Blue Hippo from NYAquatic not looking too good

[th365thli]

I received a shipment of fish from NYAquatic based off reviews. Blue hippo, purple, pearscale butterfly, copperband.

The pearscale was dead on arrival. The purple tang and copperband seem okay. THe blue hippo seems very stressed is not looking too hot. Lying in the acclimation bucket (per Mike of NYAqautics instructions on acclimation).

All inner bags were leaking. The salt gravity of the bags was 1.030g pretty high. Kind of disappointed in the experience honestly. What should I do? Still follow his instructions or do something else from the hippo???

 

[exnisstech]

If they have a doa or stay alive guarantee I would follow thier instructions. Hopefully you have already notified them of the situation?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I received a shipment of fish from NYAquatic based off reviews. Blue hippo, purple, pearscale butterfly, copperband.

The pearscale was dead on arrival. The purple tang and copperband seem okay. THe blue hippo seems very stressed is not looking too hot. Lying in the acclimation bucket (per Mike of NYAqautics instructions on acclimation).

All inner bags were leaking. The salt gravity of the bags was 1.030g pretty high. Kind of disappointed in the experience honestly. What should I do? Still follow his instructions or do something else from the hippo???

Hippos often do the play dead scheme and as you walk away - act normal. Acclimate well and it is your responsibility to check salinity as you did and allows you to adjust accordingly. Assure that your salinity tester is calibrated or accurate so that you are not getting a false reading.
Pearl scale not a surprise as most butterflies do not ship well especially if bag water allowed to get cold.
For acclimation, I do not favor drip method if that is what you are utilizing. Here is mine which is one of many ways:

I generally:
Float for 20-30 minutes
Transfer fish and water into a clean bucket
Then . . . .
Measure the Ph, salinity and temperature of the bag water. If you can, make up some water in a container that has exactly the same measurements as the bag readings and move the fish right over, then you can add a cup of tank water to bucket every 15 mins 6 times (almost 1.5 hours)
Then check salinity in bucket and compare to tank. If no match or very close, add a cup of water every few mins until youve reached salinity and trap fish in same cup and pour off water and release into display. Release under LOW light before lights out. Fish in shipped bags produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. The carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water in the bag, That in turn makes the ammonia non-toxic to the fish. When you acclimate them, if not done just right, you drive off the carbon dioxide faster than you are diluting the ammonia. That raises the pH of the water in the bag, and that in turn, makes the residual ammonia very toxic to the fish. Sometimes, the fish will die right in the bag

 

[dedragon]

Mike is pretty easy with doa, just report any doa or any in rough shape to him now as it will make the process easier if something does end up dying.

Check your refractometer again and calibrate with 1.026 calibration solution as I have purchased directly from him multiple times and he runs way lower salinity than that in the fish holding tanks. Also make sure to discard all water from the bags after acclimation as he runs chemicals in the water. I think both copper and some type of api medication if I recall correctly. I havent had to buy from him in over a year as my fish from him have always done great

 

[nuxx]

Yeah wouldn't make sense to keep fish at 1.030

 

[th365thli]

For sure, and for the record I called Mike and he was very helpful. **** happens in shipping. With the cold weather the heat packs probably didn't get to the pearscale and it croaked. Thankfully the copperband still seems okay.

I think the salinity was so high because all the inner bags leaked. That plus evaporation, recipe for disaster. I'm only disappointed in NYAquatic because of the bags. If it was one bag that's one thing, but all four bags were leaking. Something doesn't smell right when that happens. Curious if other people had the same experience.

 

[th365thli]

The salinity difference worries me. It's a large gap between that 1.030 and my tank 1.024-1.025. I guess I've heard fish handle drops better than rises.

I suppose I'll just have to follow his instructions. Luckily all of the fish have the 14 day guarantee. Just really sucks about the bags. The box and cooler was intact. I really wonder if they were rushing to get orders out and just got sloppy.

I have an order for Salgado Aquatics coming this week, hope it goes better

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The salinity difference worries me. It's a large gap between that 1.030 and my tank 1.024-1.025. I guess I've heard fish handle drops better than rises.

I suppose I'll just have to follow his instructions. Luckily all of the fish have the 14 day guarantee. Just really sucks about the bags. The box and cooler was intact. I really wonder if they were rushing to get orders out and just got sloppy.

I have an order for Salgado Aquatics coming this week, hope it goes better

Correct, a drop in specific gravity of that amount is not going to unduly stress the fish - in the other direction (low to high) it could well be fatal.

Jay

 

[th365thli]

All new citizens of the tank seem to be doing fine for now. Blue Hippo is out and about, nipping at rock.

Hopefully they show no signs of illness. I noticed the Hippo would occasionally scratch on the rocks. Maybe once every 5 to 10 minutes. Not frequent, but a little worrisome. Visual inspection shows nothing out of the ordinary. Will continue to monitor. Prepared mentally to treat main display as it's FOWLR if anything pops up.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The salinity difference worries me. It's a large gap between that 1.030 and my tank 1.024-1.025. I guess I've heard fish handle drops better than rises.

I suppose I'll just have to follow his instructions. Luckily all of the fish have the 14 day guarantee. Just really sucks about the bags. The box and cooler was intact. I really wonder if they were rushing to get orders out and just got sloppy.

