays and have a med regimen that has yet to fail me. It was only after I told him I would be more than happy to post pics of the fish he sent me on threads here, that he apologized and offered my money back on one of the two sickly fish he had just sent me. I did not take him up on his offer. I also did not want any more store credit. Store credit is a ridiculous proposition when there is never an incentive to send a healthy fish. The vendor knows you have to either spend the store credit to order more of the vendor's fish, or just swallow the loss and move on. It is a catch 22 that doesn't protect the customer. A dead fish to a vendor is a write off; the vendor is always covered.

 

[wayne in norway]

As a comment on Phillipines fish I have seen a lot of very good small fish come from there recently. I got a small regal, and a pair of very small watanabeis and all of these, and the rest of the batch were in great shape. There were coming straight from the Phillipines to my LFS and I bought the watanabeis still in the shipping bag. My experience with very small angels is that the less time (preferably zero) they spend at the wholesaler/retailer the better as these guys only have a few days without feeding before they are swimming dead.
The smallest regal I saw recently was 3/4 inch, and that was reputedly trying to feed in the bag. It would still be hard work with a fish that small

 

[caribfan]

Well first let me say that I appreciate everyone's sympathies and condolences. In more than 15 years of keeping marine animals, believe it or not, this is my first online livestock order. While many of the posters have shared their negative feedback, at this point, I cannot do that.

Yes, I lost the Regal early on, but I'm not sure I fault Michael or NYaquatics for this. I ordered a Venustus and a Regal from Bali - read phillipines. Neither of these fish are easy and both require a high degree of care, which I have tried to offer. I've probably spent close to the same amount of money in different/new foods as what the regal cost just to try to get these fish to eat.

Both fish arrived in what I would call acceptable and healthy condition, albeit a little on the thin side. From a disease side of things, they both appeared to be pretty clean.

I've given Michael almost a dozen different status updates via email on both fish and while he probably doesn't care or doesn't really have time to respond to them, he has every time. I can say that his customer service has been very good and he's working with me on the regal.

Do I wish they both came in eating and nice and fat, sure, but that wasn't the case and I didn't really expect it to be. I spend a lot of time on DD and have very rarely seen a 1" Regal and almost never seen a Venustus. These are two fish on my stocking list and NYaquatic has them regularly. That, combined with some of the positive feedback i've read is why I ordered from them. Maybe there is a reason DD doesn't carry either of these fish, maybe it's because they have a low survival rate, especially at this size; time will tell.

While I appreciate the all the feedback, at this point, i'm just looking for help on keeping my venustus alive / getting it to eat. I will definitely take all the posts into consideration when ordering from NYaquatic again.

With that being said, does anyone else have any ideas on getting this fish to eat? I've tried the following:

• PE Mysis
• Hikari Mysis
• Hikari Brine
• Fresh Clams
• Reef Nutrition Arctic Pods
• Freshly hatched Brine Shrimp (tiny)
• Nutramar Ova
• Mega Marine (kind of looks like worms)
• NLS Pellets (small variety)

I've also added a couple of pieces of live rock and I keep a piece of Purple Sea Veggies from Julian sprung in there all day.

I don't have access to live black worms or adult brine, but i'm considering ordering some if I do a make up order.

I am soaking some mysis in Angel Elixir at the moment and am hopeful that this entices the little guy to eat.

I plan to do a big water change today also, sometimes that just makes things different / better. I have also raised my temperature back up to about 76 and am continuing to keep the lights off.

 

[jnc914]

There have been two Venustus offered by Diver's Den over the past two weeks. Plus Bluezoo Aquatics has them on a regular basis. Yes,they are not a commonly offered fish, plus the ones collected from the Phillipines are still likely "juiced" by the divers collecting them. The only place I would attempt a Venustus from would be Diver's Den.

 

[humaguy]

Seeing as how a lot of others share the same horrible experience with dealing with NYA and sick fish, you are either delusional or out of touch with reality. I understand he is your friend but after all the same type experiences from many reefers, you have to realize that at some point, we arent all novices that cant properly keep these fish alive. Michael sells sick fish and even you with your impressive fish list cant ever convince many of us to ever do business with nyaquatics again. I am done here and will leave this thread for good. Good night to everyone.

Easy fireball...
honestly, I could care less if you buy from him..
it is people like you that ruin this forum...
no need to name call...have you read the user's agreement?

He became my friend due to my being a customer...
if you do a search of any online vendor you will find neg posts...

for you to say he intentionally ships sick fish is insane...
if you read the entire thread you will see I said I have had shipping glitches with every online vendor I use...it happens...

