Liveaquaria fish

[cobraz]

Here is the response I received:

Dear Jerry,

Cirrhilabrus marjorie are very abundant in Fiji at depths over 150ft. Tropical fish collects rarely dive deep to collect fish for the aquarium trade, and very few divers will even risk diving to 150-300 feet deep to collect due to the risks associated. Tony Nahacky is a well respected collector who ventured into very deep waters in Fiji to harvest these fish for the aquarium trade in a sustainable manner. We would never condone the collection of fish, corals, or invertebrates if they are endangered or threatened, and this fish is by no means even close. The Cirrhilabrus marjorie is rare in the aquarium trade due to the reasons explained above, but the populations of these fish are prolific and double in size in less than 15 months in their native habitat. All marine life that we offer for sale on LiveAquaria.com has been legally imported through the proper distribution channels, and comply with all International, National, and State regulations governing the aquarium trade. For more information on this new and exciting wrasse that has become available recently please visit: http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=61859

If we can be of any additional assistance, please feel free to contact our Technical Support Department at 1-800-334-3699 or via email at TechSupport@drsfostersmith.com and we will be happy to answer any question(s) you may have.

Sincerely,

Technical Support
Drs. Foster & Smith

Here is what I sent...

Hello,

You have a Wrasse listed in Diver's Den... Cirrhilabrus Marjorie, you claim it is 1 of 24 in the world. Can you please qualify this statement. If it is so rare - why would you sell this wrasse ? If, this is not a typo... A fish of this species should not be imported and sold for any amount of money, it should have been released or given to an aquarium. I hope this is a mistake and this will be corrected. I am a loyal customer and belong to several fish clubs in the area. Please respond with accurate answers to my questions.

Thank you,
Jerry XXXXXXX

 

[MichaelJ]

Good explanation I think.

 

[RayD]

Dear Jerry:

Corporate blah blah blah blah blah blah

Sincerely,
Blah blah blah and more corporate blah blah blah.

Thank you.

I'm not jaded at all.

 

[JavaJones]

I accept their explanation...except that now they get to have it both ways: (1) a reasonable explanation for those who don't buy the hype or are turned off by the literal meaning of their statement and (2) they maintain their marketing hype ("one of 24...).

 

[JohnK]

Sounds to me like they are taking zero responsibility for EITHER a typo/mistake OR blatant false and misleading advertising.

If somebody goofed, I think they should have said so in their reply. They said nothing to explain the 1 of 24 thing. To me that implies the blatant false advertising to be more likely.

Again, to me this is informative about the integrity of their buisness.

 

[pantinor]

they should just say 1 of 24 on the market right now then.

 

[JohnK]

I agree, but it's also a red flag to me that they didn't even attempt to explain or take responsibility for that claim. It reminds me of a child caught lying.

 

[B.rian]

that is the exact response i received. i am not to pleased with their company.

 

[dz6t]

I think there must be some stupid people out there really believe that they bought a rare fish at a good deal.

 

[xp964]

I hope my post here doesn't violate any of the rules about industry employees - if so, sorry in advance.
Drs. Foster and Smith are by no means corporate America. They're one of my clients, and I've been out there many times (EXTREMELY rural Wisconsin). The company name just isn't a name - those are the two owners, backcountry vets who started the company 30 years ago to try and get vital medication to farmers in rural areas. Every person I've met there, from the owners, to the VPs, to the customer service people, are truly dedicated and are passionate about animals. They would NEVER endanger a rare animal as has been implied here. 90% of their profits are from dry goods - they offer aquarium livestock more as a way to capture market share than to make money.
I didn't see the posting myself as it was down by the time I found this thread, but I'm sure it was simply an error. I just hate to see a company with such rare integrity and dedication get slammed so mercilessly. For those of you swearing off DFS, please reconsider. Everybody makes mistakes, and this one was one of language rather than ecology.

 

[Nocturnal]

i am not to pleased with their company.

Why? Did you have bad dealings with them in the past?
They offered an explaination to your question. Did they address the 1 of 24? No, but the ad isn't there anymore and obviously they are not as endangered as you thought. They have an Africanus Angel there now which is far more rare in the hobby. Did you really think that a 1 of 24 was going to go for a measly 700 bucks?
I mean seriously, if they stated "Oh sorry, it was a typo...fixed now" would it really make you feel THAT much better?

