Here is my imput as a shipper of live fish I can see both sides of the fence....so I will touch on both sides...
It is a requirement of Fed Ex and UPS to have boxes clearly marked with "LIVE FISH" on a minimum of two sides....also arrows pointing up and the words "keep upright"... "Fragile" ,"keep warm","perishable", "Top Load", "Do Not Crush"or "Do not drop" will definately help the handlers of the package have a better sense of awareness. Although even if all the steps are taken to properly mark boxs you may still have a couple of knuckleheads who doesnt care about the air freight companies image or about their jobs.
packing water should NEVER be the same water as in the fish Holding system because of pressence of ammonia may exist.
Packing water should be house in seperate sterile container with absolutely no livestock entering the water until it is placed into the bag.
water parameters should be on the higher side...salinity .024-.026 0 ammonia,0 nitrates,0 nitites, PH 8.4 because during transit the PH in the bag water will fall a bit...
Back to the packing water....goog packing water should be kept styril and have oxygen stones constantly running in it to saturate the water with oxygen. Highly saturated water should keep the bag from deflating as a poorly oxygenated water will quickly absorb the oxygen in the bag which will cause the bag to droop.....The packing bag should be no less then a double bag 3 mil thick.....with a liner or newspaper between the bag to keep the fish drom stressing during transit and also to protect the fish just incase the inner bag break or has a small hole in it..
larger fish such as surgeon fish,trigger fish,or puffer fish can be put into plastic container with holes in it to keep the fish from biting or slicing the bag...
the bag should be double rubberbanned the inner bag rubberbanned then again on the outer bag....to avoid air and water feom leaking out of the bag during transit.
The two corners on the bottom of the bag should be folded in and taped to make the bag (square bottom) so that a smaller fish, invert, or wrasse doesnt get trapped into the corner of a drooping bag causing the fish to suffocate.
an isulated styrofoam cooler or styrofoam packing peanuts,newspaper and heat packs, need to protect the bag fro weather conditions (general rule of thumb is 1 heat pack per 10degree pull up needed.
the cover needs to be taped on th the cooler to provide a heat seal so that the much needed warm air does not get out of the box and cold air desnt get in.
the styrofoam box need to be placed in an outer cardboard box to furthur protect the styrofoam box and it's contents.
Also a rule of thumb when sizing the proper fish bag to the size of the fish is
2"all around....meaning the fish swimming in the bag needs 2" of swimming room above and below the fishes head and two inches on its sides so that it can freely turn around. when a fish is in a confined space such as a packing bag the fish will deficate in the bag causing ammonia in the bag water...Amquel along with a stress coat such as Nov Aqua should be added to the bag so that the fish will not arrive with ammonia burns(small red blotches on the fishes body)
well thats how a fish should be properly packed......and if done so using this method a fish can survive in the bag up to 72 hours....(believe it or not)
Now as far as the fish arriving alive but not in good shape is NOT considered DOA (dead on arrival) A trust level needs to be in place form both sides. If the fish arrives alive but is not doing well you must report this to the shipper. honesty is the best policy. The shipper in good faith should extend the arrive alive policy to give the fish time to recover. You should not report the fish as DOA thats dishonesty and while sometimes the shiper will do everything they can do to deliver healthy livestock sometimes it may not work that way. Think about this the livestock shipper does have a family too and by lying about this you are taking money out of their family and at the same time the shipper should understand that the buyer paid a lot of hard earned money for the fish money that if not a satisfactory purchase will be taking money away from that family. Honesty and communication....and most importantly INTEGRITY.
THe livestock should be guaranteed for 100% credit,refund or a replacement if it does not survive the first 24 hours....with an extension if the fish arrives not doing well.....
and if the fish dies say 1 week later....the shipper should offer the customer a replacemant at wholesale cost.
it may not be the shippers fault if a customer doesnt properly acclimate and quarantine a fish before the fish gets put into the display tank. the poor fish gets put in a tank with other fish thats not compatable with it. The poor fish" The new fish" doesnt stand a chance with other agressive fish but yet if it dies the shipper is to blame.....WRONG!!!
The shipper should be responsible for the fish condition it arrives and the time it takes for the fish to get acclimated. That is why QT is important. THe buyer should assume the responsibility of the fish once it gets place into the main system with other livestock. The shipper should give the buyer wholesale cost of a replacement fish of the same kind if the fish dies within a week or two....Thats my opinion....and experience with shipping livestock and dealing with customers buying fish on a daily basis. A good company will hold itself accountable and address all the customers concerns because in this business "word of mouth" will make or break a company.....aloha Les
