Best shipping procedures

[Travis]

Yes, heat packs also need to be wrapped. My main reason for wrapping the heat pack is so the paper will absorb "some" water should there be a small leak during shipping. If the heat pack gets wet its done. I also wrap my heat pack according to how much heat I need for that shipment. A lot of paper if I need a little heat and a little paper if I need a lot.

This is my source for heat and cold packs: http://superiorenterprise.com/

 

[rlabriola]

thanks alot, i was a newby at this shipping of corals stuff, but after all of the helpful tips and links, i feel like a pro

 

[jay24k]

I didnt get an email from you. Just checked.

 

[jay24k]

I also use the uni heat packs as well. Well I bought about 40 of them but it hasn't gotten cold yet.

 

[ben&bobbi]

jay, you still at comcast?

 

[ben&bobbi]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all who have replied. I have successfully shipped 3 boxes, including 2 tort colonies!

for a heat pack, i used 12hr heat pads. Both people said everything was fine and no issues. I taped the heat pack to the lid with a couple layers of newspaper. packed with styrofoam peanuts.

I found out you can meet the FedEx driver at a drop box and hand it to him. This helped alot since the latest store pickup is 4:30 and drop box is 5:30.

Anyone want to sell me a handful of bags!? i don't have enough to get 1000 bag box, plus i can't find the mentioned 4x14" bags!

Thanks again!


Also, more shipping procedures - what about the thermos?

 

[JB NY]

If you are going to ship more than once in a while and you have an airport near you, get an account with and airline shipper. I can ship about 30 frags in a 20-22lb box for roughly $90 using Southwest Cargo. Better than the price is the shipping time is much quicker, 6-7 hours to LA from NY.

 

[HBtank]

Awesome thread.

Anymore information of peoples techniques for using heat and cold packs would be appreciated...

It sounds like taping either to the top of an interior insulated box (styrofoam seems to be the preffered choice) is the best method? And to choose the appropriate type and amount it is wrapped based on the weather it will encounter? Any info on which for different circumstances?

Looks like the "styrofoam skipping kits" are the way to go @ uline? That, peanuts and their poly bags?

Do people go with standard rubberbands on the bags? I am thinking maybe zipties as well?

 

[JB NY]

I used to double bag, and use a rubber band to tie an acro frag onto a piece of styrofoam. So the foam would float in the bag and the acro below the foam underwater. That way if the bag got turned over the frag would stay underwater. Always use a little extra water as it helped to ensure the acro made it in good shape. I would tape a heat pack to the top of the styro container. I just used some 12 hour ones from Riteaid that I would pick up for about $.50 a piece on sale. About 99% of my frags lived using this method.

 

[HBtank]

Might sound dumb, but taped to the top of the styro means inside the lid right?

 

[flyyyguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11189672#post11189672 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HBtank
Might sound dumb, but taped to the top of the styro means inside the lid right?

depends. Ive been known to tape a few heat packs to the outside of the box if it is something like 30 where I live, and 80 or more where Im shipping to which can happen.

I dont want heat inside that box. I just want it to not lose any for the first half of the trip.

this is the only circumstance in which 12 hour heat packs make sense for me with the 1.5" thick walled coolers that I use. And they of course need wrapped in newspaper pretty well


this is the box i use most often https://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-9903

 

[b16drag]

Anyone feeling like doing a write up with nice lil pics for the stupid people like me

 

[bureau13]

I have a thread on here somewhere about my Fedex nightmare. They're still playing games with me trying to get me to go away. The alleged delivery date was in September, btw. If you're going to ship Fedex, it seems people have had a much greater success rate picking up at the depot or at least shipping to a business. If you're just a regular citizen, trust me, they don't give a *&$# about you.

jds

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11028150#post11028150 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kev apsley
Ditto on the FedEx, I just went through a UPS sorting facility for a job interview and those guys are worst than Auto Assembly Workers and trust me that's bad! I use to be one I have had a few bad experiences with FedEx but I still prefer them over everybody else and DO NOT use the USPS!

 

[flyyyguy]

fed ex has not dropped the ball even ONCE in too many shipments to count for me

I wouldnt go anywhere else

Of course...i havent had to deal with the refund end of things under those circumstances

Sorry to hear you had problems though

 

[bureau13]

I'm OK with the fact that they lost the shipment. It happens. I'm very much NOT OK with the way they didn't bother to make a real effort to find it quickly, repeatedly lied to me about calling me back, lied to me about receiving the claim, lied to me about the status of the claim they supposedly didn't recieve, etc etc.

jds

 

[Serioussnaps]

Yes......taped to the top of the inside of the box on the lid. I suggest using a good packing tape. Humidity can cause other tapes to peel, particularly duct tape...not all the time but it can and when shipping a box of money that can die then I respect murphy's law.

Cool packs I just freeze a small water bottle of RO and wrap it extremely well..extremely well.

 

[Chad Vossen]

two people already mentioned this, but its worth saying again.

i really like the idea of attaching the frag itself to styrofoam (IF the frag is small enough, large frags will sink the foam).

when i moved from NC to MN, i had to bag all my corals 1 day before we actually moved (we drove the whole distance, 26 hours in the car). all my stony corals (montipora, hammer coral, candy cane...) were tied to a chunk of styrofoam then bagged in a breathable bag. all the bags were put into the same box seperated by cardboard (i had my pair of clownfish, all my corals, few smaller peices of live rock, sea urchin, snails all in the same box). after i got to MN, took me another 10 hours to have my tank set up and ready for the animals.

in all, i guess i had my corals in a bag for over 48 hours and ALL my corals survived except for my xenia... my fish were fine too. the only thing i lost was my sea urchin and the xenia.

i feel that the success of my tank move is mostly on the breather bags, but the styrofoam kept the corals suspended the whole way.

i know this isnt really "shipping" but its darn close enough that i can join in.

 

[ben&bobbi]

Great info armagedon48

i have had a couple PM's about the styrofoam. I am guessing the styrofoam will always want to be up in the bag, but it could get suck on it's side right? Anyone have pictures?

so what do you do for larger colonies? I was thinking i should have wrapped the coral loosely with another plastic bag. My last shipment had broken tips when arrived.

still looking for info on thermos shipping. i don't see the styrofoam working here. if (when) turned, it would try to push the coral up into the container. so how do you dampen movement inside?

 

[Som1else]

This really is all great info. If i'm planning to ship from socal to norcal overnight and its in the seventies here and in the 40's there, How much should i wrap a 40hr heat pack?

 

[sdietz2469]

I wanted to know what are everyones thoughts on shipping clams???