rics on a plane??????????

[stan zemanek]

leaving for Disney this weekend for some R+R was wondering if anyone has had sucess with bringing home rics on a plane. I live in NJ so plane ride will only be about 2 hours. was thnking about bringing them in the carry on but was afraid the security nazis will take them. If I put them in my suitcase and put them in the cargo hold I think they will freeze at altitude. Any ideas

[stan zemanek]

Before all you guys start bashing me let me clear something up. I will not be taking them from the ocean. I was planning on stopping buy Sea In The City in Orlando I hear its the store of stores when it comes to corals.

[Whisperer]

You can not find rics in Orlando's waters anyway. They are way down in the Keys.
You can place the rics separately in small plastic bags with just ample water and air. Then place them in a thermos bottle (get the one with big mouth) and place it in your luggage. They wont freeze in the thermos bottle. Just make sure you surround it with bubble wrap and surround it with soft clothings/towels, etc., just for safety.
Better yet, just order online from Ken from Sealifeinc from the keys. His price is reasonable and shipping is very cheap.

[atzak]

my favorite Samuel L Jackson movie quote

WE GOT MOTHERF#$@$%ING RICS ON A MOTHERF&*$#@ING PLANE!

[Lotus99]

Don't forget you can't take more than 3oz. liquid in carry on luggage.

[mixed_reefer]

Buy them and ship them to yourself before you leave Florida.

[BristlewormKing]

Thermos would be the way to go - like Whisperer said. But I have never thought of City in the Sea as a ricordea source. Did you talk to Ernie at the store to see what is in stock?

[unhpian]

You have almost no shot of getting it through security as a carry-on. If you were to follow all the TSA rules (max of 3 oz liquid), you wouldn't have enough water for it to survive any meaningful length of time. It would be very difficult to sneak it through, as something like a mushroom in a bag would be fairly obvious, not to mention the risk of being falsely accused of illegal transport (TSA, police are unlikely to know that this species isn't native to FL waters, and thus may assume you collected)

If you REALLY want to bring it with you on the plane, Checked baggage is your best bet. 99% of the time the baggage hold is not only pressurized, but heated as well, but- usually to only 50 - 60 degrees. I would put it in a baggie, then put that inside a thermos or something to protect it from the inevitable leaks that will occur when it is thrown around. But, remember...supposedly 100% of checked baggage is screened now, and If they happen to see it, it may cause you problems (even if it isn't illegal, the TSA can make your life painful when they find things of "interest")

I agree with a previous poster - shipping is your best option. FL to NJ should be relatively inexpensive (< $20)

[ninjamini]

DRIVE!

[stan zemanek]

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well guys just got back from Orlando and scored 6 beautiful rics! 3 yellow floridas, 1 yellow Yuma, and 3 super bright orange and blue Floridas, all cultured!!!!. If any of you want some nice rics go to World Wide Corals in Orlando! what a great place!! The guys at WWC were fantastic they packaged everything for me with a heat pack and then I checked them in as baggage in our big suitcase. When we got home everything was in great shape. I acclimated them last nite around 10 pm, put them in my tank around midnight. Today at 11 am they are already open.

[BristlewormKing]

LMAO....that is so sad....I live 30 minutes away and am too lazy to drive over to WWC and you fly all the way from Jersey and score a nice lot like that! When do we get to see pics??

[bermuda reefer]

As stated, all zoo's mushrooms and the like travel very easy, shred up a couple of plastic fish bags into 1/4" strips until you have a big handfull, then place the half the shedded plasic in the shipping bag add the mushroom with or without rock add the rest of the shredded plasic and just enough water to cover. Close the bag and tie tight, you dont need much air, i generally dont leave any air, and then bag it again, place in a large thermos and place in your checked baggage with your clothes wrapped arround for protection. This method is good for at least 12 hours and i have never lost any.
i ship fish thesame way but with air and have never lost one.