Best way to ship SPS corals

[phljess]

I traded a couple of corals yesterday. I shipped them both the same way, one set made it to its destination, the others died. I shipped them triple bagged with enough water to cover the corals and wrapped a paper towel around them. I did not leave very much air in the bags. I put them in a box encased with styrofoam 1/2 inch thick stuff. I did not add a cold pack to the box. I was afraid they would get too cold considering I was shipping them out right before the scheduled arrival of the carrier (about 4:00). The strange thing about this situation is the coral that lived was in transit longer than the others that died. All of these corals were shipped in the same region so weather was about the same for all shipments. Some of them were fresh clippings and others were mounted, some of the fresh clippings lived but not all of them. It was really hot today though, about 93 degrees in the area. Any Ideas on how to avoid having this happen again? Also what types of cold packs do you guys use when shipping your corals?

 

[phljess]

C'mon, I know someone is out there wanting to spout off at something I did wrong.

 

[Serioussnaps]

what were the coral???(you know what i just realized something...why does everyone say coral-s-s-s-s-s...isnt coral plural for coral?? anyways i may be wrong but...)

why did you wrap in a paper towel??? this was a bad idea IMO this is to keep shipping costs down on water on things like zoas..(if i got a frag in the mail wrapped in a paper towel i would be fricking ****ed)

the more water in the bag the less the temperature swing(this is why you make the buyer pay shipping) i like filling the standard LFS bag up half full and letting some o2 in then double bagging...also yeah a cool pack would have been a good idea(i just get a bottle of RO water (old spring water bottle ) and freeze it...voila.....only bad thing i had in shipping was recently when fedex decided to break the cooler and let water drip everywhere only to call the buyer who just payed 120 bucks for shipping..i was ****ed he was too...but everything lived(it was all softies though)

summer time---icepacks(the inside of trucks can get up to 140 degrees.....winter----heatpacks depending on where you live

also...arrange a pick up time at a depot so they can get it when it first arrives(if applicable some people cant do this)

some people like fresh clippings but i think they are more vulnerable to the stresses...just MO

 

[phljess]

Here is where I got the idea for shipping with the paper. I think Eric Borneman is very knowledgable. This is why I used this method.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php

BTW, I was shipping more than one coral so I thought correct grammar would be corals for the plural of coral but I might be mistaken.

 

[Letmegrow]

The type of corals makes a difference.

Paper towels are fine for zoas and snails/hermits.

Some anemones do better with just a splash of water in the bag, mostly BTAs and condys. Use just enough water to cover them.

SPS I like the styro-raft method.
When acclimating sps, sit them out of water on a table away from light and let them slime up a bit then put them in the tank and the slime coating will dissolve at a rate to let them properly acclimate.

Warn who ever you are sending your corals/frags to of your parameters

Temp
Salinity
Lighting conditions. (wattage, K rating)

Don't bag more than one coral in a bag.

Use only atmospheric air to bag, using O2 is not good especially for fish. Imagine if you were on the oxygen mask at the dentist office for hours and then he sent you home with out sobering up.

Use heat packs in the winter, Ice packs in the summer. That one is simple and obvious, yet very important.

Always line the inside of the box with one or more plastic bags to catch any water from popped bags. It sucks when fedex or who ever wont ship a wet box because of a tiny leak, especially when it's only hours away from the final destination.

Never write "live" or anything of that nature on the box.
Use perishable and fragile. If you ship a lot get stickers, they are cheap and I swear the boxes seem to be showed more love then a sharpie marker and bad handwriting.

There are more tips but that covers most basic things.

 

[phljess]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7861610#post7861610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
The type of corals makes a difference.

Paper towels are fine for zoas and snails/hermits.

Some anemones do better with just a splash of water in the bag, mostly BTAs and condys. Use just enough water to cover them.

SPS I like the styro-raft method.
When acclimating sps, sit them out of water on a table away from light and let them slime up a bit then put them in the tank and the slime coating will dissolve at a rate to let them properly acclimate.

Warn who ever you are sending your corals/frags to of your parameters

Temp
Salinity
Lighting conditions. (wattage, K rating)

Don't bag more than one coral in a bag.

Use only atmospheric air to bag, using O2 is not good especially for fish. Imagine if you were on the oxygen mask at the dentist office for hours and then he sent you home with out sobering up.

