How To Ship Discus

Hello everyone!


to ship discus your gunna need some of these items

Shipping Box

Styrofoam Container with Lid

News Paper to outline the box in

Big bag to line the inside of the blox so in any leaks it will catch the water from poring out every were

and you need heat pac's to keep the discus warm

Michael Heppner

here is how i line the box with paper


Michael Heppner

after lineing the box with paper and the puting in the plastic liner you to get your bags ready for some fish here i am makeing double bads i usally place one bag in another like you see below

Michael Heppner

[joyofdiscus]

Mike, keep the info going. I might need this reference down the road.

Hank

here i am getting ready to select the best ones



when it comes to picking out discus i always try to pick the best ones i know if they are best to me so will my customer's


Michael Heppner

After selecting the discus!

here I am putting Bag Buddie Tablets into each bag
Perfably one tablet per bag.

this tablet conditions bag water and it adds Oxygen to the water and it also calms the fish kinda like a tranqulizer

Michael Heppner

After placeing tablets in each bag its time to put some oxygen on them.

so off to the oxygen bottle we go next!


Michael Heppner

when baging discus make sure there isnt alot of pressure in the hose you dont want to blow the discus away :) :D ;D :D :)

If you notice on my arm i have alot of ruberbands your gunna need alot of those!

now right now i only have 2 bags on the discus

Michael Heppner

after baging up the discus you need to put acouple more bags on it to
make sure it makes it through the trip overnight

If you notice the bag i did is all ready done now im placeing a bag over the other 2 but im placeing it the other way down when im done with that i will then place another bag the opisate way that would end the baging part with 4 bags total!!!!

im useing 4mil to 6mil bags with discus you need to use good stirdy bags discus do have a tendency to poke wholes through them.


Michael Heppner

when your done with your bagging you need to place them into the box that you already set up for shipping them out.

with this preticular order i sent out today if you see theres only 4 bags in this box meaning their's alot of extra room


Michael Heppner

To make up extra space in my boxes i place bubble packaging that i get from a retail store neer me

but if you take extra fish bags and blow them up with no water and only air that will work also i used to styrofom pop corn that works but not realy good or wadded up paper. you need something that will keep it farely tight.


Michael Heppner

here is what you want it to look like.

you dont want the discus to tobble over or to be bounced around.

Michael Heppner

after your done twist the liner bag around and tie it up with ruberbands
make it tight.

Michael Heppner

remember i told you, you would use alot of ruberbands

Michael Heppner

After the bag is sealed tight then fold over your newspaper overlapping one another

the paper will help hold in the heat also if any leaks hopefully not right ;D
but if any they will soak up the water if need be.

Michael Heppner

this is what it should look like when done with the folding over

Michael Heppner

when placeing the lid on the styrofom box take the lid and make a 1" whole in the center this will alow air to heat up your heat pac's you will see next what i do.

Michael Heppner

[sony]

nicely done. tell me about your hatchery. what type of fish do you offer?

here i am placing the heat pacs over the whole i just made and i tape the edges of the heat pac's.

I use 2 heat pac's you realy only need one but i take extra procaustions

think of the worst case senerio


Michael Heppner

now you are ready to put the lid on


Michael Heppner

i usally write on the box to the customer what they are getting and to say thanks.

and then i tape it down snug!!!!!!


Michael Heppner

make sure you tape the side of the box also you dont want to let any of the heat out! ;)

Michael Heppner

when done place the box into the carboard box


Michael Heppner

Dont Forget the receipt and the Helpfull hint list

Oh yeah the Thank you letter also

Michael Heppner

Fold the sides and start taping up the box

Michael Heppner

dont forget the corners you dont want them snagged on anything when they load them at the airport

Michael heppner

When your all done slap on the airbill and wait till airborne express get there to pick it up

contact the customer and give them the tracking number or you can e-mail them


that concludes how to ship discus in 2 weeks when i get a new shipment in i will show you guys and gals how to ship and how to be the reciever with Jim Beaver (Hunterbeav) Thank

Michael heppner

[sony]

are golden glories and morning glories the same thing? show a pic if you have one, thanks.

I have a question....If you close up all the seams on the cardboard box with plastic tape will enough air still reach the heat-packs to keep them heating??
david

Oh thats a good question i poke a tiny whole into the tape to let air pass through

Michael Heppner

Here is what i call a golden glory


in this order i sent out today


these guys are 3.5"


Michael Heppner

[jeep]

Thanks Mike! I hope I can use this info someday...

