Please help! Snow delay! How long can fish survive?

[striker]

There is a snow delay over here in NYC and I have to leave for work in about an hour. I'm waiting for a fed ex shipment of fish and inverts and I'm worried I won't be able to acclimate them until I get back at 10:30 tonight. Will they survive? If I receive the animals in the last minute should I just skip acclimation and put into tank or float baggies and wait till tonight? Please help!

 

[buzz]

I would think that after waiting that long, a good acclimation would be even more important, as the fish would be weaker and more stressed...
I would at least float the baggies. If you skip acclimation, and the fish look like they are in good shape, there is a chance they may survive, but IMO a greater chance you will come home to a tank of dead fish. They are all ready stressed from the shipping, I'm sure...

 

[ophiura]

Good day to take a sick day!
Really, it isn't all that great to leave them in there....each passing hour becomes more risky. They are swimming around in increasing amounts of ammonia, after all. Also you may wish to call whomever you bought them from, and ask, theoretically, about it....but you may risk a warranty. I'm not sure how that would work, but some stores don't pack fish in anticipation of extended periods of shipping. Wastes space and money...
Buzz, haven't heard much from you!? Hope all is well?

 

[buzz]

Doing good! Thanks for asking. Just been really busy the last few days, and haven't had much time to post.

 

[striker]

Unfortunately it's the free UBUILD IT from swfish.com contest so there definitely won't be a refund or doa policy. I'm just wondering which one will be less stressful. Putting them in right away before I head to work(If they even arrive) or waiting till tonight. Going in late or calling sick are out of the question. I was so happy to win the contest but now I'm thinking that maybe my luck has run out.

 

[buzz]

It's a tough call...both will be stressful. That is a long time to sit in bags with no new water...ammonia bath.
But it may be equally stressful to skip acclimation, especially after being shipped like that. They will also likely be very cold, and need a gradual acclimation.
Which brings up something else to think about. If they don't get delivered by the time you leave for work, what happens? Does FedEx leave them on a doorstep or something? Sounds to me like you may have some fishcicles when you get home...

 

[striker]

10 minutes before I leave and still no fed ex. Weathers pretty bad so I'm not blaming them but I am pretty upset. I'm going to have my uncle sign for the shipment and float the bags in my tank but he won't be able to acclimate. Hopefully they'll survive.

 

[ophiura]

Yikes...hope it is not a leave them on the front door situation. If that is the case, I would leave a note or something on the door, and ask them to leave it with a neighbor (that there are live animals in the box).
Also, you may wish to call FedEx and see what can be done...

 

[robn70]

striker, you can leave fed ex a note to leave them at my place here in NJ. I decided on the sick day from work. so i'm sitting here on the net look at the tank and watching the snow fall.