Shipping fish really isn't anything to be worried about. The vast majority of the time it turns out fine. Now is actually a good time to ship fish because the weather is mild. I wouldn't ship fish in the hottest part of the summer or in winter.
Where to buy Amatitlania sp.?
- Thread starter PoopSmart
- Start date
There are a few things you can do, to up the favorable odds when getting fish shipped.
For me the 24 hour or less option is worth a few dollars more.
When fish are shipped I always plan to be home when they arrive, having a box of fish sit on a hot, or cold porch all day lessens chance of success.
or ......If the shipper uses USPS, if possible I call ahead to my local post office, and get to the post office at opening time, and pick up the box, instead of allowing the box to ride around all day in a hot, or cold truck.
With the USPS, and there is specified time of arrival, and it is late, you can recover the cost of shipping.
You may be aware, the Wet Spot on the west coat, has a number of Amatitlania species on their available list,
and Dave's Rare fish in Texas has Siquia.
For me the 24 hour or less option is worth a few dollars more.
When fish are shipped I always plan to be home when they arrive, having a box of fish sit on a hot, or cold porch all day lessens chance of success.
or ......If the shipper uses USPS, if possible I call ahead to my local post office, and get to the post office at opening time, and pick up the box, instead of allowing the box to ride around all day in a hot, or cold truck.
With the USPS, and there is specified time of arrival, and it is late, you can recover the cost of shipping.
You may be aware, the Wet Spot on the west coat, has a number of Amatitlania species on their available list,
and Dave's Rare fish in Texas has Siquia.
If possible, try to find a reputable site close to you with the fish you want. I order from WetSpot frequently. selection, shipping & health are top notch, but I'm in VA & they're in OR. Overnight is $75?. I have to be ordering a lot of fish to swallow that shipping
Yeah, honestly, I got a quote for the Sajicas I asked for a couple days ago. They got back to me today.
6 of them plus shipping is about $100.
I would have stomached that, but they said they are less than a centimeter in length.
At that size I would need to set up another separate smaller grow out tank for them, then pair up in the 40 (since it's already aquascaped), then eventually move them to the 75 years down the line.
So I just said forget it and got a pair of convicts last night. 1 from Petsmart and 1 from Petco to cover my bases.
I have a pair of clowns in my AIO 28g, a betta in a Spec 3, and a pair of chain pet store convicts in a 40 breeder. It's almost a meme how filthy casual my tanks are. It sounds way better if I call it the "Amatitlania biotope".
Looks like you did fine, but curious why 1 cm put you off.
Especially for shipping, the smaller the fish the better, and getting comparable pair is often easier when a large number cichlids grow up together.
$100 for fish and shipping from a trusted vender seems very normal to me.
The last time I received about half dozen C dimerus, they were about 1 cm,
within a short time, they were like this, growing them out in a 75 gal
same with Cribroheros rostrum, they arrived at almost an inch
I grew them out in a 50 gallon, and about a year later, 5-6" almost ready to spawn.
Especially for shipping, the smaller the fish the better, and getting comparable pair is often easier when a large number cichlids grow up together.
$100 for fish and shipping from a trusted vender seems very normal to me.
The last time I received about half dozen C dimerus, they were about 1 cm,
within a short time, they were like this, growing them out in a 75 gal
same with Cribroheros rostrum, they arrived at almost an inch
I grew them out in a 50 gallon, and about a year later, 5-6" almost ready to spawn.
Looks like you did fine, but curious why 1 cm put you off.
Especially for shipping, the smaller the fish the better, and getting comparable pair is often easier when a large number cichlids grow up together.
$100 for fish and shipping from a trusted vender seems very normal to me.
The last time I received about half dozen C dimerus, they were about 1 cm,
within a short time, they were like this, growing them out in a 75 gal
same with Cribroheros rostrum, they arrived at almost an inch
I grew them out in a 50 gallon, and about a year later, 5-6" almost ready to spawn.
I touched on it in the post, but less than 1 cm was far too small (especially when advertised and priced at 2.5 cm - 4 cm) for this tank with the way it is setup. I didn't want to set up another grow out tank with a bare bottom.
I don't like to grow out fry in tanks with substrate and decor since their feeding is so messy. If they have parents I will consider it on a case by case basis to avoid disturbing them.
Maybe it's just overly cautious carry over from growing out discus. I feel like barebottom is way more optimal at that size. It's not even strictly a cost thing, I just value the larger size since the way the tank is already set up!
TL;DR: Advertised size was way off. Need to set up a growout tank to be comfortable with a new fish I have never kept before at that size.
Thanks!
What!? That's like lore! How lucky!
Well if you're ever wanting to unload some fry in the future, maybe I'll have to make a trip to Chicago!
