Ordering online

[Fishlover94]

Has anyone ever order fish via mail

[Colin_T]

I have had fish eggs come through via mail but don't order fish online. A number of people do order them online and some places seem to have better fish than others. Wet Spot was commonly used by people in the American rainbowfish forum some years back but I don't know how good they are today.

The biggest issue with ordering online is the price of shipping. The more fish you get, the less you pay per fish for the shipping.
eg: You get 6 fish and they cost $30 to ship. That's $5 per fish for shipping.

eg: You get 20 fish and they cost $30 to ship. That's $1.50 per fish for shipping.

You still pay the same amount for shipping but the price is spread out over more fish.

Having said this, you only buy a lot of fish if you have room for them and the tanks are ready for them.

Other things to check is when they send the fish out. Most companies will send fish out on Monday or Tuesaday so they have the rest of the week to get there. If fish are sent on a Thursday or Friday, they sometimes get left in a warehouse over the weekend and everything dies before you get it.

You want 24 hour (overnight) shipping too.

Don't get fish or plants if it's going to be really hot or really cold. They put fish and plants in eskies (foam boxes) but the temperature inside the eskie can still change over time, especially if the box is left in a hot or cold environment.

[ADsnail]

I ordered a betta online a few years ago. Arrived just fine and lived a good life. I've also ordered plenty of shrimp, snails, and some exotic crawfish. Rarely have I had a problem. In fact, sellers of crustaceans often include a freebie just in case someone doesn't make it through the shipping phase. I've ordered from ebay as well as specialty companies.

I've found that growers/shippers have been unfailingly nice and helpful; however, they do have rules. All have the disclaimers that if the fish is DOA then you must claim within a limited time (this ranges from 20 minutes to 1 hour) having left the fish in original packaging, and provide a picture of this. In other words, prove it really did arrive dead because they're not responsible for what happens once you take over.

They also, as Colin mentioned, ship only on Mon-Tues so it will arrive ASAP and not get stuck in a warehouse over a weekend. This means that if you order on a Weds-Thurs, prepare for your order to not go out until the start of the following week.

I send a message after the package arrives and all is well. Sellers of everything are quick to hear from customers when something is wrong, but how often do they receive 'Thank you, it's wonderful' feedback? Some of them have then replied in a surprised and grateful way for hearing something positive from a customer

[Fishlover94]

@ADsnail I hope I'm picking a good place. They offer a seven day stay alive guarantee, if any die in 7 days I get credit on that fish.

[Joe_D]

I have. This was from an e-bay offering that had the fish that I wanted and was not available locally . The fish arrived safely even during the colder weather.
The dealer just stated that I should be confident that my local temp did not go below freezing during the next few days when it was in transit
The dealer included a heat pack to insure the fish arrived safely.

So, do research on any given on line dealer.
Just be aware that shipping fish can be expensive

[ADsnail]

Originally Posted by Fishlover94

@ADsnail I hope I'm picking a good place. They offer a seven day stay alive guarantee, if any die in 7 days I get credit on that fish.

Sounds like the best guarantee I've ever heard! They really stand by their fish!

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by ADsnail

Sounds like the best guarantee I've ever heard! They really stand by their fish!

Make sure you read the fine print. Many companies state that the live arrival guarantee only applies to overnight shipping. That's the expensive shipping rate.

[Fishlover94]

Originally Posted by Andy Sager

Make sure you read the fine print. Many companies state that the live arrival guarantee only applies to overnight shipping. That's the expensive shipping rate.

They only offer overnight. But I will do more reading through the tiny print.

[rlederer]

Originally Posted by Fishlover94

Has anyone ever order fish via mail

I've ordered fish online a few dozen times. Usually works fine. Have to pay for shipping but you get a lot more choices of fish. Try Wetspot or Aquarium Fish Sale

[Fishlover94]

@rlederer

Do you drop acclimate, or do you feel the bag with the aquarium water every 5 minutes

[rlederer]

Originally Posted by Fishlover94

@rlederer

Do you drop acclimate, or do you feel the bag with the aquarium water every 5 minutes

Float the bag for 10 minutes then pour the water and fish into a net. Discard water, add fish to tank.

[Fishlover94]

Originally Posted by rlederer

Float the bag for 10 minutes then pour the water and fish into a net. Discard water, add fish to tank.

