calling all sps coral shipping experts

[greg683x]

a couple questions regarding shipping sps overnight, ive tried researching this but i havent seen any concrete opinions on this.

at what point do you decide to ship your coral with a coldpack? i might be sending some corals to my brother in law he only lives 6 hours north of me from washington dc. its the middle of august but the day he said he wants me to ship the temps dont look too bad. the forecast for my location when i drop the box off will be 87-89 degrees, this would be around 5pm. with overnight temps dropping to 72 degrees by midnight.

at his location from midnight that morning until the drop off time which would be around 11am, the temp is as low as 76 reaching 80 degrees by 11am.

i guess my first thought be that i dont need a cold pack with temps like that, but after thinking about it, i worry about that 89 degree temp where i'm at and maybe the cold pack would be best served for that period, and by the time the temps dropped, the pack would be melted anyway, right?

any thoughts from folks with a lot of experience with a scenario like this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bpb]

My protocol.....which is adopted from a well respected mentor of mine and notable sps guru on here whom shall remain nameless, and has worked well for me

A). If shipping IN state (where the package will only travel in a truck, never getting on a plane)
- if overnight temps in the vicinity will be over 85 degrees, I will use a small cold pack
- if overnight temps in the vicinity are under 70, I use a small heat pack
- if between 70-80, I use nothing.

B) if shipping out of state
- same criteria as above, just checking with Memphis TN overnight temps, and destination morning temps and use my best judgement.

In my experience, a fedex package of shipped by air will spend most it's time at the hub which is usually around 6 hours in most my instances. God forbid, If there's a delay, it'll be there 24+ hours. That is where the temperatures matter most to me. Not locally.

My fedex ship center is climate controlled and the boxes sit on the shelves until they're driven to the local airport and flown off. Even if it's 110 degrees here I don't need a cold pack unless I'm shipping somewhere even hotter and it'll be hot overnight.

But sitting in an airport in Memphis for 6-8 or more hours is where temperatures will impact the box the most.....

In your instance. It'll be shipped on the ground most likely. Verify what overnight forecasted temperatures will be along the way and just plan accordingly. Don't worry as much about what temps at mid day will be before or after. If it's shipped priority overnight, they have a guarantee to arrive early (usually 10:30). Make sure the package is well sealed and insulated.


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[Bpb]

Moreover....it your temps are 89 degrees at 5 pm when you may feasibly drop off your box...that doesn't automatically mean your water temp will be 89 degrees. If your tank is 79 degrees. You take 10 minutes to bag and box your stuff. Seal it really well in a thick insulated box. The bag temp will drop a few degrees naturally anyway if your room temps are 70-75 degrees as most people are accustomed to.

Once that box is sealed up, it should hold that temp fairly well if you used a quality box and packed it well enough. It shouldn't climb over 80 unless you left it in direct sun in 90+ degree heat for several hours, which it likely will never be on that trip. I think you'll be good without a cold pack. But ultimately it's your call. I can't verify how well you're packing them without witnessing it. It will be helpful to have your recipient to take a quick bag temp check when they arrive. I asked my first several recipients to do so for my own feedback.


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[greg683x]

thanks for the thorough reply!

I'm sure you would have mentioned it, but I'll ask anyway....

Since it will most likely be on a truck all night instead of traveling via plane, would that change your protocol in anyway? Just asking bc Im wondering if being packed on the back of a tractor trailer that would maybe be stuffy and hot from the heat of earlier in the day would cause any overheating.

i dont have to ship it until the end of the week, so i think i might pack a dummy box at like 4-5pm one night, let it sit in my house until before i go to bed, and then put it in my car before i go to bed and let it sit there all night, then open it up around 10-11am the next day and see what the temp is like. just because the temp variance between me and him isnt all that different

 

[Oldreeferman]

For what its worth all the best received shipments that ive ever received came to my door in a really nice thick foam insulated cooler packed with more foam & in a larger box. I now keep all the coolers i receive for future shipping my own stock so a foam cooler with additional foam inside a larger box should more then cover a temp issue far as too warm id think for 24hrs. due to the good insul R factor. You could add a cooling pack between the outer box maybe first lined with plastic if you want to be 100% safe.

 

[Bpb]

I don't think the truck will be trapping a lot of residual heat to be honest. Have you selected your shipping box yet? It's been proven in some A/B experiments you can find that a DIY foam shipper doesn't hold as well of temps as a dedicated one from a place like Uline. The Uline boxes are the most expensive, but they work so well. I will continue to use them until I find an identical product for cheaper. Every coral shipment I've received has been in a near identical box just with custom print. 1.5" thick foam with a lid.

I double bag/double seal each bag with 4 mil poly bags. Then put all the bags into a freezer bag, Orient them upright in the box, and fill tightly with packing peanuts so they won't move around.

Tape the foam cooler lid on all the way around to get as air tight as possible. Then a good layer of tape covering every joint of the box.

Things that'll kill a shipment, temperature and kinetic energy. You don't want the bags or cups banging around, and you don't want hot air to get inside the box. Address those two and it'll be fine


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[Apotack]

Has anyone tried this place ?
https://shipyouraquatics.com
Im going to try them out next time I need to ship

 

[Bpb]

Has anyone tried this place ?
https://shipyouraquatics.com
Im going to try them out next time I need to ship

I haven't used them, but if their quotes are accurate it's not even worth it. They quoted a package from here (tx) to NY at $97 for priority overnight. I'd have to be selling $800-1000 per box to eat that, and I don't know anyone who would pay it as a buyer.


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[Apotack]

Yea, I just got a sample quote I don’t think I’ll be using them

 

[Oldreeferman]

Just need small tight fitting dense foam coolers & seal them up exactly like Bpb said & your shipping as well as anyone does, except for the cooling and or heating packs if needed, but that is just common sense to add them IF its overly hot or cold. These ARE living animals so overnight is the best solution if the weather is extreme if they are special hard to get corals.