Use heat packs in the winter, Ice packs in the summer. That one is simple and obvious, yet very important.

Always line the inside of the box with one or more plastic bags to catch any water from popped bags. It sucks when fedex or who ever wont ship a wet box because of a tiny leak, especially when it's only hours away from the final destination.

Never write "live" or anything of that nature on the box.
Use perishable and fragile. If you ship a lot get stickers, they are cheap and I swear the boxes seem to be showed more love then a sharpie marker and bad handwriting.

There are more tips but that covers most basic things.

I do most of the statements mentioned above, the only reason I did not use a cold pack is that we both decided against the use of them.

I only put one coral in each bag and write the parameters on the outside bag. I do not use oxygen and I usually do not leave very much air in the bags, should I leave more air in the bags?

I think I know what the styro raft method is, is it where you float the coral on a piece of styro upside down in the bag?

 

[Corn]

the temp in the bags will get hotter then what you think. I would insist on a cold pack!!!. Fill the bag about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full and yes that is what a styro raft is. This is just MO and from opening a hell of a lot of shipment (I work at a fish store) this is what I would do. also for a cold pack tape the pack to the top of the styro so that it is not touching any of the bags then line the top with a peace of news paper. that is the way the most of the distributor do it.

 

[twon8]

imo air in the bags is very important. i have more air than water in my bags, corals will suffocate otherwise.

 

[twon8]

and for a cold pack, a few ice cubes in a plastic bag wrapped in some newspaper

 

[oligotrophic]

Air is very important. With that limited, your coral will be stressed. However, water is as important as well, that's why sometimes it is better to ship in a larger bag (ofcourse supported with more layers of plastic bags).

Commensal crabs (or acro crabs) are the first to die when air is insufficient. Noticed I used "air" and not oxygen.

Vibration during the transportation is also another factor, it can be a form of stress.

Good luck!

 

[Letmegrow]

Yes Air, The ratio of air to water should be water 1/4, air 3/4.
Very important, sorry I left that out.

The styro raft is just as how you described.

 

[JB NY]

Here is how I ship SPS. Since this is the SPS forum I am going to assume we are talking about acropora and montipora.

Use decent bags. I use 4mil 6"x12" bags. You one need one bag for frags if you use a decent bag.

I take the bag and put about two cups of water in it. Don't skimp on water to save money. Most times you will end up with not enough and kill or stress the coral.

I ship all my frags mounted to something. If the person doesn't want it mounted they can always pop it off the plug. Also, do not just clip a frag and throw it in a bag to be shipped off someplace. If you are shipping frags, you are always better off clipping it a week, or a least a few days, ahead of time. This gives the coral some time to recover before you stress it again by shipping it.

I cut a small piece of styrofoam about 2"x2", and using a rubber band, wrap the band over the plug and the styrofoam. Then put the frag in the bag, it will float upside down in the water. Make sure there is enough water in the bag so that the frag does not touch the bottom of the bag when the bag is set down.

Now you have a frag, that in most circumstances, will not touch anything other than water during it's shipment.

Use a styrofoam box that is placed inside a cardboard box, you can buy them but most LFS will just give you them for free. Line the box with some kind of plastic in case of leaks. Pack the box well, I use packing peanuts to help. Throw in a small heat pack for winter or cold pack in summer. The pack should not be touching the water part of the bags. I usually tape it to the top inside of the styrofoam container. Tape up the box good. Nothing inside should shift when the box is sealed and you move it around.

Lastly ship the frag overnight for delivery before 12PM. Ask the person what carrier, UPS or FedEx, is best in their area. Just because UPS is bad near you doesn't mean it is the same for the other guy in some other state.

That's it. With some luck the package will arrive at it's destination, and as long as it is not late or damaged you should have no problems. I have shipped many. many frags this way and I would guess I get a 90-95% survival rate using this method.

HTH

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7861646#post7861646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phljess
I do most of the statements mentioned above, the only reason I did not use a cold pack is that we both decided against the use of them.

I only put one coral in each bag and write the parameters on the outside bag. I do not use oxygen and I usually do not leave very much air in the bags, should I leave more air in the bags?

The whole point of the shipping damp is that its easier oxygen exchange for the coral. You NEED air in the bag, and as much as possible. You just need enough water to keep it very humid.