See, that's what I read, but apparently, the seven days stay a live guarantee. You must float, then open the bag a 1/2 cup every 5 minutes until the bag is full dump 1/2 bag, then do the same, then dump. But they add 100% oxygen and I read that's bad.

[Aiken Drum]

The problem you will find with a slow acclimating process is ammonia toxicity.

Fish that have been in the bag for a long time during transit are producing ammonia and this can build up to toxic levels. But fish respiration will cause the water to become acidic. More so because CO2 cant offgas into the atmoshere. Ammonia is mostly in a non-toxic ammonium form at acidic pH so the fish are fine while in a sealed bag. As soon as you open the bag, the CO2 can offgas and the pH will quickly rise. As pH rises the non-toxic ammonium becomes toxic free ammonia and if it has built up enough during transit this can cause significant health issues with your fish. A slow acclimatising process leaves fish in this toxic, free ammonia longer than opening the bag and getting the fish in your tank in one quick operation.

Rlederers way to acclimate online purchased fish is the safest way, regardless of whether it meets the sellers requirements for their guarantee. These requirements are there to make it difficult to get a refund, not to protect the fish.

[Joe_D]

"Drip acclimation" is almost universally thought to be a bad idea for a few reasons.
Goggle it

Just do as Rlederer said.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Joe_D

"Drip acclimation" is almost universally thought to be a bad idea for a few reasons.
Goggle it

Just do as Rlederer said.

I actually did look it up and it is far from universally thought to be bad. It's very dependent on what you are acclimating. Marine fish and invertebrates do not do well with the plop and drop method. Wild fish do not do well with the plop and drop if the water they are going into does not match relatively closely to the water they are in.

For acclimating fish in highly acidic/low Ph water, it is best done in a bucket or container with an air stone. If the bag water is cold, a slower drip is recommended and a low rate with the aeration is all that is necessary as the fish will also be cold and not needing a high aeration rate. As the water warms from the dripping and the fish wake up more and start swimming around more, you can raise the aeration rate. To know if the ammonia is going to be an issue, testing the bag water when first opened up for Ph and ammonia will answer all the questions. A high ammonia but low Ph ( below 7.0) will mean the ammonia is ammonium and will convert when the Ph rises. The more dilute you make the ammonium before the Ph rises will lessen it's effect when the Ph rises. Heavy aeration will cause the Ph to rise. With the invent of items like PRIME and SAFE and other products that detoxify ammonia, adding these to the acclimating bucket will help prevent any ammonia issues as well.

Just sayin'

[ADsnail]

The seven day guarantee is their extraordinarily generous way of saying they believe in their product. They're saying they grow great fish and ship perfectly.

The rest is up to you. Your job is to get that fish into it's new home correctly, and soon. rlederer's suggestion is the way we do it.

Think of the worst trip you've ever taken, the one that was so horrible, bumpy, uncomfortable and confusing that you couldn't wait for it to be over. All you wanted to do was be home, and crawl into bed.

[rlederer]

Originally Posted by Fishlover94

See, that's what I read, but apparently, the seven days stay a live guarantee. You must float, then open the bag a 1/2 cup every 5 minutes until the bag is full dump 1/2 bag, then do the same, then dump. But they add 100% oxygen and I read that's bad.

I have received a few shipments with a few dead fish - that's rare, though. But I don't ever recall having fish die within a week if they were alive when I put them in the tank.
You don't want to add the shipping water to your tanks - you don't know what's in it.
I highly recommend WetSpot

[Fishlover94]

Originally Posted by Joe_D

"Drip acclimation" is almost universally thought to be a bad idea for a few reasons.
Goggle it

Just do as Rlederer said.

Ok I think I will do the plop and drop.

[Fishlover94]

Originally Posted by ADsnail

The seven day guarantee is their extraordinarily generous way of saying they believe in their product. They're saying they grow great fish and ship perfectly.

The rest is up to you. Your job is to get that fish into it's new home correctly, and soon. rlederer's suggestion is the way we do it.

Think of the worst trip you've ever taken, the one that was so horrible, bumpy, uncomfortable and confusing that you couldn't wait for it to be over. All you wanted to do was be home, and crawl into bed.

Oh, your right. I bet it is.

[Joe_D]

Keep in mind that this is the fresh water forum.