Shipped fish?
- Thread starter alter40
- Start date
Man, this stinks. 
Just a note on shipping I'd like to share while we're on the (seemingly endless) topic...
I know it doesn't do you much good now, but it might come in handy for future reference. USPS overnight shipping has always worked well for me. Sender mails them out an hour or two before the delivery trucks pick them up (usually late afternoon), and the USPS truck drops em' off at my door at around 8:00AM the very next day. If you ever end up having fish shipped to you again, I'd maybe give the USPS overnight a shot.
That said, temperatures have been fairly chilly as of late, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm almost certain that's what did them in; especially if it took several days for them to get to you. During the time the fish spent in transit, the cold may have done them in regardless of which shipping method was used.
BV
Just a note on shipping I'd like to share while we're on the (seemingly endless) topic...
I know it doesn't do you much good now, but it might come in handy for future reference. USPS overnight shipping has always worked well for me. Sender mails them out an hour or two before the delivery trucks pick them up (usually late afternoon), and the USPS truck drops em' off at my door at around 8:00AM the very next day. If you ever end up having fish shipped to you again, I'd maybe give the USPS overnight a shot.
That said, temperatures have been fairly chilly as of late, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm almost certain that's what did them in; especially if it took several days for them to get to you. During the time the fish spent in transit, the cold may have done them in regardless of which shipping method was used.
BV
That just sucks. *SICK*
I would email him a quick note just to let him know, without expecting a response back. As a matter of personal opinion, I would never trust fish being shipped anything other than over night (though I have done it two or three day before with no problems, but in better weather). Shrimp and plants seem to be a different matter and OK with longer times in transit.
My major advice to you Alter, and to anyone reading this thread: It happens. Don't let a bad experience turn you totally off from getting fish online or shipped to you. I'm sure thousands of fish are shipped everyday just fine. How else do the stores get them to sell? I've heard plenty of horror stories from LFS about the shipping companies messing something up and leaving entire boxes of fish out in the weather. It's going to happen, nothing is perfect or fool proof.
Maybe next time your ready for some apisto's Alter, you'll have some luck with finding some at the LFS or a local breeder.
I would email him a quick note just to let him know, without expecting a response back. As a matter of personal opinion, I would never trust fish being shipped anything other than over night (though I have done it two or three day before with no problems, but in better weather). Shrimp and plants seem to be a different matter and OK with longer times in transit.
My major advice to you Alter, and to anyone reading this thread: It happens. Don't let a bad experience turn you totally off from getting fish online or shipped to you. I'm sure thousands of fish are shipped everyday just fine. How else do the stores get them to sell? I've heard plenty of horror stories from LFS about the shipping companies messing something up and leaving entire boxes of fish out in the weather. It's going to happen, nothing is perfect or fool proof.
Maybe next time your ready for some apisto's Alter, you'll have some luck with finding some at the LFS or a local breeder.
I hear what you're saying, Orion. But, this whole experience really does turn me off. Buying on-line always seemed like such a sketchy proposition in the first place. I always just figured that it's easier and better for the fish if you can find them at a LFS and bring them home from there.
But, what you wrote occurred to me, too: even the LFS of the world need their fish shipped to them. So, maybe I'll reconsider. Still, I prefer seeing what I'm buying before I pay.
But, what you wrote occurred to me, too: even the LFS of the world need their fish shipped to them. So, maybe I'll reconsider. Still, I prefer seeing what I'm buying before I pay.
Hehe. Buy from me, I won't let you down! jk
jk
However, I may be able to provide you with some ghost shrimp (not that I should be counting those chickens before they hatch) or swordtails in due time.
Now now, I totally agree. I think most anyone would agree that we would rather see the fish we are buying before we buy them. But in Alters case, he couldn't find these fish close to him, so he had two choices. Do without, or get them shipped. I've chosen both before, and sometimes, each choice sucked. (we always want what we can't have)
Think of it this way: When you were 14, and you've never driven before, and you saw your first car accident. Would you let that one incident put you off of driving because of some unknown circumstances that YOU didn't know about? Sure, accidents happen and people wreck, but for the amount of people (much less the idiots) on the road it's amazing much more wrecks don't occur. Same thing with shipping fish in a manner of speaking. It's all a calculated risk. And no, it's not for all people, and I'm not trying to say that it is. Hell, it's rather pricey for one thing. I just don't want people to totally make up their mind based upon Alters unfortunate experiences. And his isn't the only shipping mishap that's ever happened, but for every one that goes wrong, I'm sure that there are hundreds (if not much more) that go perfect.
Think of it this way: When you were 14, and you've never driven before, and you saw your first car accident. Would you let that one incident put you off of driving because of some unknown circumstances that YOU didn't know about? Sure, accidents happen and people wreck, but for the amount of people (much less the idiots) on the road it's amazing much more wrecks don't occur. Same thing with shipping fish in a manner of speaking. It's all a calculated risk. And no, it's not for all people, and I'm not trying to say that it is. Hell, it's rather pricey for one thing. I just don't want people to totally make up their mind based upon Alters unfortunate experiences. And his isn't the only shipping mishap that's ever happened, but for every one that goes wrong, I'm sure that there are hundreds (if not much more) that go perfect.
Yeah, I know. And, I may be even closer to ordering shipped fish than I think. I'd like to put a small SA cichlid in my 10G when (if) my 29G gets finished cycling. The only such cichlid I can find are mikrogeophagus altispinosus (a.k.a. Ruby Clown Cichlids, a.k.a. that fish I keep confusing with German Blue Rams, a.k.a. that cichlid I fear is just a little larger than I'd like ). So, when the time comes, I will still consider having one shipped to me if I can't get any of my LFS to bring some in.
It would be irrational to extrapolate to all shipped fish orders based on one experience. If it were that risky a proposition, people probably wouldn't do it.
). So, when the time comes, I will still consider having one shipped to me if I can't get any of my LFS to bring some in.It would be irrational to extrapolate to all shipped fish orders based on one experience. If it were that risky a proposition, people probably wouldn't do it.
