Best Shipping Procedures

Bag sealers
Purpose: Keeps water and of course coral inside the bag without leaking.

Rubber Bands:
Time tested and true. Technique is important here and who isn’t impressed when LFS does it and makes it look so easy? As of now I am targeting to use an impulse sealer, since I am under the impression that air inside the coral bag is not required. If O2 is beneficial, or needed, I am not sure if the impulse sealer is the best way forward, I’ll address more below under O2.

Metal Claspers:
Most of the orders I’ve received have had this. Not sure on the investment, vice going with the sealer, but it can be used for other stuff around the house. Still, the bag with clasp is sort of like of rubber band in that there is technique. Positive is also there are no maintenance items like the heating element for sealer. For some reason though, I’m still more comfortable with the sealer.

Hot Impulse sealer:
I like how clean and strong this looks. Bottom line is the seal can be seen, and I feel more comfortable knowing the water will not leak. Also, it seems the sealer method creates slimmer or more compact package, which results in a smaller box. When I receive big boxes from some of the prominent stores – one doesn’t realize how much that would cost a hobbyist to send another hobbyist a box that size overnight. $80-$100 for sure just for the shipping. Again, I’m trying to figure out the best most compact economical way to ship to ensure the corals get to where they are going and arrive alive, and survive.

Bags
Purpose: Holds the coral and water together, duh. Challenges are to withstand some hard coral potentially rubbing up against the bag liner and obviously hold the water in without leaking. Also to have coral suspended or free floating where it is not going to either poke against the bag wall creating a leak or damage the coral. Using a cup where the plug is zipped or glued to the cup to separate the coral from bag is a great idea. The bag also provides some insulation factor so thinker is a bit better in my opinion.

Bag thickness: Between 2-4 mil thickness is what I’ve read. Since I’m going with the impulse sealer method, I will triple bag, using two 4 mil bags, and one with a 3 mil bag. If I use a specimen cup for zoas, I’ll likely just double bag. FedEx shipping requirement “double bagging fish in minimum 4 mil thick plastic bags” To them Fish and coral are the same. Seemed pretty reasonable in price for 4 mil. http://www.uline.com/BL_109/4-Mil-Industrial-Poly-Bags

Bag width and length: Want the width of the bag wide enough for small (1-2") or large (2-4”) frags, but also to fit a specimen cup, float disk, or extra water if needed. Length if using the impulse sealer isn’t as important given you have enough to work with or are not wasting half the bag cutting off excess. Getting this right is kind of important if you buying bags by the box of 1000. Still need some more research and testing on this. The recommended bag size is all over the map.

Delivery services are not happy when salt water leaks all over the place and gets things wet, so the shipping bags should be placed inside a heavy-duty plastic bag liner (33 gallon Hefty type garbage bags) that is inserted inside the foam liner or coffin box in case water leakage occurs.
 
Box fillers
Cellulose Wadding = (absorbs wetness). Most shippers in my experience do not use this, but from what I’ve read on FedEx is it’s a requirement. They want to know if a bag leaks, there is something inside to absorb the water without it leaking all over the place. It is a cost, so must weigh the benefit and vs what the shipping companies really require.

Peanuts – Most shipments I receive have this, and neither cellulose nor absorbent. They are great fillers and keep the contents in the box in place. Nothing against this, and not sure if I would reuse when I get them.

News Paper – Cheap, can absorb, and readily available. Looks cheap too and can compact when weight shifts. Mainly use to wrap ice or heat packs
Most shipment I’ve received has a large plastic bag to prevent any leakage that may get the box soggy. So all the fillers, and bags are inside the big bag. This is an added layer of complexity if dealing with the heat pack, since not sure how well heat will get inside the bag if the packs are outside. Food for thought.

Heat and Cold Pack
“If the temp is moderate 50-70 I don't use a heat or cold pack.”

“If temperatures are predicted to be dropping below 40° or rising above 80°, it is usually best to delay shipping until conditions are more conducive to the survivability of the animals.”

