[mjoy79]

ok. I'm starting to get upset. I've emailed and called the transshipper and have received no response. I read that it takes a day to get the fish from Thailand to the states so she should have received it yesterday and I certainly should have heard from her already Do you think the breeder will be able to help??

 

[lessandler]

When I got Floyd I was notified by the seller that he had shipped the betta June 19. I got contacted by Julie the same day that it would arrive to her the following day Monday June 20th. So yeah according to them it only took one day. She told me she ships on tuesdays, the morning after the shipment arrives.... So she probably shipped him already yesterday and hopefully because it must obviously be hot in dallas that she took the initiative to add a cold pack.

My guess is she shipped 2-3 day priority and you should get the fish before the end of the week. Sure would be nice if she called you about it or gave you a tracking number I agree. And I totally understand your worry... I probably would be freaking to be honest, but I am neurotic about my pets.

Anyway I would test the water he comes in for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and especially ph. I was told that in thailand the fish are bred in acidic conditions with IAL, so if you have alkaline water, have some RO on hand to try to acclimate him better. When I get mine I plan on putting betta spa in the QT tank. Has IAL and some salt, and will make the tank darker.

Also he will have been in the dark literally for days so don't turn the lights on him for a while and try to keep his tank dark.

Hang in there Joey! You're almost home

 

[mjoy79]

Well I contacted the breeder and he was good and emailed Julie and told her he wanted to make sure I had a good first experience (I made sure to tell him this was my first time importing a fish, lol). I heard from Julie not long later. She said my email had gone to her spam box. She sent me details about how much the shipping would be ($36 including fees). I wrote her back asking if the $28 shipping was the fastest possible and in the memo of the paypal payment I asked if possible please include a cold pack since I live in 100+ tempuratures. Weird that she contacted you first but she had to wait 3 days to check her spam box to find my email. I'm sure I'll get him - probably tomorrow but I'm super worried about his condition.
How long do you think I should acclimate him?

 

[mjoy79]

Anyway I would test the water he comes in for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and especially ph. I was told that in thailand the fish are bred in acidic conditions with IAL, so if you have alkaline water, have some RO on hand to try to acclimate him better. When I get mine I plan on putting betta spa in the QT tank. Has IAL and some salt, and will make the tank darker.

by the way, I have not much knowledge of what you're talking about in this paragraph - with all the accronyms (except i think QT is quarantine).
I'm going to the pet store tonight to get what I need to get him settled in. I've had his tank set up since the weekend and the filter running the whole time. Putting a heater in it tonight too.
I hope that Petsmart has what I need to acclimate a Thai fish

 

[indjo]

lessandler is trying to say that water condition in Thai is more acidic than the US. Use RO (pure water with neutral pH) if your water is more alkaline to acclimate your new betta. IAL (indian almond leaves) can be substituted with oak leaves or black water and works as sort of a sedative as well as anti parasites. It also reduces the acidic level of water (pH).

When acclimating, leave the bag floating in the new water for at least 15 minutes. This should make temp. of both water the same thus avoid temp. shock. Then open the bag and add some tank water very slowly. This should avoid water pram shock.

Your betta just traveled thousands of miles and spent days in a tiny amount of water. He would have been fasted 1-2 days before shipping and during his trip. So he will be weak. This is where the IAL and salt helps his immune system.

Do not feed immediately. Wait until he perks up a bit then feed a very small amount of food. Add more ration the following day .... and so on until regular amount.

Congrats on your new betta and good luck.

 

[mjoy79]

lessandler is trying to say that water condition in Thai is more acidic than the US. Use RO (pure water with neutral pH) if your water is more alkaline to acclimate your new betta. IAL (indian almond leaves) can be substituted with oak leaves or black water and works as sort of a sedative as well as anti parasites. It also reduces the acidic level of water (pH).

When acclimating, leave the bag floating in the new water for at least 15 minutes. This should make temp. of both water the same thus avoid temp. shock. Then open the bag and add some tank water very slowly. This should avoid water pram shock.

Your betta just traveled thousands of miles and spent days in a tiny amount of water. He would have been fasted 1-2 days before shipping and during his trip. So he will be weak. This is where the IAL and salt helps his immune system.

Do not feed immediately. Wait until he perks up a bit then feed a very small amount of food. Add more ration the following day .... and so on until regular amount.

