How to ship coral? Where to get supplies?

[Txcowboy22]

I have had a lot of interest of shipping coral, I was wondering where to get the supplies and how to do it? I don't want to make any mistakes, I don't have any supplies really and would like any help....

[SoFloReefer]

This is the wrong forum but I will try to give you an idea. First of all you want the box to be as small as possible to save on shipping since you are going to want to ship next day or 2 day. You will need some sort of insulation in the box like lining the sides with Styrofoam or using a cooler. If you are shipping from or to a cold climate you will need a heat pack. That needs to have newspaper or some sort of barrier around it so it doesn't overheat the livestock. I triple bag the livestock and file the bag 1/3 to 1/2 full with water and the rest with air. I rap the bag with newspaper or towels to provide more barrier from the heat pack. I make sure the bag will not move in the box. I mark the box as "LIVE FISH" or "LIVE CORAL" and put this side up all over it. I think thats it.

[SoFloReefer]

BTW heat packs require air to activate and continue heating. If they run out of air they will stop heating prematurely.

[Txcowboy22]

Where do I get the heat packs? What do I do for air too, I don't have air lying around. As for the bags, do I just go to my LFS and see if they will give me some or is there a place to get them?

[SoFloReefer]

You can find bags and heat packs online. You can get bags anywhere (LFS, grocery store, dollar store, etc). Heat packs you will probably only find on eBay or the net. Good ones are Heat Factory and Uniheat. For air I just blow some in the bag without exhaling (if that makes any sense).

[Txcowboy22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12026170#post12026170 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SoFloReefer
You can find bags and heat packs online. You can get bags anywhere (LFS, grocery store, dollar store, etc). Heat packs you will probably only find on eBay or the net. Good ones are Heat Factory and Uniheat. For air I just blow some in the bag without exhaling (if that makes any sense).

That doesn't make any sense to me. If you blow in air, aren't you exhaling? Do you think walmart has the heat packs? Do I just use rubber bands to tie the bags?

[SoFloReefer]

Try to blow air out of your mouth without depressing your diaphragm. I don't think it matters anyways with corals. Rubber bands work the best for bags. If Walmart does they are probably hand heaters with suck.

[bencozzy]

sent you a pm

heres a link same principal for corals, http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/articles/6501.htm#post80536

[Ian]

get some coral shipped to you and copy... youcan even reuse the packaging, minus the heatpack...

[Txcowboy22]

thats what I am doing.... but I have more than 1 thing that needs to be shipped....

[clayspst]

reptiledepot.com best prices ever

[SteveOhh]

www.uline.com

http://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-9903&ref=2157

http://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-3648&ref=114

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Heat-Packs

[SoFloReefer]

Those styrofoam coolers on uline cost 6.33 apiece.

[geo]

[moved]

[mfinn]

You can make your own shipping box by just lining a small box with 1/2" thick styrofoam board.
When you activate the heat packs wrap in a layer of newspaper, tape to inside of the lid on your styro box.
Very Important,,, make sure the heat pack is not sealed inside the box. Air has to get in or the heat pack will go out and the corals will most likely die.
Double bag or triple bag the frags, each with it's own rubber band.

[Txcowboy22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12029841#post12029841 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mfinn
You can make your own shipping box by just lining a small box with 1/2" thick styrofoam board.
When you activate the heat packs wrap in a layer of newspaper, tape to inside of the lid on your styro box.
Very Important,,, make sure the heat pack is not sealed inside the box. Air has to get in or the heat pack will go out and the corals will most likely die.
Double bag or triple bag the frags, each with it's own rubber band.

what do you ean air has to get to it? Its sealed in a box. I just shipped out like you said wrapped a heat pack in a newspaper and put it in, I hope I did it right....

[mfinn]

Well, the heat pack needs air to work. When you seal the box,,tight, the heat pack will use up the air in the box in a few hours and then go out.
I had 4 shipments this winter. 2 ended up badly and two were good.
The two good ones had air holes through the lid, maybe 1/8th holes.
The other shipment

[Txcowboy22]

well, at least I know what to do next time...

[mfinn]

As long as the weather isn't too extreme, the heat may remain for a while and all will work out.

[reefworldaq]

Can we ship a big fish (max 30 cm) for 3/4 days to overseas. if we can't to that way, so how we do it? thanks

[JaredWaites]

I doubt a fish would make it 4 days in a bag being thrown about heading overseas. IF and I mean IF he made it, it would probably be so stressed out it would die before you could do anything with it.

But I doubt it would make it unless it had some anesthetic or tranquilizer and then its still a maybe/iffy situation. But I can see the fish using all the oxygen content up too fast...but if he has been 'put to sleep', then he'll use less oxygen because he won't be stressed as much.

That's a big fish, so I dunno. Just something to consider.

