Shipping Fish

+1. Saltwater fish must have zero ammonia. They cannot stand even a little.

Your tank was not cycled and that's most likely what killed the fish.

+2 and you also mentioned nitrite being in the same lines which is another toxin for the fish. Remember nothing in this hobby happens fast and it is for a reason.
 
i don't know how buying from online is better than personally picking out a fish from a lfs where you can monitor the fishes behavior & most important appetite it all comes down to where you live and access to quality stores not all lfs are the same just like online vendors here in the tri state area we have access to unlimited stores some of the best in the country with proper quarantines & maintenence regimens where they can hold a fish from 2 weeks to a month if your a valued customer i only order from online if i am looking for specimens that can't be found locally for me what makes this hobby the most thrilling is taking the drive to all my local stores & absorbing all the live stock & hanging out with some of the stores employees witch grants you access to huge discounts & first access to rare finds

I am far from any city, but have never seen or known of any LFS that used a proper (IMO) quarantine regimen. This would be totally cost-prohibitive. Their idea of quarantine just means they keep it and feed it. I'll bet all of their tanks are on the same system too. I hope nobody uses a LFS keeping a fish as an alternative to a quarantine by the hobbyist.
 
I am far from any city, but have never seen or known of any LFS that used a proper (IMO) quarantine regimen. This would be totally cost-prohibitive. Their idea of quarantine just means they keep it and feed it. I'll bet all of their tanks are on the same system too. I hope nobody uses a LFS keeping a fish as an alternative to a quarantine by the hobbyist.

I agree....no lfs will keep a fish in a qt for the length of time that dd does...the bandit I recently got from dd was in KK office tank for around 3 months...most of the lfs I have been in over the last 30 years were frightening..there are some good ones out there but even they will not donate the time or expense on qt livestock...
 
I agree....no lfs will keep a fish in a qt for the length of time that dd does...the bandit I recently got from dd was in KK office tank for around 3 months...most of the lfs I have been in over the last 30 years were frightening..there are some good ones out there but even they will not donate the time or expense on qt livestock...

Yeah, not really knocking all the LFS; competing with online vendors & Fed-Ex isn't easy. Very few LFS will match the customer service or guarantee that LA and all the DFS companies do. I think they have the the finest C.S. of any business, in any field, that I've ever dealt with. For all the stressaphobica; LA fish are bagged and transported less than LFS fish too.
 
I agree....no lfs will keep a fish in a qt for the length of time that dd does...the bandit I recently got from dd was in KK office tank for around 3 months...most of the lfs I have been in over the last 30 years were frightening..there are some good ones out there but even they will not donate the time or expense on qt livestock...


Ot but congrats on the bandit! Saw it on DD.

Agree on DD/LA being great. Acclimating a bellus asPassword 1167 for the office? we speak. I use them for the most common fish, but still use my LFS for the more common fish. I am fortunate to have a LFS I trust, but still love DD/LA
 
Yeah, not really knocking all the LFS; competing with online vendors & Fed-Ex isn't easy. Very few LFS will match the customer service or guarantee that LA and all the DFS companies do. I think they have the the finest C.S. of any business, in any field, that I've ever dealt with. For all the stressaphobica; LA fish are bagged and transported less than LFS fish too.

Yup, the only company that rivals dfs/la/dd that I know of doesn't sell fish so I hope I can mention it here without a problem...that company is LL Bean....
 
Have had 4 deliveries from Saltwaterfish dot com over the last 4 weeks and every Fish,invert,coral arrrived perfect and are doing awesome.. will be ordering again monday morn :fish2:
 
Ot but congrats on the bandit! Saw it on DD.

Agree on DD/LA being great. Acclimating a bellus as we speak. I use them for the harder to find fish, but still use my LFS for the more common fish. I am fortunate to have a LFS I trust, but still love DD/LA
 
Yup, the only company that rivals dfs/la/dd that I know of doesn't sell fish so I hope I can mention it here without a problem...that company is LL Bean....

