Blotched anthias

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

Just my luck, he said he had that anthias for a month too. With my experience with fish is that they will live or they will die. I guess the term survival of the fittest comes in play. Thanks guys for your help with my situation.

Wspangler · May 2, 2016

Vu337 said:
Just my luck, he said he had that anthias for a month too. With my experience with fish is that they will live or they will die. I guess the term survival of the fittest comes in play. Thanks guys for your help with my situation.

I'm curious if you drip acclimated? I did not drip acclimate mine and it did just fine. The only fish I've ever lost within days were ones I dripped. Maybe a coincidence, maybe added stress or maybe damage from ammonia. I don't bother with it anymore. I've never had fish shipped to me. I've always bought from a LFS. This could play into the stress as well.

Lionfish Lair · May 2, 2016

You deserve a credit on both fish. It doesn't make a difference if you've already received some credit for the first, if the second falls within the warranty range, you should get it for that one as well. Just because it lived for a month elsewhere and died when placed in your tank, doesn't mean it was your tank that killed them. The biggest common denominator is the shipping they just went through.

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

i wish everyone thinks like you lionfish lair, thats why u gotta love liveaquaira

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

by the way my current fish is yellow and purple tang, pair of flame wrasse and female rhombid in which i got them from pictureque from hawaii, mystery wrasse, pyei wrasse, ornate leopard wrasse. bellus angelfish, and gold stripe marron clownfish

ChristopherKriens · May 2, 2016

Sorry to hear. Based on my experiences with them, I would bet that you'd have much better luck by simply switching vendors.

Mike in CT · May 2, 2016

When I received my blotchy from the same vendor, the shipping water was 1.017
Luckily I was using a 10g Qt so I was able to adjust it for saltinity. I have also don't acclimate shipped fish for more then temp because I know a few people who import large quantities of fish, who found worst results by long acclimation then just by temp.
I also don't believe that a fresh water bath is tougher on a fish then a permanent jump in salinity.
We can jump in 32 degree water for a few minutes and be ok, but if your in 50 degree water for an hour, your prolly going to be in rough shape.
Also, I don't want to kick someone when their down, but if your spending hundreds of dollars on a fish, a $40 QT would be a worthy investment.

Hogan · May 2, 2016

I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't acclimate my fish. I float the bag for 15 min, the get the fish out of that crappy water and into good water. I've had great success with it (and I've got a blotched anthias and a purple tang from NY Aquatics and both are great). I used to drip and have it double the bag's water volume in 30 min till at the Mountain West Reef Fest a few years ago (which is coming back in September!!!!) Sustainable Aquatics gave a presentation and said when they get fish orders, they don't drip them at all but try to get them out of that nasty water as fast as possible. So I switched and haven't had a problem!

Triggreef · May 2, 2016

If the fish is over nighted to you, drip acclimation can kill even a healthy fish. Not sure at all why many vendors suggest this.

Reason being, ammonia is NOT toxic at low pH. When you ship, the pH naturally drops. This is why fish can live in shipping water at 5ppm ammonia. Don't believe that? Test your bag water next time you get a fish in the mail.

When you drip acclimate, your pH rises, causing extremely toxic ammonia burn. That is most likely why those fish died.

Don't buy mail order fish unless you set up a quarantine. This way you can adjust the water on the fly to the same specific gravity the fish arrive in. Then temp acclimate and drop them in.

All vendors ship at different sg but most are around 1.019 and I even had one ship at 1.028!

I used to lose a lot of fish similar to your experience before I learned about ammonia toxicity. Not anymore.

eatbreakfast · May 2, 2016

Mike in CT said:
I also don't believe that a fresh water bath is tougher on a fish then a permanent jump in salinity.
We can jump in 32 degree water for a few minutes and be ok, but if your in 50 degree water for an hour, your prolly going to be in rough shape.

That's comparing two completely unrelated aspects.

The affects of osmotic shock on cells and the fishes organs is pretty well understood, and a greater jump in difference of salinity has a greater and more immediate affect than a smaller jump.

Mike in CT · May 2, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
That's comparing two completely unrelated aspects.

The affects of osmotic shock on cells and the fishes organs is pretty well understood, and a greater jump in difference of salinity has a greater and more immediate affect than a smaller jump.

I still would think after the stress of shipping, one less thing for the fish to have to overcome to survive, would make adjusting the QT to the shipping water would be a good idea.

Mike in CT · May 2, 2016

The reason LA can have such a great warranty is that they have the cost of the fish that they have to replace, built into the price. They usually sell Blotchys at 3 times the price that NY aquatics sells them.

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

i'm not saying that nyaquatics are bad at all. i'm just sad that i can't keep that particular fish. Like i said earlier it would have been last fish. Well maybe i always say that. Lol

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

I'll tell you guys how i exactly acclimate them in a few just waiting to see what happens.

Mike in CT · May 2, 2016

For the record, i also received a longnose hawkfish with my blotchy, it did not look good and was dead the next day.
Received store credit after I sent a pic. When I reordered another hawkfish I also ordered Dimond goby. This time the hawkfish did great, but the goby came in bad shape, and barely pulled through. He was on his side breathing hard for hours till he finally righted himself and he was able to pull through. So sometimes it's just the luck of the draw.

Vu337 · May 2, 2016

exactly thats what im saying but it just suck for a fish u really want.

Triggreef · May 2, 2016

Wow I just had to edit my post #29. What I said made no sense I apologize. I didn't proof read that.

Also to add to my point about ammonia toxicity, those ammonia neutralizers like amquil, all they do is lower your pH so that the ammonia is no longer as toxic. You can easily test that to prove the point. The ammonia is still there, just not as toxic.

Vu337 · May 11, 2016

Ok I have tried the drip acclimation, no drip nome have worked. Finally I brought my 3 Rd fish from him and I picked a regal angelfish one it will be my last fish cause it don't have a guarantee so if it dies I'm done with this guy. Guess what none never made it towards the next day. I think I learn something today I tested the salinity after a quick drip that it was at 1.017 wow that's pretty low, I guess that's what done it! I never had this kind of fish luck in my 5 yrs of reefing from anyone. Took me over $330 to find out why, it's me too I need to do more to make it work. But anyone thinking about buying fish here please use me as an example of a newbie. Thanks everyone with the advice!