Shipping fish...

[Bitty]

Ok I'm getting over run with Montezumae swordtails here and need to start shipping.  Looking to pick you highly intelligent ppl on how you ship your fish.  What carrier is best/easiest, what insulation do you use, what filler material do you use, O2 in the bag or not, polyfil in the bag or not.  Thanks in advance! 

[Guppysnail]

Here is a great thread that will help. 

 

[JettsPapa]

I haven't shipped swordtails, but I have shipped guppies and shrimp.

1. The bag size depends on how many fish and how large they are, of course.  When I ship relatively large quantities I use 10" x 20" bags, and put up to around 16 guppies, averaging around 3/4 grown.
2. You can approximately 1/3 water and 2/3 air, and I use half tank water and half fresh tap water.
3. I insulate the box with 1/2" styrofoam on top, bottom, and all six sides.  I do this even in good weather, since it guards against sudden temperature swings.
4. I always double-bag.  For the large round-corner bags I mentioned above I place the first bag in the second one upright and pack them standing up.  It's probably not necessary, but that minimizes the chance for leaks.  For smaller bags I invert the first bag in the second one, which eliminates corners that the fish could get stuck in, and ship them either upright or lying down.
5. I enclose some live plant when shipping shrimp, but I don't put anything in the bag when shipping fish.
6. I don't ship often enough to justify O2.  I just blow in the bags to get them as full as possible.
7. I've always USPS Priority mail.  Most shipments arrive in 48 to 72 hours, but occasionally it takes one more day.  I rarely have deaths.  I ship on Monday, Tuesday, or Saturday.  Many people are hesitant to ship on Saturday, but the mail moves on Sunday just like it does any other day.  I've shipped packages from southeast Texas on Saturday that arrived in Ohio on Monday.

[Bitty]

Wow this did help a bunch!

[tolstoy21]

In terms of carriers here is my experience:

UPS is the best in terms or rates and delivery times. However, when temps reaching 90F+ at the destination, you want to stick with Next-Day Air.  All other UPS shipping methods tend to spend a lot of time cooking in the UPS vehicle and will lead to DOAs. Only Next-Day Air will get the fish to your customer before noon, and before the daily temps start spiking. If the temps are under 90F, you're fine with 2nd-Day Air or Next-Day Air Saver. Ground also works well if the recipient is in your vicinity. 

FedEx has the quickest shipping time for Overnight, but they are $$$$$.

I don't use USPS because, in my area, they have a abysmal record of delivering anything even remotely on time.  I am sure the level of quality varies from area to area, but I don't trust them because shipments to me via USPS always get lost in the system and never achieve their delivery objective. Also, they like to ignore 'hold for customer pickup' and will leave fish on my porch in sweltering heat as well as blistering cold. However, they are probably the least expensive option. When temps cool in the fall, they are a decent option since DOAs from weather are much less likely then.

As for packaging, I have specific preferences, but lots of different options certainly work.

My personal preference is to use #200 boxes. I inject O2 into the bags and use 1" thick stryo for insulation. 

I always double bag if using poly bags. I pack one-fish-per-bag when I can, and put a few drops of Kordon Amquel+ and Fish Protector in the water (I mix this in a 2qt pitcher since a little of both products goes a long way). I always pack shrimp in breather bags with a little square of bug netting in the bag for the shrimp to hold onto during the journey.

For filler I use blank white sheets of newsprint that I get in bulk. So essentially I use newspaper, minus any inks. (Newspaper ink is not a problem, I just don't use leftover newspapers).

This all works for me, but isn't the only way to do things.

Edited July 27, 2023 by tolstoy21