Beckmola24
Hawkfish
How do I go about shipping livestock??? I will be using Fedex unless they aren't trustworthy. Thanks in advance for any help!
Guidelines for Shipping livestock
- Thread starter Beckmola24
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WaterDogs
Well-known member
I have received overnight shipments via FedEx with never a problem. 
Beckmola24
Hawkfish
cool. I will now feel better using them How should I go about packing fish and corals???
How should I go about packing fish and corals???
mattseattle
Well-known member
Triple bag each coral or at least double bag it. Also I'd find a heat pack for each box. Peanuts to put between each bag.
FedEx overall has a good record for overnight shipping. There are a few horror stories out there though so be prepared just in case.
FedEx overall has a good record for overnight shipping. There are a few horror stories out there though so be prepared just in case.
wrightme43
Well-known member
I agree with waterdogs, I have used fed-ex and ups. Fed-ex does better for me
clean styrofoam cooler in a tight fitting box, used from the lfs is best. double or triple bag all live stock. wrap the part where the fish will be in dark plastic and use pure o2 to fill the bags, the best arriving live stock I have recieved were double bagged, rubberbanded, and wraped,. packed in stryofoam peanuts or tightly packed in the box.
HTH
clean styrofoam cooler in a tight fitting box, used from the lfs is best. double or triple bag all live stock. wrap the part where the fish will be in dark plastic and use pure o2 to fill the bags, the best arriving live stock I have recieved were double bagged, rubberbanded, and wraped,. packed in stryofoam peanuts or tightly packed in the box.
HTH
Beckmola24
Hawkfish
What type of heater packs should I use and how many per box?? Just one???
Phungoo
Member
interesting topic......
heater packs are good for...cold climates. but dont put a heater pack in a shipment to FL. thats happened so often for me. i get a shipment and there is a heater pack in there, thats still warm.....in november in FL. bad news because its 80 degrees in the shade here in november. ive had water temps of near 90 on arival. maybe thats better than being cold for the first part of shipment. i dunno what the answer is, cheap self adjusting temp controll is not an option.
i would not mark the box with any special instructions....ie "fragile" "life" "etc." just pack it as good as possible in a plain box...ship overnight, and hope for the best. double/tripple bag, popcorn, styrofoam (reused maybe?) box, and temp controll if needed, but in my mind an well insulated package is mucho better than a heat pack or ice.
that and label the bags. the best shipments ive gotten have been labeled with the "type of light grown in...how far away from light source....salinity grown/kept in.....etc."
steve
heater packs are good for...cold climates. but dont put a heater pack in a shipment to FL. thats happened so often for me. i get a shipment and there is a heater pack in there, thats still warm.....in november in FL. bad news because its 80 degrees in the shade here in november. ive had water temps of near 90 on arival. maybe thats better than being cold for the first part of shipment. i dunno what the answer is, cheap self adjusting temp controll is not an option.
i would not mark the box with any special instructions....ie "fragile" "life" "etc." just pack it as good as possible in a plain box...ship overnight, and hope for the best. double/tripple bag, popcorn, styrofoam (reused maybe?) box, and temp controll if needed, but in my mind an well insulated package is mucho better than a heat pack or ice.
that and label the bags. the best shipments ive gotten have been labeled with the "type of light grown in...how far away from light source....salinity grown/kept in.....etc."
steve
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
I use plastic soup cups with water tight lids for shipping. Whether you ship in cups or bags, make sure you put everything inside one large sealed bag.
If a bag or cup leaks and the box leaks saltware, Fedex can charge you with a hefty fine.
Packing with o2 is important with fish, but not as important with corals. You can ship corals in water only with no air in the container at all.
If you are shipping corals, that are frags, try to cut them about 48 hours before shipping. This gives them a chance to slime. Also if the frag is unstable after making the cut, this gives you a chance to find out if the frag is going to RTN right away before you ship it to someone.
I sometimes include a couple of drips of lugols in the shipping water too.
Dave B
If a bag or cup leaks and the box leaks saltware, Fedex can charge you with a hefty fine.
Packing with o2 is important with fish, but not as important with corals. You can ship corals in water only with no air in the container at all.
If you are shipping corals, that are frags, try to cut them about 48 hours before shipping. This gives them a chance to slime. Also if the frag is unstable after making the cut, this gives you a chance to find out if the frag is going to RTN right away before you ship it to someone.
I sometimes include a couple of drips of lugols in the shipping water too.
Dave B
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