Shipping methods?

rocko918 · Nov 15, 2006

I saw somewhere a thread that had different ways people ship. Can we create a sticky about that?

I was wondering if it is better to ship with more or less water. I have gotten frags with strips of plastic in it as well, to reduce the banging around in the bag but does that irritate the polyps?

Thoughts?

divecj5 · Nov 15, 2006

I remember seeing one on here a long time ago so I might try and hunt it down and put it here. I'll follow along and see if anyone knows where it is though.

Adam

MarvinsReef · Nov 15, 2006

rocko918 said:
I saw somewhere a thread that had different ways people ship. Can we create a sticky about that?

I was wondering if it is better to ship with more or less water. I have gotten frags with strips of plastic in it as well, to reduce the banging around in the bag but does that irritate the polyps?

Thoughts?

IMO, less water is best... some people ship zoas just damp... I prefer the less water method.. I only put enough were the polyps are above water.. sometimes, less.. the only thing I'm concern about is making sure they stay a little wet during their journey...

I still haven't done my homework yet.. which is a step by step (w/ pics) on how and what I use to ship..

pookstreet · Nov 15, 2006

Anyone here who can chime in on the damp shipping method? I would love to give it a shot but just too chicken about it.

Right now, I cut 3/4" styro sheets from HD to line the box, then triple or quadriple bag the frags. Each frag is also wrapped in it's own bag with slits in it so water can get in to keep the frag wet.

The bags I use are thin and can stretch, not like those use by the LFS. The are 4"x12". They are soft enough that I can just make a knot and tie the bags that way. Using rubberbands have the tendency to leak. I'll try to get some pix up next time I ship. HTH.

rocko918 · Nov 15, 2006

Bryan from Pure Captive sent me frags in the damp paper towel method. I am chicken to do it as well.

twon8 · Nov 15, 2006

i have sent and received sps sent wrapped in a paper towel in a baggie with almost no water; did fine overnight, two day was 50/50

the main problem with leaving the water out is it serves as a great insulation, and buffer for temp. change.

the main benefit is light shipping; i can ship 6-10 sps frags damp overnight for 18.80 via usps.

Patwa · Nov 15, 2006

from my own experience, i'd say a small bit of water will be fine for a frag.... just get a small baggy, and fill up to where the polyps are just being covered and then seal it up. ...as long as there is a source of moisture, the zoas will be just fine.

my only tip, is that you put one frag per baggy....those sharp edges on the coral rubble can really damage a polyp.....and for packing, line with styrofoam for insulation (i get them free from our local big box fish store). I put about 3 to 4 frag baggies in a larger baggie and then seal that.....then those go into another bag....and so on......in the end, there may be upwards of 4 to 5 layers of plastic between the outside and the inside of a frag bag....that's more than enough peace of mind

On the other hand, i've helped my buddy unpack shipments at his LFS where i've seen large colonies come in wrapped in damp newspapers (which are then wrapped in plastic bags), bubble wrap, etc.....and they all turned out fine.

Zach

Mr. Ugly · Nov 15, 2006

I like either damp shipped with towel wrapped around a scrap of styrofoam, or else wet shipped with lots of water. Packed in a thermos either way, and with a heat pack in the box if the weather is cold.

Damp shipping is nice because the zoas are closed up like when they are exposed on the reefs, and probably can withstand more adverse environment conditions. If you want temperature buffering, triple bag some water and stick it in the thermos with the zoas, so you get the best of both worlds.

If you wet ship, use a lot of water so that metabolites don't build up too high, and you have plenty of dissolved oxygen since the zoas aren't necessarily all closed up against environmental stresses.

Those 2 methods can work for 2 day shipping.

If you do overnight shipping, you can just use a small amount of water if you don't like to damp ship. But when the zoas arrive, the water can be a bit discolored and fouled.

I've damp shipped as described to NY with 95 degree weather on the receiving end. Took about 3 days for the thermos to get there, and the person said those polyps looked the best of any he's ever received. They opened up pretty quickly too. When you stick them back in the water, the zoas just think the tide as come back in, and they go about their normal business.

Worst way to ship would be damp packed with a little too much water and shipped by priority in hot weather. The zoas don't close completely and the water gets fouled quickly.

bryan · Nov 15, 2006

Don't be chicken guy

, damp shipping zoanthids, SPS, most softies, and even LPS has some very nice advantages.

The main advantage comes from the fact that we hobbyists are always loking to ship as cheap as possible, but keep the corals in great health along the way. When damp wrapped, which simply means take a papertowel (unscented and unprinted if possible) double it over in half. Then lay it across the top of the tank water, lift off, squeeze just a bit of the excess water out, then wrap the coral nice and snug.

Then use small bags (height doesnt matter, but 2-4 inch width seems to work for most frags) and drop the damp wrap and rubberband. Usually, you can get away with single bagging when using round plugs, ceramic disk, or matt only frags. Then take 2-3 of the small frag bags, and place inside a larger bag for extra protection and an additional moisture barrier.

This really helps on weight of package. Like twon mentioned, you can get almost a dozen frags safely shipped for 18.80 via USPS.

Also, an added, and possibly the biggest bonus, is that if the shipping company (any of them can mess up from time to time) delays the shipment an extra day, there is no water to foul which can quickly lead to the demise of the frags.

This is ESPECIALLY important with some of the "turn and burn" vendors in the zoanthid trade. I'm all for buying what catches your eye, but if you know the company just posted about a zoanthid/paly shipment arriving yesterday, and they are fragging and shipping the next day...heck even the next several weeks, it is in your best interest to ask for damp shipping. I watch so many vendors go down the tubes by not curing their zoanthid rocks prior to fragging and shipping....fungus amongus

You also get the protection of the moist towels so the frags don't get too beat up in their journey.

Another nice fact, is when they ask you about liquid, you can honestly say no as it's only damp and not in a liquid state

Great thread guys, have fun, ship damp, and enjoy the savings and incresed surviaval rate.

oh, as an aside, I realize some folks just feel more comfortable shipping with water. In that case, do as Marvin and others suggested and err on the side of less is better.

Peace, Bryan

pookstreet · Nov 15, 2006

Well, since I was shipping a package today for a trade, I thought I would take some pix. I am still shipping wet. Next time I'll take the plunge and ship damp but will make sure the recipient is aware of it first

Here is the box lined with 3/4" styro. You can get a 4'x8' sheet from HD for like $8 or so.

The heat pack is taped to the lid to keep it away from the frags as much as possible. I want to keep the interior warm, but don't want to boil the bags.