I’ve read about 24hr or 48hr packs. (( Where to get them? )) Make sure the heat pack is warm before you close the box. Packs need air to stay warm ((so is a hole or gap left?)) Preheat pack for 30 minutes before you seal it in the box also ensures it works and is not a dud. Wrap it in newspaper or Uline sells neat envelops.. but that adds a cost. It was stated that if you wrap pack in a lot of paper if you only need a little bit of heat, wrap it less if you need a lot. Not sure what the determining factor is between knowing when a little or a lot is needed… Also, remember these heat packs need oxygen to stay warm. if you completely seal the styrofoam box with tape, and the outer carton, then the heat pack will be limited to the O2 that is trapped in the styro only. I’ve read to always try to leave one side untapped, or poke a small hole in the styro lid, to allow some air to enter, but heat packs are always cold when I get them, then they heat back up a few minutes after getting air outside the box. Lastly, remember to use a heat pack rated for a little longer than the expected time in the box. If you pack the corals at noon, and they won’t be delivered until 10:30 the next day, a 12 hour heat pack will not be enough. One of the references stated to always try to shoot for about an 8 hour cushion, so if you expect 12 hours in transit, look for a 20 or 24 hour heat pack. Also, try to use enough heat packs for the size box you are shipping. Again one of the references recommended use 1 - 24 or 48 hour pack for each cubic foot of space in the box you are am using.

For cool packs: spend $1 at local store and get a gel pack and freeze it. Wrap it in newspaper and to not allow it to contact the bags. Also for a "cool pack" I have just used a bag of ice wrapped in newspaper. Be careful with it though and don't use it unless you expect the temps to be above 90. If its going to be that hot have the package held for pickup at the local FedEx facility.

At what point do you consider heat packs? Any temp below 40F? I’m not sure how to determine the route the package will take to check this, Cross that bridge when I get there
 
O2
Needed?? How to close bag with sealer if needed? How much?

This sure makes it sound important

“Originally Posted by galleon
OK, addressing the decent amount of water and corals using little O2 points:

Using an Acropora respiration rate of 0.2 gO2 m^-2 hr^-1 (derived from A. palmata), and an O2 solubility of 6.6 mg/L at 25C and 35 psu salinity in water, if we place a 5 cm x 5 cm piece of coral in 1 L of oxygen saturated seawater, after only 13 hours, less than 2% of the original mass of O2 in the water will remain! That's 100 millionths of a gram of O2. In an entire liter! Proper gas headspace and sufficient oxygenation of that headspace is a MAJOR factor!
 
Packaging Corals:

Option 1 and 2 – Affix plug to specimen cup (2 different methods)
http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/reef-discussion/116205-how-i-ship-high-end-corals.html

Option 3 – Rubber Band Bags
http://www.practicalcoralfarming.com/shipping.html If you like this method, buy their book

Shipping Strategies
Purpose: To have the corals the least amount of time in the box and subject them to the least amount of shock.
“I drop off right before the last express pickup at 7pm and it usually gets there before 10:30am the following morning.”
“I've started having corals dropped off at a FedEx location. They arrive sooner in the morning since I'm eliminating the delivery person (that delivers to my door). This way it's far less likely to get my address wrong. I think that's a good tip for those buying online.”

“A lot will depend upon temperature consistency... I've had SPS do fine at 48 hours and then I've had them ship like crap in less than 12... SPS don't like excessive heat”

To keep costs down:
For me:
...use the smallest possible box.
…use a Fedex Location or commercial destination address as often as possible. The rates to commercially zoned addresses are a lot cheaper than to residential. If that different than a FedEx location?
…Common sense stuff like drop them off close to the pickup time, not at 8 AM on your way to work. All this can help the animals arrive healthy and safe. Remember too...Airplane cargo bays and UPS warehouses are not heated or air conditioned, and the temperature in a brown UPS truck can exceed 110 degrees on a 90 degree day. Even a white FedEx truck will get pretty dang hot on a warm day...don't assume just because the high is 85 that they'll be ok without a cool pack.

