vetteguy53081
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This was from a friend and thought I would share:
This shows how to protect our buy/sell/trade captive propagated corals. That's easily done when the other reefers are close by. You can simply drive over or participate in a local frag swap event. But what happens when the other party lives in another state or just not cost effective to make the drive due to high gasoline costs, or you just attended a frag show and now time to transport them home? Shipping is usually the only answer. Of course, our desire is to share these specimens and assure they are transported in a manner where they will arrive in good condition and survive. They will be stressed once packed but we must assure they are not overly stressed during the trip risking survival in the new tank.
Described below is how to typically ship frags, ( both LPS, or SPS). Obviously, the packing method changes as the weather dictates needs for heat or ice packs. Do try to avoid shipping during the hottest climates as well as during storms especially snow storms which will delay arrival to the final destination.
The first thing to do is to line the inner box with 3/4" styrofoam. You can use a 4'x8' styrofoam sheet from Home Depot which is about $7.00. Cut into even squares as shown below
2. If a heat pack is required, tape it to the cover/lid of styro as pictured and either wrap in newspaper or place paper between the heat pack and bags of coral. You want to keep the interior warm, but not to the point of cooking the corals via heat pack due to direct contact with bags and you don't want the heat pack to come in direct contact with the bags and Bring the temperature in box to hot levels.
Prior to bagging, roll the coral frag loosely in a smaller bag with slits on the sides to allow water to get in at the frag. The goal is cushioning, not a bumper per say .
Then double bag the frag with some water. Use as little water as possible to keep the overall package weight to a minimum but assure coral is submersed at all times. It also prevents the frags from getting tossed around inside and become damaged.
Line the box with a large plastic bag in the event of any leakage from sharp coral.
Place All the frags are snuggly in the box as shown.
Fill up the remaining space with foam peanuts, bubble wrap, -packing pillows etc. to prevent bags from moving around during transport.
Pace the lid on top of newspaper and the frags are on the way. 6" X 6" X '6" OR 8 x 8 x 8 are ideal box sizes. USPS has these sizes free as priority mail boxes.
Best of luck with this easy method.
This shows how to protect our buy/sell/trade captive propagated corals. That's easily done when the other reefers are close by. You can simply drive over or participate in a local frag swap event. But what happens when the other party lives in another state or just not cost effective to make the drive due to high gasoline costs, or you just attended a frag show and now time to transport them home? Shipping is usually the only answer. Of course, our desire is to share these specimens and assure they are transported in a manner where they will arrive in good condition and survive. They will be stressed once packed but we must assure they are not overly stressed during the trip risking survival in the new tank.
Described below is how to typically ship frags, ( both LPS, or SPS). Obviously, the packing method changes as the weather dictates needs for heat or ice packs. Do try to avoid shipping during the hottest climates as well as during storms especially snow storms which will delay arrival to the final destination.
The first thing to do is to line the inner box with 3/4" styrofoam. You can use a 4'x8' styrofoam sheet from Home Depot which is about $7.00. Cut into even squares as shown below
2. If a heat pack is required, tape it to the cover/lid of styro as pictured and either wrap in newspaper or place paper between the heat pack and bags of coral. You want to keep the interior warm, but not to the point of cooking the corals via heat pack due to direct contact with bags and you don't want the heat pack to come in direct contact with the bags and Bring the temperature in box to hot levels.
Prior to bagging, roll the coral frag loosely in a smaller bag with slits on the sides to allow water to get in at the frag. The goal is cushioning, not a bumper per say .
Then double bag the frag with some water. Use as little water as possible to keep the overall package weight to a minimum but assure coral is submersed at all times. It also prevents the frags from getting tossed around inside and become damaged.
Line the box with a large plastic bag in the event of any leakage from sharp coral.
Place All the frags are snuggly in the box as shown.
Fill up the remaining space with foam peanuts, bubble wrap, -packing pillows etc. to prevent bags from moving around during transport.
Pace the lid on top of newspaper and the frags are on the way. 6" X 6" X '6" OR 8 x 8 x 8 are ideal box sizes. USPS has these sizes free as priority mail boxes.
Best of luck with this easy method.
