This is a very special batch of corys for me because it is made up of fish I've been trying very hard to get for over a year. This is another shipment from Aquatic_Angels and while they were delayed and extra day by the post office, nevertheless, they arrived safe and sound. (Yes, it happened again!) I'm absolutely delighted with them! 
Since my camera is back from the shop I'm able to take pictures this time, and I hope to show the members who have never had fish shipped through the mail, what to expect and how to deal with them when they arrive.
Here's the package as it arrived at my house. It's well taped and marked which side should be kept up.
The inner Styrofoam box was taped securely too.
Here's what was inside, after removing the layers of newspaper which helped insulate the top:
Here are the four bags of fish, all lined up in my hallway. The blue in the water shows that the seller used Bag Buddies in the water to make the fish comfortable during their trip. The proportion of air to water is good because corys need the extra oxygen to breathe. This helped them stay healthy even though their trip took longer than expected.
After unpacking them I poured each bag into a separate clean container to check the fish. They were all swimming nicely and none appeared to be in the slightest distress. The water temperature was a nice (for these corys) 73.6 degrees F., just a fraction off from the temperature of the unheated tank they will be going into.
This is the results of the pH tests I did on each container. You might be able to see that there is some variation between the bags, and this is why I keep them apart at this stage. Since the pH is quite low, I can tell that it will take some time to get their water tests to show the blue pH 7 reading that the water in my own tanks shows.
Now for the fish!
The first picture is of the C. weitzmani. I've been trying to find more to go along with the three that survived of the batch I bought last fall. This is the first time I've been able to find them:
Here's another one I've been looking for even longer, the C. nattereri. This cory has a navy blue stripe along its side and has even been harder to find than the weitzmani. I currently have three big females and only one male. I hope the addition of these males will liven things up. I'd very much like to be able to breed them.
The next picture shows the long finned C. paleatus. These fish have been selectively bred to produce a line of peppered corys that have extremely long dorsal and ventral fins. These were purchased as "proven breeders," and it looks like he picked his best fish for this purpose.
Later I'll take pictures from a side view so you can get a better look at their dorsal fins.
And last, but not least, are some mixed species of dwarf corydoras that he gave me as a gift. I'm not sure just which are included here, but it's going to be fun figuring it out.
Right now I'm still adding my tank water to the containers at about 1/4 cup every 15-20 minutes and will be starting to add it a little faster until the test results match that of my tank. Each time I do this I manually aerate the water in their container which not only mixes the water but gives them a bit of extra oxygen.
I've already prepared a 20 gallon, bare bottomed, quarantine tank for them to stay in until I'm sure the stress of their trip does not cause them to have any problems. I've added about two teaspoons of aquarium salt to the water too, which will help them adjust to their new environment, and will gradually be removed through water changes.
Thanks for looking everyone, and thank you Chas. for another batch of beautiful corys!
Since my camera is back from the shop I'm able to take pictures this time, and I hope to show the members who have never had fish shipped through the mail, what to expect and how to deal with them when they arrive.
Here's the package as it arrived at my house. It's well taped and marked which side should be kept up.
The inner Styrofoam box was taped securely too.
Here's what was inside, after removing the layers of newspaper which helped insulate the top:
Here are the four bags of fish, all lined up in my hallway. The blue in the water shows that the seller used Bag Buddies in the water to make the fish comfortable during their trip. The proportion of air to water is good because corys need the extra oxygen to breathe. This helped them stay healthy even though their trip took longer than expected.
After unpacking them I poured each bag into a separate clean container to check the fish. They were all swimming nicely and none appeared to be in the slightest distress. The water temperature was a nice (for these corys) 73.6 degrees F., just a fraction off from the temperature of the unheated tank they will be going into.
This is the results of the pH tests I did on each container. You might be able to see that there is some variation between the bags, and this is why I keep them apart at this stage. Since the pH is quite low, I can tell that it will take some time to get their water tests to show the blue pH 7 reading that the water in my own tanks shows.
Now for the fish!
The first picture is of the C. weitzmani. I've been trying to find more to go along with the three that survived of the batch I bought last fall. This is the first time I've been able to find them:
Here's another one I've been looking for even longer, the C. nattereri. This cory has a navy blue stripe along its side and has even been harder to find than the weitzmani. I currently have three big females and only one male. I hope the addition of these males will liven things up. I'd very much like to be able to breed them.
The next picture shows the long finned C. paleatus. These fish have been selectively bred to produce a line of peppered corys that have extremely long dorsal and ventral fins. These were purchased as "proven breeders," and it looks like he picked his best fish for this purpose.
Later I'll take pictures from a side view so you can get a better look at their dorsal fins.
And last, but not least, are some mixed species of dwarf corydoras that he gave me as a gift. I'm not sure just which are included here, but it's going to be fun figuring it out.
Right now I'm still adding my tank water to the containers at about 1/4 cup every 15-20 minutes and will be starting to add it a little faster until the test results match that of my tank. Each time I do this I manually aerate the water in their container which not only mixes the water but gives them a bit of extra oxygen.
I've already prepared a 20 gallon, bare bottomed, quarantine tank for them to stay in until I'm sure the stress of their trip does not cause them to have any problems. I've added about two teaspoons of aquarium salt to the water too, which will help them adjust to their new environment, and will gradually be removed through water changes.
Thanks for looking everyone, and thank you Chas. for another batch of beautiful corys!
the peppered corys look like they are wearing a shawl lol
I think it was trying to hide in her dorsal fin. 
MTS run amok!
