All Shoreline Aquatics live fish purchased for the continental US are shipped either UPS overnight, or Southwest Cargo. UPS NEXT DAY AIR orders are shipped out on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday for scheduled arrival the next day before 12:00pm. Southwest Cargo orders will be arranged custom and can be received on days with the best flight options. Live Fish are prepped and fasted for 48 hours prior to ensure empty stomachs so they need this hold time before traveling. Live Fish are packed individually in double 4mm heat sealed poly bags with clean water and pure oxygen. Then placed in foam insulated boxes with heat packs as necessary.  After placing the order I will contact you personally and let you know what day I plan to ship. You can ask for a preferred arrival date if it is available.

Live Arrival Guarantee:

In the unlikely event of a DOA , we REQUIRE 2 clear videos of the fish in question before replacement/store credit/refund is issued. Do not open the bag. These videos are to be taken of the fish inside the unopened bag. Removal of the DOA from the shipping bag will void all guarantees. Drip acclimation will void any guarantee. Follow the acclimation procedures included in the package. If something seems wrong after the fish are released please send a video documenting the situation immediately. This files can be sent to us by sending it as an attachment in a new email to shorelineaquaticsllc@gmail.com All claims must be made and or brought to our attention via email at shorelineaquaticsllc@gmail.com within 2 hours of the package being delivered to be valid.

The lIve fish shipment must be received on the first delivery attempt and brought inside for acclimation within 2 hours of the tracked delivery time. If you miss the delivery and the package is delayed because of it, we cannot accept responsibility for any losses. It is your responsibility to check the tracking number for delivery and received the package. The shipment must be sent to the correct delivery address, and not forwarded. To avoid delays, Live fish will be sent with no signature required.

Air cargo, and UPS Customer Center shipments must be picked up the day of arrival.

First: Please inspect your fish sealed in the shipping bags upon arrival. Although I ship with a high success rate, things can happen occasionally that are out of our hands. In case of death or damage please take a short video of the fish inside the sealed unopened shipping bag. If the fish arrived poorly, please take a video of the fish documenting the issues. I will provide support. All claims must be submitted within 2 hours of the package arrival. I will work with you to make things right. 

DO NOT DRIP ACCLIMATE:  Drip acclimation causes more stress and can poison your fish by allowing oxygen to toxify the ammonia build up in the shipping bags. Acclimate live fish by floating the unopened bags in your aquarium for 15 minutes to equalize the temperature. Afterwards , cut the bag open, gently reaching into the bag, obtain and release the fish into your aquarium. Do not add any shipping water into your aquarium. Have no concerns over Ph and water hardness during acclimation. Avoid dropping altum angelfish through a net because the fins are delicate and easily damaged. Some fin damage during the shipping process is normal due to rough carrier handling. You can expect them to recover. Larger altum may have been sedated for shipping to help minimize damage. They may be sluggish after release but should be perky and hungry the next day.

 FEEDING: I suggest not feeding your altums on the day of arrival. On the next day start to feed them a small amount of food 2-3 times. Aftert the 3rd day you can increase the feeding. Feeding altum small amounts more often will have better results than feeding large amounts less often.

These fish are adapted to eating Vitacomplete Aquarium Fish Food. It is high quality, clean, and been proven here to deliver great results. The frozen foods that I trust are Hikari Spirulina Brine Shrimp and mysis shrimp. These fish also enjoy Fitz Vitalis Tropical Flakes.

I do not recommend feeding blood worms or any other freshwater grown frozen foods to altum angelfishes. Be extremely cautious when feeding live and frozen foods, especially freshwater live foods. If you choose to take this risk, then introduce them to your fish slowly with several days between small feedings to let your fishes bodies adapt. Keep in mind, that after your fish have just traveled or perhaps been recently transferred is the worst time for their bodies to deal with a new and potentially pathogenic food source. I have been growing out and breeding altum angelfishes with no live foods except for the baby brine shrimp that I use to raise fry. I personally believe that feeding freshwater live or frozen foods are not worth the risk and have no benefit.

