Shipping bettas

[anti_lite]

how long is too long for a betta to be in the mail?? my fish have been in the shipping process for 3 days now and i'm just a little worried. also is there any special things that i should to to de-stress my betta...i know all about how to adapt them to new water but is there anything else??
anti_lite

 

[adeyc]

sounds a bit long. bettas being anbantoids breath air as well as the normal fishy way of breathing. The have a thing called a labarynth. which is a basic air breathing system. now and again you see them taking gulps of air. it helps them in the wild when there may be a very low O2 content in the water.

How far are the fish comming to get to you?
In this case adding a little stress coat to the water or a very small dose of salt(what's the tank size again?) keep the tank dark for a day or 2, use a towel or a blanket to do this. it'll help settle the fish.
Best thing is to contact the shipper and ask them when you were supposed to get delivery, could be they were sent out later than you thought.

 

[Rose]

It also depends on how they shipped them. Most places will only ship over night that's for live guarantee. Other wise it's 2-3 day with no gurantee. I would contact the person who's shipping them and find out when they shipped them, how they shipped them and when you should get them. That is if you don't already know. Rose

 

[cichlidmaster]

Not quite sure about Bettas, but will assume since they can breath air they could survive a little longer than fish that don't.

When I ship I always send overnight. I have sent fish 2 day priority once at the customers request, but that was very small fry. They did survive the shipping.

As has already been stated, I would contact the shipper and see when the fish were sent.

Did they go postal or through a shipper?

 

[anti_lite]

the bettas are coming from florida and i live in louisiana. they were shipped out on august 5. i'm scheduled to receive them today, august 8...so thats 4 days that they have been in the mail ups is shipping them and its ground service. i'm not sure what method of shipping they used (paper towels, etc.). i had a tracking number the shipper gave to me so i could locate them. i'll be sure to inform ya'll on my bettas condition when they get here...hopefully it will be today.

 

[anti_lite]

they came in @ 2:00 today...they look healthy and are doing great. i have 3 females and 2 males. all the females are pretty fisty and one of the males also. the other male is a little calmer but every once in a while he'll get a burst of energy. i'm acclimating them right now. when should i start feeding them? also do you suggest i put some salt in their water or just leave them be?? thanks for the help

 

[cichlidmaster]

Best thing is to not feed them for 24 hours from the time they arrived, but since they are active you may try just a tad bit of food and see if they accept it. Keep in mind if it's different from what the breeder was feeding them they may not take to it right away so if they don't eat it don't be to concerned.

Still think it's best to not feed till tomorrow though. Also a good idea to keep the tank lights off to let them really settle in.

JMO

 

[anti_lite]

i'll wait till tomorrow to feed them...the tank light is off and they are still doing good...i think they'll adapt quick...but i'm taking it slow...thanks for the help

 

[adeyc]

Glad to here they arrived safe
Don't panic if they refuse your food to start with(try very small amounts) Bettas are notoriously fussy eaters until theyre hungry enough but can still be a bit stubborn. They'll soon realise that your the person with the food.

 

[Rose]

glad to hear they arrived finally. Rose

 

[Tatya]

So glad they arrived ok

 

[anti_lite]

i just fed them and they took to their food fast. i was surprised. just wanted to let you guys know they are doing good