Safe place to buy reef fish

I

Ian14

Member
I am trying to order fish from liveaquaria such as bicolor blenny and firefish from live aquaria but there are multiple fish listed each from different places around the world. Places such as Fiji, maldives, africa, indonesia, and sri lanka. I read that fiji was good and that indonesia wasn't so good because of how they handle the fish.

Is this true? I couldn't find much about this online. Which of those places should I stay away from or would you recommend?

Fiji and Africa seem to be the most expense, but none are in stock.

Also, Any other good places to order fish online other than liveaquaria?
 
IME, the Caribbean. Most are caught by local divers. My favorite places are divertom.com, reeftopia.com, and kpaquatics.com. Great prices, they don't have any middlemen, and they hand catch everything themselves without any harm done to the fish or the reef. I couldn't find any other places than the Caribbean that have people that hand catch the fish, and sell them to hobbyists. But maybe I didn't look hard enough.
 
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very interesting. They look like nice places, But they don't have the 2 week live guarantee or the selection that I am looking for
 
Ian14 said:
very interesting. They look like nice places, But they don't have the 2 week live guarantee or the selection that I am looking for
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I still have everything that I've ordered from them, but if you want a guarantee, liveaquaria diver's den is probably the best place to get fish, (going against your places other than liveaquaria) and they make sure the fish they get are caught without cyanide, decompression needling in the swim bladder, spears, etc. and that they are eating and healthy.
 
Ian14 said:
divers den ensures that and live aquaria doesn't?
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Liveaquaria does too, but on DD you can see the exact fish, which I prefer. Liveaquaria doesn't quarantine and hold the fish for 2+ weeks until strong and healthy, they get the fish, make sure it is healthy & sell it. Both are great places to buy fish though. They are the same company lol.
 
Genera said:
Liveaquaria does too, but on DD you can see the exact fish, which I prefer. Liveaquaria doesn't quarantine and hold the fish for 2+ weeks until strong and healthy, they get the fish, make sure it is healthy & sell it. Both are great places to buy fish though. They are the same company lol.
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Do not assume that any online vendor, including DD quarantines. It is just not the case.
 
snorvich said:
Do not assume that any online vendor, including DD quarantines. It is just not the case.
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+1

DD does what I would call, "extended acclimation," with some limited prophylactic treatment. Definitely would not rely on their protocal to eliminate disease. In fact, they recommend QT for all new acquisitions.
 
Caribbean and Hawaii are both very reliable and humane about capturing fish, so I'd recommend both (that is, if you're looking for a fish from either place, in which case you probably wouldn't have many other options as most popular fish from either place are endemics). The Philippines are by far the worst, with Indonesia following close behind :headwally:
 
SoloChromis said:
Caribbean and Hawaii are both very reliable and humane about capturing fish, so I'd recomramend both (that is, if you're looking for a fish from either place, in which case you probably wouldn't have many other options as most popular fish from either place are endemics). The Philippines are by far the worst, with Indonesia following close behind :headwally:
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+1

Australia has sustainable collection practices as well.
 
snorvich said:
Do not assume that any online vendor, including DD quarantines. It is just not the case.
Click to expand...

Oops. I am and always have been gullible. My family said they got me a Gem Tang once and I believed them XD. They would never get a Gem Tang for me. DD is still one of my favorite places to get fish though. I do quarantine my fish too, but I didn't QT mollies because I didn't have the option of QT, and I lost one due to fin rot or something else. Shame on me, I haven't lost a fish for a year or so! Will go get more QT stuff when I get home from vacation.
 
Some people have bad experiences. It happens. I've received fish that were in bad shape and required a credit from LA. I hope it works out well for you. Let us know how it goes
 
Will do. This is my first time ordering marine fish online. I've ordered probably about a 100 freshwater fish over the years, not a single DOA
 
I have ordered from Coral Imports as well and had a good experience with them. They also have a guarantee 14 day or 30 day if you show proof of QT.
 
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