Shipping Fish/Coral during the winter?

[Andrew Schubert]

So this is my first year with my tank, and heading into my first winter. I've purchased most of my corals/fish online. However, when does it start to become 'unsafe' weather wise to do this. I'm assuming I'm about to the point where I'll have to wait to add more to my tank until Spring :-(. I was wanting to add a bunch of rock flower anemones to my tank in the near future, but our weather here in IL is already dropping down to 40 as highs.

Then again I know Diver's Den is in WI, and can't imagine they stop shipping in the winter. So maybe weather isn't that important as long as I order from reputable shippers who can insulate the items?

Just wondering what others experience has been with DOA shipping livestock during winters.

 

[dmcoates]

I do it in Alaska , the key is ship right to your local fedex station and pick it up. Doing this avoids the package sitting on the truck all day when being delivered. Plus I get the shipment by about 1pm instead of 6-7pm.

 

[Oscaror]

So this is my first year with my tank, and heading into my first winter. I've purchased most of my corals/fish online. However, when does it start to become 'unsafe' weather wise to do this. I'm assuming I'm about to the point where I'll have to wait to add more to my tank until Spring :-(. I was wanting to add a bunch of rock flower anemones to my tank in the near future, but our weather here in IL is already dropping down to 40 as highs.

Then again I know Diver's Den is in WI, and can't imagine they stop shipping in the winter. So maybe weather isn't that important as long as I order from reputable shippers who can insulate the items?

Just wondering what others experience has been with DOA shipping livestock during winters.

Sellers use heat pads and insulation (or even more advanced tech that I don't know about) to keep the fish warm. I'd say as long as you don't miss the delivery you should be fine. No reputable seller is gonna ship somewhere cold in the winter without taking proper precautions.

 

[Mrs. Herbert]

I have bought corals online and as mentioned above, most coral companies will ship with hot packs. I have always scheduled the shipment around my work/college schedule so I know I will be home. FedEX is pretty good about getting live shipments to us pretty quick.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

Sweet sounds good! Glad I don't have to wait till Spring . I really have my eye on a couple of rock flower anemones I've been wanting to add to my tank.

 

[Chrysemys]

I can’t find exactly what I am looking for in the search, so I will try to jump on this thread. I too am curious about shipping in colder months. I received my first “cold weather” shipments the other day. One was a fish shipment I had delivered directly to shipping office and I picked it up there. Shipping time well under 20hr. There was a heat pack in the box. Water temp was 70. Fish looked terrible; no color, barely gilling, would not move for first 40 minutes of acclimation. Still very lethargic after 3 hr. Acclimation. Lost all but one within a few days of shipment.
The other shipment was coral. 2 day shipment. Had heat packs. Water was quite cool. Did not take a temp. Corals were open and looking good following acclimation.
My questions:
I now have a store credit at the fish supplier that I am afraid to spend until the weather warms up. (next June for me) am I being ridiculous? Like I said first fish shipment.... What should fish look like after shipping? Reasonable water temp to expect?
From this experience I am assuming shipping coral is a safer bet in colder months than shipping fish? In other words, if I just have to have something new for my tank in the winter, get coral rather than fish?

 

[Reefbuds]

I can’t find exactly what I am looking for in the search, so I will try to jump on this thread. I too am curious about shipping in colder months. I received my first “cold weather” shipments the other day. One was a fish shipment I had delivered directly to shipping office and I picked it up there. Shipping time well under 20hr. There was a heat pack in the box. Water temp was 70. Fish looked terrible; no color, barely gilling, would not move for first 40 minutes of acclimation. Still very lethargic after 3 hr. Acclimation. Lost all but one within a few days of shipment.
The other shipment was coral. 2 day shipment. Had heat packs. Water was quite cool. Did not take a temp. Corals were open and looking good following acclimation.
My questions:
I now have a store credit at the fish supplier that I am afraid to spend until the weather warms up. (next June for me) am I being ridiculous? Like I said first fish shipment.... What should fish look like after shipping? Reasonable water temp to expect?
From this experience I am assuming shipping coral is a safer bet in colder months than shipping fish? In other words, if I just have to have something new for my tank in the winter, get coral rather than fish?

Where did you get these fish from?

 

[Captain Quint]

I have bought corals online and as mentioned above, most coral companies will ship with hot packs. I have always scheduled the shipment around my work/college schedule so I know I will be home. FedEX is pretty good about getting live shipments to us pretty quick.