Congrats on your new betta and good luck.

AWESOME! Thank you! By the way, love the fish in your avatar. Beautiful!

 

[indjo]

Almost forgot: it's best not to pour the old water into the new home but move the betta into the new tank after it has been acclimated.

 

[lessandler]

acclimation link

Sorry for the confusing acronyms, thanks for clarification injo.

Here is a link on acclimating that I thought was pretty thorough:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/selectingfish/a/acclimate.htm

Glad to hear you made contact. Your breeder sounds really great on communication. It's nice that he made you feel more important as a aquabid virgin becuase I imagine for some people, particularly transhippers, that it might be percieved as more work and therefore less important.

In my first communication with her I did say that I was interested in purchasing multiple bettas in the future (true but I am not gonna start a farm or anything) in the hopes she'd be nice to me. Guess that worked because she was more responsive in my case.

 

[NCBetta]

Good Information and that is the coolest looking betta in the picture. I love the green fins.

 

[mjoy79]

I finally got confirmation that Joey was shipped. He's scheduled to arrive tomorrow at 3PM. (5 days of being in a dark box?!) I had texted and emailed her before that asking about it with no response. If I do ever choose to go through a breeder again, I will ask that the transshiper not be her. But at this point, I'll be happy with a fish that is alive.

Thank you for that link. I'll follow the instructions tomorrow when I get him. I got pH testers today at the Pet store.

Strangely enough, I got notifications for what appears to be 2 packages. It could be a mistake, because one shows that Joey is in transit and the other shows that the package hasn't left the building. For a minute there, I was thinking she decided to send me another fish, either because of the trouble or thinking there is a chance mine might die.

 

[lessandler]

Just another quick thing if you haven't already used the ph testers... I find (and I think this is universally true) that if you got the paper dip test strips are so far off from actual readings (taken with liquid API master's kit) so as to render them useless. In my case I found the ph to be off nearly an entire point.

But I suppose if you use the same method for both waters it may work? Did not test this theory though...

Well you are better educated than I about proper acclimation (didn't see the link until after) and shipping care so I think Joey is in good hands. Do wait a few days before posting happy glowing reviews to the seller and transhipper though. It often takes 2-3 days for the effect of ammonia burn to be apparent.

Oh and RO, since that acronym wasn't clarified is reverse osmosis water. It's pretty cheap at any drug store. I wouldn't use it as your sole source of water though because it has no mineral content and it detrimental in the long run. If you don't use oak leaves, or a blackwater extract of some sort, I would recommend some aquarium salt, but it is not totally necessary. Just some nice clean ph neutral warm water will do wonders.

And post some pics after a day or so when you can put the light on

 

[mjoy79]

Well he made the trip. Its good to have him home. I can tell the stress really got to him though. He's taken a bite out of some of his fins . He's real mad right now - he wants to get in his tank! But I have to make sure he doesn't go into shock. I'm not doing very well (IMO) because I forgot to test his water before I added some of mine to his bag. I only tested my water. so its pointless now. But I think I'll add to his bag every 15 minutes for about an hour and then let him free. I do hope his fins grow back!
I tried to find some of those leaves at the pet store and couldn't find them. I wish the breeder had put some in with the fish - I read its an anti-stress for the fish

 

[lessandler]

Glad to hear of his safe arrival!!

If you have any questions about his quarantine and care after shipment I think maybe you should start a new thread and perhaps some betta experts can jump in.

Look forward to his speedy recovery

 

[betta lover1507]

wow where do you by warmers???

 

[Mohan85]

really awesome post, thank you for posting it!

 

[jman828]

Good guide and easy to follow. Perfect for people who are selling their spawn for info. Good job

 

[MrVampire181]

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=44187

Just thought I'd add a bit more info

 

[EvilVOG]

Question: When to use heat pads and when not to? like what outside temp?

 

[MrVampire181]

I use heat packs from October to mid April. Heat packs can kill though so use plenty of "stuff" between it and the bags. I use two pieces of paper over the heat pack, a plastic liner, and shredded paper in the liner, then I add the bags.

 

[EvilVOG]

Thanks, i ran into the overheat problem, i was shipping to Alaska and it was mid 40's-50's when i shipped out, having never sent to alaska i went cautious and used the longer heat pad, and the temp jumped to 80's and 90's midway through transit.