Shipping in the winter (tips)

Hello again everyone.

Lately, I have been getting a lot of e-mails and phone calls from clients rushing to put their discus order in before winter. It seems there is some concern. I would like to re-assure everyone and share some tips on how I pack my fish for door to door service during the cold winter months.

A few winters back I came up with the idea to keep the box at a nice high temp for winter service. Of course, you know Airborne and Fedex trucks are not heated. And most people request this type of shipping during the winter months. What I am about to show you is the type of packing my client received last year. I can truly tell you, as long as the package made it to the client with out being roughed up, there was 100% success rate.

Ok let's move on...just a few things you will need:

Styrofoam and cardboard shipping box.
Newpaper
Sipping tape
A steak knife
(2) 48 hour heat packs (Don't be cheap. Get the good ones.)

Here is an example:

A few of my clients have come up with cool names for my invention. The one like and prefer is the McGyver box. The first thing you need to do is to take your steak knife and cut a slit through the cardboard, plastic bag and styrofoam box exposing the inside.

It is always good to keep the cut a little smaller than the heat pack. It is also good to keep the cut low so the heat pack lies close to the fish when they are placed into the box. Not to mention heat rises.

Next thing you need to do is open up your heatpacks, give them a little shake, and tape them over the holes on the inside of the box with shipping tape. Only tape around the border of the heatpack. Also, I forgot to mention that there should be a plastic bag between the cardboard box and the styrofoam box. This will prevent leakage from the box. Remember, Fedex and Airborne might not ship your box if it decides to leak during transit.

Now when the west winds blow at the side of your box, through the heatpack, your fish will stay nice and cozy.

The next thing we do is line the whole inside of the box with newspaper. This will help to conserve heat on the inside and outside. Another good tip is to warm your packing water to 88. It is also good to tape down all 4 walls of newspaper to the bottom newspaper.

After the fish are placed in the box the newspaper is folded over and taped. Now your McGyver box ready to go whether rain, sleet, ice or snow. Like I said we have not had any problems delivering this way in the winter and we have guaranteed them all.

Hope this helps! And best wishes to all during the cold winter months.

GLD

[April]

thanks Cary.....now we will all have cozy fishies. but heres my one question... the airlines will accept a box with a hole in it? or you just do this for mr. fed-ex etc.
actually...the thing i liked about that styro best....CAry is it says 3.5 inch checkerboards!!!! LOL.

[April]

oh no...another rhyming breeder. LOL you guys been hangin out togeather too long?

do you also watch dragon ball z?
it seems to be the thing to do for all the breeders.....
::)

Hi april'
Yes I use it most For ground Shipments!
Tell rod vegeta is dead and the supreme kind took Gohan back to his planet after he had the hell beat out of him from mogin Boo. LOL!!!!
Cary Gld!

[April]

LOL Cary. I will just tell him to read this thread. But....your gonna ruin if for him before he sees it. LOL.
Australia will hear about it eventually.....
think i have a pic coming up for you. gotta scan it.

[Rod]

Hi Cary,

Hey great idea that mgyver box, i sometimes bus freight fish overnight in the middle of winter, so that looks like a goer for me to try out. Thanks for sharing
:thumbsup:

Thanks for the Z update...lol.

Rod

[Ardan]

Yup, I got one of those last winter.
The Fedex Lady pulled up and said " it says fish, but it is very warm, usually when we ship fish it is on ice. Are these live fish?" I said yes, brought them in, opened it and it was 86 F inside, with 8 lively discus.
I had followed the shipment on the net and they had flown to I believe it was Tenn. before coming to WI.

Really worked great!!!!!!!!!

Ardan :sun:

;D ;D ;D

[gary1218]

Cary,

I have a MUCH, MUCH better way. When you FINALLY get those blue snakes to spawn Ron and I will just drive out to you in my van, secure them safely in the back of the van and crank up the heat for the ride home ;D

GARY

I'm confused..why the hole? Why not just put the heat packs in the styro container?

Without oxygen the heat packs won't work. There are times when I've received the box, opened it, found the bags cold, cold, cold but the heat packs very warm. That's because the oxygen hit the packs when I opened the sealed box and the heat started up again but while it was closed & in shipping it ran out of oxygen and the bags got cold. I've recevied these boxes from Cary and they do work.

Dave

thanks, now I understand

;D ;D

[DarkDiscus]

Cary,

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

One smilie for every fish I had arrive live with heat packs in the box!

John

[brewmaster15]

I thought this was an appropriate post to re-post for this time of the year...

Cary's shipping ...Mcgyver style!!!!!

[Discusgeo]

Cary this is a very good article and I will help keep it up top for those people with winter shipments.

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Thanks My friend,

I have told lots of breeders how to do this! most are doing it now with great sucsess however they act like they made it up
with No kudos to There great friend Cary! Hee.Hee.Hee

WHO LOVES YOU BABY :-*

[iceskater]

Just got my box yesterday looked just like the pictures and the heaters and fish were still warm.

Have to admit Cary, my husband did miss the beer box you used the last time. Still wished it was bud instead of corona.

If you have not looked yet. I posted some pics on the gallery. A photographer I am not. But I do love my fish.

Karen

[billy s]

cary thanks for sharing. ;D
what is it about theese fish im always
inventing stuff for them, my family call
my fish room the lab.




regards billy

[paulmat]

Cary
you better apply for that patent QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Paul

[CARY_GLdiscus]

LMAO GUYS Hee.Hee.Hee.

[Jeff]

Nothing like tips from the Master.

[Wahter]

That's a really interesting technique for packing for the winter! ;D ;D ;D

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Jeff,
May the force be with You! New master Jedi with top skills of Your Own.


Hey We should Team Up one day PARTNER! :idea:

[Alan]

Cary,

There is wisdom in Paul's words about the patent. I'm not sure about the details though but a lawyer friend of mine who specializes in patents and copyrights said something about copyrighting systems that will take effect soon or took effect already. That's $$$ in your pocket on whoever can copyright the system first. :o ;D

[SSTurner]

That would be a great team. Can I be your water boy ;D

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Sure Steve,

WAX ON WAX OFF LOL

[Jeff]

That might just happen Cary. ;D ;)

[Miles]

A very good team it would be.

Miles 8)

[Multiclone]

Hi Cary,
How long do those heat packs last ?

Geoff

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Hello My friend,
I use 48hr heat packs ;) from www.4fishstuff.com