The Fish Made It!

Alright, so I had my doubts about shipping the fish from IL to CA…but luckily they made it! They are alive and well, swimming in their own little corner of the 300 gallon tank (which is great since the shipping was ridiculously expensive, and I was almost not able to pick them up from the customer care center from UPS). So here’s what happened… My family was going to drive my little sister to Connecticut, and didn’t find anyone to feed the fish. Also, since I broke down everything else when I was at IL for Brett and Angel’s wedding and Tricia’s graduation party, all I had left there as far as fish goes were the clowns. Since I wanted them to ship them anyways, now was as good of a time as any. We didn’t have too much time to look up the best way to ship, or where exactly to ship to. I was planning on using FedEx, and had that pretty much worked out, but my dad was talking to the person there, and they said they wouldn’t ship fish. I know for a fact that they do, but they decided to go with UPS. The closest UPS customer center for me was in Sac, but I didn’t mind picking them up from there, as long as they arrived ok. So I get a call at 9:30 saying the fish are here, and I can pick them up at 3:30. WHAT! Was my first reaction, you have to be kidding me, the reason I shipped them over night and to a customer care center was so that they didn’t have to stay in a bag that long. I can’t wait til 3:30 to pick them up. So I decided to drive over there, to talk to them in person, since that’s where my fish were anyways. I get there and there is a gate, and the customer center is closed with no lights on and doors locked etc. I see the truck loading area, and figure I can find someone to talk to in there. So I drive around to the truck entrance and unknowingly right past the security office. There weren’t many trucks and not many people either, but I ask a guy if there is any way I can pick up a package. He tells me the customer center is closed, but there is an office on the other side of the building. I go to the other side of the building and let myself in…Now I see the security guy, but decide to park illegally next to the entrance in hopes that I can get my fish and get out before I have to explain myself. I tell a guy on the inside my situation, and he brings me to an office room where they already had my fish set aside. The lady asks how I got in, and I told her that I just drove in. She laughed and said I’ll need to give this slip of paper to the security guard, and gave me another form to sign for the fish, and I was on my way. When I got home, I had to transfer the clowns that were in the 300 into the 150 which seem to have no problem at all with the transfer. However, I was really nervous when I was acclimating the Onxy clown, since she wasn’t looking too good. I decided that perhaps more oxygenated water would be better for her, and might have acclimated a little too fast. The normal false percula male appeared as if nothing happened, and seemed to have no problem with the shipment at all. He stayed near his mate until she started looking better, and would rub his fins on her even when she was laying on her side on the bottom. Now they are both looking great, and I couldn’t be happier. Next step is to get an anemone for them.