Terms of service
January 2024
DOA/Credit Policy:
We provide a live arrival guarantee on all livestock. If you experience additional losses or issues within 24 hours of arrival please contact us to report the issue and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Reporting:
All DOA claims must be documented via email to your sales person (Pat@carolinaaquatics.com or Amy@carolinaaquatics.com) including photos and the invoice number within 24 hours of delivery or arrival time. Photos must be clear and in normal lighting conditions (not all blue) to ensure accurate identification. We reserve the right to request additional photos or documentation before issuing credit. Claims sent after the 24 hour reporting period will not be honored.
Additionally, if you receive livestock that appears extra stressed or is experiencing health issues at the time of arrival please be sure to notify us within that 24 hour period so we can make a note of it should an issue arise later. We will not accept claims for livestock that “arrived bad” without being notified first.
Your feedback helps us improve, so if you can report any additional information such as: water temperature, condition of water in bag, or packing/handling issues we appreciate it as it gives us an opportunity to look into and address potential issues on future orders.
Feeders:
Feeders are not guaranteed. Any full bags that arrive DOA can be claimed or taken off your invoice total by your driver at the time of delivery but we will not accept claims for losses after arrival.
-DOA claims that meet these guidelines will be credited toward your next order.
Receiving a delivery:
-Animal pans must be sent back with the driver. If you meet the driver you will need to bring something to safely carry the animals in. There is a $50 charge for pans that do not get returned to us.
-Fish boxes must be sent back with the driver to avoid a $10 box charge per box.
Acclimation of Saltwater Fish, Inverts, and Corals:
Corals:
Corals are at a salinity of 1.024. Temperature acclimate by floating for 15-20 minutes. Cut the bags open and take the coral out, then place in your tank. No drip acclimation necessary.
SW Fish:
Saltwater fish are at a salinity of 1.019. We recommend that you drip acclimate your saltwater fish for around an hour with a steady drip from the tank they are going in. The drip rate should be the equivalent to increasing the water volume in the bucket 2.5-3 times. You should aim to have the drip increase the initial water volume by 2.5-3 times within that hour. So for example starting with 1 gallon of packing water after the hour drip the volume should be 2.5 to 3 gallons total. Sudden pH swings and the shift from ammonia to more toxic ammonium are incredibly stressful and often lethal to marine fish and this acclimation period allows the pH to come up gradually and safely.
Here is what we do:
1. Place a few drops of Prime or Ultimate in the acclimation trays or buckets to help bind and detoxify ammonia (increasing pH turns ammonia into much more toxic ammonium)
2. Put similar size fish together in buckets using the water that is in the bags. The reason this helps is that similar sized fish will have similar pH in their bags most of the time. Larger fish may arrive at a much lower pH than small fish as they consume much more oxygen and produce more waste. If acclimated all together the smaller fish will experience more stress due to an immediate drop and then rise in pH when they are cut out of the bags then drip acclimated. Certain fish like Mandarins, Six Line Wrasse, and Soapfish should always be acclimated by themselves as they produce extra slime during shipping which can suffocate or poison other fish.
3. Once the hour is up, just net the fish out and place them in your systems discarding the water in the acclimation bucket/tray.
Saltwater Inverts:
1. Inverts are at a salinity of 1.023. Same basic procedure as fish for acclimation. Shrimp in particular are very pH and salinity sensitive so it is always helpful to acclimate those for at least a full hour. Make sure not to put non compatible creatures together during acclimation (arrow crabs, pistol shrimp, mantis shrimp, etc).
Freshwater:
Freshwater fish are much more adaptable in terms of pH shifts, but should be acclimated to avoid ammonia toxicity. The best way to do this is to let fish float in their bags for 20-30 minutes to adjust temperature, then fish should be cut out of the bags, poured gently through a clean net, and put directly in the tanks. Drip acclimation is generally not recommended for freshwater fish unless they have spent an unusually long time in transit
We realize there are many different acclimation techniques out there but over many years and thousands of shipments we have found this approach works best to acclimate animals to their new homes safely and with the least stress and mortality.
