Shipping & Acclimation
Live fish, snails, shrimp, and plants are perishable goods. From the moment we net an animal out of our holding system to the moment it’s swimming in your tank, every step matters. This page walks through how we pack and ship from our facility in Key West, Florida, the drip-acclimation procedure we recommend when your box arrives, the quarantine protocol we encourage for every new arrival, and the terms of our Live Arrival Guarantee.
How we pack
Every order is packed by hand on the morning it ships. We fast our livestock before packing — this reduces ammonia production in transit, which is by far the biggest threat to shipped fish. Each animal goes into a double-bagged poly bag filled with about one-third clean, conditioned tank water and two-thirds pure oxygen drawn from our medical-grade oxygen tanks. Larger or more delicate species ship in oversized “breather” bags, which exchange gas through the bag wall and don’t require oxygen injection.
Bags are then placed inside an insulated styrofoam shipping container. We monitor the National Weather Service forecast for both Key West and your delivery zip code before every shipment. If extreme heat or cold is in the forecast, we’ll hold your order and contact you to reschedule rather than risk a loss.
Orders ship via UPS Next Day Air, depending on what’s faster and safer to your zip code. We always ship on Monday or Tuesday to avoid weekend warehouse delays — that’s why our default delivery status is “Ships on Monday.” A tracking number is emailed to you the moment the label is generated.
When your box arrives
Open the box as soon as possible after delivery — ideally the same hour. Don’t panic if you see condensation or if the water in the bags looks darker than your tank water; that’s normal. Take a photo of the unopened bags and the box interior in case you ever need to make a guarantee claim, then move the bags into a dim room or cover them with a towel.
Do not open the bags immediately. The water inside has accumulated CO2 and dropped in pH during transit, which protects the fish from ammonia (ammonia is far more toxic at higher pH). The moment you open the bag, the CO2 escapes, pH rises, and the ammonia becomes acutely toxic. The acclimation procedure below is designed around this fact.
Our drip acclimation procedure
Drip acclimation is the gentle, gradual mixing of your tank water into the shipping bag, allowing the fish to adjust slowly to your tank’s temperature, pH, hardness, and any other differences. We recommend this method for every species we ship.
- Float the unopened bag in your tank for 15–20 minutes to equalize temperature. Don’t skip this step.
- Pour the bag contents (water and livestock) into a clean container — a plastic specimen cup, a clean bucket, or a dedicated acclimation kit. The container should be deep enough that the fish are fully submerged.
- Set up a drip line from your tank to the container using airline tubing and a small adjustable valve, or a simple knotted-tubing drip. Aim for 2–4 drips per second.
- Drip slowly for 45–60 minutes, until the container’s water volume has roughly tripled. For shrimp, very sensitive species, or large parameter differences between bag and tank, extend to 90 minutes.
- Net the livestock and transfer to the quarantine tank (preferred) or your display tank. Do not add the bag water to your tank — it contains accumulated waste, possible disease vectors, and ammonia.
For Mystery Snails, follow the same procedure but check that they’re alert and moving before transferring. A dormant snail isn’t necessarily dead — if you’re unsure, give it 24 hours in a small container of tank water before declaring loss.
Quarantine — strongly recommended
Even our own fish, sourced from facilities we trust, go through quarantine before they’re added to our display systems. We strongly recommend the same procedure for any livestock you receive — from us, or from any other source. A bare-bottom 10- or 20-gallon tank with a sponge filter (pre-seeded from your main system), a heater, and minimal hardscape is all you need.
Run new arrivals through 2–4 weeks of quarantine. Observe daily for signs of disease: clamped fins, unusual coloration, white spots (ich), gasping at the surface, refusing food, abnormal swimming. Most issues will reveal themselves in the first 7–10 days. If anything appears wrong, you have a small, controlled tank in which to treat — which is dramatically easier and safer than treating a fully stocked display.
Quarantine isn’t just about disease prevention — it’s also a settling-in period for the animal. Many species refuse food for the first day or two after shipping, and a quiet quarantine tank with subdued lighting helps them recover faster.
Our Live Arrival Guarantee
We guarantee live arrival on every order. If any animal arrives dead, follow these steps:
- Take clear photos of the deceased animal still in its sealed shipping bag, with the bag intact (not opened).
- Email help@jojoaquatics.com within 2 hours of delivery with the photos, your order number, and a brief description of what you observed.
- We will refund the cost of the affected livestock (not shipping) or ship a replacement on the next scheduled ship day, your choice.
The guarantee does not cover deaths after acclimation, deaths during acclimation if our procedure isn’t followed, deaths from incompatible tankmates or untreated water, or shipments that are refused, undeliverable, or held at the carrier facility beyond the original delivery date. Our goal is to make this rare — most shipments arrive in perfect condition, and we’d rather invest in better packing than process claims.
Questions before you order
If your area is forecast to hit extreme temperatures, if you’re going to be out of town the week of delivery, or if you have any other timing concern, just email us. We’re a small operation, we respond personally, and we’d much rather delay a shipment by a few days than risk your livestock. Reach us anytime at help@jojoaquatics.com.
