Shipping

[Fishninja]

Hey guys I am thinking about getting into selling red cherry shrimp on here however I would like to get some of you personal opinions on what is involved in doing this

 

[Darkseid76]

It's not difficult.

Priority shipping. Shipping materials. Access to a PayPal account is best. Shrimp should have something to ride on. Such as plant stems/moss.

I use java moss when I ship.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

You would need some small boxes, styrofoam cut to fit, and regular plastic bags.

Put the shrimp in the bag filled 1/3 with tank water. Add something for the to hold onto. (Java moss works well) and double bag them.
(Shrimp in a bag then the bag upside down in another bag, it reduces the corners the can get stuck in and helps prevent leaks)

Then wrap the bags in newspaper (or put them in a small "sea" of packing peanuts) in the styrofoam lined box.

Drop the box off directly at a post office, (less time spent in a hot truck) and tell them there are live fish inside, they should put a "perishable" stamp on the package.

I haven't shipped before, but i have gotten shipments, so i hope this helps!

 

[Fishninja]

Ok thanks guys that helped a lot. So I just use ziplock bags????

 

[bud29]

Shipping Fish and Invertebrates - Aquarium Advice

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Ok thanks guys that helped a lot. So I just use ziplock bags????

No, fish shipping bags.

 

[Fishninja]

Yes I realized that when I read the article

 

[Fishninja]

Another question i had in the article bud linked on his post was that for shrimp they used only one breather bag so should I only use one breather bag for shrimp

 

[severum mama]

Yes, one bag is fine. You don't have to use breather bags, it's just something I like to do. Be sure to keep an eye on temperature when you ship.

 

[Fishninja]

What do you use if it is hot

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Wait or use cooling packs

 

[Fishninja]

Is it a special kind or just a regular one

 

[severum mama]

I wouldn't even bother with cold packs unless you're shipping overnight - they aren't going to stay cold anyway. Line the box well with Styrofoam and wait for good weather.

 

[Fishninja]

I live in Florida so heat can be a problem

 

[Oohitsae]

Here is exactly what I do and have a 95%+ success rate with fish/shrimp/and snails.

Get a tub of new water and condition it with a dose of prime or amquell plus, something that will detoxify ammonia for as long as possible. Prime is my preferred method.

I also add a bit of nitrofuracin green or methalyne blue to the shipping water.

Generally I use 4x18 2 mil poly bags (I buy from MVP on aquabid, great prices fast shipping)

I put 2/3 water and 1/3 air in the bag, usually filling up about 3" of the bag with water.

Add some sort of plant when shipping shrimp for them to hang on to. Java moss is preferred.

I use airline tubing to put the air into the bag, never breathe into it. Pure oxygen is a better idea but costs a decent amount to use.

Make sure that when the bag is turned on it's side all the shrimp/fish's backs are covered.

Twist and knot the bag, and then either turn it inside out and slip it over again to create a double bag, or add a new bag around the original one upside down so that it cuts down corners.
Wrap In newspaper or paper towel and then set it in the box on it's side to allow more room for horizontal movement.

Fill the rest of the box up with something like newspaper, paper towels, packing nuts, or bubble wrap to keep the bag/s from sliding around too much during transit.

Tape it up and take it directly to the PO.

Creating shipping labels through PayPal is fast and easy, but if you aren't able to weight the box yourself just write the address on and have to p.o. Do it.

Styrofoam lined boxes are preferred but not necessary in weather under 70* and over 86* to keep coolness inside. Also if temps are below or above the mentioned you'll want to add heat or cool packs to the box.

 

[Oohitsae]

I wouldn't even bother with cold packs unless you're shipping overnight - they aren't going to stay cold anyway. Line the box well with Styrofoam and wait for good weather.

That's the other way around.
They are necessary for shipping priority in hot/cool weather. Cool packs aren't the greatest, but my 72hr heat packs are life savers in winter time.

 

[severum mama]

Right, I never said not to use heat packs in cold weather. I actually covered heat packs in the article above (I'm the author). I said that for priority shipping, cold packs really aren't going to do much good since they will be thawed and warm by day two. I've shipped several hundred boxes throughout the past few years, during all seasons.

Lack of oxygen in the bag is typically going to be a bigger issue than water quality - I would suggest 1/3 water and 2/3 air when using a regular fish bag.

Always use Styrofoam liner in the shipping box.

 

[Fishninja]

How much are shipping boxes priced at

 

[severum mama]

Priority boxes are free. You just pay for the postage. If you take another look at the article, I'm pretty sure I covered this.

 

[Fishninja]

Where is the cheapest place to get styrofoam?