+1 Any live shipment, I've ever had delivered by FedEx is generally delivered no later than 10 AM where I live. I guess I need to chalk that up to location or luck or both?

 

[Captain Quint]

I can’t find exactly what I am looking for in the search, so I will try to jump on this thread. I too am curious about shipping in colder months. I received my first “cold weather” shipments the other day. One was a fish shipment I had delivered directly to shipping office and I picked it up there. Shipping time well under 20hr. There was a heat pack in the box. Water temp was 70. Fish looked terrible; no color, barely gilling, would not move for first 40 minutes of acclimation. Still very lethargic after 3 hr. Acclimation. Lost all but one within a few days of shipment.
The other shipment was coral. 2 day shipment. Had heat packs. Water was quite cool. Did not take a temp. Corals were open and looking good following acclimation.
My questions:
I now have a store credit at the fish supplier that I am afraid to spend until the weather warms up. (next June for me) am I being ridiculous? Like I said first fish shipment.... What should fish look like after shipping? Reasonable water temp to expect?
From this experience I am assuming shipping coral is a safer bet in colder months than shipping fish? In other words, if I just have to have something new for my tank in the winter, get coral rather than fish?

First and foremost I'm really sorry to read of your loss and the fish suffering.

Welcome to R2R Chrysemys. Just sorry to be welcoming under the circumstances.

 

[Chrysemys]

Where did you get these fish from?

Don’t want to go down that road, but I will say it is one of the top suppliers and listed as one to use in this forum. I am more looking for some details of what to expect when receiving shipments in the cooler months. Fish condition, temperatures etc. Feel free to point me to an already running thread if it is out there and I didn’t find it.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

From my experience with LiveAquaria, the fish that weren't DOA all seemed normal. They claim that a fish that 'looks' dead may just be stressed and still give him time. That seems like nonsense to me. If the gills aren't moving and its stiff, its dead. But I suppose they have plenty of people throw away still breathing fish b/c they feel it is about to die. With that said this has been my process with acclimating them.

1) Turn off all the lights in the room -- QT is in storage room in Basement, so you can image how dark it is! I set a lamp in the far corner of the room...so enough so I can see the 'shadow' of the fish.
2) I then place them in a 5 gallon bucket and acclimate them for 1-3 hours.
3) Then I place them in the QT tank. (Lights still off during this whole process.
4) After 6 hours or so, I turn the lamp on that is in the corner of the room and every once in a while slowly bring the lamp closer to the tank. By this time if I got the fish at 10am, it's probably about midnight and time for me to go to bed. So I turn the lamp back off.
5) Next morning I turn the tank light off and feed them for the first time. Since It's so dark during this process, I honestly am not 100% which fish are DOA yet or not. I don't find out till the next morning .

Which again is why I like LiveAquaria. I don't have to worry about some 2 hour window. I can take my time, and let the fish acclimate and cross my fingers.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

So I ordered some corals from diver den. If I want these held at FedEx for pickup instead of shipped to my house do I tell divers din this, or do I contact FedEx? How does that work?

 

[CindyKz]

So this is my first year with my tank, and heading into my first winter. I've purchased most of my corals/fish online. However, when does it start to become 'unsafe' weather wise to do this. I'm assuming I'm about to the point where I'll have to wait to add more to my tank until Spring :-(. I was wanting to add a bunch of rock flower anemones to my tank in the near future, but our weather here in IL is already dropping down to 40 as highs.

Then again I know Diver's Den is in WI, and can't imagine they stop shipping in the winter. So maybe weather isn't that important as long as I order from reputable shippers who can insulate the items?

Just wondering what others experience has been with DOA shipping livestock during winters.

I live near Milwaukee so only a couple hours south of the DD WI location in Rhinelander.

Even though we are close, FedEx flights get routed through Louisville, KY (at least some do).

The key is to watch for winter storms on the days you expect your stuff to ship. Also, I would avoid the holiday period. I ordered some corals last year that
got hung up in KY due to "airplane issues". I tried to pick my stuff up at the local FedEx but it was too late and my livestock sat out in a truck or something all night. Needless to say it was all DOA. LA credited me but I still prefer to avoid that experience.

 

[CindyKz]

So I ordered some corals from diver den. If I want these held at FedEx for pickup instead of shipped to my house do I tell divers din this, or do I contact FedEx? How does that work?

I think you can do this with FedEx online.