Red Bugs at the Diver's Den

First of all those may not even be red bugs. Most of those spots you circled dont look like them but the one on the right does.

I have been to Live Aquaria pretty many times and they do quarantine corals. Is it possible something gets through sure. You should always quarantine your corals or dip them to make sure anyway.
 
I've had red bugs and examined them very closely. that picture is not clear enough to say that those are definitely red bugs.....
 
outssider said:
I've had red bugs and examined them very closely. that picture is not clear enough to say that those are definitely red bugs.....
Click to expand...
Google "Red Bugs Acro", almost every image of a red bug on an acropora almost glows just like the image from LA. I know from personal experience and have a very keen eye when it comes to inspecting my corals.

redbugs.jpg


37079448.jpg


red-bugs-2.jpg


7650bef4_Red-Bugs-on-Acro.jpg


It is realistic for LA to quarantine their corals at their WI location and make sure they are pest free prior to selling, or at least posting a picture. The corals on the Diver's Den but on the Corals section of LA are shipped from CA and the "build your own clean up crew" is shipped from FL.

I made the original post because I was shocked to see DD selling a coral with red bugs. I saw a picture on eBay of a Red Dragon for sale and contacted the seller and he thanked prior to treating his entire tank.
 
organism said:
Yup, space is money and expecting a store to lose a lot (a whole lot) of money with 30 days of dead retail space over something the end user should be doing is beyond unrealistic. LA should've known better than to make that claim, now they're stuck eating it.
Click to expand...

Icefire said:
You need to compare apple to apple, LA can be compared to a LFS not to a reefer who as only a tank and thats all.

Those place have eay much overhead than you think and asking LFS or wholesaler to QT everything pest free is unrealistic, they would need 3-4 times the tank system and run 2-4 batch behind to hold them for 1 month
Click to expand...

Comparing LA (a small subsidary of a multi-million dollar business) to a LFS is simply not apples to apples. They have their own branded version of many corals, which means they have grow out tanks. If they can afford grow out tanks, then they can afford quarantining, which by comparison in every way, is the least costly portion of their farm to run. Especially when you consider their quarantine process a work in process (which it is) then after the initial 30 days, there is no more loss. Not really a large bite to swallow considering the size and income of their many facilities.

Again, we pay a premium for healthy livestock, and redbug infested corals is unacceptable - from anyone charging money for corals; hobbyists, LFS, and multi-million dollar pet supply companies alike. It's great that you have the time, funds, and other resources necessary to operate your own quarantining station. For those that expect the extra that they pay to companies for healthy fish and corals, we will not accept less. Perhaps when people stop being accepting of sub standard product, companies will stop delivering it.
 
I got several clams from them with pyramid snails in them and when I called to talk about it they said they had know idea what I was talking about.
 
Well, I for one, hope this is not a trend that we will be seeing. DD is one of only a few online places that I have ever used for many years now, specifically for their quality of livestock and customer service. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first bad thing I've ever read about DD. For now I will try and remain optimistic that the new owners will not ruin the reputation and business that made DD one of the best places to buy coral and livestock out there. Time will tell.
 
I've always considered divers den as a good source of fish, but not corals. I'd rather buy corals from vivid because they are all frags from their ridiculously nice display rather than multiple sources. I also really like the owner.

Having said that, I never would consider a retailer/wholesalers qt procedures sufficient (for coral or fish). It's just not practical when running a business and the items don't get the individual attention they would with a reefer. Also the sheer volume of livestock that flows through those facilities makes it that much more likely something sneaks through.
 
Anyone actually contact them on this? Or just get all up in arms here and do nothing? You can see posts all over the forums here of people QT'ing and still something getting in the tank. Why would LA be different?
 
I sent LA an email and notified them to contact the customer who purchased the coral to dip prior to adding it into their display. I am awaiting a reply.
 
LA replied . . .

Dear Rick,

Thank you for your email and interest in LiveAquaria.com. We appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention. We have forwarded the photographs to our Aquaculture Facility for review.

Thank you for choosing Drs. Foster & Smith LiveAquaria for your live aquatic needs. You are a valued customer and we look forward to hearing from you in the future.

If we can be of any additional assistance, please feel free to contact our LiveAquaria Department at 1-800-334-3699 or via email at customerservice@liveaquaria.com and we will be happy to answer any question(s) you may have.
We hope that you find this information beneficial. We employ some of the best people in the industry and want to be your source for all of your aquatic needs. You will also find over 1500 articles full of helpful information on our Pet Education website! Browse by species or topic. Your question(s) may already be answered there.
http://www.peteducation.com

Sincerely,

LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith
njc
 
sde1500 said:
Anyone actually contact them on this? Or just get all up in arms here and do nothing? You can see posts all over the forums here of people QT'ing and still something getting in the tank. Why would LA be different?
Click to expand...

It is true and some of these bugs become resistant to our methods of killing them..

What is funny is LA would usually reply to threads like this before.

No matter what they say changes are coming for them with the Petco buy out.
 
More of general poking and observations than being "so upset" I think. LA is still a great place to shop, at least for now...
 
I would think they would have a cameraman talented enough to spot them under macro so I'll give them benefit of the doubt. I received bubble Algae on one of their frags once. I didn't say anything since I already have it.
 
Rickyrooz1 said:
I was scrolling through Live Aquaria's Diver's Den tonight as I do most nights and noticed a few Red Bugs on the DFS Ultra Fox Loripes Acropora listed in the Aquacultured Corals Section. I thought the idea behind buying from the Diver's Den was not only to purchase WYSIWYG corals and fish but also quarantined and pest free corals?






Click to expand...

:headwalls: why didn't I find this thread sooner!!!! I ordered that frag on Tuesday and is out for delivery today! I have ordered from them numerous times in the past with no issues but have to say my experiences with them have declined over the last few orders.

I got this order in at 9:30 long before there 10:30 cutoff so it would be delivered yesterday, they didn't send an order confirmation until 11:45 and since it was past their cut off they said it couldn't be delivered until today. Ok I can live with that. Then yesterday I get an email saying my order cant be shipped because they don't have all of the pieces I requested. I call to cancel and they say that they'll cancel the order and send me a confirmation for the cancellation. 2 hrs later I get an email saying my order has been shipped with no description of whats been shipped. Definitely my last order with them.
 
Isn't Kevin Kohen still in charge at Live Aquaria even though PetCo took over? One thing I have noticed with the change in ownership is the photo's on the Diver's Den have changed dramatically. The SPS section used to have overly saturated colors and now they look pale/brown. I am not sure if it is the water conditions or if the old photos were enhanced in Photoshop.

Before:
lg-100411-212a.jpg



Now:
lg-081415-165a.jpg

http://www.liveaquaria.com/DiversDen/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+2&ddid=276121

Both are listed as Acropora Secale according to Diver's Den.
 
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