Getting Them There! Fish and Egg Shipping Procedures
by Curt Smith
From the Youngstown Aquarist, Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society
Aquarticles
More and more often in the United States, if you want to obtain the newest species of fish
or if you want to sell or trade species of fish, hobbyists are forced to shipment through
the mails. Although there are some traps to avoid in this procedure, it is a fairly easy
practice once you are indoctrinated to it.
I have been shipping fish with few problems for quite some time now and have recently
(within the past six months or so) begun shipping eggs. Eggs are far easier to ship when
sending them to Europe, South America, Africa or other countries, primarily due to the
regulations surrounding the shipment of live animals. But shipping fish and eggs are
entirely different from each other, as I shall endeavor to explain.
Every hobbyist knows that styrofoam boxes are a necessity in handling fish, whether to
and from local auctions, carrying them to national shows or shipping them to another part
of the USA. In shipping fish, particularly small quantities, small styros are two inches
or more thick, and therefore resist temperature changes well. Many of the perfect sized
styros for shipping come from the medical community, which uses them to ship serum and
other temperature sensitive medications to hospitals and pharmacies. Styros that come
protected by a cardboard box are ideal.
Fishes, packed correctly, can last for several days in a styro without any undue
stress. The usual 1/3 water to 2/3 air is necessary in the bags, and at times even a
higher ratio of air is preferred. If the weather is hot, I bag mine bigger, with more
water and air in each bag. True, the shipping cost is a little greater but far less than
re-shipping because of losses. The new "breathable" bags from Kordon work
extremely well for shipping. There are a few cautions to observe when using them however,
and you need to know them before you start. These bags only work when they can exchange
oxygen with outside air. NEVER float them in a tank as that precludes the breathing
ability of the bags. Always tie them with as little as possible or no air as possible, so
there is no sloshing around inside the shipping container. Another trick that I learned
from my friend, Steven Polk, is to wrap each "breathable" bag in newspaper
before placing it in the container. In fact, if the bags are wrapped the night before,
they can be checked for leaks before shipping, as a dry newspaper fares well for the bags.
Bags in a styro need to be packed so there is no shifting or moving during transit.
Styrofoam peanuts work well for doing this and they add a degree of insulation as well.
When everything is snugly packed, seal the box well.
I like to affix labels that say "FRAGILE – Handle With Care" on all four
sides of the box. Also I use labels that state "Avoid Temperature Extremes" as
well. As long as there are no problems with air shipment, you can also stick on labels
that say "Live Tropical Fish" if you desire. Carefully remove any old labels
from the box to avoid confusion and affix the prominent address label of the person
receiving the package. I personally use a smaller return address label so there is no
confusion as to the shipping address. If you use an ink jet printer, as I do, for making
labels, it becomes necessary to cover each label with clear shipping tape to protect it as
water can cause the ink to run.
The primary means of mailing are "Express" and "Priority". Express
often gets there overnight but costs significantly more. However with delicate fish or
plants and weather extremes, this is a far safer method of shipping. In remote areas, it
is not overnight but often two days, which is still a lot faster than any other method.
Priority mail often gets there in three days or under and costs much less. This is the
preferred method under normal circumstances.
Egg shipment differs in that not so much attention needs to be placed on the
temperature, though excess chilling or "cooking" is detrimental to these as
well. Even on overseas shipments, I prefer to use small padded envelopes (not the bubble
ones). I’m concerned that the bubbles might burst at higher atmospheres. I’ve
found out the hard way (through eggs not arriving in viable condition) that protection
from scanning etc. helps, and for that I wrap the eggs in aluminum foil before sliding
them into the envelope. For such shipping, it is necessary to pick the eggs from the peat
and place them with a minimum amount of peat in the shipping bag. Picking is not a big
problem if you place the peat in a fairly shallow white bowl and move the peat, small
amounts at a time, from one side of the bowl to the other. Once your eyes accustom to what
the eggs look like, the chore is not too bad. The small plastic bag (4x8 for me) that the
peat and eggs are placed in, should be flattened with no air inside, and folded into a 2x4
bag. Either carefully label the bag as to species, collection and hatch date or number it
and email the person getting it as to the information. Several egg bags can be shipped in
the same envelope.
On overseas shipments you will have to designate what is in the bag to the postal
worker and put it on the label provided. Usually, the less information the better. To most
overseas countries, don’t put insurance on the bag and state that it is of no
commercial value. The reason for this is that some postal workers in some foreign
countries, particularly South America, have "sticky" fingers and purloin
anything they think might be of some value. In shipping my annual eggs in peat, I put
"Inert fibers for Research" and "gift" on the overseas label. This is
not untrue because the receiver must research to find if I have indeed shipped him/her
viable eggs. Again, make the "To" label larger than the "From" label
so it is prominent and easily read. Expect a week or more to pass before they receive it
although it is shipped by air. Realize that not every shipment overseas will reach its
destination, but the cost is not great and it can be re-shipped if necessary. Good Luck!
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