Brian

[sony]

nice looking fish, what is there history (f1,f2....)?
how much?
do you have a website?

[snowshoe]

Mike,

I have to say the recent shipment of fish from you arrived in excellent condition. These fish were packed exactly as you are saying. I have had a bad time getting fish shipped here (michigan). This batch of fish didn't even notice they got shipped accross the country.

thanks

[fcdiscus]

Nice Thread Mike! Well done. Frank ;)

Good job Mike...Nice post!

Just a quick mention....I dont know if you ship to Canada?? But if you do, the invoice should go on the outside of the box. Once the box lands, The shipping company isnt allowed to open the box untill the paperwork has gone through customs....and the paperwork cant go through customs if its in the box. Ive been through this nightmare before....luckily I was able to get the breeder outta bed ;D and had him fax a copy to the shipping co.

hth
Tony

I have shipped to canada twice and yeah the first time i forgot about that rule and i hade to fax them the invoice as well

i got it down though now

thanks

Michael Heppner

yes i do have a website
but it isnt updated sorry all of the prices and speacials are changing


www.HepsDiscusCenter.Com


thanks

Michael Heppner

[chinoz]

wow nice jobs mike...you got any marlboro red?

[Jeffery_Doty]

Mike,

Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures, and give the directions and advice. A good pack job can be the difference between live arrival or d.o.a.

I have seen Mike pack fish in person, and he is very good at it!

Jeff
Oregon

The Marlboro Red's I have right now are 3.5"
here is the photo of them right now

im selling them @ $70.00 each
buy 6 i send one free


Michael Heppner

:thumbsdown: 70 bucks for MR.... nah!!!! In this economy... hahaha!!!

Anand,

wow im sorry people i messed up im sorry i ment to put $55.00 each the $70.00 are the 4.5" ones im sorry thanks for catching that


Michael Heppner

as for the shipping i have had people ask me how do you ship discus and i hope this thread will help people understand that it does take alot of work to prepare a box to go out.

if you have any questions please email me.

Michael Heppner

[chinoz]

Mike you got any smaller size of those MR? anybody want to order with me so i can save some H/S money..lol...kinda stuck on the shiping and handling fee.....dang it..those are nice though Mike. :o

[NoBarDiscus]

Anand,

Tell Michael its still high, he might just lower it again ;D


Thanks for the post, I wish they would thumbnail this one in the DIY section.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Mike,
I love the eyes on those MRs!!! Nice looking fish!

Nobar... I wish they would thumbnail this one in the DIY section why waste a wish?...why not just ask? :)

-al

I don't know, 55 is still a little high on my scale for MR's, I would pay 40 max for min peppering....... Then again I sell mine for 10bucks a piece, when i have them... ;)

[John_Nicholson]

Mike not a bad thread but you forgot the most important stuff. You need to quit feeding before shipping. I stop 3 days before shipping. Some people stop 1 or 2 days before. I normally give 50% water changes a day but on shipping day 1 do 2 50% water changes spaced about an hour apart. Doing this will keep the fish from being burned when the customer gets them.

-john

[NoBarDiscus]

Brewmaster,

If possible at your convenience, when you have a spare time during your busy schedule, could we please move this thread to DIY and add a thumbnail? This would really help tons of people, save discus' lives, time and money.

Thank you!

[chirohorn]

MH, awesome pictorial post. Good job - thanks for taking the time to do it.

JOHN,

THAT A GOOD POINT THAT I DIDNT TALK ABOUT!

WHEN SHIPPING OUT IT IS GOO TO STARVE THE FISH 1 TO 2 DAYS READ WHAT JOHN HAS TO SAY THAT IS A BIG POINT THANKS

MICHAEL HEPPNER

[April]

thanks for the time and pics mike . we all appreciate it.
i did get some fish from michael and i have to admit it was a very warm and toasty box when i opened it the next day and they wanted dinner right away.
and yes....dont forget that detail mike if you ever ship to canada. or......the fish will be at customs for eternity. : ((
although...once the invoice was forgotten and the breeder was nowhere to be found. luck was on my side that day and the customs said i could make a declaration as to what was in the box if i knew. of course i knew...didnt know the prices.but i invented some. all was well. but i was just lucky to get the right person.

[Wolf]

Mike thanks for the pics. It will help me real soon when I move.

[brewmaster15]

Hello No bar..

When this post dies down I would be happy to move it :)

-al

[hunterbeav]

Great thread Mike, BRAVO" well done!!!!!

