When to use cold pack?

[Smnparish]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get into shipping corals soon, but was worried about the use of cold packs. I was wondering, in general, what temperatures call for the use of a cold pack when shipping coral? Is it more based on the temperature at the destination? (i'd assume so). What is the best cold pack to use? as I don't want the majority of the cooling benefits to be gone because the icy stuff melted by the time the coral is on the plane. Thanks for your help!

 

[Zoanut]

Ive been told night time temps above 70 and day time temps above 85 call for ice/cool packs. Remember, you dont have to use ICE...and can be just chilled if its on the edge of being to cool.

 

[Smnparish]

Thanks! So would one of those Uline re-useable cold packs be what I should use if I wrapped it up in something and stuck it to the underside of the top of the box?

 

[Zoanut]

Im not familiar with them, but if its just an ice pack or gel pack then yes. Id wrap it in two layers of newspaper. Tape that bundle up, then tape the bundle to the top of the lid and put some crushed up news paper between the bundled ice pack and the corals. It acts a bit like a buffer, keeping it from getting too cold but still allowing some cool in.

What kind of styro are you using? That makes a big difference. If its a assembled box (6 pieces of styro sheats lining the inside of a box) it insulates more poorly than a one piece cooler. In extreme hot or cold, i like 1.5" thick coolers. For the rest of the time i like the standard 1". Also fedex/ups/usps will require the cooler be inside of a cardboard carton. You can make this out of flat cardboard or just buy a cooler with a box on it.

 

[Smnparish]

I was planning on using the first kind you mentioned with the 6 styro sheets, as I have amassed quite a few of those from recieving several corals. I have one full small styro container and a few large ones. What would you consider extreme hot or cold, and does having a full box vs. 6 sheets put together change how I would want to use a cold pack? Thanks!

 

[Zoanut]

Ive only shipped a few times, but i go overboard to make sure i did it right and talked to a few people who have done it for years. So it seems like i know what im doing, but really im just "book smart" when it comes to this

I say that because i have no experience with the assembled boxes aside from receiving them. They seem to work ok, but they have come from warm places and arrived here when it was a moderate temp (55-75). Ive been told extreme is under 50 at night and over 85 during the day. Ive stuck to that rule of thumb and so far (albeit very little experince) i have had no problems.

 

[BestCoralInTown]

A buddy of mine who does alot of coral shipping said he only use ice pack when its 100+ degree.

 

[buddythelion]

I too am looking into Ice packs, especially for those with really hot weather like in AZ and TX where it get get over 100 in the truck. Could a vendor recommend a good cold pack to use?

 

[Smnparish]

Ok thanks, I think i'll buy some cold packs and stick to the same general rule. Maybe only use the assembled boxes when i'm well within the safe range of those temps.

 

[Nuocmam]

I've shipped a couple boxes in the last couple weeks with it being 85+ here with no ice pack. Just softies and lps no sps. Haven't had a problem. Yet...

 

[Smnparish]

I've shipped a couple boxes in the last couple weeks with it being 85+ here with no ice pack. Just softies and lps no sps. Haven't had a problem. Yet...

What was the temp at the destination? From looking it up on google, it does seem like it is pretty common to omit the icepacks

 

[kes]

check for destination areas for temp forecast. if possible, always try to avoid the heat wave periods