Frequently Asked Questions
The water in your box of fish turns color due to the addition of Acriflavine (active ingredient Typaflavine). Acriflavine can prevent fungal, bacterial and external parasite infestations of the fish. All boxes of fish that leave Mt. Parnell receive Acriflavine in the water merely as an additional precaution in our efforts to send healthy fish to all of our customers.
The temperature of the water in your boxes of fish will vary based on how the carriers handle each box. The fish are packed in water that is roughly 58°F (14.4°C). When the fish reach your facility, place the sealed bags in your holding vat for at least a half an hour. When the water in the bag and the holding vat are within a few degrees, slowly add some of your tank water and then release the fish carefully.
All air freight shipments are sent “collect”. Rates vary for FedEx and UPS shipping, so please contact the office for the most current rates.
A majority of our fish are shipped air freight from one of these airports: Baltimore/Washington International (BWI); Washington Dulles International (IAD); or Philadelphia International (PHL). The airline used depends on your location but may include Southwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines or US Airways.
We also offer FedEx and UPS shipping. FedEx and UPS shipping can be sent “ground” if your location is in a one day ground zone - shipments would arrive by the end of the day after they leave Mt. Parnell. We also offer FedEx Standard Overnight shipping for shipments outside the ground zone. These shipments would arrive by 3:00 p.m. (in many cases, much earlier) the day after they leave our facility.
The standard grade of Mt. Parnell koi has been culled at least twice, possibly more depending on size, and will include a mixture of the color varieties. Select koi are our premium grade and have been culled several times more than the standard grade. Requests for specific color varieties of koi will result in pricing for the select grade. Regular and longfin koi will be offered from 3-20”, but select grade fish are not offered below 5”.
When you receive system fish you will notice that they have even better finnage and body conformation than our pond fish. This is due to the controlled environment and additional care that they are given while being raised indoors. Because it takes more manual labor and high tech equipment to maintain this controlled environment, a slightly higher cost per fish is passed on to our customers.
Mt. Parnell sells single-tailed and fan-tailed varieties of goldfish, regular and longfin koi, and rosy red minnows. Single-tailed goldfish include common “feeder” goldfish, common “pond” goldfish, sarasa comets and shubunkins. Fan-tailed varieties sold are American fans, calico fantails, black moors, calico telescopes, and red cap orandas. For more information, visit the Fish Varieties section of this site.
For the sizes of fish listed on our availability and price list, the fish are measured from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail. Feeder fish and rosy red minnows are packed according to a weight sample of graded fish taken from an actual count.
Our recommended packs for each size/variety of fish are listed on our availability list and price list. You may order less than that quantity, and we will also combine comparable sizes/types of fish in one box if you like.
Mt. Parnell has been in business for 90 years. Our goal for current and future customers is to ship quality fish to keep you coming back for more. The fish you receive are raised from eggs to adult by Mt. Parnell staff. Our fish are raised on Mt. Parnell property from proven Mt. Parnell bloodlines. They are not imported from overseas. We pride ourselves on producing high quality fish raised in the United States.
