Has A Shipping Disaster Turned Out Out Ok For You?

[ErehwoN]

I ordered a couple of fish and a frag from a store I've done business with before. They did their thing and got the package to the shipper. Long story very short: Shipment was supposed to go overnight priority but it took 5 days, arriving this past Monday.

Blame has already been resolved here--the shipping company had the package in their possession the entire time and failed to move it along, despite the overnight priority shipping method. The store and I have a good rapport so that relationship is not at issue.

Anyway, the contents seem to have survived, which I attribute to the relatively cool weather between point of sale and destination and a whole lotta luck. One of the fish was none the worse for wear. The second took until this morning to start looking normal but he's looking much improved, eating and likely to survive. The frag is still stressed but seems to have turned around.

My question: Can fish and frags typically withstand being in multilayered plastic bags that long??? I thought after a couple of days they would be soup.

I'd love to hear your experiences!

Thanks,

Jim

 

[ntableman]

I can tell you in my experience it is really hit or miss. SPS seem to not do well in these situations over the long run. Fish and shrimp that I thought were dead have bounced back pretty fast. I once had a fish that was in a bag that leaked and it was empty, but there was enough water in there to keep it wet and such...I still have this fish year later! Shrimp are pretty dang hardy. Clams are the head scratcher for me...I think if they are cool, but not cold, they seem to survive. In the wild clams are out of water for hours at a time in some biomes.

I will say that when I get a shipment that is a mess, I QT them all extra long to help protect them from bullying or other things. I know it isnt always fun, but a week in that QT tank really pays off!

 

[Biokabe]

No, in general, they don't survive in those conditions. You got exceptionally lucky. It obviously depends on what you're ordering and how the shipper packed the box (clearly, your shipper did very well in that regard), but in general, things start turning badly with even a single day of delay. Whenever I've had shipments delayed, it's usually 25-50% dead within a single day late, and 90%+ dead if it's been two or more days late.

 

[Cell]

Sounds like the vendor packed everything very well and should be commended for it as well as sending healthy specimens that were able survive such a delay.