[allan_mark76]

This is definately going into the "LIBRARY ! ! !"

Good job...

A-

[Carol_Roberts]

This is a great thread. I just took time to read it today. The hard part is fastening all those rubber bands :o It sounds easy, but your fingers get sore fast, lol. Thanks Mike!

yes i have to say i never thought rubberbands could cut you well they can :) :D ;D :-\ i sometimes put band ads were i mostly use the rubberband now days so i dont get cut! 8)

michael heppner

[Fisheyes]

Hey Michael


:thumbsup:Your the man
Great thread good for customers to know whats going on .
Please post when your web site is updated

Fisheyes :crazy:

[chuck]

Very Informative Mike, Good Job! Nice Fish!!!

Chuck

I just wanted to say thank you all for looking at the thread in 2 weeks i will be send a shipment to jim beaver and we will bolth show you how ship discus and how to recieve them.

thanks again

Michael Heppner

[Ryan]

I have received two boxes from Mike. I think Airborne was a little rough with the second one, as the bags had leaked pretty bad. However, the liner bag that Mike uses caught all the water and kept the fish alive until I could get the package. Unfortunately I was at work when the box got delivered, and I couldn't put them in the tank right away, so I had to go to the LFS nearby and rebag the fish.

If it weren't for the big liner bag, I may have lost a couple of the fish. However, they were just fine when they finally made it home -- up and eating the next morning. The fish Mike shipped me were 4.5 - 5" and none of them had fin damage or ammonia burns. They looked really good right out of the bag, other than minimal stress.

I will agree with Jeff though, the way fish are shipped can make or break the entire mail-order experience. I've had fish (mostly angels) shipped to me that were poorly packaged and they were either severely stressed or dead. I got a box in the middle of January with no heat packs and no cushioning, just two bags full of fish rolling around inside of a styrofoam box. It took several days to bring the fish back around.

Thanks for the pictures, Mike. This is helpful for first-time shippers.

Ryan

PS - On an unrelated note, I filed a complaint last week with Airborne because for the third time this year I've had a driver being rough with my fish. This last incident, he walked in the door with the box and it clearly said, "Live Tropical Fish" on the side of it. He dropped the box purposely onto the floor instead of sitting it down. I said, "You do realize there are live fish in there, right?" and he said, "So?" and proceeded to use his foot to kick/shove the box over to my desk, then complained about how heavy they were. I understand that the fish should be packed well enough to handle this kind of treatment, but does he still have to be a jerk about it? Airborne gets a big :thumbsdown: from me.

[April]

Geeez Ryan...yah think that employee will get the employee of the year award?
were you bigger than him? wheres that bat you tote around? wouldve been the best time to use it. take that you swine!! see how you like be bashed around. lol.

well i will rough him up for ya whats his name i dont think he would mess with me im 6' 7"

im sure i can take care of airborn they have done me well.

i did have that 4 day delivery though ::)

Michael Heppner

[brewmaster15]

I've had mixed experineces with airborne. I have had them lose packages and not deliver on time , but the hold up when you track is usually somewhere at an airport terminal between the shipper and me.

If the package gets to the wallinford CT terminal on time..it gets to me immediately. I had an order of Heckels coming in from Paul (Paulio on this board). Fedex gave him the runaround so he shipped airborne. I was worried stiff because of my past experiences with airborn. I called airborne and requested they hold it for pickup at wallingford. Surprised the heck out of me when a guy called to say they would like to put it on the truck as the first delivery of the day. Turns out the guy running the shipping department there is fish person too! Recognized the need to get me the package fast. ,,I had it in 30 mins. :) By the way... they are some really nice looking heckels TOO!!! :)

now for my fedex story... I have shipped and received lots of fish by fedex and never had a problem...but had a case when I bought some glass hoods from Drsfosters and wanted them fast. It was only $10 more for fedex next day so I bought them. well, fedex missed the delivery.. guess it was held up in an airport. No biggy.. I figured they would deliver first thing next day or I could pick it up. Nope... It made it to the terminal SATam ... a terminal that has saturady pick up. I thought I was good to go, the terminal is 15 mins from my house. NOPE! The package Iwas told was in the trailer still, and the trailer was locked until monday when it could be unloaded! I am embarrassed by the verbal lashing I gave them, but can you imagine what might have happened if it had been fish. I might have a shipping story like Mikes..only maybe with some rotting fish for rose food.

-al