How to ship zoas!

[buddythelion]

Hey guys,

So I made a previous video on how to frag zoas (just click the youtube profile to find the vid). After some practice, I think I'm getting the hang of shipping corals now and here's how I ship them. So far everything's been good other than a trade that had to do with the weather being too warm. Hope this helps some people get some idea on how to ship zoas safely and securely although I'm sure this method can be applied to any corals on a frag plug (minus SPS, I have a good idea on how to ship those) that will be mostly flat.

Here's a list of materials:

• Razorblade (pretty easy to get anywhere)
• Cyanoacrylate Gel/BSI (should be in your arsenal of fragging already)
• To-Go Sauce cups (local grocery store)
• Heat packs (ebay)
• Fishy baggies (LFS)
• Rubberbands (Anywhere I guess, just got some from the LFS)
• Shipping box with styrofoam box, packaging peanuts, and newspaper. (I just reuse all of the boxes I get from online purchases)
• Optional, but highly recommended: Heat sealing a 3rd layer (I do anyways)

Pretty easy to follow method with very easy to find materials. Hope it helps! Lmk if there are any questions or comments.

[video=youtube;Ag8e7aY3uLA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag8e7aY3uLA[/video]

 

[revhtree]

Cool video, thanks for sharing!

 

[alberthiel]

Hey guys,

So I made a previous video on how to frag zoas (just click the youtube profile to find the vid). After some practice, I think I'm getting the hang of shipping corals now and here's how I ship them. So far everything's been good other than a trade that had to do with the weather being too warm. Hope this helps some people get some idea on how to ship zoas safely and securely although I'm sure this method can be applied to any corals on a frag plug (minus SPS, I have a good idea on how to ship those) that will be mostly flat.

Here's a list of materials:

• Razorblade (pretty easy to get anywhere)
• Cyanoacrylate Gel/BSI (should be in your arsenal of fragging already)
• To-Go Sauce cups (local grocery store)
• Heat packs (ebay)
• Fishy baggies (LFS)
• Rubberbands (Anywhere I guess, just got some from the LFS)
• Shipping box with styrofoam box, packaging peanuts, and newspaper. (I just reuse all of the boxes I get from online purchases)
• Optional, but highly recommended: Heat sealing a 3rd layer (I do anyways)

Pretty easy to follow method with very easy to find materials. Hope it helps! Lmk if there are any questions or comments.

Nice ...

 

[amppdx]

Sauce cups is a cool idea. glueing the plugs to the cup seems like a bit of overkill though. If its a nice tight fit the first time through and you dont mess with it I cant imagine it working its way out. Wrapping a rubber band or zip tie around the stem sticking out would hold it in place too.

 

[Eienna]

Sauce cups is a cool idea. glueing the plugs to the cup seems like a bit of overkill though. If its a nice tight fit the first time through and you dont mess with it I cant imagine it working its way out. Wrapping a rubber band or zip tie around the stem sticking out would hold it in place too.

Overkill for something possibly worth a couple hundred bucks? I think not.

 

[dwilliams87]

Great video, also watched your fragging video. Where did you get your japanese wood chisel?

 

[buddythelion]

Sauce cups is a cool idea. glueing the plugs to the cup seems like a bit of overkill though. If its a nice tight fit the first time through and you dont mess with it I cant imagine it working its way out. Wrapping a rubber band or zip tie around the stem sticking out would hold it in place too.

Rubberbands! I recall someone doing that on a package I received. It works sometimes. I just get worried that the glue is hard to take off sometimes, and the rubberband is a good suggestion. I think my package with the bands, the bands fell off. But it's worth looking into.

Overkill for something possibly worth a couple hundred bucks? I think not.

That was my thinking, but I'm still learning so other ways of shipping is always great to know!

Great video, also watched your fragging video. Where did you get your japanese wood chisel?

Japanese store called Daiso!

 

[RichieT]

Daiso is the best. Nice video

 

[RuRoo]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[joshporksandwich]

Great video. Rnegret just puts it in a little bag, puts magazine pages turned into balls and tapes the heatpack or icepack to the top of the lid. He makes the sides with insulating board. It's so much trouble to ship I hope I never have to ship lol.

 

[joshporksandwich]

double

 

[alberthiel]

Great video. Rnegret just puts it in a little bag, puts magazine pages turned into balls and tapes the heatpack or icepack to the top of the lid. He makes the sides with insulating board. It's so much trouble to ship I hope I never have to ship lol.

It does indeed seem like a lot of work for a small frag ... I have seen it done with a piece of styro with a hole through it and the frag put through it upside down and then put in a small bag with water and shipped with some paper and a heatpack if needed and in a "sturdy" box ...

 

[buddythelion]

It does indeed seem like a lot of work for a small frag ... I have seen it done with a piece of styro with a hole through it and the frag put through it upside down and then put in a small bag with water and shipped with some paper and a heatpack if needed and in a "sturdy" box ...

It does seem like a lot of work, and tbh it is a bit of work. But the way I see it, is that a few minutes here to prep for the frag is worth it to avoid any shipping mishaps that could stress the frag and the person receiving the frag would have to deal with refunds or replacements. Now that would take a lot of work! Maybe I don't really notice the time to do these things because I have fun doing it since I consider it part of my hobby. It's all experimental atm so it's exciting.

