Do corals do well in shipping?
- Thread starter WienerDog
- Start date
Bloodritual
New member
They do ship pretty well provided the seller packages it right. And the ones I ordered from at least ship it overnight. Shipping cost really depends on who you are ordering from and what they use for delivery, it would be better if you contact them as they might provide an option that's cheaper for you. Last one I ordered cost $70 but only paid $35 as it was shipped with another order made by someone who lived in the same city I am in so we divided the cost.
WienerDog
New member
Do you acclimate them. I added my first coral today, a zoa. I did not acclimate it. Just let the water temp adjust.
olemiss reb
Molon Labe
Some do better than others but all corals are shipped at one point, your best bet is ordering from a reputable vendor. Bluezoo and LA/DD are my preferred vendors. Most offer free shipping if the order is over a set amount. I would not order anything until after the new year. The volume of packages fedex/ups is handling during xmas increases the chance for delays and therefore livestock loss.
schoch79
New member
Hey there wienerdog. Yes, there are lots of stories of coral/fish not making it to aquariums alive after being shipped. That said it is done all the time and with a very good success rate. Most online retailors have some sort of guarantee and you can at least get "store credit". If you want to look at it another way, how do you think all the coral in retail/wholesale stores get there? They all have to be shipped at one point or another. To answer your last question generally shipping is about $30 for the box charge and then of course it all depends on where it is being shipped from/to. For another possible alternative, That Fish Place, also an online store too, is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a fair distance from you but maybe one day you will want to take a drive out that way. Lots of nice stuff there. Also, I am sure there are some local reef clubs in your area. You should check them out. I'm sure that there would be alot of corals going around that club that you could get for pennies on the dollar compared to both retail and online stores. Not to mention alot of the clubs hold swaps and meeting sthat you could easily go home with more frags than you know what to do with. Good luck.
Bloodritual
New member
I actually do the drip method everytime I add anything alive to my tank.
WienerDog
New member
Thank you. I keep Flowerhorns as well. I have lost several in shipping and it bums me out everytime. In regards to That Fish Place..I am going to Hershey right after Christmas. I will certainly stop on the way home. We always do. though I've never stopped for saltwater stuff though. I wouldn't like to bring fish home from there, it's 3 hours. Will corals make the drive? and you do make a good point...they have to get to the retailers, right? I joined the Nj reffers club for swaps. Thanks for the informative reply.
schoch79
New member
I see no problem bringing back anything saltwater even if it is a three hour drive. People do it all the time. LOL, let me fill you in on a story. I know this guy that went to Florida for vacation and found a decent size piece of gorgonian washed up on the beach. He drove all the way back to Pennsylvania with it in a gatorade bottle. It's still doing fine. But anyway. About you stopping by Hershey after christmas. Can it wait until the end of January? My local reef club is having a swap at TFP on January 27 and they always have a great selection. Check out fragswapper.com and check the listings for the ncpars swap. In about 3-4 swaps that I've been to with them I think I've taken home maybe 50+ frags, lol.
The fish and corals are in bags for a hell of a lot longer than 3 hours when they are packaged (presumably in Asia) and sent to vendors here in the USA. Obviously it's not ideal, but what shipping process is? A healthy specimen will have no problem with that long of a drive.
