Lost 3 of 4 tonight

[ScottS]

I bought four cardinals to add to my original 10. 1 had its last gasp in the bag during acclimation. Another was doing tail stands in the bag and did a couple barrel rolls the minute he was put in the tank. THe third lasted about three hours, but you could tell he wasn't quite right. The fourth joined up with the old school fairly quickly.

I was really disappointed. I was 10 for 10 on my Cardinals, then this. All of them had to make the same hour drive home, so I'm not sure what did this batch in.

I also bought 4 Cories and 2 Pearl Gouramis and they are all active and doing fine. The shop bagged the 4 cardinals, 2 gouramis and 4 cories in the same bag though, would you normally see this done?

 

[LondonGman]

Sorry to hear about the deaths.
If the fishes are meant to live together then they should be OK in the same bag but there could be over crowding issues that could stress the fishes out not to mention the water condition in the bag for the hour long trip and cardinals are not hardy fishes.
It would seem to me that if every single cardinal died then it could be a bad batch since the other fishes survived.

 

[BrianNY]

Wow. I'm sorry too Scott. I would never allow the lfs to put all those fish in the same bag!!!! Cardinals are especially easily stressed and require clean water. I suspect the packaging did your fish in.

 

[m4tt8]

Sounds a bit iffy to me, my LFS always bags different species seperatley, they also put a squirt of Stress Coat in each bag, then inflate the bag with air. I haven't had a single loss from that shop ever, i've been using them for over 10 months now.

I would find another fish supplier :?

 

[webmoose]

My LFS bags separately as well. When I read your post I was thinking to myself I hope it was a really large bag. I am sure it is probably a weak batch of Cardinals. If you go back to that LFS store and they give you a credit you might want to wait until they get different shipment of Cardinals or use the credit towards food or something and try a different store for you Cardinals. Did you get your original (ones already in the tank from the same store?)

 

[TankGirl]

I too think it was a combination of a weak batch (not terribly unusual) and too many fish in a bag. If it is the typical plastic bag that I am used to seeing, then it is too many fish in there. If you do get more cardinals, I would get them after they have been in the store for a while. Many stores lose quite a few of them before they ever get sold, so it is a good idea to wait and see which ones survive. Then I would not put more than 4 cardinals in one bag, especially if you have an hour-long drive to get home.

Good luck, and don't feel bad, I think many folks have similar stories about cardinals, unfortunately. Mine generally die over a period of weeks after I get them home, though I have one left that is almost a year old now.

 

[ScottS]

I did get the original ones from the same store. (We even went stopped at the Steak & Shake drive through on the way home ) They were the first fish into my newly cycled aquarium, and I didn't lose a single one. Everyone is active and eats eagerly.

The water in the bag this time looked pretty bad by time I got home. There was plenty of "waste" circulating by time I was home. To their half credit, they do put in a squirt of "stress reliever" and actually use oxygen in the bag, then double bag it.

Unfortunately, the store that packs like this is actually about the best choice I've found. The closer stores aren't awful, but certainly make you scratch your head sometimes.

 

[jaowl]

I hope this store offers some type of gaurantee on their fish--our Wal-Mart is 72 hrs. whereas Petco is 15 days

 

[ScottS]

48 hours. What part of Iowa jaowl? I bought these Cardinals in Davenport.

 

[jaowl]

I am in Dubuque--how far are you from DBQ?

 

[ScottS]

Sterling, IL, about 85mi from Dubuque. I lived in Clinton for a while. I hope to make it up to the new Mississppi River Aquarium in Dubuque some day. Have you been there?

 

[juliemichelle]

Have you tried getting your new fish without the stress reliever? I have a friend who will speak LOUDLY against the stress stuff. He says it basically knocks out the fish for the trip home. (gets them high) Also, the fish store added a "squirt"!!!!! That squirt was probably enought to treat a 55 gallon tank, let alone a small bag! Try to get more fish--but HOLD the stress coat. I'll bet they'll live!!!! P.S.--I live in little ol' Ottumwa but my uncle owns an appliance store in Clinton! 8)