 

[devin mac]

honestly, i am kinda surprised you folks are this riled up over this. A.) did any of you HONESTLY believe that the fish is "1 of 24 in the world" ? B.) how many of you are basing your "i'm not impressed with how they're running shop" on more than just this "incident" (if you can even call it that...)

i think it took me about two minutes to figure out what the "1 of 24" actually meant. might wanna take a step back next time and think a little more logically about whether or not a shop run by VETS would really do what you were shocked and amazed at thinking they were doing...

 

[joetbs]

http://www.qualitymarineusa.com/article.asp?page=company&id=4E29BAB0-FC71-42E8-9515-CAA2DE97447A

This has a better explanation than what LA is emailing out.

 

[Rays]

Thank God for some sane responses (last four). I have had many dealings with them, and have nothing but the highest regard for them. Why don't you folks sit down have a cold one, and enjoy the weekend. Cheers!

 

[Jim Tansey]

My experience also, well said rays.

Jim

 

[pillowfish]

Just my opinion, but this reminds me of Headlines? on Jay leno or David Letterman....so found the ad to be amazingly humorous...then realized that somebody will take it verbatim Do your research..then buy the fish- there is no such thing as truth in advertising-but the profits are great! In today's market we seem to buy anything that has great, unique or desirable packaging eithr because we like it or as a status symbol. In the end it only comes down to what it is worth to you. If paying $700.00 for this fish is because you desire and enjoy it-good for you! If paying $700.00 for this fish just to show it off and show stature...please hand me your credit card . Sorry if this offends anyone, personally I like the company-seriously 1 in 24??? If that were actually the truth-Dr.'s Foster and Smith could retire permenantely next to Bill Gates...

 

[Behrmon]

Why don't you folks sit down have a cold one, and enjoy the weekend. Cheers!

Okay, but if my boss walks in I'm telling him you said it was cool.

 

[DFS]

Good Afternoon,

A friend of mine had alerted me to this post and I wanted to address some of the points and assumptions that have been made here.

I am sorry if I caused any confusion regarding these fish ? there are only 24 fish offered for sale in the aquarium trade currently - not one of only 24 fish in the ocean itself. Cirrhilabrus marjorie are far from threatened or endangered, and are somewhat abundant in Fiji at depths greater than 80 feet in a few locales on the western side of the big island. A special expedition was made to collect these fish and this is explained in the link that joetbs posted from the Quality Marine web site.

Pairs of C. marjorie sold for $1200.00 US in Japan, and the very few fish that are available here in the US will be consistent with this pricing, as the cost of these incredible wrasse are very expensive. The reason for the expensive pricing is to pay the overhead and expenses that were incurred to plan, organize, and execute the collection expedition.

Drs. Foster and Smith/LiveAquaria strive to bring our customers the healthiest aquatic life available, all backed by the best customer service in the industry. We feel strongly about supporting collectors and suppliers that conduct business in a sustainable manner, as environmental concerns affect all of us who are so fortunate to own and care for these incredible marine animals. We would never purchase or offer for sale threatened or endangered species.

I apologize for the confusion surrounding this new species of Fairy Wrasse, and hope this clears things up among the participants in this forum. I would ask that if anyone here on the BRS forum has any questions or concerns regarding our business or aquatic life we offer that that you please contact us at customerservice@liveaquaria.com, so that we may address these concerns before they become speculation. Thank you.

Happy Reefing!
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[B.rian]

Why? Did you have bad dealings with them in the past?
They offered an explaination to your question. Did they address the 1 of 24? No, but the ad isn't there anymore and obviously they are not as endangered as you thought. They have an Africanus Angel there now which is far more rare in the hobby. Did you really think that a 1 of 24 was going to go for a measly 700 bucks?
I mean seriously, if they stated "Oh sorry, it was a typo...fixed now" would it really make you feel THAT much better?

i am not basing this opinion off of one incident. i also had issues with buying cat food from them. i bought several bags of cat food and months later they issued a recall on the food, which was also months after the initial scare related to pet foods. they assured me that my food was not tainted, but i should still discard it. they recently released a note that stated my food did contain certain products that i should be concerned about, specifically cyanuric acid, which is a derivative of melamine. it was a giant hassle. i was rather stunned that they would wait so long before notifying their customers of the possible danger. i don't know if it was related to the food or not, but my cat was vomiting several times a day. now he seems to be fine.

did i really think that a rare fish would go for $700? i don't know anything about the fish, so i couldn't comment on the price they stated. i don't collect rare fish, so i don't stay up to date on their prices. i am happy that they corrected their mistake though. does make me feel better about their business practices? yes it does. all i said in this thread was that i am not pleased with the company; it was not solely based on their misleading title. they have given a response that addresses that specific problem, so that is acceptable to me.