Coral shipping - overnight

[gradstudent1]

Hi everyone,

So I'm leaving later today to head to my sampling sites to collect some coral! I'm super excited but wanted to ask a few questions about shipping corals back to my research facility.

1. I'm planning on shipping them back via overnight shipping. What's the best shipping carrier to do so with? Should I plan anything else in advance in shipping my corals with them?

2. I'm using 5-gal buckets with an o-ring in the lid to seal my corals with. They'll be attached to nylon bolts with some gorilla glue and placed onto these shelves I made out of some egg crate light diffusers and some PVC (see below). I'm also duct taping around the lid to make sure no leaks take place while it's being shipped. Do you guys have any extra advice with this shipping method?

3. I plan on purchasing some "fragile", "this side up", "heavy", and "perishable" stickers to place all over the bucket to make sure the handlers know that this needs to be handled with care. Is there anything else I'm potentially missing?

4. Also, I welcome any and all tips/tricks that folks have found useful when shipping their coral long distances. This is my first time doing this so any help is appreciated!

Cheers,

 

[TheHarold]

How large are said corals?

Will this all be going on a pallet?

5g buckets have little to zero insulation effect. It is a poor choice- you need something with styrofoam to insulate them. Like a cooler, etc.

 

[gradstudent1]

These corals don't get bigger than say 5cm in diameter.

I'm not sure if this will be going on a pallet or not.

And okay! I'll see what I can do about some insulation. These corals are cold-water corals and can withstand temperatures between 2C and 28C, so I think they should be okay but I'll look into it.

 

[TheHarold]

These corals don't get bigger than say 5cm in diameter.

I'm not sure if this will be going on a pallet or not.

And okay! I'll see what I can do about some insulation. These corals are cold-water corals and can withstand temperatures between 2C and 28C, so I think they should be okay but I'll look into it.

If they are that small, it would be appropriate to individually bag them and then put the bags into an insulated container for shipping.

They will not stay put on an egg crate rack during shipping.

 

[gradstudent1]

Thanks for the advice! It definitely seems a little easier that way. Good to talk this out before I've purchased any of the shipping supplies. I'll grab coolers and bags for them to be in.

 

[jsvand5]

Definitely bags and styrofoam boxes. Also, don’t waste your time with fragile or “this side up” stickers. They will be 100% ignored and your boxes will go on the same conveyor belts as every other package. Honestly, the shipping companies don’t have the time to give packages extra care. It’s up to the person shipping to make sure they are packed well enough to survive the abuse.