Shipping coral frags

marinegirl · May 31, 2013

Hello im new here and relatively new to the hobby about a year in.
so recently ive been wanting to ship coral frag on ebay. specifically zoas i have some prettyones id like to frag and sell.
from what ive read i think the best way is with the specimen cup/foam but im afraird the frag can detach and hit the bottom of the cup and smash the zoas, valid concern?
additionally im confused about cold vs heat packs, what are the cutoff temps that i should use one or the other.
for example if checking the weather and itll be under 60 then you need a cold pack,whats the rule of thumb?
also is there a way a heat pack with burn the zoas?
should i leave air in the bag while packing or just water?
what is the best and cheapest place to buy boxes/styrofoam coolers lining/urine cups and heat/cold packs?
are there any things i should know or im overlooking?
any experienced shippers input is greatly appreciated. :smile:

o2manyfish · May 31, 2013

When I did this many years ago I ordered styro and cardboard boxes from an online vendor. They shipped as flat packs and then you assemble the inner and outer box.

Double bag you your coral in whatever container you chose to pack it in. I also used a large plastic bag to contain all the contents within the box.

I filled the large plastic bag with the frag bags/cups and styro peanuts and then seal that big bag. The hot/cold packs I taped to the underside of the top of the styro box and then seal the exterior cardboard box with tape. When I was shipping the major shippers had real issues with boxes that leak or show wetness. So you want to make sure that there is very little chance of water seeping to the exterior cardboard box if the box is kicked, dropped or crushed.

As for when to use the packs, I used heat in the winter and cool in the summer months.

Dave B