Frequently Asked Questions

Probably not, when properly cycling your tank, the system needs an ammonia source, either from ammonia drops or urea from fish gills to grow the beneficial bacteria that grows on Live Rock, substrate and filter media in the tank. This generally takes about 3-4 weeks. Inverts, such as snail or crabs do not have a significant bio-load to properly cycle the tank.

It can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks to start a saltwater fish tank, depending on the size of the tank and the type of filtration system you're using. During this time, you'll need to cycle the tank to establish the beneficial bacteria that will help break down waste and maintain water quality. This process involves adding beneficial bacteria then a source of ammonia to the tank and monitoring the water parameters until the ammonia and nitrite levels drop to zero and nitrate levels start to rise. Once the tank is fully cycled, you can begin adding fish and other organisms to the aquarium.

Sorry ... we do not take in customer fish

We are not able to hold fish. Our dynamic inventory system, allocates based on who purchases first, We recommend, purchasing online, selecting the first available pick up date, then putting notes on the order requesting a quicker pick up date and time to see if one is available.

Sorry ... we do not guarantee fish.

Absolutely NOT.  We recommend quarantining all new fish.  We perform a one week hold on many incoming freshwater fish, to minimize the stress that is associated with shipping.  Many times the fish haven't eaten for several days before we get them, and our holding systems help us evaluate the fish health and provide them with a safe environment for them to become "unstressed" and start eating again. 

Then count yourself lucky.  We recommend quarantining all new fish.  It doesn't matter if it's from Reef Life, Petco, Petsmart or your best friend.  Ask yourself this question.  If I put this fish in my tank (without quarantining) can I afford emotionally and financially to replace everything if it dies or kills everything in my tank? 

We've heard this so many times it difficult to count.  When we ask, "How much does a quarantine tank cost?".  They don't know, but they know, "They can't afford it.", we believe if you want to be in this hobby long term, "you can't afford not to have a quarantine tank."  100% of the people that have experienced a tank crash from a sick fish, wish they had invested the $50 - $75 for a quarantine tank. 

We do not ship fish or corals. All orders are customer pick up.

We do not ship.  Customer pick up only.