[Txcowboy22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12032162#post12032162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefworldaq
Can we ship a big fish (max 30 cm) for 3/4 days to overseas. if we can't to that way, so how we do it? thanks

Is he hijacking my thread? You can ship to me if you want. only smaller rare fish tho....

[JaredWaites]

Yeah...kinda hijacking but you already got your information you needed, so I guess they felt it was fair game lol :)

[Lion_posion]

So long as people dont mind, I might hijack the thread as well.

What would be the best way to ship corals, Colonies/frags internationaly?

I know Bourneman advocates the damp method.

What would be the max timeframe for survival of said corals?

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12037436#post12037436 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lion_posion
So long as people dont mind, I might hijack the thread as well.

What would be the best way to ship corals, Colonies/frags internationaly?

I know Bourneman advocates the damp method.

What would be the max timeframe for survival of said corals?


Wouldn't be better to start a thread with a title that attracts people with the know how you are looking for?

[Lion_posion]

Well wouldnt the current title be correct.....

How to ship coral?

[mfinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12039597#post12039597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lion_posion
Well wouldnt the current title be correct.....

How to ship coral?



Your looking for help with shipping internationaly?

I don't have a clue. I know how we ship small corals and frags within the US when the corals are going to be put back in a aquarium within 24 hours, but for shipping overseas where the fish/corals are going to be in bags for longer periods???

Maybe contact a few companies like Walt Smith or Liveaquria.
Or like you thought about Boureman's method.

[2farNorth]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12029959#post12029959 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mfinn
Well, the heat pack needs air to work. When you seal the box,,tight, the heat pack will use up the air in the box in a few hours and then go out.
I had 4 shipments this winter. 2 ended up badly and two were good.
The two good ones had air holes through the lid, maybe 1/8th holes.
The other shipment

??? Dude, maybe you should look into some different shippers, also, what kind of heat packs are you guys using?? Most heat packs are 36 - 48 hr. packs, the Fabric type...

I get live orders shipped overnite FROM one of the coldest spots in the country right now, shipped TO one of the coldest spots in the country, and everyone makes it alive and happy, fish and corals....

Anyways TXCowboy, check out Aquabid.com, they have about the most reasonable priced shipping supplies..... eBay doesn't seem to have squat lately...

[mfinn]

All packages were delivered on time. The ones that came in cold had heat packs the required oxygen to keep working. When the package is sealed up tight, the heat pack uses up the oxygen and then goes out. It doesn't matter how long the heat pack is rated for, if it doesn't have oxygen, it will go out.
Do you have a different type?
I'd like to see some.

[2farNorth]

Were they the plastic baggy type heat packs? or the fabric bag type? Sorry, next time I get an order in, which should be next week, I'll have to take some pictures of the heat packs for you...

[mfinn]

I don't have access to my primary pc that has all my links saved on it for the heat packs I've used.

The ones I got in shipments to me were the fabric bags and they require oxygen to heat.

Like I said if you have a link to heat packs that don't require oxygen, I'd really like to check it out.

I'm expecting a sm. shipment of zoa frags in this morning from WV. We'll see what is used in it.:)

[2farNorth]

I wonder if it has to do with the size of the box? The boxes that come here are fairly decent size. Otherwise, I've just used the Uniheat brand shipping packs without problems.... never really thought about poking holes in the shipping container..... the heat pack is still warm after 24 hrs...

[mfinn]

Uniheat is a popular and reliable brand. The stuff I've been getting over the winter were pretty small boxes. All zoanthid frags, so it could be the size of the box has alot to do with it.
Got a good shipment from Cherry Corals, the box wasn't sealed tight and the temp was 69 degrees and got a box last week that had actual very small air holes poked in it and the temp 72.

One of the boxes(small box, about 8"x8") I got in a couple months ago was sealed tight.
Opened the box and the water was in the 40's. Out side temp was in the low 20's. I found the heat pack taped to the lid, but it was cold. But with a minute of being exposed to air, it started heating back up. So the heat pack worked, but just ran out of air.

I just saw a thread on heat packs by a rc guy named Beaker Bob.
Interesting read.
The heat pack was cold

[SteveOhh]

I had a bad experience making my own styrofoam liner..................seeing how the corners aren't sealed, one of the bags leaked & leaked out of the unsealed box & soaked the cardboard shipping box. It's the only coral I've ever had leak, but it was enough for me. That's why I use the sealed coolers from Uline.

On another note, I watched how the employees at the wholesalers "activated" thier heat packs. They put about 50 of them in a big bag, injected oxygen into the bag & then sealed the bag. 15 minutes later he ripped open the bag & all of the heat packs were hot. They taped them to a paper plate & then taped the paper plate to the inside of the lid..................Not sure how they stay warm though.........