I don't sell things in mass, so in my case it's alright for me to take my time. I'd rather have someone over prepare my frag than under prepare it. And I don't feel bad about the glue anymore, I tried to pop a frag off to see if the glue was hard to pop off and it was easy! But I understand that there are probably other methods just as good that get frags safely to their destination. This is just one that I'm comfortable with using since it gives me an ease of mind that the frags are safe. Besides, it doesn't take THAT long. Prob a minute to do those cut outs... Or so it took me in the vid to do, while explaining! :tongue:

I post this video to hopefully help others who are only beginning to ship to avoid the mistakes of just tossing a frag into one bag and hoping for the best (that would be a nightmare!). It's not a "do it this way, it's the best!" kind of thread, far from it. Everyone's got their own style, and I'm just sharing mine which I think will help others since there's not a lot of vids on these. Can't hurt to know more than one way to ship corals if you're experimenting yourself or having thoughts on shipping but not sure what steps to take.

 

[joshporksandwich]

Again your videos are super awesone. It shows a lot of care and when I purchase from people I really wished they would do it just like you. Get good at shipping so you can send me lots of goodies!

 

[alberthiel]

It does seem like a lot of work, and tbh it is a bit of work. But the way I see it, is that a few minutes here to prep for the frag is worth it to avoid any shipping mishaps that could stress the frag and the person receiving the frag would have to deal with refunds or replacements. Now that would take a lot of work! Maybe I don't really notice the time to do these things because I have fun doing it since I consider it part of my hobby. It's all experimental atm so it's exciting.

I don't sell things in mass, so in my case it's alright for me to take my time. I'd rather have someone over prepare my frag than under prepare it. And I don't feel bad about the glue anymore, I tried to pop a frag off to see if the glue was hard to pop off and it was easy! But I understand that there are probably other methods just as good that get frags safely to their destination. This is just one that I'm comfortable with using since it gives me an ease of mind that the frags are safe. Besides, it doesn't take THAT long. Prob a minute to do those cut outs... Or so it took me in the vid to do, while explaining! :tongue:

I post this video to hopefully help others who are only beginning to ship to avoid the mistakes of just tossing a frag into one bag and hoping for the best (that would be a nightmare!). It's not a "do it this way, it's the best!" kind of thread, far from it. Everyone's got their own style, and I'm just sharing mine which I think will help others since there's not a lot of vids on these. Can't hurt to know more than one way to ship corals if you're experimenting yourself or having thoughts on shipping but not sure what steps to take.

Oh not saying it is wrong ... just that it takes a little long but if you do not ship that many then it is not an issue I guess as you say, but if you were shipping a lot I think you would probably try to find another way ... not sure which one yet as I do not ship anything so I have not tried other methods than what I wrote about sticking them through some styro which floats and always stays level with the water but I am sure there must be other ways that can be used as well.

Like your videos and video skills ... +1

 

[alberthiel]

Again your videos are super awesone. It shows a lot of care and when I purchase from people I really wished they would do it just like you. Get good at shipping so you can send me lots of goodies!

+1 Indeed some shippers do a bad job and when the order arrives bags are bust because they did not double bag or did not pack properly and they were banged around by UPS or whoever the transporter was ... Happened to me not long ago. Fish came in in a dry bag and obviously perished and all the water was in a styro and on the newspaper that was in the box. Took pics, sent to the shipper, and got money back and will not buy from them anymore that is for sure.

 

[Eienna]

I have a question. Aren't frags supposed to stay underwater...?

 

[ladyreefer1983]

I have a question. Aren't frags supposed to stay underwater...?

yes it is...he just didnt put water because he is demonstrating...i guess its much easier for him to demo it without water......if he puts water it might get a bit messy.

ive shipped big zoa packages before sometimes 30+ frag and all i do is i cut up square styro and putting holes where i can slip the plug that way it floats upside down...i use small bags the small uline bag i think its 3 mil....sometimes i put 3-4 zoa frags in a urine cup just put papertowel with water or soft plastic that way the frags stays in place not to hit the hard plastic container....even with just these simple procedure,i still spend 2 hours just packing because i triple bag with tight rubberbands....

nice video and packaging technique u got there darwin...add some knowledge to us reefers who ship zoas...although before when i ship zoas,i make sure to put the frags in small lightweight rubble rocks....

 

[Eienna]

Ah I get it.

 

[buddythelion]

yes it is...he just didnt put water because he is demonstrating...i guess its much easier for him to demo it without water......if he puts water it might get a bit messy.

ive shipped big zoa packages before sometimes 30+ frag and all i do is i cut up square styro and putting holes where i can slip the plug that way it floats upside down...i use small bags the small uline bag i think its 3 mil....sometimes i put 3-4 zoa frags in a urine cup just put papertowel with water or soft plastic that way the frags stays in place not to hit the hard plastic container....even with just these simple procedure,i still spend 2 hours just packing because i triple bag with tight rubberbands....

nice video and packaging technique u got there darwin...add some knowledge to us reefers who ship zoas...although before when i ship zoas,i make sure to put the frags in small lightweight rubble rocks....

Thanks ladyreefer. I'll have to look into the stryo technique since so many people mention it, it's not one that I ran into very often when I was on the receiving end of corals either from hobbiest or vendors but I was aware of it. I'm just a bit afraid of them falling off and then banging around the urine cup. 30+ frags! I haven't had to run into that yet.

Appreciate the comment! Why did you put the frags in rubble rocks, you mean you glued to polyps on the rubble vs on the plug?