Good information
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Good information
Is there a temperature range at the departure, destination and major hub that the fish are likely to go through concern (think fed x and Atlanta)? My thought goes even with insulation and heat packs that very cold weather or very hot weather can play havoc with the water temperature and therefore the health of the discus. A long trip on a not well insulated delivery truck, warehouse, tarmac, delivery truck etc. in very cold or very hot weather can be problematic.
As a side note example, many smaller bonsai (small ornamental trees) shippers do not ship in very cold or very hot weather...... especially Temp control in this packaging is not a primary concern, but the packaging materials are often insulating (think styrofoam peanuts). The boxes are usually marked LIVE PLANTS from reputable vendors, but still very cold or hot weather is avoided to prevent roots being frozen or cooked while traveling.
Perhaps Live Fish get further special handling that a Live Plant designation does not or is it critical to get really really good insulating packaging material or.....
Note am not thinking of shipping fish but of having fish shipped to me but want to avoid making a fatal mistake in getting tank mates for my 10 discus.
The shippers like UPS, Fedex, and USPS give no special handling for "any" packages. A good shipper like the sponsors here on Simply use the proper materials and have no problems shipping during the winter. Most will not ship if the weather is really going to be on the extreme. Properly packed, the water in the bags will be in the low 80's
I don't think I've shipped in this heat before. It's going to be over 100 at my place tomorrow afternoon, probably more on the tarmack, shipping to the next day low-to-high of 68-75. Does this affect the heat packs I put in my shipping box? Does the temp in the cargo bay of a FedEx jet flying to its overnight hub get very low?
Some of my heat packs are 6 mo out of date. They work, but seem to take longer to fully warm up. Does that make sense?
This is a great post and worth discussion...i mind it ever. Thanks for sharing.
looks good! I follow all these rules..except Canada is a lot harder on couriers..if not impossible.
I always make sure the receiver checks their cargo hours also if airport to airport as in small towns or boondocks..some cargos close early or just a drop off point.
then they sit waiting in the cold for the owner to pickup.
I feel the same April. It take more time to schedule the shipment and a lot of destinations we are not able to ship.
Are there any good and safe onlin fish stores that ship in europe?
Thanks
I know Al advised shipping one fish per bag, but what if you were shipping dozens (or hundreds !) of fry? What would be the most , let's say 1-inch fry you would put per bag?
You can ship small fish in mulitples depending on the bag size.. some do. I've received in the past many such orders....but its not something I recommend for novices to shipping. It takes a bit of experience to know what you can and can't get away with.
If I was sending 1" fry (which I wouldn't as they don't ship well, IMO) I would ship 1 per bag with discus.. bags are cheap..discus, not so much.
I will share an unfortunate event ..I once had a shipment if 2-3 " fish come in here.. seller shipped them 3-4 fish per bag. 2 fish came in with punctured eyes from spines I am guessing. Its not common to happen, but it can. I have recieved as many as 25pcs 3" inch discus in one bag with no injuries.
al
Al.
Thank you for the write up on shipping. I am donating some of my juvenile red turks to a man in NY and read your post. Extremely helpful and concise.
I was scared about shipping instead of receiving but what you said makes perfect sense.
Thanks again Tom. PS i will let you know how it goes.
I ship every week but there can always be improvement .
I tie my bags by hand which makes longer bags handy .
I use 72 hour heat packs and make my own insulated boxes .
I get free boxes from the USPS and use their #7 box as it is the largest they offer [12x12x8 ].
Sometimes I make them taller for the discus as those bags are best shipped upright .
My question is has anyone ever shipped to Guam ?
I am shocked to find the USPS ships to Guam and now have a customer there to ship to .
I am shocked this is not considered international shipping . Until now my farthest shipments have been Virgin Islands ,Hawaii and Alaska ..
I have had enquiries from Puerto Rico but never even thought Guam was an option ..
My customer said he has received fish from the states successfully so has confidence in me which is nice but had one request I found surprising and I guess may come with shipping 'outside the US' so to speak .
He asked that I do not label the box with live fish as that may encourage theft !
Surprised as I am I guess when you ship so far over seas that the chance of coming in contact with 'pirates' is greater !
Have you ever encountered challenges or unique considerations when shipping fish to locations outside the continental United States, and how do you address them to ensure the safe arrival of the fish?