All my new fish died overnight in quarantine tank

[WiccaFish]

Guys! I'm so upset!!!
I ordered 6 Roseline Sharks that came yesterday. They were alive but very pale.
All 6 fish have died ??
I did everything right and the only thing I was worried about was that the water in the bag the fish came in was only 60 degrees. I put them in a bucket and did the drip method until the temp came to as close to the quarantine tank temp as possible (off by maybe 2 degrees). The water parameters were good, a heater, a filter, an airstone.
Someone told me not to do the drip method with fish that have been mailed. That the "drop & plop" method is the way to go. Has anyone else heard of that?
Not only did I spend a lot of $$$ on these guys but the fact that they suffered is killing me. I have no idea what went wrong and I honestly don't think the company is going to work with me ?

 

[Barry Tetra]

I’m so sorry for your loss

 

[Essjay]

Someone told me not to do the drip method with fish that have been mailed. That the "drop & plop" method is the way to go. Has anyone else heard of that?

The reason is that the fish will have been respiring and excreting ammonia while they were in the bag. The carbon dioxide produced by respiration would lower the pH in the water so the ammonia would be almost all in the ammonium state. When the bag is opened, the carbon dioxide starts to gas off and the pH rises allowing some of the ammonium to convert back into ammonia.

But this should not have killed the fish so quickly.

 

[WiccaFish]

I’m so sorry for your loss

Thank you

 

[WiccaFish]

The reason is that the fish will have been respiring and excreting ammonia while they were in the bag. The carbon dioxide produced by respiration would lower the pH in the water so the ammonia would be almost all in the ammonium state. When the bag is opened, the carbon dioxide starts to gas off and the pH rises allowing some of the ammonium to convert back into ammonia.

But this should not have killed the fish so quickly.

Could it be that the water they were shipped in was too cold? I had them in the drip bucket until the temp reached the same as the quarantine tank but maybe the 60 degrees during transit was just too cold?

 

[Naughts]

Sorry for your loss.
You did the right thing by acclimatising them to the correct temperature so as not to shock them.
I am inclined to think they died because they had been in transit too long.

 

[WiccaFish]

Thank you. I just hope the company feels the same way and will reimburse me or send me new fish.

 

[didz04]

Hi, i'm really sorry to hear that.
Did the company add a heat pack, or was it a case if temps are already high from one location to the next, heat pack would not have been suitable?
Maybe if you can find out how long it took from the company sending it to arriving at your place? There might be something there for the company to look into if it took longer than it should.
I've never had a fish delivered but should they be delivered with dissolvable oxygen tabs and did they add one?

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

If they don't reimburse, that is beyond lame. Ammonia, or perhaps Nitrite. The tank was cycled, correct?

 

[WiccaFish]

Hi, i'm really sorry to hear that.
Did the company add a heat pack, or was it a case if temps are already high from one location to the next, heat pack would not have been suitable?
Maybe if you can find out how long it took from the company sending it to arriving at your place? There might be something there for the company to look into if it took longer than it should.
I've never had a fish delivered but should they be delivered with dissolvable oxygen tabs and did they add one?

There was a heat pack but it was cold and there were so many layers of paper between the heat pack and the fish I don't think the warmth would have even reached them. I didn't see any tablets in the bag, just a small sponge which I assume was to reduce the ammonia.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

They should have sent them in a bag containing pure oxygen,that’s the way we kept fish alive during a long transit e.g 2 or 3 hours.I would be emailing them as a naive customer to make sure I got the truth.
Sorry to hear that.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Never, ever drip acclimate, ESPECIALLY for shipped fish. As mentioned, for shipped fish, the water becomes acidic and the ammonia is converted to relatively harmless ammonium. Opening the bag and drip acclimating, the ammonium converts back to TOXIC ammonia. Besides, it takes fish days or even weeks for fish to acclimate to a different water chemistry so in spite of the lore, there's no real benefit to drip acclimation.
---
What you should always do is float the bag to equalize the temperature, then 'plop 'n drop' by pouring the bag through a net and transfer the fish to your quarantine tank (never dump the water the water that came with the fish in your tank!)

 

[TWynnB]

---
What you should always do is float the bag to equalize the temperature, then 'plop 'n drop' by pouring the bag through a net and transfer the fish to your quarantine tank (never dump the water the water that came with the fish in your tank!)

So generally the fish won't have issues with parameter differences between bag and tank?

 

[SeaAngel]

Guys! I'm so upset!!!
I ordered 6 Roseline Sharks that came yesterday. They were alive but very pale.
All 6 fish have died ??
I did everything right and the only thing I was worried about was that the water in the bag the fish came in was only 60 degrees. I put them in a bucket and did the drip method until the temp came to as close to the quarantine tank temp as possible (off by maybe 2 degrees). The water parameters were good, a heater, a filter, an airstone.
Someone told me not to do the drip method with fish that have been mailed. That the "drop & plop" method is the way to go. Has anyone else heard of that?
Not only did I spend a lot of $$$ on these guys but the fact that they suffered is killing me. I have no idea what went wrong and I honestly don't think the company is going to work with me ?

If the bag was opened then it voids most companies warranty. However, I would still give it a go. I have gotten partial refund before. Better than nothing. That really sux’s though. So sorry. When I get shipped fish, I float the bag for 15 minutes. Then open and begin adding a little tank water to bag every 10 minutes for 30 minutes or so. Then pour fish in strainer and place in tank. I haven’t lost any new fish since doing this. Again, so sorry his happened to you.

 

[AbbeysDad]

So generally the fish won't have issues with parameter differences between bag and tank?

They might, but since it takes fish days or weeks to acclimate to a different water chemistry, drip acclimation is pointless and for shipped fish, potentially dangerous.

When I get shipped fish, I float the bag for 15 minutes. Then open and begin adding a little tank water to bag every 10 minutes for 30 minutes or so.

As previously mentioned, this is a very risky procedure. Fish in the confined space of a bag produce ammonia that gets converted to relatively harmless ammonium as the pH lowers. Adding tank water raises the pH and the ammonium converts back to toxic ammonia. It's much better to simply acclimate for temperature, then plop 'n drop by pouring the fish and water through a net into a waste bucket, then put the fish in the tank.

edit footnote: I didn't invent "plop 'n drop" - It's a process developed by commercial tropical fish importers to better ensure the survival of shipped fish.