Shipping Blue Leg Hermits Out Of Water?

[wld1783]

Coming back from the keys with several hundred blue leg hermits. Whats the best way to bring them on an airplane in a gate checked cooler.

Water bottles filled half way.

Dry in zip lock baggie with wet towel.

Just dry tossed into baggie.

Travel time will be 12 hours.

Bill

[greenbean36191]

Dry, tossed in a bag.

[wld1783]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15234302#post15234302 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
Dry, tossed in a bag.

Thanks I noticed as the tide goes out they are often left on the hot rocks for hours.

How long will they last out of water if there is some moisture.

Bill

[greenbean36191]

a few days

[BlueTangarang]

I've also had hermits shipped to me dry bagged but packed with paper towels soaked in sea water. A lot less weight but still some moisture for the little buggers.

[BlueTangarang]

I've also had hermits shipped to me dry bagged but packed with paper towels soaked in sea water. A lot less weight than a bag full of water, but still some moisture for the little buggers.

[aurora]

Dry in a small water bottle in your carryon luggage. Any water will suffocate the ones underwater. Uncap bottle periodically to ventilate if you have a lot in there.

[wld1783]

Thanks for the feedback. Most made it without O2. Some wound up naked exposed with no shell much like a Pinnacle pilot in flip flops and a big watch.

Overall I would say blue leg hermits are good dry in a puffed up baggie for 12 hours.

IMHO only a 10% losss.

Bill

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15240911#post15240911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aurora
Dry in a small water bottle in your carryon luggage. Any water will suffocate the ones underwater. Uncap bottle periodically to ventilate if you have a lot in there.

Any water will suffocate the ones underwater? Now I am no scientist, but i can tell you Blue Legs can live underwater...otherwise they would not be suitable for aquariums ;)

[KarlBob]

I think aurora's theory might have been that the ones in the water would exhaust the oxygen content of the water but keep trying to breathe it, thus suffocating themselves. Whether that theory is correct or not, the ones who were not submerged (which turned out to be all of them) continued to breathe by using their damp gills to absorb atmospheric oxygen.

[aurora]

Thanks for explaining the obvious WLD...

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that any stagnant water will be quickly depleted of oxygen from the bacteria or other life in the water and since the water is not circulating, there won't be much oxygen transfer. Putting these poor hermits in water during transport is essentially suffocating them unless you keep the number to a few and provide 100% oxygen...apparently, this is how they do it for your lfs. I guess it's the same for our reef tank. If the power goes out, you better circulate your tank water with a battery operated airstone or you are gonna suffocate your fish. The longer water is not circulating in your tank to facilitate air exchange, the more likely your fish is gonna die.

[wld1783]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15246093#post15246093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aurora
Thanks for explaining the obvious WLD...

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that any stagnant water will be quickly depleted of oxygen from the bacteria or other life in the water and since the water is not circulating, there won't be much oxygen transfer. Putting these poor hermits in water during transport is essentially suffocating them unless you keep the number to a few and provide 100% oxygen...apparently, this is how they do it for your lfs. I guess it's the same for our reef tank. If the power goes out, you better circulate your tank water with a battery operated airstone or you are gonna suffocate your fish. The longer water is not circulating in your tank to facilitate air exchange, the more likely your fish is gonna die.

I'm always learning. I transported some in water (water bottle 1/4 filled) till the TSA 3oz checkpoint.

Thoes that were in water for part of the journey did not do as well as thoes in dry zip lock baggies.

BTW I don't know whats the obvious, I only heard of them being shipped out of water. Every mail order I've recieved had them in water only 10 per bag...Hopefully with O2.

If I were to do it again I would do as greenbean36191 said. Just to be safe I opened the ziplock and changed out the air after 8 hours.

Bill

[1DeR9_3Hy]

There is a LFS here in detroit that has a florida collecting permit, he fedex's 1000's of blue legs back dry and has a very low doa %.

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15246093#post15246093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aurora
Thanks for explaining the obvious WLD...

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that any stagnant water will be quickly depleted of oxygen from the bacteria or other life in the water and since the water is not circulating, there won't be much oxygen transfer. Putting these poor hermits in water during transport is essentially suffocating them unless you keep the number to a few and provide 100% oxygen...apparently, this is how they do it for your lfs. I guess it's the same for our reef tank. If the power goes out, you better circulate your tank water with a battery operated airstone or you are gonna suffocate your fish. The longer water is not circulating in your tank to facilitate air exchange, the more likely your fish is gonna die.

Boy that came of a tad rude aurora ;)

FWIW I was in the wholesale side of MO livestock for over a decade. I am very familiar with the shipping of them. We shipped both methods, damp towels and in water. It depended on what the customer wanted. Both were just fine, just one was heavier then the other.

A box in transit is not a still box most of the time. The water in the bag will move quite a bit. What O2 is in the air will saturated the water for the most part with the amount of sloshing that is typical of transit. Ammonia is more of a danger/worry then low 02 for hermits!

[KarlBob]

BTW - That wasn't wld1783 explaining the obvious, it was me. My philosophy professor in college often referred to me as a "Master of the Obvious". I still find that restating things in my own words helps me to understand what I've read/heard.