Shipping and Handling Advice

[reefforbrains]

Originally Posted by SJgsm
reefforbrains... I was wondering about the no air in the bag...don't you need some oxygen for most creatures?
No air in the bag for coral. for Fish, add oxygen as it will extend the timeframe they can be in the bag.
Also fish wont be prone to the same fate as coral if box shifts. They wont be left exposed to air high and dry. Theres always a chance at a fish sticking to the side of the bag up in the air, but it is only an issue with tiny fish 1/4 inch ect. Normally not an issue.
If shipping larger peices- stick with no water, but rubber band the piece suspended upside down with the "root" poked into the foam. This requires a larger box, but its best way to ship SPS and other fragile corals.
-RFB

 

[prk543]

Originally Posted by swlover
How can I ship a 2 foot eel safely? is it possiable? Anyone with any helpful advise pleas reply. Thanks
at the very least this will get people to reread your question, and possibly chime in with better advice.

I was faced with the possibility of moving across the country, so I was looking into this a month ago.
If you are moving, I would say donate your eel to the LFS, but if you want to keep it, you might be able to pay them to take care of your eel for you for a few days, and then ship it to you. You won't get any guarantees that it will survive the trip. Your LFS probably gets the occasional large fish in shipping and would at least have an idea on how to ship it back out, and possibly the materials.
If you are selling/trading the eel and you are shipping it to someone:
The eel is probably going to need several gallons of water, and bagging will be difficult. There is the possibility that the eel could bite through the bag during shipping, which could be very bad.
I also would not feed the eel immediately before shipping. The stress of being shipped could cause the eel to regurgitate it's food in the bag, which could cause problems, because you are shipping the eel in a minimum amount of water to save weight.
Your best bet is to probably find a home for an eel that size where you won't have to ship or to see if your LFS will take it. I am not sure how helpful this advice is, I was only in the early stages of figuring out how to ship my eel, but I had also asked a good friend if he would take my eel if I couldn't ship.
-prk543
p.s. If anyone has any better advice, please chime in!

 

[thud]

How do I say this without making it sound like im sucking up or kissing butt?
All four (large) orders of corals and fish and inverts that I have made from saltwaterfish.com arrived on time and alive.
I can't make any other suggestions...

 

[reefkprz]

One word of shipping advice, double and triple check the shipping certificate to ensure all the delivery information is correct, especially if the person at fed ex fills it out. they may forget to check the box for deliver on saturday and then your coral sits in a warehouse for the weekend.

 

[jmj6239]

Ship some corals (ie Torch) attached to a piece of foam using a rubberband to it's base, and float in the bag of water to prevent tissue damage.

 

[reefkprz]

A shipping trick I have been using latley with decent results so far.
If you have cheato algae, use it to pack the frag suspended in the center of the container or bag. like packing peanuts for frags, keeps them from getting bashed around during shipping, also it may consume some co2 keeping the oxygen content in the water higher, not sure if it does this much being unable to photiosynthesize in the box, but it works great for keep frags stationary inside the package.

 

[clown boy]

Where is a good website to calculate shipping?

 

[viper_930]

Go to the shipping courier's site that you wish to use. For example, fi you're going to ship via Fedex, go to fedex.com.

 

[viper_930]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
A shipping trick I have been using latley with decent results so far.
If you have cheato algae, use it to pack the frag suspended in the center of the container or bag. like packing peanuts for frags, keeps them from getting bashed around during shipping, also it may consume some co2 keeping the oxygen content in the water higher, not sure if it does this much being unable to photiosynthesize in the box, but it works great for keep frags stationary inside the package.
If you mean to put the chaeto in the same bag as the frag, that's a no-no. In the absence of light, the chaeto will actually consume O2 and release CO2 into the water.

 

[clown boy]

Is there any way shipping could cost $130? Is that far fetched? That's what our calculations came out to...

 

[drea]

just to double check, xenia must be shipped overnight correct? i recieved it this way from a trader, but i have a lot of people asking me to priority it, which is a big NO NO! correct?

 

[xdave]

I suppose I should help with this subject being as I spent 4 years packing livestock for shipping at a large distributor and another 3.5 years as the traffic manager.
Items being shipped to a destination in your own area (zone one) are likely to get there in one day via regular ground. Ask what the ETA is on the ground shippment before splurging on air.
Add the heat packs at the last possible minute. If you go to the UPS store or Fedex Kinkos ask them what the latest time you can drop it off and get on that day's truck is. Activate and add the heat packs when you get there.
Get the insurance.
Styrofoam coolers are inexpensive and good to use. Make sure to pack around them because the tapered shape tends to allow them to shift and break.
Never blow up bags with livestock with your mouth, that's CO2, but do it with plants.
Mark boxes "DO NOT REPLACE WATER", and "KEEP FROM HEAT".

 

[renogaw]

just a reminder to those shipping to the north east from here to spring... it gets VERY cold overnight. this morning was down to 26 at my house. make sure you insulate and provide heat packs or don't even bother shipping.

 

[b-baby80]

Yes please.I was just shipped something from the north.I'm in the south and it's been cold here.No heatpacks were used and all things are dead.now i'm out over $20 for shipping

Originally Posted by renogaw
just a reminder to those shipping to the north east from here to spring... it gets VERY cold overnight. this morning was down to 26 at my house. make sure you insulate and provide heat packs or don't even bother shipping.

 

[bessycerka]

if your local fish store is cool, they'll give you some, or you can ask them to get you some.

 

[zoie2]

So if I were to ship a toadstool (I live in MA and say I ship to NY)that is attatched to a base (actually a shell) I would...
1. make the cool nifty box pictured above.
2. I would put it in a bag with about 1 1/2 cups of water and NO air?
3. would I hang it upside down in the box? (
4. put 1 or 2 heat packs BEHIND the foamy thing?
5. Then put the lid on and do I wrap it in brown shipping paper?
The only thing I'm sure of is making the cool nifty box. Everything else is questionable.

 

[rng_pw]

What is the safest and cheapest way to ship fish and coral. Who has the lowest rates etc.?

 

[shrimpi]

I know people have used little pee cups or specimen cups 9like from a lab and i recently saw these ziplock containers that s.c.r.e.w closed with a seal
ziploc
would these work? they can be bought at most grocery stores and seemed pretty tough
Jess

 

[paintballer768]

Originally Posted by Shrimpi
http:///forum/post/2443586
I know people have used little pee cups or specimen cups 9like from a lab and i recently saw these ziplock containers that s.c.r.e.w closed with a seal
ziploc
would these work? they can be bought at most grocery stores and seemed pretty tough
Jess
Funny you should post that, because I was wondering the same. Maybe put that in an insulated box with appropriate packs and it makes sense to me that you should be good to go.
Im getting ready to try and sell my sun coral, GSP, and yellow polyps, and am curious as to how I should ship the sun coral, packing it. Use a ziploc scr3w tight container in the box like I said? Its kind of jagged in places and would not want it to cut a bag.
Also, what is the best way to recieve payment from somebody?

 

[cowfishrule]

also, if you are shipping via ups, fed ex, dhl,
DO NOT PUT IN BOX DIMENSIONS- only box weight.
Thats a crafty little way that they use to upcharge you.
Notice that there is only a "needed info" symbol next to the weight.