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Re:Fish bags, shipping boxes, packing supplies...
Sunday, December 15, 2013 8:58 AM
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We have been using the castrating bands for almost 10 years now. I have never had an issue using them but they work best on thick material. We do the twist and put one on and then fold over and place a 2nd one. Then we double bag and put another on with a twist folded over. Even on 72 hour shipments that went overseas with the bags laid on their sides, we haven't had issues. The bands and pliers are cheapest from farm supply stores. Bags can be had from a number of places. If you know for sure which bags you are going to use, then ordering a box makes sense. If not, then a handful to try them. We use mostly square bottom 3 mil bags for seahorses, typically smaller bags. We have ordered from Florida Tropical Fish Farms Coop store, US Plastics, Gulfstream Plastics and elsewhere. Styrofoam has gotten expensive. Usually best to try to find a source close by as shipping them in can add to the expensive significantly. In trying to keep dimensional weights down for shipping costs, we have gone to making many of our own boxes. We can get sheets of 3/4 & 1 1/2 styro and make several boxes for the cost of 1 pre-molded box. I setup a hotwire cutter like a table saw for nice straight clean cuts. Packed tightly into a box, they work well. Peanuts and some of our cardboard boxes we buy locally to avoid shipping charges. For the little guy that doesn't do a lot of shipping, freight costs can be expensive to have this stuff shipped in even though it is very light material. I have gone in on orders with other companies locally to help cut some of those costs. If the box sizes match up, many local fish stores toss out there incoming shipment boxes. These can be had for free or very little cost. Dan
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Re:Fish bags, shipping boxes, packing supplies...
Sunday, December 15, 2013 6:33 PM
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Thanks for all the info everyone! I was thinking those banding machines would be pricey...I didn't think they would be THAT pricey! Ouch. I still have to call the guy from Tipper Tie back when I have some time. I have my fingers crossed that Gresham is wrong. Haha! I might give the hog bands a try on some 3 mil bags. I've thought about purchasing flat styrofoam and making my own boxes, but up here in this part of Canada it is often -30C or worse in the winter and the cold air sneaks through any small gaps in the foam. This night be an option for summer packing though. It takes 1.5" styrofoam molded boxes, a second layer of 1.5" styro on the bottom, lots of peanuts, and 6 heat packs to keep a box warm in these temps.
<message edited by EasterEggs on Sunday, December 15, 2013 6:38 PM>
Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]
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Re:Fish bags, shipping boxes, packing supplies...
Saturday, December 21, 2013 10:42 PM
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i don't ship when it's that cold. I get fish store boxes, when they are done with them, for free. When I ship, I ship a lot. Otherwise I use smaller boxes that I collect from the lab at work. There is a spray insulation, called Great Stuff, or something like that. I wonder if you could seal up the homemade styro boxes with that stuff. Get the low expanding kind if you want to try it. Pharmacies will sometimes have boxes they need to get rid of, but lately they are recycling them. I use Quarter size 2 mil square bottom bags from Quality Marine, out of Florida. I've ordered from them twice in the 10 years I 've been in business, not that I sell that many fish, but that they give you a lot of bags. These bags have no pockets that fish can nose into and suffocate.( Many square bottom bags do have pockets, and that's a really bad thing.) One sixth size is a good size as well. For the quarter bags, I can put 9 really large clownfish, or 18 small ones, with good results. I twist and use double and quadrouple rubber bands. I always double bag and then use a big bag to line the whole box. I own a castration device, but found it impractical.
<message edited by KathyL on Saturday, December 21, 2013 10:49 PM>
check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website: http://kathysclowns.com Captive bred clownfish and more (Wholesale to the trade.)
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Re:Fish bags, shipping boxes, packing supplies...
Thursday, January 2, 2014 2:27 PM
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The spray insulation isn't all that structural in terms of a shipping box. If you did use it, I'd suggest going up in the quality of cardboard used.
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Re:Fish bags, shipping boxes, packing supplies...
Saturday, January 4, 2014 10:24 PM
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Thanks for the ideas Kathy! I've never tried putting multiple fish to a bag, but I was thinking of putting 4 Ocellaris to a bag. I use 5x16" for most fish and single pack them. I imagine 4 Oc would be ok in an 8x16"...? My fish are usually in the box about 24 hours from packing to unpacking.
Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]
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