Altums - Expert Advice Needed - Received Shipment

[DTs]

I just received 6 altums via overnight morning delivery and was disappointed to find 2 dead, and two others barely breathing. Shortly after, the third died, and it looks like a fourth one is going to die tonight as it never has been able to swim or "sit" straight, but rather rests on the bottom of the tank.

The water in the shipping bag was 68 degrees so I have a feeling this may be the primary culprit. 3 heatpacks were used, but the box was much too big for the 6 bags, and 3 of them were lying on their side when I opened the box. I supposed they probably got banged around decently.

Anyway, I have two still alive as of tonight, neither are eating brine, but I'm not surprised. They're in very soft water (from a 90 gallon planted tank), and kept at 79 degrees with 4 tbsp. of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water. The quarantine tank is 30 gallons. The supplier told me to keep the temperature between 78-80 degrees and use the salt to suppress fungus. He said to do this for a week.

Any other suggestions on how to hold on to my remaining 2 altums? They're absolutely beautiful fish despite their condition.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

There's no excuse as to why any of the fish should have died. Who is the supplier? Will they honor the cost of the dead fish?

 

[DTs]

The supplier is www.aquaboyaquatics.com. I've documented the deaths via e-mail with pictures, details, etc. I have no reason to think they won't replace the dead fish, but you never know. So far they've been very nice to deal with, with the exception of the bad packing job. But, the real test is when they have to shell out more fish for no money.

We'll see how it goes today.

Oh, I only have one fish still alive. And, it's the only fish that was able to remain upright in the bag when I received it. No surprise that this would be the survivor.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Wild Angelfish
True Altum Angels (columbia) Small $15.00
True Altum Angels (columbia) Med $25.00
True Altum Angels (columbia) Large $35.00

Not bad prices for Altums...but very expensive for dead/dying Altums... What size did you buy?

 

[DTs]

I was charged $35 per fish, so I guess that would be the large size.

They've been very kind so far, and I spoke with them this morning and they said they would replace the fish. They do not have any left however, but are getting another shipment in after Christmas.

Since they're coming from NJ, I really would like to use Delta Dash. A bit more expensive, sure, but I really don't care because my primary concern is having them arrive in excellent condition.

The single Altum left in the 30 gallon quarantine tank doesn't look very thrilled, as these types of fish usually do better in a school so they don't feel "singled out". Do you think it would be helpful to throw a few silver angels in the quarantine tank? I'm hoping they'd help the Altum get back normal.

 

[jiggerpolebill]

something else you may want to consider is waiting another 2 or 3 weeks before ordering anymore. there's no excuse for improper shipping and poor package handling by the courier service, but, this is the busiest time of the year for these people and with rush and pressure to get everything off in a timely manner, ALOT of packages will not get the treatment that they should get. there's a pretty good chance that many of the people that will touch your shipment will not know or even care that there's live fish in there, even when it's printed in large bold letters with orientation markings and the whole works. across the shipping industry, you have thousands of people working for these companies on a temporary basis this time of the year, and when they know they arent staying on past new years, a box is a box is a box to them. again, its no excuse, but unfortunately, a fact of life in the shipping industry. sorry for your losses, but this is something to consider.

 

[DTs]

Thanks, that's excellent advice. I think the biggest culprit was the low temperature. These fish just simply cannot handle it for an extended period of time.

Even if the fish are available for shipment January 1, I will want to wait at least 2 weeks or more, so they can get their strength up for the next ship date. Also, I'm going to try to get them to ship Delta Dash which they said they may do.

What do you think about my suggestion of adding a few domestic angels to help make the Altum feel more confident?