THE tip for shipping fish via USPS!! must read!

[Tropical Dude]

What size priority box does everyone use to ship 1 bag.

[mpp]

Depends on the size of the bag.  I shipped one 3 X 5 bag of plecos this morning in an 8 x 8 box.  I use the breather bags so it's a little easier for me to get away with smaller boxes.  I shipped two other boxes this morning too.  One was 13 x 10 with two 5 x 8 bags of plecos and a smaller 3 x 5 bag o' fish.  The other box just had two 5 x 8 bags of plecos and was 12 x 12.  Now don't let the 5 x 8 mislead.  That's the actual size of the bag empty.  Once I have fish in it, I use about 1/3 to 1/2 the available volume for water and fish, and then I tie it off but leave a fair amount of slack in the bag.  This does two things for me.  It prevents the fish from pressing up against an unyielding surface and somehow puncturing the bag.  Secondly, since the bags are going by air and often in unpressurized cargo containers, the flex in the bag allows the bag to stretch enough so it won't burst (in case I didn't get all the air out--which is most of the time LOL).
hope this helps
mike

[gidgetsgirl90]

i was wondering if someone could post pics of how to ship a fish and how they breath and such i haven't seen this anywhere and I'm looking at getting fish again and might want to sell them other the internet.. id hate to do it wrong and the fish die because of me, or i am looking at getting fish off the internet or other members here if anyone lets/likes me and would like a better understanding of this

[hiroyoshi10]

Ok, so I have read a couple articles on how to ship fish and I don't exaclty understand the exact definitions. So I can just use a regular box, surround the inside of the box with styrofoam, bag the fish with 2 parts air 1 part water, put packing peanuts to stuff the rest of the top, put the top of styrofoam, put a paper saying where to ship just in case the oustide of the box is ruined, close the box with tape, label it, then ship it? What is the average for shipping? And what is a breather bag for fish exactly?

[Aiptasia]

Well, coming into the wintertime, you usually need an insulated inner box or a box with tight fitting styrofoam panels. One of the best things to do is to check around with your local pet shops and ask them if they'll save you their boxes, or if you can have them on fish delivery day. Pharmacies and medical offices also get in regular insulated styro shipping boxes for medicines that have to be kept cold, like insulin. You can even purchase these types of boxes with companies that supply shipping goods for restaurants or other perishable food merchants. Making them with your own panels is pretty easy though. You can buy the sheets of styro at hardware stores and big chain stores (wal-targmart, craft section).

There are some good resources in this thread for supplies like shipping bags, rubber bands, and fish tranquilizers like hypno and bag buddies. Bag buddies (made by Jungle Labs) are what I use. They're a small tablet that you put in each bag that has an ammonia neutralizer, oxygenator and fish tranquilizer all in one. Breather bags are also great for small to medium sized fish, because they allow carbon dioxide to escape while retaining the oxygen and water in the bag. You'll have to use larger and thicker bags for bigger fish, or fish with more spines (catfish, etc.). Heat and cold packs are also good things to use during the winter and summer months. Again, check the shipping suppliers posted earlier in the thread for those items.

The process is pretty simple. Ya scoop em, you bag em, you put in the bag buddy tablet and you either tie it shut or rubber band it shut. If it's a breather bag, I don't leave any oxygen space inside at all. If it's a regular 2 mil or 3 mil bag, 1/3 water to 2/3rds air. Place the bags in your styro lined shipping box and add some fill (packing peanuts, shredded newspaper, etc.) to keep them from jostling around. Add the heat or cold pack, put the lid on and seal the box.

Then you mail it. You can use any of the shipping companies to send them (USPS, fedex, UPS) and they have rate calculators on their websites based on weight, the type of shipping (expedited, overnight) and from which zip code to where.

[hiroyoshi10]

Ok so I understand everything about shipping except breather bags. I still don't know what those are. Are they just like those bags that you get from the lfs after you purchase fish?

If it's a breather bag, I don't leave any oxygen space inside at all. If it's a regular 2 mil or 3 mil bag, 1/3 water to 2/3rds air.

Do you still put the "bag buddy" in both bags or just the regular bag?

Another thing, you don't need a special license right? Like I know that it says you post like 4 labels around the bag saying it's perishable and what not. So would that be enough? Everyone uses priority shipping because its cheaper than express but its 2-3 days(Supposively) to deliver  Aproximately how many lbs. and oz. would 1 bag of small fish be(Most likely liverbearer)? What would the box size need to be? On the usps.com page, I can get the boxes and "tape" so I just use the tape to wrap up the box right? Sorry for all the questions!

[mikedmatthews]

Ok so I understand everything about shipping except breather bags. I still don't know what those are. Are they just like those bags that you get from the lfs after you purchase fish?

Do you still put the "bag buddy" in both bags or just the regular bag?

Another thing, you don't need a special license right? Like I know that it says you post like 4 labels around the bag saying it's perishable and what not. So would that be enough? Everyone uses priority shipping because its cheaper than express but its 2-3 days(Supposively) to deliver  Aproximately how many lbs. and oz. would 1 bag of small fish be(Most likely liverbearer)? What would the box size need to be? On the usps.com page, I can get the boxes and "tape" so I just use the tape to wrap up the box right? Sorry for all the questions!

its a special bag sold by kordon.  it will say breather bag on it.

i personally do not use bag buddies and i know some other folks who also don't.  some of us have experienced dramaitc fish losses that could only be attributed to the bag buddies because when we stopped using them (only variable changed) the fish lived.  older fish appear to be less sensative to them than fry. 

[hiroyoshi10]

So do you use regular bags and don't use the bag buddies? Aren't bag buddies like oxygen, so wouldn't that actually help the fish live longer?For the breather bag, where do you get yours? Online or can you go to a craft store or what? It really isn't required to use a breather bag right?

[mikedmatthews]

So do you use regular bags and don't use the bag buddies? Aren't bag buddies like oxygen, so wouldn't that actually help the fish live longer?For the breather bag, where do you get yours? Online or can you go to a craft store or what? It really isn't required to use a breather bag right?

all i can say for sure is every single bag of fish i have shipped with a bag buddy has arrives 85%+ DOA and after i stopped using them i'm under 15% losses.  sometimes a bag just doesn't work out, but i lost several shipments usign them. 

whether shipping or going to auction, i almost exclusively use breather bags.  if the fish are spiney i use 2-3 mil bags instead.  either way i put a chunk of ammonia absorbing filter pad with them.  i think it maximizes their chance of survival for minimal extra cost.  poly bags are fine, just don't stick too many fish in them.

i buy all my bags at www.kensfish.com.

[Clint]

I've had exactly the opposite experience, I always use bag buddies and have around a 90% survival rate.
I'm not doubting your experience but I wonder why. Maybe it reacts different with different water chemistry. My water is generally around 8pH or so and very hard. Also I ship mainly small fish like Endlers and Killies.

I think bag buddies neutralize ammonia and sedate the fish. So the fish sleep Through the ordeal.

I always use breather bags now, they work much better than traditional bags for me.