fish shipped in low ph water

[VICTORIA]

Hi
I just got a shipment of fish. I checked the ph in the bags they come in and then aculamate them to my ph. The ph they came in was 7.75. My tank is at 8.3. It took almost 2hrs to complete. Has anyone had this problem ? I looks like I might lose one fish. Do you think I should call the company and complain? Or just let it go? Thank for a reply :?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd call and complain! That way you might get a refund. How did you order it from?

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

However, it's not uncommon for the pH to drop as you've observed (esp. if shipped overseas or across a continent) when fish are shipped. There is only so much a seller can do. If you used a dripline method, then yes, it does take a long time, but it also works very well. It is one of my own preferred methods.
When you say that you acclimated them to your tank, does that mean your q/t tank, or your main display?

There are many other factors to consider when deciding to complain: did the fish arrive too cold? If so, did they arrive in a well-sealed styro inside a box with heat packs? Did the shipper use a particular company to get them to you? Truthfully, once the animals leave the seller's custody it's up to their shipper to keep track of the "bouncing ball", meaning it's up to them to make sure that the animals are moved along as quickly as possible, aren't mishandled, forgotten for long periods of time, left in temperature extremes, etc.

I would suggest calling, but not necessarily just to complain. I would inform them of what you found upon receiving the animals in, tell them what you've done, and give them a chance to make good should you lose any animals.

 

[Jeff_S]

A drip line seems like a great idea. I have always just slowly poured in some water every 10 min. How do you set up your dripline?

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Anonymous]

The easiest way for the home aquarist would be to get either a plastic milk jug (but it's only 1 gal), drill an airline sized hole in the bottom, glue in an airline valve, then attach tubing--using the valve to control the flow. You can also use a 5 gallon bucket to do the same thing.

We had large trays (much like a litterbox) that had the same setup (valve glued in at the bottom vertical edge) but with a small clip glued on to hold the line in place. Then we'd just hook up the from an outlet designed into the return line (from the filters) that didn't require gravity, just the valve and enough line. We'd set both lines to drip at the same rate, and usually had the water completely changed out within anywhere between 1-4 hours. The time taken really depended on several factors, but if it was a situation like Victoria's we'd put them on for about 2 hours. It really depends, like I said.

 

[gemamanda]

The reason the pH was low is because ammonia lowers pH. As the fish sits in the bag being shipped, it will inevitably produce waste... if you call the place you got the fish from, I'm sure they will tell you the same.