We’re breeders, so getting your livestock to you alive and healthy is everything to us. Every live order is packed with care and dispatched with the weather in mind, and our real dead-on-arrival rate is very low (around 2–5%). This guide covers what’s normal on arrival, how to settle your new arrivals in, and exactly what to do in the rare case something isn’t right.
1. What’s normal when your order arrives
Don’t panic if your new arrivals look a little pale, shy or lethargic — this is completely normal after travel. We sell juveniles / young adults on purpose because they adapt better to a new tank, and colour naturally deepens over the following days and weeks once they settle. Some plants may show minor melt-back and bounce back once planted.
2. Settle them in the right way (this prevents most losses)
A few minutes of care here makes all the difference: - Make sure your tank is fully cycled with stable water. - Float the sealed bag 15–30 minutes to match temperature. - Add a little tank water every few minutes for 20–30 minutes (go slower for shrimp). - Net them in — never pour the transport water into your tank. - Dim the lights and don’t feed for 24 hours.
📌 Full step-by-step in our How to Acclimate guide.
3. Our Live Arrival Guarantee
Every live order (fish, shrimp, snails, plants) is covered. If your livestock doesn’t arrive alive and healthy — or an item is damaged or missing — we’ll make it right, as long as the steps below are followed.
4. If something arrives dead, damaged or incorrect
To process your claim quickly and fairly, we ask for two simple things: 1. An unboxing video — filmed from the moment you open the sealed package, clearly showing the unopened bags. This validates every claim. 2. Contact us within 1 hour of delivery at cs@microaquaticshop.com.au with the video, clear photos, and the number of live vs affected animals.
Please note: claims without a clear unboxing video, or made after this window, may not be accepted. This protects both you and us against fraudulent claims.
5. How we resolve it
For a valid claim, we provide a refund or store credit for the value of the affected livestock. Refunds go to your original payment method. Shipping fees are non-refundable, and we don’t reship affected items unless agreed in writing. Claims are reviewed during business hours (Mon–Sun, 9am–5pm) — please allow a little extra time on weekends.
6. Missing or incorrect items
If part of your order is missing or incorrect, let us know within 1 hour of delivery (a quick photo of what you received helps) and we’ll sort it out under our guarantee.
7. A few conditions (please read before ordering)
• You must be available to receive livestock. We don’t ship live animals to PO Boxes or Parcel Lockers, and can’t cover losses from an incorrect address or a parcel left unattended/returned to the depot.
• We may hold dispatch during extreme heat or cold for your animals’ safety — we’ll keep you informed.
• We don’t support impulse buying of live animals — please prepare a suitable, cycled home first.
Contact
📌Unit 15, 2–8 Daniel Street, Wetherill Park, NSW 2164 · 📞 (02) 8320 3037 · cs@microaquaticshop.com.au
