At Long Island Tropical, preparation and prevention are at the core of everything we do.

Our Health Standard is built on more than 10 years of dedicated reef-keeping experience, with a focus on marine fish health, behavior, and long-term success in the home aquarium.

Every fish that enters our systems is carefully inspected, stabilized, and conditioned before shipment. Our goal is simple: to provide livestock that is healthy, feeding, and properly prepared for life in a reef aquarium.

We don’t rush livestock through our systems — we stabilize, observe, and prepare.

To support hobbyists with different levels of experience and quarantine setups, we offer two types of livestock preparation:

Conditioned Fish (Non-Quarantined)
Quarantined Fish

Both follow the same foundational care standards outlined below.

Our Conditioning & Health Protocol

Every fish entering our systems undergoes:

Careful selection and visual inspection upon arrival.
Slow acclimation to stable 1.024 reef salinity.
Daily observation of respiration, swimming behavior, and responsiveness.
Conditioning to prepared foods.
Monitoring for external parasites and behavioral abnormalities.
A final health assessment prior to shipment.

We also emphasize nutritional conditioning, as a well-fed, stable fish is far better equipped to transition successfully into a new aquarium.

Non-Quarantined, Conditioned Fish

Our Conditioned Fish are stabilized, feeding, and closely observed in our systems, but they have not completed a full medical quarantine protocol.

These fish are ideal for hobbyists who maintain their own quarantine systems and prefer to conduct treatment protocols themselves.

All fish are shipped free of visible signs of ich, velvet, and other apparent illnesses at the time they leave our facility.

Because these fish have not undergone a full quarantine process, underlying issues may still exist even when no symptoms are visible at the time of shipment. In some cases, stress during transit or after arrival may cause those issues to surface.

For that reason, we strongly recommend quarantining all new livestock before introducing it into a display aquarium.

Fully Quarantined Fish

Our Fully Quarantined Fish undergo an extended quarantine and treatment process designed to significantly reduce the risk of introducing common marine fish diseases.

This process includes:

An extended observation period.
Praziquantel treatment targeting flukes.
Preventive treatment protocols for common pathogens, including ich, velvet, brooklynella, and uronema.
Treatment targeting bacterial infections, intestinal worms, and internal parasites.
Continued feeding verification and behavioral monitoring.

Fish that successfully complete this process are offered as fully quarantined fish, providing hobbyists with an added layer of preparation before introduction into their aquariums.

Why This Matters

Marine fish experience significant stress during collection, transport, and system transitions. Without proper stabilization and preparation, this stress can weaken immune response and increase disease susceptibility.

While marine livestock always requires proper care and acclimation, the Long Island Tropical Health Standard is designed to support healthy, well-prepared fish and long-term success in your aquarium.

Every specimen is handled individually, monitored closely, and packed with care — because success in your aquarium starts long before the fish arrives at your door.

Pick Up

Local pickup is available in Island Park, NY, seven days a week. Once your order is placed, we’ll be in touch to arrange a pickup date and time that works best for you. We kindly ask that you wait for confirmation before arriving to pick up your order.

Shipping Schedule

To ensure livestock safety, orders ship Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday only via UPS or FedEx Overnight service.

Phytoplankton and Live Food orders may also ship with USPS as an available shipping option.

During checkout, please select a preferred shipping date.

Although checkout may show an estimated delivery time of 1–2 days, all fish and inverts are shipped using overnight service. Your delivery date will be the following day after your selected ship date.

This policy helps prevent weekend delays and minimizes transit stress on livestock.

Note: If you selected USPS Priority for live food orders, the DOA request cannot be guaranteed.

Shipping Fees

Shipping and packaging costs are fixed third-party carrier charges and are non-refundable under all circumstances.

Delays

Carrier delays are rare but can occur due to weather, operational disruptions, or mechanical issues.

While delays are outside of our control, we pack every order with insulated materials and temperature-control measures to maximize survival.

If a delay results in a DOA, proper documentation must still be submitted within 2 hours of delivery.

Any credits issued for delay-related DOA are limited to livestock value only.

Lost or Stolen Packages

It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure someone is available to receive the package at the time of delivery.

If you cannot be home, we strongly recommend holding your package at a local UPS or FedEx Customer Center for pickup.

Lost package claims will be handled on a case-by-case basis and investigated using carrier tracking data.

At Long Island Tropical, we take great care in selecting, packing, and shipping healthy marine livestock so your order arrives safely and in good condition.

Dead on Arrival (DOA)

We guarantee that your livestock will arrive alive when shipped via our approved overnight shipping methods.

In the unlikely event of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 2 hours of the recorded delivery time posted by UPS or FedEx.

