dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 I have purchased all of my aquarium plants so far from Aquarium Coop. My Minnesota weather is starting to really cool down so I'm looking for local sources so I don't need to have living things shipped to me which can be risky. There is a local aquarium auction so I'm bidding on some plants. These will come from local fish people and I'm sure all of them have perfect aquariums, but-how should I treat these plants (if I win the auction) so I don't introduce bad things to my tank? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 9:08 PM, dmurray407 said: I have purchased all of my aquarium plants so far from Aquarium Coop. My Minnesota weather is starting to really cool down so I'm looking for local sources so I don't need to have living things shipped to me which can be risky. There is a local aquarium auction so I'm bidding on some plants. These will come from local fish people and I'm sure all of them have perfect aquariums, but-how should I treat these plants (if I win the auction) so I don't introduce bad things to my tank? I’ll say: Co-Op ships plants phenomenally in the cold. Their insulated mailers are pretty legendary. But you’ll love a fish club plant auction! Some things to bear in mind… Not every aquarist has the same philosophy of “bad things” as you do. Algae is simply everywhere. Snails are inevitable. Duckweed is probable. As far as illnesses go that might affect fish, you’ll probably be Ok. Ich is the only one that freaks me out. If you have a spare tub (or quarantine tank), you can add your own cycled water from an existing aquarium to it and toss the plants in there to treat with Ich-X. I’m just careful not to add their water. Rinse plants out under tap water. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 8:40 PM, Fish Folk said: Co-Op ships plants phenomenally in the cold. Can they do heat packs? I know the shipping is always super fast, but I didn’t think they would ship if it was less than 50 degrees-I’ll check that out-I love and trust the plants I get from them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 (edited) On 11/29/2021 at 10:38 PM, dmurray407 said: Can they do heat packs? I know the shipping is always super fast, but I didn’t think they would ship if it was less than 50 degrees-I’ll check that out-I love and trust the plants I get from them. This here should answer some of your questions. Quoting... Live Arrival Guarantee We guarantee our live products will arrive alive. We ask that you do your part and minimize the amount of time our packages sit out in the elements. It can also be a good idea to avoid ordering live items during extreme temperatures. This would be when night time temps are below 35 and over 80 degrees during the day. Now these temps are not for sure death, it's just what makes it easiest for all of us during shipping. When temperatures are cold we will use heat packs. Shipping live goods is difficult as our warehouse could be 70 degrees and your home could be snowing, and all the stops in between. We do our best and will make it right for you and may request to try again at a different time. During heat waves, it's best to avoid ordering live goods as ice packs etc don't do enough to mitigate it. Edited November 30, 2021 by Fish Folk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 9:51 PM, Fish Folk said: night time temps are below 35 This is the problem-my nighttime temps (and a lot of my daytime temps) will be well below 35 degrees from now until spring. It's kind of like living in your freezer for 4 months. In fact, during the cold months my mother in law used to (safely) keep frozen food on her apartment balcony when her freezer was full 🙂 We are having an unusually warm spell this week, but on Sunday it's supposed to go down to 18 degrees with a high of 35 which is pretty normal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 I ordered plants from the Coop last January trusting their insulated bags and heat packs and the plants came with neither insulated bags nor heat packs. That's in January in New Jersey where our temps were pretty cold. When asked, I was told they use long range weather forecasts to predict if the bags or heat packs are necessary and in my case, they decided they weren't necessary. The plants lived (other than a lily bulb that they replaced.) I just don't think it was the ideal way to ship plants. They're weighing the cost of the bags/heat packs versus the cost of replacing/reshipping the plants. I just want what's best for the plants. Now I'll order my plants from the Coop in spring or fall when the temps are more moderate both there and here. If given the option to pay extra for the insulated bag and heat packs I would pay it, but they don't give you that option and just decide based on the weather forecasts. They have beautiful plants at a good price and mine lived, but it worried me. I don't want to get a bag of frozen mush so for me, I'll order in the spring or fall. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 7:59 AM, dmurray407 said: This is the problem-my nighttime temps (and a lot of my daytime temps) will be well below 35 degrees from now until spring. It's kind of like living in your freezer for 4 months. In fact, during the cold months my mother in law used to (safely) keep frozen food on her apartment balcony when her freezer was full 🙂 We are having an unusually warm spell this week, but on Sunday it's supposed to go down to 18 degrees with a high of 35 which is pretty normal. Hmm… I do recall a New Years spent in Minneapolis long ago. I thought I was going to die walking outside for 5 minutes. Unless you’ve experienced cold like that, you just have no idea. I agree with @gardenman that an option to pay more for heat packs and insulated plant mailers would be a nice feature for frosty folks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 8:03 AM, Fish Folk said: I was going to die walking outside I grew up in coastal California where 27 degrees above zero is really cold. I though it only got this cold in Antartica. Our lakes freeze solid enough that you can safely drive a car across them. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 9:22 AM, dmurray407 said: I grew up in coastal California where 27 degrees above zero is really cold. I though it only got this cold in Antartica. Our lakes freeze solid enough that you can safely drive a car across them. Once it gets cold enough, you can witness the Norse descendants XC skiing across the frozen, snow covered lakes… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 8:29 AM, Fish Folk said: XC skiing across the frozen, snow covered lakes… I've done it. My husband was a big ice fisherman as well. You put a tent or little shack out in the middle of the frozen lake and as the ice shifts around you can hear it cracking around you. It's so thick by that time that it's still safe (think Grumpy Old Men). You just get in your car and drive out to your little house. Depending on the lake, someone usually plows roads out to the good fishing areas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 9:37 AM, dmurray407 said: I've done it. My husband was a big ice fisherman as well. You put a tent or little shack out in the middle of the frozen lake and as the ice shifts around you can hear it cracking around you. It's so thick by that time that it's still safe (think Grumpy Old Men). You just get in your car and drive out to your little house. Depending on the lake, someone usually plows roads out to the good fishing areas. That’s epic! Love it. Just don’t go all Fargo… 🥶 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/29/2021 at 8:40 PM, Fish Folk said: . . . If you have a spare tub (or quarantine tank), you can add your own cycled water from an existing aquarium to it and toss the plants in there to treat with Ich-X. I’m just careful not to add their water. Rinse plants out under tap water. Hello, I'm curious. If it's just to quarantine plants why do you recommend cycled water? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 shhh, if you dont talk about the cold, it might stay away! co-ops insulated bags and heat packs do a good job handling adverse weather. last year when it was nice and cold out, usps decided to get them from wash, to mn in a few days(great right), then sent them to denver for a few days, then back to mnpls for a couple days before getting them to the local post office to deliver. was a total of 10 days before they arrived, surprisingly none of the plants died, a few were stunted pretty good, but all lived. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 10:39 AM, JettsPapa said: Hello, I'm curious. If it's just to quarantine plants why do you recommend cycled water? Probably me just doing overkill. Fresh water + Prime, all good! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 On 11/30/2021 at 9:52 AM, lefty o said: total of 10 days before they arrived That's what I am afraid of.....maybe I'll try after the holiday rush just to see how it goes. Unless it's -20 out:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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