CARE AND SUPPORT: Your Shoreline Aquatics altums should behave lively and be hungry begging fish when they see you. They grow quickly. If your fish ever become scared, sluggish, or experience subdued growth, Do not hesitate to contact me and I will help you to investigate possible causes and try to get your fish back on track.

The shipping rates are higher at Shoreline Aquatics than other retailers because not enough shipments are being sent out per week. The UPS rates are adjusted by how many packages are shipped. The fact is, retailers that get the best rates, send more packages in one week than I do in one year . The advantages to purchasing fish here is that the fishes are of the highest quality. A breeder direct experience that shines through in not only how these animals look, but also their health and resilience. Fish you can enjoy for years. This is the value.

 As a breeder I function on biosecurity.

The best way to make money selling fish is to buy and resell. But understand this involves acquiring thousands of animals many of them being sick and perish. Those animals that are sick can potentially pass pathogens into the whole fish room. If I were to adopt this practice, and become another reseller, I would no longer be producing the highest quality Pterophyllum altum angelfishes. I choose to follow my true passion rather than higher profitability.

Did you notice most fish breeders quit breeding fish and end up becoming retail? 

Shoreline Aquatics does not buy and resell fish for profit. Animals at Shoreline Aquatics are only acquired for breeding purposes. They are separately quarantined and medicated for months. Afterwards they are meticulously cared for. While being used for spawning, the production is timed out and often purposefully paused to retain the health and longevity of the breeding pairs.

As a breeder I function on biosecurity.

The best way to make money selling fish is to buy and resell. But understand this involves acquiring thousands of animals many of them being sick and perish. Those animals that are sick can potentially pass pathogens into the whole fish room. If I were to adopt this practice, and become another reseller, I would no longer be producing the highest quality Pterophyllum altum angelfishes. I choose to follow my true passion rather than higher profitability.

The Altum Angelfish I sell are all pure genetically, strong, healthy, tank ready fish, that come free of parasites and harmful pathogens.  It is my belief that keeping the fish to past 3 months of age will ultimately show us if any of the animals are not growing properly.  Only the best animals that have potential for growth into big fish are ever sold. You can expect these fish to all have long fins and good striping. Every Pterophyllum Altum pair that I am working here now here is wild caught, therfore, F1 fish offered here have solid genetics. They will be fully videos documented pre and post spawning for each successfully spawned pair. Every group of F1 Juveniles sold here will have a spawn date.  Quality and Transparency.  This is what I believe separates Shoreline Aquatics tank bred Altum Angelfish from fish you can source elsewhere. 

You can...But know these truths:

Wild collected Pterophyllum altum angelfishes are arguably the most difficult species to keep in the aquarium hobby. These fish are known to crash in times of extreme stresses like the ones they experience during wild capture and transport. They have been scientifically proven to have viruses. These factors make this species likely to fail upon import. They often succumb to bacterial or fungal infections that seem unstoppable, as if the fishes immune system does not function at all; and slowly, one by one, they perish. It is not fun for me to get fresh altums. They are not all the same and some groups might be better or worse than the others. Even with my experience, I cannot save them all. I would expect to purchase more than several groups to have the chance to save some and fix them well enough for them to grow into adults. The fact is that it takes me about 2 months to fully stabilize a wild altum angelfish after import. Please realize, that, to the importers, even 2 weeks is an eternity. Some retailers claim they have held the fish for several months or more. Words are easy to write. Also, don't be fooled by sellers that claim that the fish are "Eating Flakes" to be a indication of stable health. This is the gauntlet we run in the game of wild altum acquisition. Pay your money , take your chances, build experience, and learn. Move forward in full awareness if you decide to purchase wild Pterophyllum altum angelfish. Achieving success with these is rewarding, but not on your wallet. Perhaps the deep level of suffering incurred can create a strong attachment to these fishes. I know it is harder for me to let go of my wilds. And whether or not they make babies for me, they are still invaluable. I love them. --Thomas

I made a video discussing this topic. Find it here: PTEROPHYLLUM ALTUM ANGELFISH CATCH LOCATIONS https://youtu.be/lI50TNAlAr8?si=PaGH8Ew8ppOkt_-q