How long can you float newly shipped animals?

[Mcdonalds]

Hey, just wondering if I were to order some kind of invert online, how long could it float in its bag before it’s opened. For example, if I’m not home and it arrives, but someone who is can just put the bag in the tank for a few hours until I can get to it. It probably depends on the animal but I’m mainly wondering about crabs. snails, anemones, or even possibly fish.
Thank you

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

fish and crabs and things like that assuming your tank parameters are the same, then 15-30 minutes should be good. Anemones and other inverts/clams/scallops, things like that, I think it's better to open them up and slowly add some existing water from your tank into the container over the course of an hour. I have a drip acclimation tube and a styrofoam container that some of my fish were sent in, so personally, I believe that's the best way to do it, but if you don't have that, then I would say just follow the 15-30 minute float acclimation and you should be ok for the most part. The anemone might not take as well to that though as they tend to be quite sensitive to sudden water parameter adjustments.

 

[Bobblehead]

Hey, just wondering if I were to order some kind of invert online, how long could it float in its bag before it’s opened. For example, if I’m not home and it arrives, but someone who is can just put the bag in the tank for a few hours until I can get to it. It probably depends on the animal but I’m mainly wondering about crabs. snails, anemones, or even possibly fish.
Thank you

I’ve done it for a few hours, with only a couple of small issues. Had my brother come over to receive the package and to float bags in back chamber of tank. It slipped my mind that the ATO sensor will start going off with the increased water level so I got some panicked messages about an alarm going off. Shortly after that was sorted I started getting a bunch of messages about foam overflowing everywhere. Forgot about my skimmer too.

But yeah, everything in my order was just fine.

 

[Woodyman]

Hey, just wondering if I were to order some kind of invert online, how long could it float in its bag before it’s opened. For example, if I’m not home and it arrives, but someone who is can just put the bag in the tank for a few hours until I can get to it. It probably depends on the animal but I’m mainly wondering about crabs. snails, anemones, or even possibly fish.
Thank you

Obviously the sooner the better. But to answer your question it will be fine for a few hours until you get home. Granted there isn't anything already dead (to kill other things packed in the same bag) and there hasn't already been a delay in shipping.