I have an order for Salgado Aquatics coming this week, hope it goes better

Ive dealt with Salgado now in texas several times and always a great order- Never lost any of his fish- some at age 4-5 years.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The salinity difference worries me. It's a large gap between that 1.030 and my tank 1.024-1.025. I guess I've heard fish handle drops better than rises.

I suppose I'll just have to follow his instructions. Luckily all of the fish have the 14 day guarantee. Just really sucks about the bags. The box and cooler was intact. I really wonder if they were rushing to get orders out and just got sloppy.

I have an order for Salgado Aquatics coming this week, hope it goes better

also . . . when carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water in the bag, it can have impact on salinity as does temperatures. UPS has a habit of leaving these boxes on the ramp until loaded and they get very cold, then the cargo belly is even colder at their typical altitudes and the heat packs can do so much. When I worked for an airline- I saw this often and to them our live stock is just a package.
I always advise shippers of a 3 day forecast so they pack accordingly

 

[th365thli]

also . . . when carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water in the bag, it can have impact on salinity as does temperatures. UPS has a habit of leaving these boxes on the ramp until loaded and they get very cold, then the cargo belly is even colder at their typical altitudes and the heat packs can do so much. When I worked for an airline- I saw this often and to them our live stock is just a package.
I always advise shippers of a 3 day forecast so they pack accordingly

Funny you should mention that. Salgado actually sent a mass email earlier this week saying they would delay shipping because of cold weather. I thought that was a great sign a vendor would do that.

I have 5 fish coming from them tmrw. Crossing my fingers all goes well.

The three that survived today are doing well so far (KNOCK ON WOOD). All except the Copperband are eating frozen. NYAquatics advertised their Copperbands as already eating prepared, and I have no reason to distrust them. I'm hoping in the coming days as it gets acclimated the Copperband will eat. It does pick at the live rock a little.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Funny you should mention that. Salgado actually sent a mass email earlier this week saying they would delay shipping because of cold weather. I thought that was a great sign a vendor would do that.

I have 5 fish coming from them tmrw. Crossing my fingers all goes well.

The three that survived today are doing well so far (KNOCK ON WOOD). All except the Copperband are eating frozen. NYAquatics advertised their Copperbands as already eating prepared, and I have no reason to distrust them. I'm hoping in the coming days as it gets acclimated the Copperband will eat. It does pick at the live rock a little.

My copperband from him ate day 1. Start with live blackworm and switch to frozen. Mine ate LRS herbivore frenzy the first day.
Try to intercept the UPS truck OR have a nearby UPS terminal hold them and go pick them up so that they are not driving around in a cold truck all morning.

Got CBB in 2018 when Salgado was in New York

 

[th365thli]

My copperband from him ate day 1. Start with live blackworm and switch to frozen. Mine ate LRS herbivore frenzy the first day.
Try to intercept the UPS truck OR have a nearby UPS terminal hold them and go pick them up so that they are not driving around in a cold truck all morning.

Got CBB in 2018 when Salgado was in New York

Do you get live blackworms online? I can't find any locally. If so, do you mind sharing the online vendor?

Beautiful tank btw, I hope to one day reach that size

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you get live blackworms online? I can't find any locally. If so, do you mind sharing the online vendor?

Beautiful tank btw, I hope to one day reach that size

Worms are seasonal but you can try frozen or even live brine shrimp

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I received a shipment of fish from NYAquatic based off reviews. Blue hippo, purple, pearscale butterfly, copperband.

The pearscale was dead on arrival. The purple tang and copperband seem okay. THe blue hippo seems very stressed is not looking too hot. Lying in the acclimation bucket (per Mike of NYAqautics instructions on acclimation).

All inner bags were leaking. The salt gravity of the bags was 1.030g pretty high. Kind of disappointed in the experience honestly. What should I do? Still follow his instructions or do something else from the hippo???

NYaquatic sucks… Bought a moorish idol from him a few years ago that had bad velvet. Never answered an email when I told him what happened. I believe them to be the worst livestock vender of them all.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Hope you quarantined them. The moorish idol he sent me came without a dot on him(obviously kept in copper to suppress symptoms). Absolutely covered from head to toe with velvet 5 days later by himself in my qt tank.

 

[th365thli]

Hope you quarantined them. The moorish idol he sent me came without a dot on him(obviously kept in copper to suppress symptoms). Absolutely covered from head to toe with velvet 5 days later by himself in my qt tank.

I did not, and this is based off of talking with him. He claims therapeutic level of copper for at least 7 days. My display is fairly new (only a regal angel essentially) with only live rock, so I'm prepared to treat my main display. I have a 20 gallon bucket of RODI ready for a freshwater bath if necessary.

That's not the first time I've heard of velvet from them. Hopefully he's altered his processes and truly uses therapeutic levels of copper. Many others have had success. With online you're essentially just rolling the dice.

Sucks about your experience. I would hope a vendor would make things right. I had followed procedure and sent him pictures of the dead Pearlscale immediately after delivery. He has not responded yet. If he does not respond tmrw I think I'll need to call him.

 

[th365thli]

@vetteguy53081 how long can fish be in a bag? They shipped yesterday afternoon but ups days delivery by 7pm today. Starting to worry

 

[Jay Hemdal]

@vetteguy53081 how long can fish be in a bag? They shipped yesterday afternoon but ups days delivery by 7pm today. Starting to worry

Generally, shipped fish are fine for 24 hours and o.k. for 36. Too many variables to say for sure though: type of fish, packing density, outside air temperature, even how roughly the box gets handled during shipment all play a role.

Jay