Finally, sign up for your own FedEx/UPS account, and print the label and drop it off at a drop off location. UPS stores and FedEx Kinkos mark up their prices significantly from what you would get charged with your own account. You'll also usually have to pay a $5 pickup charge. If you want to make your overnight shipment as cheap as possible...follow these steps:
1.) Use your own account
2.) Make the box as small as reasonably possible, cut it down if necessary.
3.) Ship to a commercial (business) address when possible
4.) Drop off the box as a drop off location (Is this a box or a store?)
 
Reference links, MODS, if this is in any way inappropriate, please delete, I'm just trying to share where I got the information above from.......

Links:
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/110315-the-official-how-to-ship-coral-thread/

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro...hip-live-coral-easy-fairly-concise-links.html
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2010/08/heat-sealers-and-shipping-corals.html

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro...ping-discussion/11490-how-i-ship-frags-3.html

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/tips/view?searchterm=shipping

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/2/short

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/_/livestock/shipping-coral-frags-r15

http://www.practicalcoralfarming.com/shipping.html

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro...hip-corals-effectively-efficiently-cheap.html

http://www.*********.com/forums/vendor-feedback/106375-cherry-corals-acropalooza-photo-unboxing.html

http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2010/08/heat-sealers-and-shipping-corals.html

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro...g-discussion/60523-plastic-bag-thickness.html

http://harrysfrags.com/shipping.aspx

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro...ssion/119147-heat-sealer-recommendations.html

http://www.*********.com/forums/pro.../117009-what-your-coral-shipping-routine.html

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/aquarium-corals/41023-how-ship-corals.html

http://www.livestockusa.org/ACCLIMATINGCORALS.html

https://reefworks.co.uk/about-us/coral-shipping/

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/saltwaterfishdiseases/a/aamailorderfish.htm

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/134393-sps-frag-packs-columbia-sc-29203-will-ship/

http://www.garf.org/-2011b/sps2Aschool.html

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=41875

http://www.*********.com/forums/vendor-feedback/106375-cherry-corals-acropalooza-photo-unboxing.html

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/190513-shipping-bags/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2307400

http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/reef-discussion/116205-how-i-ship-high-end-corals.html

supplies from ULINE www.uline.com

Supplies http://creativepackagingandsupply.com/default/

http://www.mrboxonline.com/6x45x4-q....html?osCsid=f6d7e10f4d766d497ad9ef3d22fe6848


p cups http://www.lcmlab.com/4_5oz_Specimen_Cup_and_Cap_Non_Sterile_p/430-0005w.htm
 
So I did an order from ULINE, ouch. What's not mentioned is the shipping for shipping stuff. Ya, I know - an oxymoron. Now I know why box charges were a common thing at one point.

I did get a heat (Impulse) sealer and it rocks. Got it off EB for like $35 shipped with extra parts. The seal is so strong, after throwing the bag around decided to squeeze until it popped. Sure enough it was the bag that bubbled and broke, not the seal.

I'll follow up here and document what I ordered, and do pics.
 
I recently recieved a box of frags and they used small plastic dixie cups that protected the frags... it worked out well. all the frags were received intact and perfect.
 
I got one from Live Aq, and they had directionals (this side up) and so on, bags with plastic sheeting inside to try to keep the specimens from rolling, which was just fine until Fedex thumped the box end-down on my front step. A stay in the sump overnight let me collect the 'wild' mushrooms and get them in cups with a rock inside the sump, but it's real hard to pack against all the handlers. Don't even ask about the down-chute in the luggage area of an airline. I once had a dreadnaught guitar end-over-ended down the chute: it cracked a suitcase it hit. I *hope* a dedicated parcel carrier has better practice.
 
Medical Specimen Cup, got the 120ml, Sterile Cups. “Non-Sterile Leak, as they don’t have the extra lip, inside the caps. Soft White Styrofoam, cut in a square and cut X in the Center. Hot glued the Styrofoam Corners to the inside of the Cup. Pushed the Frag. plug into the “X” Placed the Cups in Food Saver Bag with Waded Newspaper. Sealed without drawing the air out. Used Styrofoam Thick walled shipping boxes** Two Day Shipping with UPS. ** I knew someone who worked as a Pharmacist, they gave me all the Styrofoam boxes, I wanted. We split the assembly and supplies among three of us. We stopped due to changes in tax laws.
 
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