Transhipped fish??? LivestockUSA???

[Cassian]

Hello all! I’m looking to get a box of fish from Livestock USA. These would be wild fish straight from the collectors in Fiji, Iran, etc. seeing as how most fish you buy are wild, would these be the same as buying from live aquaria or other online retailers? Do they have more or less complications? Any reviews on livestock USA.org?

 

[EmdeReef]

Never ordered from them but just checked the page and this may actually be better than some of the online retailers which use wholesalers. Wholesaler tanks are likely a major contributor to all the pest issues we seem to face in the hobby.

I would quarantine/observe treat if necessary or treat prophylactically just like any other fish bought online or from a lfs.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Hello all! I’m looking to get a box of fish from Livestock USA. These would be wild fish straight from the collectors in Fiji, Iran, etc. seeing as how most fish you buy are wild, would these be the same as buying from live aquaria or other online retailers? Do they have more or less complications? Any reviews on livestock USA.org?

Transhipped fish require a more advanced acclimatization process to mitigate losses due to the long time in the shipping bags. If you are not familiar with the proper ways to handle this your loss rates could be excessive. Please ask experienced individuals that have transhipping experience how they would prepare for arrival before you place the order. Wish you well on your adventure.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

You need to match temp and salinity. Then open bags and immediately place in qt.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

You need to match temp and salinity. Then open bags and immediately place in qt.

This method could result in toxic shock due to the rapid rise in PH in the new water. Not the method most large scale operations use due to the damage to the fish. If you have had good success with this method I apologize for my comments. I never had success when I ignored the suppressed PH in the bags.

 

[Hemmdog]

Wow interesting site. I think you discovered the last place in the world that can get Fiji live rock! I’m ordering some ASAP!

 

[EmdeReef]

Livestock already does that, they repack fish in new bags

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I’m more concerned about ammonia burn. However it’s been a long time since I have done this. I was also thinking they get repacked at LAX.

 

[Hermie]

I had a FW betta fish transhipped before, it was straight from thailand. Was an awesome experience but unfortunately it died from my own fault many months later.

 

[Cassian]

Thanks for the replies everyone!! I will do some research and make sure I acclimate them properly. I’ll post updates on this in my build thread if anyone wants to see how they do. I’ll be ordering them this week. Any more suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Hemmdog]

Thanks for the replies everyone!! I will do some research and make sure I acclimate them properly. I’ll post updates on this in my build thread if anyone wants to see how they do. I’ll be ordering them this week. Any more suggestions are greatly appreciated!

How many are you getting? From that website I took it as you needed to get a minimum amount of fish. It looked like 10-12 was the minimum. That’s a lot of fish if you don’t have a few dedicated big qt’s. Can’t beat some of those prices though wow, especially the angels.

 

[Cassian]

How many are you getting? From that website I took it as you needed to get a minimum amount of fish. It looked like 10-12 was the minimum. That’s a lot of fish if you don’t have a few dedicated big qt’s. Can’t beat some of those prices though wow, especially the angels.

I’m going to get the Bali I think so about 15 depending on how many large fish I get. I’ve got a 20 and 10 gal qt I can use. Also have a spare 60 gal tank I could setup if I 100% need it. Any thoughts on that?

Also yes, those prices are amazing

 

[Cassian]

@HotRocks , I usually use your qt procedure. Would you recommend anything different for these fish? (Transhipped direct to me) or is everything in your procedure good for these guys?

#reefsquad any advice on quarantining/caring for direct transhipped fish?

 

[saltyhog]

I won't speak for HotRocks but I wouldn't do anything different for transhipped fish. I would think there would be a lot less risk for them than those going through the wholesalers and retailers. That's where a lot of infectious disease comes from IMO.

 

[HotRocks]

I have never actually received an order that was transhipped. However I would treat the fish exactly the same as far as a QT protocol goes.

@Lowell Lemon is a very experienced aquarist and has experience on the commercial side of things. Any advice he has may be very beneficial as far as acclimating the fish when they arrive.

The fish are much cheaper but from speaking with others in the LFS business the losses are generally higher than wholesale livestock ordered from within the US due to the extended travel.

The plus side is you skip the us distribution chain, so disease may or may not be as much of an issue, but as I mentioned I would use my normal protocol as far as the new fish are concerned.

 

[vetteguy53081]

owning a pet store, I have transshipped. Basically it arrives to U.S. Facility and is repacked and shipped to your nearest airport for pickup. Fish are cheap in this manner but a risk on health of fish due to the multiple stops and transport.

 

[Cassian]

I have never actually received an order that was transhipped. However I would treat the fish exactly the same as far as a QT protocol goes.

@Lowell Lemon is a very experienced aquarist and has experience on the commercial side of things. Any advice he has may be very beneficial as far as acclimating the fish when they arrive.

The fish are much cheaper but from speaking with others in the LFS business the losses are generally higher than wholesale livestock ordered from within the US due to the extended travel.

The plus side is you skip the us distribution chain, so disease may or may not be as much of an issue, but as I mentioned I would use my normal protocol as far as the new fish are concerned.

Thanks for the info! It is much appreciated

 

[Cassian]

owning a pet store, I have transshipped. Basically it arrives to U.S. Facility and is repacked and shipped to your nearest airport for pickup. Fish are cheap in this manner but a risk on health of fish due to the multiple stops and transport.

Thanks for the info! Do you have a lot of deaths? I have about 75% death rate from live aquaria now, that’s why I’m giving this a go

 

[HotRocks]

Thanks for the info! Do you have a lot of deaths? I have about 75% death rate from live aquaria now, that’s why I’m giving this a go

What type of fish have you been losing, and do you know why? 75% is pretty high even from LA IME.

 

[Cassian]

What type of fish have you been losing, and do you know why? 75% is pretty high even from LA IME.

Wrasses, angels, goby, etc. I haven’t been impressed with them lately

Don’t know why I’ve been losing them. I just wake up one day and they died overnight. Even when it’s a clean qt with no meds in it yet. Maybe I just had a bad streak of luck, but I don’t know. Either way I’m done with LA. The customer service is crap now.