Shipping bags + density

Re:Shipping bags + density (luis a m)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:53:48 GMT

This is used with lambs,poor things.

Re:Shipping bags + density (t2rev)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:39:06 GMT

Im from a farming back ground, that sorta thing doesnt affect me anymore.

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:01:49 GMT

I've got enough possessions as it is.

Re:Shipping bags + density (luis a m)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:05:29 GMT

You ought to possess what you dont to fully appreciate the feeling

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:38:47 GMT

And I have no idea what that's like, but it sounds awful...

Re:Shipping bags + density (luis a m)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:46:32 GMT

Originally Posted by KathyL

Those thick green bands…you know what they were designed for? Castration of farm animals. Just a FYI.

Ouch!dont say that,we know that,but it hurts to hearToo much info
I tie a knot in the bag,which is much simpler than rubber bands

Re:Shipping bags + density (t2rev)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:50:34 GMT

a triggers not essential as you say, its just another gadget really. but found them for £4/$6 and work will be paying for it!
Spoke to an LFS today, they receive some stock in indivdual bags (from outside the uk) or from a UK wholesaler in larger bags of 10 fish.

interesting point you make about bags.

Re:Shipping bags + density (GreshamH)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:20:20 GMT

I should follow up on my last post.

Failure rate in mass produced bags can be an entire sleeve at a time, or more. If you are buying a case and get one bad sleeve, the manufacturer won't care usually. They operate in a +/- manufacturing situation.

In order to not eat masses of bad bags, commercial shippers only use what is most reliable to produce.

FWIW I have gotten entire cases of gusseted bags with bad seals at connection points of seals (where they overlap).

Re:Shipping bags + density (GreshamH)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:33:52 GMT

to be honest, the trigger portion is really for convenience, you can get by without it in a pinch. I helped out (for fun) at a small wholesaler that did not use anything but a reg and tube. Turn on the air when needed.

Re:Shipping bags + density (t2rev)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:27:26 GMT

Some useful hints in there guys. I'd read Kathys post when doing a search.
I expect I will use normal 2dimensional bags, as sourcing 4D bags and price will likely negate there use.

I do need to find a trigger to fill the bags with, im lucky that I have access to oxygen cylinders at work...although they're not very managable, weighing in at 50kg and 5ft high!

only thing ive not settled on is bag size, hoping to visit a friends LFS that specialises in koi/pond fish, but that wont be for a few weeks.

Re:Shipping bags + density (GreshamH)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:46:22 GMT

More seams = more failures. There is a reason the commercial shippers do not use those

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:07:37 GMT

Originally Posted by GreshamH

Gussetted or square bottom bags should be avoided like the plague. When buying bags, only buy bags with (2) dimensions - 9 - 18, etc.

….

Uline or Associated Bags are both good sources for bags.

Square bottom bags can be a problem, unless you get the kind that are sealed along ALL the seams, which is what i use. I get them from Gulf Coast Plastics, and they are truly wonderful bags. There are no dangerous pockets that the fish can get into. Don't avoid these like the plague.

Re:Shipping bags + density (GreshamH)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:21:52 GMT

Originally Posted by JimWelsh

I used Oxygen from an O2 tank I purchased. I got the tank from a local welding supply house -- the smallest one they had, 21 ft³ capacity, filled, ran me about $90.00. The regulator I got from Aquatic Eco -- the "air filling kit", which comes with regulator, hose, and nozzle for $146.00. This first shipment of fish is basically paying for the cost of getting set up to ship fish!

Many welding places can get you set-up for much less for the reg / balloon filler (nozzle/hose).

Re:Shipping bags + density (GreshamH)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:20:57 GMT

Originally Posted by KathyL

Glad the post helped. Hey, are those bags seam sealed so that there are no inside pockets? I would prefer to order from them, but one cannot tell how the seams are sealed from the picture. Did you have any trouble sealing up the 3 mil bags?

Gussetted or square bottom bags should be avoided like the plague. When buying bags, only buy bags with (2) dimensions - 9 - 18, etc.

I seal 4mm with no issue using both bands and rubber bands. Every shipment I sent out via wholesale was at least 4mm thick (for fish, double 2mm). Coral shipments could be up to 8mm thick (4x 2mm).

Uline or Associated Bags are both good sources for bags.

Re:Shipping bags + density (JimWelsh)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:48:11 GMT

Re:Shipping bags + density (CableGuy)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:31:23 GMT

What did you do about Oxygen?

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:26:40 GMT

Those thick green bands…you know what they were designed for? Castration of farm animals. Just a FYI.

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:25:01 GMT

Thanks Jim,
Seam sealed refers to square bottom bags that are sealed to have a square flat bottom when stood up and filled. The seams are like an X with a bar between two pairs of legs:
>-<. There is a way to do it, where there are no pockets that fish can nose into and suffocate. And then there is the other way, which produces said pockets. The ones from Gulf Coast Plastics are the seam sealed kind.

That said, when I ship smaller numbers of fish, like one or two, I do it the way Jim did it.

Re:Shipping bags + density (JimWelsh)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:11:34 GMT

I'm ignorant about what "seam sealed" means. They are simply sealed in a straight line across the bottom, with no pleats of any kind. The 3 mil is thick when twisting, twisting, but I used the thick green rubber bands from Aquatic Eco ( I won't tell you what they call them on the package -- YIKES! -- LOL) with the tool they sell, and used two of those bands on each bag. To avoid corners they could get trapped in, I bagged them in one bag and did the "twist, twist, twist, fold, rubber band, rubber band" thing, and then I put the inside bag into the outside bag rubber band end first, then sealed the outside bag just like the inside bag. I then placed the doubled bag into the styro with the outside rubber band end pointing down, and the inside rubber band end was pointing up, to help keep the inside bag from leaking.

The overnight temp in Memphis was supposed to be 40F, and I used 4 of the smaller hand warmer "10 hour" chemical heat packs.

The fish arrived this morning just fine. One bag was 76F, and the other was 77F. The heat packs had fallen down to the bottom of the box, though, so it seems I didn't tape them well enough to the styro lid.

Re:Shipping bags + density (KathyL)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:29:03 GMT