 

[humaguy]

my robust and outgoing venustus did in fact come from nya and my ultra shy one did come from dd....

 

[pktech]

Sorry to hear about your situation, Carib. One thing that worked for me & it's most likely a fluke - I took an empty clam shell & made a mixture of different foods, hit it w/ a few drops of selcon & froze it. I threw the atinics on & he nibbled on it. It was a PITA butterfly & I lost him a few weeks later but it gave me some hope.

There's the ocean nutrition formula2 none of my fish could resist & the Angel version that has sponge in it. I figure if that Venustus is that small, you can assume it's young & recently collected so it's probably only eaten off the rocks or sponge. You might have to go to a LFS & get him a cheap coral to pick on until it gets settled. I also find having something like a sharknose goby (cleaner type) makes these fish relax & maybe that would get your venustus up to get cleaned, then possibly eat... who doesn't like to eat after getting cleaned?? Good luck bro - we're pulling for you!

 

[ca1ore]

EVERY place, either in-person LFS or mail-order, will eventually end up shipping a sick fish; none of the ones I do business with do this on purpose (including, IMO, NYA) but it will invariably happen - particularly with sensitive fish. Is foolish, IMO, to suggest that reputable vendors do this intentionally - otherwise they would quickly find themselves out of business. I just bought a fish from my absolute favorite LFS that has come down with ich. It happens, which is why one uses QT and keeps medications on hand.

I have never tried to keep a Venustus, but I have kept Regals in the past. I am 2 out of 2 with Red Sea Regals; 0 for 2 with Indo Regals. Small sample size, I understand, but moving forward I'd not bother with the latter.

 

[humaguy]

EVERY place, either in-person LFS or mail-order, will eventually end up shipping a sick fish; none of the ones I do business with do this on purpose (including, IMO, NYA) but it will invariably happen - particularly with sensitive fish. Is foolish, IMO, to suggest that reputable vendors do this intentionally - otherwise they would quickly find themselves out of business. I just bought a fish from my absolute favorite LFS that has come down with ich. It happens, which is why one uses QT and keeps medications on hand.

I have never tried to keep a Venustus, but I have kept Regals in the past. I am 2 out of 2 with Red Sea Regals; 0 for 2 with Indo Regals. Small sample size, I understand, but moving forward I'd not bother with the latter.

Amen..


I meant to say earlier that part of this thread should not be here but rather vendor experience..

 

[Squared]

I recently bought a venustus, pretty cool fish...hope yours makes it.

What kind of critters does your live rock have on it? I noticed mine ate the crowns off of feather dusters.

Has he gotten noticeably thinner?

Are venustus subtropical? I've never come across that bit of info researching them.

 

[jnc914]

EVERY place, either in-person LFS or mail-order, will eventually end up shipping a sick fish; none of the ones I do business with do this on purpose (including, IMO, NYA) but it will invariably happen - particularly with sensitive fish. Is foolish, IMO, to suggest that reputable vendors do this intentionally - otherwise they would quickly find themselves out of business.

How exactly do you know certain vendors do not do this on purpose? Large wholesalers like Quality Marine and vendors like LiveAquaria have their reputation for sending nothing but healthy fish for a reason. Personally, I don't know Michael from the next guy; and he doesn't know me either. A vendor has more of an incentive to send the very best fish when they are offering WYSIWYG fish, 14 Day Gurantees, and MONEY back if your fish does perish. Store credit is ridiculous,especially when you use that credit and keep getting questionable livestock. I have not received fish from any of the other online vendors that have been VISIBLY sick when I opened the bag. Sure some eventually may come down with ich, that is to be expected. The issues I have had with NYA fish is that they are sick when they arrive at my door. I had fish much like the OP that had visible parasites. I had a fish that were so malnourished with a pinched in abdomen and didn't survive no matter how much I tried to nurse it back. This did not occur during the overnight shipping of the fish from NY to PA. If I am able to see such issues with the fish, then how didn't the vendor see the same issues? It doesn't add up.

I have nothing personal against Michael. He has a business where you need to move livestock and make a profit. In fact, my earlier contacts with him were pleasant and helpful. And to be perfectly honest, if NYA was my LFS and I was able to walk in and observe the fish, and pick ones that look healthy and are eating; I would still be a customer.

 

[caribfan]

Amen..


I meant to say earlier that part of this thread should not be here but rather vendor experience..

Totally agree, as much as I appreciate everyone's experience with NYaquatic, I'd like to keep this thread more focused on the fish and getting them to survive and eventually thrive.

