How long can a fish be in a bag

[henryriesett]

Hello everyone. I recently ordered from an online store, and they are going to be shipping my order out tomorrow night, for delivery the next morning. I was wondering if my fish would be safe if I were to acclimate them in the afternoon, around 2:45. Would they be able to last that long in a bag? I put this as an emergency because this could be life or death for my fish. Thank you.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hello everyone. I recently ordered from an online store, and they are going to be shipping my order out tomorrow night, for delivery the next morning. I was wondering if my fish would be safe if I were to acclimate them in the afternoon, around 2:45. Would they be able to last that long in a bag? I put this as an emergency because this could be life or death for my fish. Thank you.

It will probably be fine as long as the temp stays in range.
But you might want to read the vendor's DOA policy as many start the clock as soon as the delivery notification is sent...

 

[WaterWerks]

One fish per bag? 12-24 hours depending on size of fish.
Size of bag. 30 percent water 70 percent O2 is how we always shipped fish for 12plus hours of transit. Larger fish get a bigger bag to help keep them wet if the bag happened to get in it’s side. Ammonia levels and temp is the main issue with transport normally.
Does your online retailer have a DOA. Dead on arrival policy.

 

[henryriesett]

One fish per bag? 12-24 hours depending on size of fish.
Size of bag. 30 percent water 70 percent O2 is how we always shipped fish for 12plus hours of transit. Larger fish get a bigger bag to help keep them wet if the bag happened to get in it’s side. Ammonia levels and temp is the main issue with transport normally.
Does your online retailer have a DOA. Dead on arrival policy.

Yes there is a 15 day DOA insurance. The fish I am getting are two wrasses, in two separate bags. The temperature outside will be around 75. Do you think it should be fine?

 

[Spare time]

Probably fine. Just float it and then put it in the QT or display if you don't have a QT.

 

[henryriesett]

It will probably be fine as long as the temp stays in range.
But you might want to read the vendor's DOA policy as many start the clock as soon as the delivery notification is sent...

There is a 15 day DOA insurance.

 

[Fish Fan]

It will probably be fine as long as the temp stays in range.
But you might want to read the vendor's DOA policy as many start the clock as soon as the delivery notification is sent...

Agreed. The time frame is fine, a fish can be in a bag for much longer than you may think. But you really need to watch for temp swings. It can't sit on your doorstep in the hot sun for three hours, or it will over heat.

I just missed your most recent post. 75 degrees is great, but if the box is sitting in the hot sun for even 15 minutes, you may have a problem. It's best to be there when your livestock is delivered.

There is a 15 day DOA insurance.

DOA means Dead On Arrival, so this is different from a warranty that says if you get your fish and it dies like 4 days later in your tank, you're protected. Many vendors will expect you to accept the package when it's delivered, and not leave it out in the weather for an extended period of time. As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said, they may "start the clock" from the time your package is left at your doorstep. Please check the full DOA policy from your supplier.

Can you have a neighbor just bring it inside when it arrives?

And who did you order from?

Best of luck with your order!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

There is a 15 day DOA insurance.

But does it apply only if you start the acclimation process immediately upon delivery?

 

[WaterWerks]

There is a 15 day DOA insurance.

Then they are doing everything “right” on their end to send you fish safe for transport. Normal acclimation would be a safe bet. 20 minutes of floating and water acclimating after that is all we ever do. We also do a fresh water dip or rapid quarantine and have good success.
We have an ich management tank. So we just make sure we don’t get any other unwanted guests

 

[henryriesett]

Agreed. The time frame is fine, a fish can be in a bag for much longer than you may think. But you really need to watch for temp swings. It can't sit on your doorstep in the hot sun for three hours, or it will over heat.

I just missed your most recent post. 75 degrees is great, but if the box is sitting in the hot sun for even 15 minutes, you may have a problem. It's best to be there when your livestock is delivered.


DOA means Dead On Arrival, so this is different from a warranty that says if you get your fish and it dies like 4 days later in your tank, you're protected. Many vendors will expect you to accept the package when it's delivered, and not leave it out in the weather for an extended period of time. As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said, they may "start the clock" from the time your package is left at your doorstep. Please check the full DOA policy from your supplier.

