Your Opinion On Heat Sealing Fish Bags for Shipping

[Scottyhorse]

I'm going to be shipping fish and inverts a lot more in the coming months. Would it be worth an extra $30 ish dollars to heat seal bags? I'm always afraid that the rubber bands will come apart during shipping! I know a lot of people use rubber bands, but would heat sealing the bags be a better option?
I can also seal them myself at home, I've done it before because I was bored
Just wondering if this would be a safer option.

**For those of you wondering, you take a lighter, squish the end of a bag between an old book or a couple pieces of scrap wood, then run the lighter back and forth and it will heat seal the bags.

 

[Sillyfishies]

I'm going to be shipping fish and inverts a lot more in the coming months. Would it be worth an extra $30 ish dollars to heat seal bags? I'm always afraid that the rubber bands will come apart during shipping! I know a lot of people use rubber bands, but would heat sealing the bags be a better option?
I can also seal them myself at home, I've done it before because I was bored
Just wondering if this would be a safer option.

**For those of you wondering, you take a lighter, squish the end of a bag between an old book or a couple pieces of scrap wood, then run the lighter back and forth and it will heat seal the bags.

Why'd it be an extra 30$...?

 

[Rare]

I have no idea about how well it does and the only way to find out is to do it yourself if no one else comes in & has done it. Now, with that said would a food saver work better? They have this option to just sealed the bags.... I have one at home and it does that..... Not sure if the bags you buy can be use for this or not.

I will go for the rubber band and the K.I.S.S rule in IMHO. Good luck!

 

[Scottyhorse]

There are poly bags from a seller on aquabid I get my stuff from whose bags are heat sealable.
What is the K.I.S.S rule?

 

[jetajockey]

Just get long bags and tie knots in them, that's what I've always done and it works just fine. Double bag also.

 

[HUKIT]

Just get long bags and tie knots in them, that's what I've always done and it works just fine. Double bag also.

That's what I do, one bag up and one bag down.

 

[Alyxx]

There are poly bags from a seller on aquabid I get my stuff from whose bags are heat sealable.
What is the K.I.S.S rule?

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Or at least that's the version I know. I think a tied off bag with a rubber band should be fine, too.

 

[Oohitsae]

I tend to not like the heat sealed bags. I don't use them, but have been recieving them a lot lately and seems like the only time I get DOA's is in the heat sealed bags. I imagine that you could really only do it with breather bags too because it's hard to keep air in something that you have to seal like that...

IDK, I prefer the old method of regular non-breather bags and tying a knot.

 

[Autumnsky]

Following...I have wondered too. I have two of these things (Food Savers), and would double seal them, if I ever used one.

Also there are smaller commercial bag sealers.

 

[jetajockey]

I've been looking into using bag sealers, but i wouldn't do it with fish shipments, only plants or dry goods. It's just not worth the risk if the fish bag leaks out. Sealing a bag with a large volume of air in it can be a pain also just to get the sealing end to lay flat.