Just weird!

[Iron E]

OK, I've never heard of this happening before! I was doing the usual, cruising the web, checking out different sites for stuff, looking for a good deal on SW supplies/livestock, etc. Every once in a while I'd load a shopping cart to get some idea of what kind of prices/ total investment things are going to cost. Basically window-shopping. I checked out this one site that had critters to create a CUC for my new tank and I made a selection of hermit crabs, snail, limpets and assorted macro-algae/plants to introduce to my tank once it had finished cycling and started growing some form of algae. I put these items in my cart and moved on to other sites and other dreams. Thinking I'd probably get those items from my LFS since I have a few doubts about buying my livestock sight-unseen and I'm not too familiar with the whole shipping live critters thing.

Long story short...

A few days later...

I read my email late yesterday afternoon. (I'm not the most prompt at reading my mail) It reads:

"This is just a friendly reminder that your package was shipped. If you chose Priority Mail it should arrive in 2-3 days. Click here to see how long Express Mail will take to reach your area:"
Name SKU Price Quantity / Update Subtotal
Ulva
1 Item $4.99
Chaeto with Pods
1 Item $6.99
5 Red Mangroves
1 Item $4.99
Nassarius Vibex
20 Items $11.00
Limpets*
10 Items $7.50
Florida Cerith
10 Items $5.50
Dwarf Cerith
40 items $9.20
Subtotal: $50.17


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!


(This package was shipped in the AM from FL. I'm reading this at 5PM in CA.) They've got my shipping address because I ordered some rock from them last week.

I'm freaking out! No way! I didn't order anything!

Checked my email again. No, automatically generated, "thank you for your order" letter...

Checked my bank account. No charges on my card...

Checked my Paypal account. Nope!

Went back to that website and found all those items still in my cart!

WTF?

OK, assuming this isn't some kind of computer "glitch". that means, tomorrow, I've got this livestock delivery arriving tomorrow morning. (About 80 critters total)

I think a little outline is called for here...

I've got a 90 gallon reef tank, work-in-progress. I might be able to have water/sand in it in a week. The RO unit should arrive tomorrow. (maybe today) I currently have a 10 gallon QT that I am almost through (I think) cycling. In that 10 gallon tank I already have 15 lbs. of sand, roughly 25 lbs of partially-cycled rock and one, (very lonely) hermit crab.

A few minutes after reading this email, I was at my LFS and I tell Mike about it and he says, " You can't put all those critters in a 10 gallon tank!" (Duh!)

Long story short... He gives me a used 40 gallon tank and says "Good luck!"

A friend of mine (Solomon) calls 10 minutes later to say he just bought a fully operational tank from someone and he can't use all the live rock. Would I like about 20 lbs of "primo", coraline encrusted rock?

Just weird!

My dilemma:

I can't pay for these critters.

If I return these critters after having been shipped here, they will undoubtedly die.

How do I keep them alive?

How would you approach this situation?

What I've got besides the aforementioned QT, etc. is..

A 40 gallon tank.

50 lbs of dry sand.

20 lbs of live rock.

20 gallons of fresh SW

10 gallons of cycled water.

A HOB skimmer.

A heater.

A few powerheads.

Can I make this work?

Anything I've missed? (My mind is a little overwhelmed right now!)

Thanks for anything you can contribute to this situation.

Tom

[Iron E]

Update:

I guess I was just a little too freaked by this whole situation to think clearly. I called my friend Sol and he said he'd be happy to put these critters in one of his tanks until I am ready for them.

OK now, I guess I've got to contact the seller to see how they wish to proceed. I assume they will recognize the necessity of doing what's right for the animals. And that they will see the error on their part and call it a wash.

Does that sound right/fair?

I'm still not quite trusting my own judgement at this point!

"If you can lose your head whilst all about you are keeping theirs..."

Tom

[Mr. Diggler]

You're in a pickle. Good luck with the resolution.

[PhotoJohn]

You would still need a light from the "am I ready list" nothing expensive, just some florescent tubes from a hardware store.

Was it "reef cleaners"?

[Iron E]

You would still need a light from the "am I ready list" nothing expensive, just some florescent tubes from a hardware store.

Was it "reef cleaners"?

Forgot to mention the light. I've got a Coralife 20" 28 watt power compact hood.

yes.

My biggest issue, I believe, in keeping them myself is, how do I make sure they are getting the food they need?

Tom

[CarmieJo]

Have you emailed them?

[Iron E]

Have you emailed them?

Yes.

[rayme07]

Did they say anything or did they not get back to you yet. I'm curious what they are going to say sense it was their fault and if they even send the items.

[Iron E]

No response as of yet.

Will update.

Tom

[johnmaloney]

hey got stuck at sea for a few extra hours, and still wading through some emails when carmie pointed me here. Need me to hold something? If it went you need emergency care info? (like how to feed them in a smaller tank?) What can I do, pm me.

[johnmaloney]

oh okay so you placed an order you didn't want?

[johnmaloney]

email me through the site Iron E when you get the chance. the email just said I have a thread running. I need your order info, last name or something to cross reference.

[Iron E]

Thanks,John for straightening everything out. I was very much relieved to hear it was only a clerical error and that I wasn't going to find a bunch of critters in the mail!

Tom

[johnmaloney]

no problem. next time stop at the shopping cart screen, and don't click "confirm to order", because even without payment it goes into our records. In the future if you have a question about an order though email, I don't always browse the TR New to Saltwater section, and you get a quicker response that way.