Saltwaterfish - Reviews and experiences

ordering was simple and a few critters pulled through, but handling/shipping needs improvement. I’ll probably try my LFS next time unless they sort packaging out.

I first saw the promo on Instagram — a buddy at work had tagged me, said “you gotta try this deal.” So I placed the order, mainly for the $249 bundle and the free blue hippo tang. When the first bag arrived the fish wasn’t moving and, yeah, that sucked. I called them, explained the situation, and they offered a credit on a future order. At that point I was annoyed, because I didn’t want to reorder or spend more, but I kept talking to the rep. They escalated it, arranged a direct replacement shipment and even checked the packing procedure with their team, which took a day longer. The moment I knew I was actually satisfied was when the replacement bag opened and the tang swam out, lively and colouring up fast — felt like finally getting what I paid for. It wasn’t perfect; I had to follow up and wait, and I kept worrying it might happen again, but their follow-through mattered. I’ve told a couple friends about the fix — cautiously recommending the deal if you’re okay with a little patience. Overall relieved, still a bit wary, but glad they made it right.

packaging looked professional. Otherwise my doubts before buying were confirmed.

finally some acknowledgment. It doesn't erase the loss — I spent about $600 and lost corals, leathers and anemones to what my local reef vet suspected was uronema, probably introduced by a sick chromis or damsel. Asking me for staged photos of dying fish on a white background was tone-deaf; who has time for that with 300+ lb of live rock, hermits and snails hiding everything? I used the credit on corals, not livestock, and I'm done buying fish from them. Shipping fees and a $29+15 boxing charge for returns felt cheap and petty. I've had better customer care at smaller local stores — they pick up the phone and sort things quicker. So yeah, credit rescued some of my frustration and for a minute I was satisfied, but the whole experience left a bad taste. Friendly tip: double-check disease policies and return fees before ordering.

It was a rainy Saturday when the larger wrasse arrived and, honestly, for a second I thought things might work out. I’d already spent over $400 with this place because I kept ordering more — thought their selection was decent and ordering was pretty straightforward. Then the first leopard wrasse showed up dead after delays, so I asked for a refund and planned to re-order a bigger one instead. That’s where it gets messy. The bigger fish arrived basically cooked — too many heat packs, really. I told them I didn’t want another replacement, just a full refund for that $166 fish. They did give me some cash back and a $90 store credit, which felt like a tiny win at first. But then they told me their policy wouldn’t allow a full cash refund because I’d already accepted store credit earlier. I was kind of surprised they were so quick to respond and did refund part in cash — that was the only pleasant bit — but overall the policy explanation felt weak. I’ve had other shops handle DOAs cleanly before, full refund and no fuss. Not using them again; lesson learned, and fair warning to others.