To submit a DOA claim, please email us within that time frame and include:

A 30-second video of the specimen inside the original, unopened shipping bag
A clear photo of the deceased specimen outside of water, on a white background, with your order number and the date written above it
Any relevant information regarding the condition of the package and the water temperature on arrival

Failure to notify us and provide the required documentation within the stated time frame will void the Live Arrival Guarantee.

Please do not discard the specimen until instructed by us.

Once your DOA claim is reviewed and approved, you may choose either a refund to your original payment method or store credit for the livestock value only.

5-Day Livestock Guarantee

We also offer a 5-Day Livestock Guarantee on eligible livestock. If your newly arrived livestock does not survive through the 5th day from the date of arrival (arrival day is considered Day 1), please contact us by email immediately.

To qualify for the 5-Day Livestock Guarantee, you must provide:

A clear photo of the deceased specimen outside of water, on a white background, with your order number and the date written above it

This photograph is required for your claim to be reviewed. Please do not discard the specimen until instructed by us.

Once your claim is reviewed and approved, we will gladly offer store credit for the amount paid for the item. Shipping costs are not included.

Eligibility & Exclusions

Certain livestock is designated as restricted / expert-only. These items are covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee only due to their specialized care requirements and are not eligible for the 5-Day Livestock Guarantee.

Ineligible items include:

Achilles Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Hybrid Powder Blue Tang
Powder Brown Tang
Fowleri Tang
Inverts
Firefish
Gem Tang
Choati Wrasse

The following are also not covered under the 5-Day Livestock Guarantee:

Livestock visibly damaged due to conflict or aggression in your tank
Free or replacement items
Live food shipped via USPS Priority

If a package is not accepted on the first delivery attempt, coverage may be void.

Important Coverage Conditions

Our 5-Day Livestock Guarantee applies only when the following conditions are met:

Your order arrives on time
Livestock is acclimated properly and promptly
Your tank is fully cycled, stable, and well-maintained
New arrivals are compatible with your existing livestock
Your aquarium provides a suitable environment, including proper water quality, oxygenation, flow, and habitat
The tank is not left unattended for an extended period during the guarantee window

Communicating Issues Early

If you notice any issues or concerns during the guarantee period, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible. Communicating issues to us early also gives us the opportunity to advise on treatment and hopefully help save the fish.

Requests for Additional Information

If we request additional information regarding your claim, you must respond within 3 days of our request. After that point, we will not be able to process your guarantee claim, as the information will no longer be relevant to the condition of the tank at the time of loss.

Providing Enough Information

We are not looking for excuses to deny claims, especially when you communicate issues early and show that your tank is well cared for and your livestock is compatible.

However, we can only work with the information you provide. If you do not provide enough information for us to adequately review and investigate your claim, it may be denied.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Unclear photos of the deceased specimen
Refusal to provide water parameters and/or tank photos
Lost fish in the tank
Inability to retrieve the deceased specimen

Please note that if livestock is introduced directly into the main display tank, there is always a risk that a deceased fish may not be recoverable.

Order Modifications

Order changes must be requested before 7:00 AM Eastern Time on the scheduled shipping day.

If you would like to add or modify items, please email us. We will adjust the order manually and either charge or refund the difference.

Orders placed separately before shipment may be combined at our discretion.

Livestock Variation

All livestock are live animals and natural variation is to be expected.

Photos on our website represent the species but do not guarantee exact coloration or size.

Sizes listed are approximate and may vary slightly.

If you have specific minimum or maximum size requirements, please contact us prior to ordering, and we will verify current inventory when possible.

Let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll do our best to get it for you.

Most fish can be sourced overnight from our suppliers. For rare or specialty fish, it may take 1–3 weeks. Send us a message, and we’ll gladly provide a more accurate time frame.

Contact Us

We’re here to help.

Whether you have questions about livestock availability, sizing, compatibility, shipping, or The Long Island Tropical Health Standard, we’re happy to assist.

📩 Email Us

Alex@LongIslandTropical.com

Please include your order number (if applicable) and as much detail as possible so we can respond quickly and accurately.

Customer Support

We respond to emails in the order they are received.

As a dedicated two-person team, we personally handle livestock care, order fulfillment, and customer support. This allows us to maintain strict quality control and attention to detail — but we kindly ask for your patience while we respond.

We answer emails as quickly as possible, including weekends whenever available.

Before You Reach Out

For faster answers, please review:

• Our Live Arrival Guarantee
• Shipping & Returns
• The Long Island Tropical Health Standard

Many common questions are addressed there.

Important

If you are reporting a DOA (Dead on Arrival), you must contact us within 2 hours of delivery and include the required documentation outlined in our Live Arrival Guarantee policy.

Thank you for choosing Long Island Tropical.
We appreciate your support and look forward to helping you build a thriving reef.

Pipefish

Filter

Gulf pipefish

Northern pipefish

Our Conditioning & Health Protocol

Non-Quarantined, Conditioned Fish

Fully Quarantined Fish