We had a huge order with them of cleanup crew of snails, hermits misc. stuff prolly over 200 total items.....a small percentage somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 total items arrived dead or died within a day or so when we reported the losses which were estimated somewhat conservatively we were told we would have to somehow get pictures of each of them....seemed ridiculous as we would basically have to empty our tank to find all of them...(We have a couple fish and shrimp that like to hoard shells in their dens) just thought this was ridiculous and don't know if my fish and corals deserve the stress of removal to dig up all these SHELLS. Opinions welcome
anyone shared this experience?
- Thread starter coachtjm
- Start date
CUZ
New member
i wouldnt be bothered to breakdown a tank for them , but if you can't see them either theres no way of knowing if their dead. most vendors only warranty for doa which is when the pictures are taken, they have no way of knowing it was their fault they died or yours.
No offense.
Alot of reputibale vendors will compensate on your next order just for reputation sake
No offense.
Alot of reputibale vendors will compensate on your next order just for reputation sake
totally understand....for a fish/more expensive item I would prolly take the tank down. These guys want to see pictures of shells...I mean shells, come on....I am not sure how they could determine cause of death by looking at shells....
Point is taken and understood but still seems ridiculous
Most Reputable vendors will send extra of things like snails and crabs but not blue zoo...just the exact amount some dead...many very very very small specimans....
in regards to pictures in the two or so years I have been doing this hobby, I have had an occasional loss, a couple from liveaquaria which I feel is the absolute epitome of quality in this business, never once requested a picture, ordered petco online.....more quality than in store....never a picture for loss......saltwaterfish.com....1 needed picture 1 didn't they seem as tho they are starting to become somewhat of a shady company
anyway, thanks for the opinion.....I could see requiring picture for some things but I just think in this case it is simply trying to make my life even more miserable
Point is taken and understood but still seems ridiculous
Most Reputable vendors will send extra of things like snails and crabs but not blue zoo...just the exact amount some dead...many very very very small specimans....
in regards to pictures in the two or so years I have been doing this hobby, I have had an occasional loss, a couple from liveaquaria which I feel is the absolute epitome of quality in this business, never once requested a picture, ordered petco online.....more quality than in store....never a picture for loss......saltwaterfish.com....1 needed picture 1 didn't they seem as tho they are starting to become somewhat of a shady company
anyway, thanks for the opinion.....I could see requiring picture for some things but I just think in this case it is simply trying to make my life even more miserable
dkirchoff
New member
if the items arrived dead....why would you put in the tank anyway?
if they died within a day or so...how are they to know it wasnt something else (nitrates, other predators ...like fish,crabs,etc,) what is your stock list in your tank ? the parameters?
and if you have shopped at other vendors, liveaquaria is the only other one besides bluezoo that you mentioned thats a sponsor here (that should tell you enough right there) and in regards to your heralding liveaquaria...the trade off with them is that you pay through the nose for those specimens (either through shipping , or creature costs) so yeah, you might get an occasional extra snail or shell, but thats cause you have already over paid.
I have had 17 or so orders with bluezoo (after numerous orders with the other companies) and yeah sometimes their is a loss, but if your complaining about sending a picture, maybe this isnt the hobby for you. you have to understand all prespectives in this hobby, and if your not happy with BZ, then i wish you luck finding a better company cause there isnt one out there.
if they died within a day or so...how are they to know it wasnt something else (nitrates, other predators ...like fish,crabs,etc,) what is your stock list in your tank ? the parameters?
and if you have shopped at other vendors, liveaquaria is the only other one besides bluezoo that you mentioned thats a sponsor here (that should tell you enough right there) and in regards to your heralding liveaquaria...the trade off with them is that you pay through the nose for those specimens (either through shipping , or creature costs) so yeah, you might get an occasional extra snail or shell, but thats cause you have already over paid.
I have had 17 or so orders with bluezoo (after numerous orders with the other companies) and yeah sometimes their is a loss, but if your complaining about sending a picture, maybe this isnt the hobby for you. you have to understand all prespectives in this hobby, and if your not happy with BZ, then i wish you luck finding a better company cause there isnt one out there.
That's why everything gets introduced in the front of the tank. That way if it croaks it's easily photoed thru the glass, or removed for verification. This is ESP the case for inverts like snails, cukes, stars. In fact I have an area that is 'bowled' off from the rest of the system that all the 'critters' go into. The ones that don't make it never leave the 'bowl'.
DJ
DJ
iamwrasseman
New member
it kinda sucks when you get them already dead but they are on the delicate side and should be acclimated with the drip method as with any fish or invert . that being said if you lost 10% thats not so bad in the grand sceme of things . they should however be sending a few extra to make up for what they cant controll and it is very hard to bag up hundreds of snails etc and be sure every single one is actually alive . just imaging how many they have and how fast they must package them to make money . i work at a lfs and we get the same thing 10% really isnt bad at all . also yes you should introduce them at the front of your tank and be sure to observe them so you can get the doa's out asap and indeed collect what you have coming to you .
one other thing , did you actually count how many you got that were alive or just the doa"s as they may have sent a few extra of each .
one other thing , did you actually count how many you got that were alive or just the doa"s as they may have sent a few extra of each .
Gangrene
New member
I'm going to give my honest response.
