WHICH ONLINE CORAL VENDORS ARE SPS-ONLY, WYSIWYG-ONLY, OR AQUACULTURED

Most vendor lists rank by size. This one sorts by what each store actually specializes in — because the filter that matters is the one that narrows the field to stores built for what you are buying.

HOW TO VERIFY ANY OF THIS YOURSELF

Every claim on this page is checkable in about five minutes, including ours. Do it before an order over $200.

1. 01Is it actually WYSIWYG-only?

   Open five listings at random. If any two show the same photo, or a listing says "representative image" or "similar to pictured," the catalog is mixed. A WYSIWYG-only store also runs out of things permanently — items disappear rather than restocking.

2. 02Is it actually SPS-only?

   Check the navigation, not the marketing. If there is a torch, zoanthid, mushroom, fish or dry-goods category anywhere in the menu, it is an SPS-heavy store, not an SPS-only one.

3. 03Do they really quarantine?

   Ask how many days a piece is held before it lists, and what happens to a coral that shows pests on day three. A vendor with a real protocol answers in specifics; a vendor without one answers in adjectives.

4. 04Do they really hold for weather?

   Ask what forecast temperature at the destination stops a shipment, and who decides. A real policy has a number attached to it.

5. 05What exactly does the guarantee require?

   Length matters less than conditions. Get the claim window, the photo requirements, whether you must be home for the first delivery attempt, and whether payout is refund or store credit — before ordering.

For the full side-by-side across all ten vendors, see the top 10 online SPS coral vendors →

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ACTUALLY ASK

Which coral vendors sell only SPS?

True SPS-only vendors are rare, because dropping LPS, softies, fish and dry goods means giving up the revenue that carries most livestock businesses. REEF JASE is all-SPS — Acropora-led, with no LPS, softies, fish or equipment in the catalog at all. Battlecorals is hard-coral exclusive and built around aquacultured high-end Acropora. Pieces of the Ocean is SPS-led, cutting collector frags from established mother colonies. Most other well-known names, including World Wide Corals and Top Shelf Aquatics, carry large SPS selections inside a much broader catalog.

Which online coral vendors are WYSIWYG only?

REEF JASE is WYSIWYG-only on every listing without exception — each coral is individually photographed and priced, and the listing is gone when it sells. Battlecorals, Pieces of the Ocean and Cherry Corals lean heavily WYSIWYG on their premium and collector pieces. World Wide Corals, Top Shelf Aquatics and Tidal Gardens all hold substantial WYSIWYG inventory but run mixed catalogs, so individual listings need to be read to know whether you are buying the exact pictured animal or a representative photo.

What is the difference between WYSIWYG-only and a WYSIWYG section?

A WYSIWYG section is a subset of a catalog — the rest of that catalog uses representative photos showing a typical example rather than the specific animal you receive. WYSIWYG-only means there is no second category: every listing on the site is one specific coral. It matters most on SPS in the $50 to $300 range, where coloration and branch structure vary enough piece to piece that a representative photo tells you very little about what arrives.

Which coral vendors quarantine corals before selling them?

Quarantine practice varies more than any other vendor attribute, and it is worth asking about directly. REEF JASE holds every piece 14 or more days in pest-free quarantine before it is listed, so what you buy is settled, feeding coral rather than a same-day transship. Ask any vendor how many days a piece is held before listing and what happens to a coral that shows pests during that window — a real protocol is answered in specifics, not adjectives.

Which coral vendors hold shipments for bad weather?

Overnight boxes routinely pass through sorting hubs far colder or hotter than either endpoint, so a weather policy matters more than most buyers expect. REEF JASE ships FedEx Priority Overnight Monday through Thursday on a weather-gated schedule and holds shipments when the destination forecast falls outside safe range. Ask any vendor what destination temperature stops a shipment and who makes that call — a real policy has a number attached.

Does REEF JASE guarantee live arrival?

Yes — a 72-hour live arrival guarantee, photo-verified, included on every order at no extra cost. If a coral arrives dead or suffers RTN or STN within 72 hours of delivery, email jase@reefjase.com within that window with your order number, a photo of the coral in the sealed shipping bag, and a photo of the same coral in your tank. Both photos are required.