kpcollins31
New member
I realize there is a vendor feedback forum and I will post a link to this thread on that forum, but I wanted to share a positive experience with the local group.
On Tuesday evening, I decided to place an order with saltwaterfish.com -- a flame angel, a foxface lo, sallylightfoot crab, arrow crab, and 5 peppermint shrimp. I had seen mixed reviews on saltwaterfish.com, but all the negative reviews seemed to be focused on customer service and not on the quality of the livestock. By late Wednesday afternoon, my order had been packaged and by 7pm on Wednesday it was in the hands of FedEx for priority overnight delivery (delivery by 10:30am on Thursday -- today).
At 9:55am this morning, the FedEx truck arrived with my package. The packaging was excellent - strong styrofoam container that was sealed very well and had two heat packs attached to the roof of the container (still warm now as a matter of fact). I began the acclimating procedure and as of now, the fish are in my tank. You are welcome to give me grief over not quarantining if you like, but the truth is I have had worse luck quarantining than with just putting livestock in my display tank - my feeling is that if the fish is healthy enough to survive their capture, transit to the supplier, captivity, and shipping to me, then the "shock" of being placed in a tank with pristine water conditions would be a welcome one. Regardless of the different opinions out there, this has worked for me.
The flame angel is absolutely stunning and began to immediately pick algae off rocks. The foxface lo is happily exploring all the caves and took food immediately. Rather than 5 peppermint shrimp, I wound up getting 8. The sallylightfoot crab is actively searching for food on the rocks in the display tank. And lastly, the arrow crab is doing well in my refugium) - debating whether or not I want to put him in the display as I have heard they can be predatory towards smaller, slow-moving fish (I have a mandarin).
So, in summary, you get "free shipping" at saltwaterfish.com after spending $79 which is a much lower threshold value to qualify for free shipping than most other online suppliers. It is not exactly free in that you pay ~$10 for packaging and then a <$10 fuel charge (I think this is a FedEx thing due to higher fuel prices). They provide a arrive alive guarantee and guarantee the livestock for 15 days which is tough to beat. The packaging was excellent, the order was right (and I even got some extra shrimp) and, most importantly, the livestock looks great.
I will post pictures of the fish when I get a chance and will provide an update down the road as to the health of the fish. I thought I would share the experience.
Kevin
On Tuesday evening, I decided to place an order with saltwaterfish.com -- a flame angel, a foxface lo, sallylightfoot crab, arrow crab, and 5 peppermint shrimp. I had seen mixed reviews on saltwaterfish.com, but all the negative reviews seemed to be focused on customer service and not on the quality of the livestock. By late Wednesday afternoon, my order had been packaged and by 7pm on Wednesday it was in the hands of FedEx for priority overnight delivery (delivery by 10:30am on Thursday -- today).
At 9:55am this morning, the FedEx truck arrived with my package. The packaging was excellent - strong styrofoam container that was sealed very well and had two heat packs attached to the roof of the container (still warm now as a matter of fact). I began the acclimating procedure and as of now, the fish are in my tank. You are welcome to give me grief over not quarantining if you like, but the truth is I have had worse luck quarantining than with just putting livestock in my display tank - my feeling is that if the fish is healthy enough to survive their capture, transit to the supplier, captivity, and shipping to me, then the "shock" of being placed in a tank with pristine water conditions would be a welcome one. Regardless of the different opinions out there, this has worked for me.
The flame angel is absolutely stunning and began to immediately pick algae off rocks. The foxface lo is happily exploring all the caves and took food immediately. Rather than 5 peppermint shrimp, I wound up getting 8. The sallylightfoot crab is actively searching for food on the rocks in the display tank. And lastly, the arrow crab is doing well in my refugium) - debating whether or not I want to put him in the display as I have heard they can be predatory towards smaller, slow-moving fish (I have a mandarin).
So, in summary, you get "free shipping" at saltwaterfish.com after spending $79 which is a much lower threshold value to qualify for free shipping than most other online suppliers. It is not exactly free in that you pay ~$10 for packaging and then a <$10 fuel charge (I think this is a FedEx thing due to higher fuel prices). They provide a arrive alive guarantee and guarantee the livestock for 15 days which is tough to beat. The packaging was excellent, the order was right (and I even got some extra shrimp) and, most importantly, the livestock looks great.
I will post pictures of the fish when I get a chance and will provide an update down the road as to the health of the fish. I thought I would share the experience.
Kevin
That is great to hear. I have always been tempted to try them out but spooked off by somethings i have read.
)
