Topic: Shipping fish

[Christine T]

I don't use new water either when I ship.

I was wondering about that when i saw in one of the articles that they only used fresh water with a bag buddy.  But i would think that the water from the tank would be better for the fish since it has some level of bacteria in it?

I still haven't decided about the whole fish shipping thing, i guess my concern now is with the post office part of it, next day shipping, boxes etc.  I see that USPS has boxes for express etc, but do they have anything specifically for next day, do you have to use one of their labels?  I was going to talk to our post office guy today but it's always so darn busy there.

[hiroyoshi10]

Well I know they have overnight shipping

[Jubs]

Express is usually next day. I order all my boxes off USPS.com they are free and they ship them to your door. As for labels I use theirs but you can write directly on the box as well. If you are ordering I would make sure you get one big enough for the fish as well as to line the box with styro and or a styro box.

I have never shipped via express personally but I don't ship this time of year so priority is usually safe in the warmer months for most species but not all. Some people don't know how to pack fish for priority and end up losing fish because they pack too many to a bag or don't situate things correctly etc. I tested my shipping methods by shipping to a friend of mine first before shipping to someone that was paying for the fish to make sure I did it right. Might be something you might want to try but really it's up to you. It's not as hard as it seems it's just intimidating at first.

[Christine T]

It's not as hard as it seems it's just intimidating at first.

I'm sure you're right, if it was as difficult as it seems from the outside then no one would do it.

Thanks, yeah i was thinking about experimenting before i actually ship to someone who's paying.  I was reading about how people cut the styrofoam boards to line the box, pretty good idea since i figure it will probably be difficult to find a styrofoam box that will fit snugly inside of your shipping box.

[groupiekilla06]

Can I use this box to ship a betta?
http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=13354&productId=11635&langId=-1


And where do I get the bags to ship the fish in? one last question lol....
Is there a flat rate for express shipping anywhere or do I have to weigh the package?

[hiroyoshi10]

You can use any box that you prefer. For the bags, are you looking for regular or breather bags? FOr the regular ones you can either ask your pet store if you can have any or order them online. As far as the breather bags go, order those online. I am not sure there is a flat rate for express,  although I could be wrong. Maybe someone else can elaborate on this?

[Lori]

I was wondering about that when i saw in one of the articles that they only used fresh water with a bag buddy.  But i would think that the water from the tank would be better for the fish since it has some level of bacteria in it?

I still haven't decided about the whole fish shipping thing, i guess my concern now is with the post office part of it, next day shipping, boxes etc.  I see that USPS has boxes for express etc, but do they have anything specifically for next day, do you have to use one of their labels?  I was going to talk to our post office guy today but it's always so darn busy there.

Christine...you're really second-guessing yourself over this shipping thing.  We've all been there when initially shipping fish.  First, keep weather in mind.  If you've notived, most people don't ship during the harsh winter months.  Even using heat packs can fail.  Best shipping times are spring, early summer and then early-late fall.   Second,  I buy large sheets of styrofoam and cut them to size for the boxes I use. 

Read the shipping threads again, but really, it seems like you're beating yourself up.  We're here, and we'll help.

[groupiekilla06]

Hey does anybody know how much a betta weighs?

[hiroyoshi10]

Are you talking about when it is in the bag and the total weight or just the betta itself?

[mikedmatthews]

Hey does anybody know how much a betta weighs?

i think the weight of the water is of much more concern.