How would I go about shipping fish?

DaveG99 · 06/25/2006, 02:38 PM

I have started to collect some fish and I have a few people that have requested some of the fish I catch. I need to ship them out and I have no clue how to. What do you use and what service is best?

xtrstangx · 06/25/2006, 02:56 PM

Big bags with water and oxygen.. Make sure to use an insulated box and a heat pack/ice pack if necesary. I really like Fedex's overnight.

Aquabucket · 06/25/2006, 07:34 PM

I know you are ambitious about selling some of the fish you aquire with your standard fishing license but what you are intending to do is unlawful and subject to fines among other things. It does not matter how many you sell you are still subject to fines and other forms of punishment for your actions. By posting your intentions on this board for all to see you are risking more than you know. Its not wise to abuse your collecting privilages of which your license entitles you.

DaveG99 · 06/25/2006, 07:54 PM

I am not selling any fish. Dont worry about it.

zemuron114 · 06/25/2006, 09:01 PM

you need to get an oxygen tank with pure O2. Any gas place should sell these... you only need a small one.
Shipping in synthetic water is best. But it has to be aged and proper PH. Airrate the crap out of it before you use it to ship.
I always ship in low salinity.. less stress. It is usually around 1.015ish.
1/3 water, 2/3 air. A lot of water is very bad to ship fish in. Enough to cover the fish is plenty. Depending on what you catch, some fish need more water then others, such as anglers.

always double bag! triggers/tangs should have tripple bags since they can cut or bite through the bags. 2-6 mm bags are ideal. Preferably around 3mm.

carboard box with a sealable styro box inside.

UPS there is no hassle to ship live fish. You just call them to pick it up or drop it off at the drop off location and your good to go.
FEDEX is a PITA to ship with. You have to send them a box exactly how you will ship live in (bags and everything) they make you tripple bag everything as well, which isn't needed for most fish.
Then they ship you back to box saying it is OK to ship via FecEx or saying no thanks! UPS doesn't ask questions.

what are you catching by the way? Do you have permits to legally catch?

Big Ying · 06/25/2006, 10:07 PM

Use Kordon breather bags. www.kensfish.com has them. You shouldn't even have to send them overnight. They have large and small bags, but small bags are fine for small fish. There is no need for oxygen or any of that stuff, and since the bag breathes, you fill it all the way to where you tie it and there is no sloshing around stressing the fish.

zemuron114 · 06/26/2006, 02:19 AM

uhhh. i would definitely not recommend those. A friend of mine tried using those and it ended badly. and not overnighting fish is insane... Have you ever had 100 fish get lost in atlanta for 2 days??? Probably not. Overnighting is a must for the safety of the fish. Oxygen is a must as well.
Do it the right way if you want them to arrive in the best condition. I just wouldn't put trust in the breather bags, and no other wholesaler that i know of does either... and that is the business of shipping fish. They have to be doing something right

Big Ying · 07/07/2006, 07:15 PM

They don't use them because by forcing you to pay overnight shipping, you are more inclined to order more livestock. I've used them dozens of times for coral with no losses. No I haven't shipped a fish yet. Hey, order some, put a feeder goldfish or something else in it for a few days and see what happens. It's a lot easier and cheaper if it works. You could drop a bag buddy in there too, for even more security, although it shouldn't be necessary.

zemuron114 · 07/10/2006, 09:11 PM

shipping fresh water fish is so much different then shipping saltwater. The main reason is saltwater fish are much more sensitive. corals are highly different as well. i get bags for 4 cents a piece and it costs less then 20 cents to fill up a 12" bag with air... can't beat that price!!!

Big Ying · 07/10/2006, 10:10 PM

It's not the cost of the bag, it's the cost of having to ship overnight. If breathing bags work well for Marine Fish, you wouldn't need to ship overnight. I never ship overnight for coral, and have never had a DOA because of it.. The only way to know for sure, is to hear from people who have actually tried/experimented extensively with breathing bags for Marine fish. Opinions are just that.

zemuron114 · 07/11/2006, 05:32 PM

Corals do not need O2 to make a long trip. fish do.
Unless the bags are breathing pure oxygen, they will not work for fish. A LFS owner in Hawaii that im good friends with tried using those with damsels he caught. They lasted less then 10 hours.

I've shipped fish that have lasted over 2 days in a bag because they were lost in Atlanta. Only one died which was a psych head wrasse. The whole point of shipping fish is to ship them in pure O2.

Big Ying · 07/16/2006, 09:25 AM

That's one possible example. But I would need several more to be convinced it would or wouldn't work. The bags are specifically designed for fish and they do breath. How do I know? I've put the same macro algaes in a standard bag filled with water (no air pockets) and a breather bag filled with water and sealed up in the dark in a box. After two days, as expected the plants in the standard bag were dead because plants use oxygen in the dark and it quickly ran out. In the breather bag they were fine. Is it enough oxygen for a fish, I certainly can't say from experience. I've read info. from Kordon and I don't remember anything said about them working for freshwater and not marine.

zemuron114 · 07/16/2006, 08:56 PM

It may possibly work. But all im saying is how come know one is using them to ship fish in? There must be a reason...

06/25/2006, 02:38 PM	#1
DaveG99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Forney Texas Posts: 1,597	How would I go about shipping fish? I have started to collect some fish and I have a few people that have requested some of the fish I catch. I need to ship them out and I have no clue how to. What do you use and what service is best?