Its amazing how "Beans" (as it was called when I was a kid) went from being a high-end source of outdoor gear to a "cool" retailer for women and the college & high school crowd; without sacrificing quality. They still make the best chamois shirt in the world.
 
Have had 4 deliveries from Saltwaterfish dot com over the last 4 weeks and every Fish,invert,coral arrrived perfect and are doing awesome.. will be ordering again monday morn :fish2:

I wish they'd change the pic of their Harlequin Tusk. The pic they use is the Australian variety and they sell the Indian Ocean variety. That's like getting a date from one of the dating web sites. Your date's pic looks like my wife; but Rosie O'Donnel shows up in a Fed-Ex box.
 
I wish they'd change the pic of their Harlequin Tusk. The pic they use is the Australian variety and they sell the Indian Ocean variety. That's like getting a date from one of the dating web sites. Your date's pic looks like my wife; but Rosie O'Donnel shows up in a Fed-Ex box.

lol, post of the day...
 
LA/DD has a great guarantee and good service. My only complaint is when I've called a few times with a question on a fish and they just read me the description on the website. I can read, thanks! Maybe I just had bad luck, but the service reps I've gotten don't seem to be hobbyists themselves.

Also like the pictures being deceiving, they really need to update a few things. Perfect example is they list Court Jester Goby as a beginner's fish, but it needs a very established tank and even then rarely survives past 6 months according to the research I've done.
 
Its amazing how "Beans" (as it was called when I was a kid) went from being a high-end source of outdoor gear to a "cool" retailer for women and the college & high school crowd; without sacrificing quality. They still make the best chamois shirt in the world.

In summer 1988 while touring with the grateful dead I walked into their Freeport, Maine storing wearing a pair of Blouchers that were falling apart...I had worn them every day for a couple years and worn them out to the point that there were holes in each sole...they have a lifetime warr policy at Bean...the customer service agent just handed me a catalog and told me to pick something out...I picked out another pair of shoes that were cheaper than my "holey" used pair...I walked out of the store with brand new shoes and $36 in cash to make up the diff between the 2 pairs..it is amazing how they backup their brand...I am a customer for life- as I am with drs/la/dd...:dance: me leaving llb that day 25 years ago, lol...
 
I wish they'd change the pic of their Harlequin Tusk. The pic they use is the Australian variety and they sell the Indian Ocean variety. That's like getting a date from one of the dating web sites. Your date's pic looks like my wife; but Rosie O'Donnel shows up in a Fed-Ex box.

now thats funny :wildone:
 
When fish come into the LFS half of them die, the stress of the trip, sometimes the divers bring the fish to the surface too quick and they die from infection etc. When you see that Diamond Goby for $16.00 at the LFS he has prob been there 2 or three day's, maybe he will make it, maybe not it sucks, but it is prob the stress that will kill him when your params are in check 0 ammonia 0 nitrites.

Once the fish has made it a couple weeks in the LFS, this is a good sign that he has acclimated to his new life in captivity and has a better chance at a long life.

That larger fish that has been around a few weeks that costs more is going to have a much better chance. You do need to make sure you are at 0 ammonia. I have a couple of those monitor's that change color that I used for my recent 120 gallon cycle, they are really accurate and I keep them around just in case my reads any ammonia I will know something is dead under the rock.

You should never see ammonia in your tank after your cycle though
 
My most recent experience has not been good. I ordered four fish from LA two weeks ago and was thrilled that they all arrived alive. (I have a 30 gal QT that's been set up for over a year, otherwise not a good idea to order this many fish at once.) They were looking pretty good for a week and then the blenny's fins started falling off and has a blotch of white on it's face, which I think is some type of fungus. No other fish have these symptoms. But yesterday the wrasse died even though it was eating well all along. And now yesterday the watchman goby did not come out to eat. So frustrating. Right now I'm using Paraguard every night because this is supposed to help with everything. I think it's some bacterial infection or fungus.
 
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