I do really appreciate everyone chipping in here, but what I don't want to have happen is for people or businesses to be maligned or slighted, at least not in this thread. I totally understand people frustrations from prior dealings, but I think the vendor experiences forum is the venue for this kind of discussion. If nothing else, it will allow that particular vendor to defend themselves.

My last comments regarding Michael and NYaquatic will be this. To date, he has sent me pictures of some of the new stock he's gotten in and is working with me to provide a good representation of any replacement fish that I might order.

I will certainly keep this thread up to date with any replacement or additional stock that comes in. The quality of those replacements will speak volumes regarding this vendor in my opinion.

 

[ca1ore]

How exactly do you know certain vendors do not do this on purpose?

I do not know, which is why I used the word 'reputable' in my post. I suppose we can debate who is and who is not 'reputable', but I do so based on my own personal experience.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program .....

 

[ca1ore]

Are venustus subtropical? I've never come across that bit of info researching them.

Deep water, I thought?

 

[sandwi54]

Totally agree, as much as I appreciate everyone's experience with NYaquatic, I'd like to keep this thread more focused on the fish and getting them to survive and eventually thrive.

I do really appreciate everyone chipping in here, but what I don't want to have happen is for people or businesses to be maligned or slighted, at least not in this thread. I totally understand people frustrations from prior dealings, but I think the vendor experiences forum is the venue for this kind of discussion. If nothing else, it will allow that particular vendor to defend themselves.

My last comments regarding Michael and NYaquatic will be this. To date, he has sent me pictures of some of the new stock he's gotten in and is working with me to provide a good representation of any replacement fish that I might order.

I will certainly keep this thread up to date with any replacement or additional stock that comes in. The quality of those replacements will speak volumes regarding this vendor in my opinion.

Agreed with you that this thread is more about the fish and not feedback on vendors. I apologize for bringing up my past experience, but I sensed you were going down the path I (and many other people) did (I ended up wasting $500 and got nothing but dead fish), and I just wanted to caution you.

Honestly, after being in this hobby for so long and keeping many difficult fish, I gradually came to a conclusion that certain fish (especially the difficult ones) are not going to eat until they feel comfortable enough. This has nothing to do with the type of food you provide (don't keep wasting money on food; I did that too in my early days). Some fish were caught with subpar standards, were not decompressed and handled properly, and consequently suffered internal organ failures which do not appear as external symptoms. You do not know what exactly is the cause of death even after the fish passes away. This is especially true on cheap fish. Cheap fish are usually dead fish.

My conclusion: for difficult and expensive fish (such as a regal angel), I only get from LADD, or in person where I can verify the behavior and eating habit of the fish. I would never order a $400 golden puffer unless it's from DD or my favorite LFS where I can observe it and see how it eats.

 

[caribfan]

Agreed with you that this thread is more about the fish and not feedback on vendors. I apologize for bringing up my past experience, but I sensed you were going down the path I (and many other people) did (I ended up wasting $500 and got nothing but dead fish), and I just wanted to caution you.

Honestly, after being in this hobby for so long and keeping many difficult fish, I gradually came to a conclusion that certain fish (especially the difficult ones) are not going to eat until they feel comfortable enough. This has nothing to do with the type of food you provide (don't keep wasting money on food; I did that too in my early days). Some fish were caught with subpar standards, were not decompressed and handled properly, and consequently suffered internal organ failures which do not appear as external symptoms. You do not know what exactly is the cause of death even after the fish passes away. This is especially true on cheap fish. Cheap fish are usually dead fish.

My conclusion: for difficult and expensive fish (such as a regal angel), I only get from LADD, or in person where I can verify the behavior and eating habit of the fish. I would never order a $400 golden puffer unless it's from DD or my favorite LFS where I can observe it and see how it eats.

I appreciate you looking out for me. I'm definitely a "you get what you pay for" kind of person, so I understand your point of view.

I will say that I got two emails from Michael this afternoon with video attachments of the new baby Venustus and also the bigger venustus that he has showing them eating.

I imagine when you deal with the volume of fish that he deals with, it's difficult to keep tabs on who is eating and who is not and i'm hopeful that the fish that I was sent, happened to be outliers of the rest of the bunch that he had that were eating. Either way, I appreciate that extra effort.

 

[caribfan]

Sad to say, Venustus is no longer.

 

[SDguy]

Sorry to hear. Those are historically tough fish to keep. Coupled with small size (too small, IMO, but that's just me) I think you had a lot stacked against you.