06/25/2006, 07:34 PM	#3
Aquabucket Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Green Bay, Wi. Posts: 4,455	I know you are ambitious about selling some of the fish you aquire with your standard fishing license but what you are intending to do is unlawful and subject to fines among other things. It does not matter how many you sell you are still subject to fines and other forms of punishment for your actions. By posting your intentions on this board for all to see you are risking more than you know. Its not wise to abuse your collecting privilages of which your license entitles you. __________________ "Just a drop in the bucket"

06/25/2006, 10:07 PM	#6
Big Ying Unconventional Wisdom Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Port Charlotte, Fl Posts: 162	Use Kordon breather bags. www.kensfish.com has them. You shouldn't even have to send them overnight. They have large and small bags, but small bags are fine for small fish. There is no need for oxygen or any of that stuff, and since the bag breathes, you fill it all the way to where you tie it and there is no sloshing around stressing the fish. __________________ Big Ying Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 29 gal Fl Keys Biotope, 125 gal fowler, 10 gal Gulf of Mexico Biotope

07/07/2006, 07:15 PM	#8
Big Ying Unconventional Wisdom Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Port Charlotte, Fl Posts: 162	They don't use them because by forcing you to pay overnight shipping, you are more inclined to order more livestock. I've used them dozens of times for coral with no losses. No I haven't shipped a fish yet. Hey, order some, put a feeder goldfish or something else in it for a few days and see what happens. It's a lot easier and cheaper if it works. You could drop a bag buddy in there too, for even more security, although it shouldn't be necessary. __________________ Big Ying Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 29 gal Fl Keys Biotope, 125 gal fowler, 10 gal Gulf of Mexico Biotope

07/10/2006, 10:10 PM	#10
Big Ying Unconventional Wisdom Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Port Charlotte, Fl Posts: 162	It's not the cost of the bag, it's the cost of having to ship overnight. If breathing bags work well for Marine Fish, you wouldn't need to ship overnight. I never ship overnight for coral, and have never had a DOA because of it.. The only way to know for sure, is to hear from people who have actually tried/experimented extensively with breathing bags for Marine fish. Opinions are just that. __________________ Big Ying Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 29 gal Fl Keys Biotope, 125 gal fowler, 10 gal Gulf of Mexico Biotope

06/25/2006, 02:56 PM	#2
xtrstangx Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Shawnee, Kansas Posts: 4,568	Big bags with water and oxygen.. Make sure to use an insulated box and a heat pack/ice pack if necesary. I really like Fedex's overnight.

06/25/2006, 07:54 PM	#4
DaveG99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Forney Texas Posts: 1,597	I am not selling any fish. Dont worry about it.

06/25/2006, 09:01 PM	#5
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	you need to get an oxygen tank with pure O2. Any gas place should sell these... you only need a small one. Shipping in synthetic water is best. But it has to be aged and proper PH. Airrate the crap out of it before you use it to ship. I always ship in low salinity.. less stress. It is usually around 1.015ish. 1/3 water, 2/3 air. A lot of water is very bad to ship fish in. Enough to cover the fish is plenty. Depending on what you catch, some fish need more water then others, such as anglers. always double bag! triggers/tangs should have tripple bags since they can cut or bite through the bags. 2-6 mm bags are ideal. Preferably around 3mm. carboard box with a sealable styro box inside. UPS there is no hassle to ship live fish. You just call them to pick it up or drop it off at the drop off location and your good to go. FEDEX is a PITA to ship with. You have to send them a box exactly how you will ship live in (bags and everything) they make you tripple bag everything as well, which isn't needed for most fish. Then they ship you back to box saying it is OK to ship via FecEx or saying no thanks! UPS doesn't ask questions. what are you catching by the way? Do you have permits to legally catch?

06/26/2006, 02:19 AM	#7
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	uhhh. i would definitely not recommend those. A friend of mine tried using those and it ended badly. and not overnighting fish is insane... Have you ever had 100 fish get lost in atlanta for 2 days??? Probably not. Overnighting is a must for the safety of the fish. Oxygen is a must as well. Do it the right way if you want them to arrive in the best condition. I just wouldn't put trust in the breather bags, and no other wholesaler that i know of does either... and that is the business of shipping fish. They have to be doing something right

07/10/2006, 09:11 PM	#9
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	shipping fresh water fish is so much different then shipping saltwater. The main reason is saltwater fish are much more sensitive. corals are highly different as well. i get bags for 4 cents a piece and it costs less then 20 cents to fill up a 12" bag with air... can't beat that price!!!

07/11/2006, 05:32 PM	#11
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	Corals do not need O2 to make a long trip. fish do. Unless the bags are breathing pure oxygen, they will not work for fish. A LFS owner in Hawaii that im good friends with tried using those with damsels he caught. They lasted less then 10 hours. I've shipped fish that have lasted over 2 days in a bag because they were lost in Atlanta. Only one died which was a psych head wrasse. The whole point of shipping fish is to ship them in pure O2.

07/16/2006, 09:25 AM	#12
Big Ying Unconventional Wisdom Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Port Charlotte, Fl Posts: 162	That's one possible example. But I would need several more to be convinced it would or wouldn't work. The bags are specifically designed for fish and they do breath. How do I know? I've put the same macro algaes in a standard bag filled with water (no air pockets) and a breather bag filled with water and sealed up in the dark in a box. After two days, as expected the plants in the standard bag were dead because plants use oxygen in the dark and it quickly ran out. In the breather bag they were fine. Is it enough oxygen for a fish, I certainly can't say from experience. I've read info. from Kordon and I don't remember anything said about them working for freshwater and not marine. __________________ Big Ying Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 29 gal Fl Keys Biotope, 125 gal fowler, 10 gal Gulf of Mexico Biotope

07/16/2006, 08:56 PM	#13
zemuron114 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Pilgrim State (Mass) Posts: 4,039	It may possibly work. But all im saying is how come know one is using them to ship fish in? There must be a reason...