A lot of snails live in the substrate or hide within the rock work. How do you really know you have any dead?
I received 60 inverts from BlueZoo and only one died within the 7 days... and I didn't bother to report it because... it's a 60 cent snail and there is a $40 delivery charge... unless you spend $140. 60 cents in the grand scheme of things is pretty much nothing.
The other day while watching the tank I started to see the sand move and I was like...
, then like a submarine rising from the deep a snail came up and out of the sand. It was cool to watch. So, unless you have bodies... who knows what is in there alive?
That is why they want pictures.
Also, make sure all of the snails are put in, shell opening down. Not all snails have a righting reflex and will not be able to turn over if upside down... Don't kill your snails by accident.
A lot of snails live in the substrate or hide within the rock work. How do you really know you have any dead?
I received 60 inverts from BlueZoo and only one died within the 7 days... and I didn't bother to report it because... it's a 60 cent snail and there is a $40 delivery charge... unless you spend $140. 60 cents in the grand scheme of things is pretty much nothing.
The other day while watching the tank I started to see the sand move and I was like...
, then like a submarine rising from the deep a snail came up and out of the sand. It was cool to watch. So, unless you have bodies... who knows what is in there alive?That is why they want pictures.
Also, make sure all of the snails are put in, shell opening down. Not all snails have a righting reflex and will not be able to turn over if upside down... Don't kill your snails by accident.
franklypre
New member
I've ordered a dozen or so times form BZ and if you aren't satisfied with them, they fix it. If they don't there is always a reasonable explanation. They are just good folks IME.
LargeAngels
Premium Member
You can't blame a vendor for asking exactly what is specifed in their policy.
What to do if an Item is DOA/DAA:
Please DO NOT discard the deceased specimen as you may be asked to return it.
Please place the deceased livestock (no water) in at least two ziplock bags, cover thoroughly with salt and place it in your freezer until you receive further instructions and/or you are authorized to discard it.
For Dead On Arrival (DOA) items, we must be notified within one hour of delivery time posted by FedEx, for Dead After Arrival (DAA) items within the 7-Day allowance.
In the event of a loss, we prefer that you send us an email for notification, but if you do not have access to email, please contact us to make a report by phone within the required time frames.
If you have a digital camera, it is recommended that you take a few photos of the deceased item(s) before freezing. Please save and send these with your notification email.
What to do if an Item is DOA/DAA:
Please DO NOT discard the deceased specimen as you may be asked to return it.
Please place the deceased livestock (no water) in at least two ziplock bags, cover thoroughly with salt and place it in your freezer until you receive further instructions and/or you are authorized to discard it.
For Dead On Arrival (DOA) items, we must be notified within one hour of delivery time posted by FedEx, for Dead After Arrival (DAA) items within the 7-Day allowance.
In the event of a loss, we prefer that you send us an email for notification, but if you do not have access to email, please contact us to make a report by phone within the required time frames.
If you have a digital camera, it is recommended that you take a few photos of the deceased item(s) before freezing. Please save and send these with your notification email.
kirkaz
Jade
I can't imagine getting worked up over a few hermit crabs and snails if they died in a few days...If they arrived dead, they should have never gone in the tank.
I've received around 10 orders from BZ, and several hundred animals (crabs, corals, snails, fish, and so on), I've had one animal come from them that I was displeased with and that was a Pistol Shrimp smaller than I ordered...Damn thing is still alive too after 9 months. I feel bad Mark gave me credit on him.:sad1:
I've received around 10 orders from BZ, and several hundred animals (crabs, corals, snails, fish, and so on), I've had one animal come from them that I was displeased with and that was a Pistol Shrimp smaller than I ordered...Damn thing is still alive too after 9 months. I feel bad Mark gave me credit on him.:sad1:
iamwrasseman
New member
inverts are not the highest on the list for survival rate and if you purchase 100 of them than i would certainly expect some loss . when a lfs gets an order of 50 fish a few always die and thats on line with your loss IMO .
I have ordered from Blue Zoo Aquatics twice now. I ordered their 100 gallon ultimate cleanup package twice. There were a few that died in the process but I contacted them about them and they gave me a credit towards my next purchase. Sucks if you needed them right now, but at least you can add to your order next time, rather than being just out of luck. I have recommended them several times since.
medic29
Premium Member
Agreed, I've ordered from Blue Zoo several times and have had good experiences; in my last order my canary wrasse died within 12 hours or arrival, took a couple of photos with my Blackberry and emailed it to them and got credit for my next order. No hassels.
Sorry you had a bad experience, but again, it is outlined in their policy just as their acclimation procedure is.
Sorry you had a bad experience, but again, it is outlined in their policy just as their acclimation procedure is.
all is well we have been given our credit and are relatively satisfied....we were just dissatisfied at first when so many seemed to die....just bad luck this time....we have lost stuff from several retailers online...and to need pictures of snail shells seemed petty.....my point was this.....last week we ordered a 70 dollar male blue jaw trigger from divers den.....arrived dead, i called, they credited, no questions, no pictures, no posts to forums.....they do things different.....blue zoo is a great place to do business with, we will continue.......they answer the phones and all emails promptly which is a huge plus.....I was/am confident in doing business with them as all of you should be....thanks all!
