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Octopus Availability

sk252006;163576 said:
I spoke with the owner for over an hour today. He said that normally they sell only to retailers however they have had to change that because of the economy.

They have been saying the same thing for at least three years. This is the company that was only shipping a few days a week to consumers, but had that hid on the site - you would pay for two day shipping but your purchase would be held until their shipping days. There are several mentions of bad experiences with them in this thread. They have been a wholesaler selling directly to consumers which has made a lot of people nervous about them.

He also is a part of the BBB and has been in business for over 10 years... maybe longer I cant remember what it said.

When a seller says this it always makes me nervous.

He welcomes corrections to his information and knows about this site so I believe he will start coming around to see whats what. All in all I think from what I have heard and seen so far that it sounds good. I will be ordering from him later today. If that goes well I will let everyone know.

Please do. The last time people on TONMO dealt with him, it wasn't great. And, he was completely uninterested in making changes to his website - the 'BALI ZEBRA MIMIC OCTOPUS CHIERCHIAE' is still there two years later, and the claim of selling tank bred/captive raised/tank raised cuttles are still there despite several members here mentioning the problems with those claims and photos.

FWIW, this seller pokes its head up in reefing communities from time to time and the results have been less than stellar. I hope their operation is all better that it was and that some of their promises actually have meat.
 
sk252006;163587 said:
I believe that his company is the main co that distributes the octos to live aquaria (they told me their distributor was out of LA) and many of our local retail stores so it would make sense that he would also be the one who carries mimics and blue rings.

Nope, the LA octos are not coming from this place or from their 'other' arm, living reef imports.

They have always talked a good game, but I would be very cautious.
 
sk252006;163592 said:
:hmm: A little nervous now. I already placed my order. So we will see what/if I get one.

Sorry to come on so strong - one of the best things about TONMO is looking out for each other. These guys have worried me, and a lot of other people more connected than I am. They have been selling what they call TR/CB bimacs for at least a year.
I hope you get the octo you want with no trouble at all!
 
Oh - they also claim to have MAC certified things/people/facilities, but they aren't. They were also in some kind of problem over copy write infringement over Tiger Pods vs Tigger Pods.
 
Ah Thank you I was worried it was something else. Like maybe its a new name of an octo that they just made up lol. I am starting to get worried about the kind of octo I will be receiving. I really hope this is legit. Cause like I said before I talked to him for over an hour and he had some interesting things to say.
 
I'm unfamiliar with this group, but I looked at their facilities video. I was struck by how similar it was to Octopets, the company that raised and sold bimacs some time ago. Octopets was beside (or part of) an abalone farm, which also raised other animals. I imagine they have bimacs that come into the area attracted by all the food. Bimacs were abundant in the lagoon and tidepools around Octopets.

If they are a member of the BBB, you can verify this and have a look at any disputes and how they were resolved. It's by city.

It is good to find out the past history of companies selling to us. Sometimes we can help them improve, but sometimes they're not interested.

Nancy
 
Wasn't Octopets in Carlsbad?

The TR/CB/TB thing is actually hurting the industry right now because the terms are so wiggly and are sometimes used interchangeably when they aren't.
Captive bred seems straightforward, mated and hatched/born in captivity but some will claim anything hatched or born in a tank.
Tank Bred refers to something being born in a tank, but is often claimed to be the same a captive bred.
Tank Raised is the worst. Any wild caught animal kept in a tank for any length of time can be called tank raised - even if its only a day. S. bandensis will often be called tank raised because they hatched in a tank, though what often happens is that these animals aren't fed or cared for properly and you end up with a less healthy animal than if you bought eggs.
Sadly these terms are often used to make sales than they are use to convey information, so be careful.
 

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