The best way to shared this beloved hobby of ours and more importantly to protect our precious natural reefs is to trade and/or buy/sell 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? Shipping is usually the only answer. Of course, in our desire to shared these beautiful animals, we have to ensure that they are transported in a manner where they will arrive in good condition and viable. We have to make sure they are not overly stressed during the trip because they will be stressed. Harming them in the process will not help this hobby.
Described below is how I typically ship all my frags, whether they are zoas, LPS, or SPS. Of course, the techniques change a little as the weather dictates. I usually try to avoid shipping during the hottest time of the year or if I know inclimate weather such as snow storms are occuring on the route to the final destination.
If you have suggestions or a different method of shipping, please all chime in with your experiences. Thanks SCR Reefers!
1. The first thing is to line the box with 3/4" styrofoam. You can get a 4'x8' sheet from HD for like $8 or so.
2. If a heat pack is needed, it is taped to the lid to keep it away from the frags as much as possible. I want to keep the interior warm, but don't want the heat pack to come in direct contact with the bags and heat up the frags.
Described below is how I typically ship all my frags, whether they are zoas, LPS, or SPS. Of course, the techniques change a little as the weather dictates. I usually try to avoid shipping during the hottest time of the year or if I know inclimate weather such as snow storms are occuring on the route to the final destination.
If you have suggestions or a different method of shipping, please all chime in with your experiences. Thanks SCR Reefers!
1. The first thing is to line the box with 3/4" styrofoam. You can get a 4'x8' sheet from HD for like $8 or so.
2. If a heat pack is needed, it is taped to the lid to keep it away from the frags as much as possible. I want to keep the interior warm, but don't want the heat pack to come in direct contact with the bags and heat up the frags.