Can you have a neighbor just bring it inside when it arrives?

And who did you order from?

Best of luck with your order!

I probably could arrange to have a neighbor bring it inside. I ordered from reef beauties. They have been great so far.

 

[henryriesett]

But does it apply only if you start the acclimation process immediately upon delivery?

I don’t see anything that says that

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I don’t see anything that says that

Might want to read the page again... I just found 2 sections that apply to your situation, one that specifically voids the guarantee if you aren't home to accept the delivery.

"As we are shipping live animals, someone must be available to receive the shipment on the first delivery attempt -- even if the carrier delivers the package late. You will be provided with a tracking number on all shipments. If we find that the package was left outdoors for a period of time, your guarantee will be void.

"If you are not present when your order is delivered, AKA "Delivery Attempted," your guarantee will be voided."

 

[Fish Fan]

Then they are doing everything “right” on their end to send you fish safe for transport.

With great respect, how can you know this? We don't know where the OP is buying their fish from. I guess because they are giving a 15 day guarantee? I do sort of see your reasoning.

Normal acclimation would be a safe bet. 20 minutes of floating and water acclimating after that is all we ever do.

Again, with respect, this won't matter if the poor fish died of overheating in the bag if the OP couldn't get to it in time, and, admittedly, assuming there's high heat where the OP is from.

We also do a fresh water dip or rapid quarantine and have good success.
We have an ich management tank. So we just make sure we don’t get any other unwanted guests

Who is "we"? Are you the vendor of these fish?

I adhere to the R2R approved method of fish quarantine found here, and it's a 74 day process. I know other reefers talk about a 30 or 60 or even 90 day quarantine, but I don't know of any quarantine protocol that's both "quick" and most importantly effective. Would you please elaborate on your methodology here?

One of our R2R experts in fish diseases, Jay Hemdal, has mentioned that freshwater dips are a great way to identify certain pests, but not a great way to treat them. Just an FYI.

It will probably be fine as long as the temp stays in range.
But you might want to read the vendor's DOA policy as many start the clock as soon as the delivery notification is sent...

Again, I'd advise anyone here to listen to what Eeyore is saying. This is a well trusted reefer here on R2R.

 

[Johnd651]

You can also ask if they use pure oxygen or compressed air. I've transported fish for 24 hours but with pure O2 in the bag.

 

[Fish Fan]

You can also ask if they use pure oxygen or compressed air. I've transported fish for 24 hours but with pure O2 in the bag.

Hello from just East of Rochester!

 

[pocketsand]

Temp sounds like it’s not the biggest concern so just focus on getting it acclimated as fast as you can and keep stress levels low

 

[Fish Fan]

Temp sounds like it’s not the biggest concern so just focus on getting it acclimated as fast as you can and keep stress levels low

You're probably right. I think I misread the original post to mean that the OP was planning on leaving the delivery on their door step for possibly a long time. I'd still be worried about temp swings, especially if the package was left out in the weather after delivery even for just a short time.

 

[pocketsand]

Yea, but 75F is probably as good as any truck it’s in. Hopefully just be speedy and it’ll work out.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hello everyone. I recently ordered from an online store, and they are going to be shipping my order out tomorrow night, for delivery the next morning. I was wondering if my fish would be safe if I were to acclimate them in the afternoon, around 2:45. Would they be able to last that long in a bag? I put this as an emergency because this could be life or death for my fish. Thank you.

I would acclimate them as soon as they come. Recently Ive gotten my last two shipments (different vendors) and the bags have been leaking from rough handling of the box. Fish not having any oxygen as it leaked out when the bag was leaking. 100% on UPS not the vendor

 

[Fish Fan]

Yea, but 75F is probably as good as any truck it’s in. Hopefully just be speedy and it’ll work out.

Agreed, but not when the package is left on a doorstep at 74 degrees, but the and hits the box and smokes it. That was my concern, but maybe it's unfounded.