xJoshx Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 eh idk it's pretty much teh basic's xenia frag of mine gsp some random ###### we get fish stock in on wed so eh Link to comment
DRoy1124 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 what lfs store in nky do you work for? Link to comment
xJoshx Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Jacks pets and aquairum idkl to spell it lol ij ust work there it's in florence Link to comment
Wonder Boy Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Jacks pets and aquairum idkl to spell it lol ij ust work there it's in florence Hey Prop. Just wanted to pop in and let you know you need to get a new sig. The TOTAL GLORY of your current one is making it too distracting to finish a thread. Every time I get to one of your posts I just stop and gape at your sig. Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hey Prop. Just wanted to pop in and let you know you need to get a new sig. The TOTAL GLORY of your current one is making it too distracting to finish a thread. Every time I get to one of your posts I just stop and gape at your sig. HA HA HA!!!!! Your welcome Link to comment
DRoy1124 Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 yeah, i go to the one in alexandria alot. they need a better selection of corals. prices on fish arent too bad tho. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted January 25, 2007 Author Share Posted January 25, 2007 THank you Obsessed Reefer !! Link to comment
Socalsuperhero Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I got my second shipment from Duane today. After two days in the mail with sub freezing temperatures here, I open the package and find sps and zoos with OPEN POLYPS! Frags were toasty warm and happy--they looked like they'd just been plucked from the tank minutes before So far two orders, two days each, sps and zoos in each order, 100% of livestock has not only survived, but been extremely healthy! It absolutely amazes me how some RETAILERS that ship coral overnight even stay in business with the lousy packing and heat packs. A styrofoam cooler, leaky bags, and hand warmers do not adequate packing make; they won't even survive overnight. So to everyone who ships corals, especially those who do it for a living. Take a lesson from The Propagator--the extra care in packing your shipments will payoff because it's not poor acclimation that kills, it's poor packing. EDIT: Oh yeah, and the corals aren't bad either Link to comment
Wonder Boy Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 No Problem You Got Props! ...almost too easy though, you had a very good setup work with Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 You Got Props!...almost too easy though, you had a very good setup work with Ok. Now your PM makes sense. Thanks. Yea. It was too easy. The hardest part was choosing between. So many choices. So little time.... lol Link to comment
brshriver Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Prop - how do you pack your corals to get such good shipping results? Link to comment
The Propagator Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 The "secret" is actualy caring about the poeple you are selling to and actualy caring about the coral you keep. I aproach every sale as I would if it were me browsing around a local LFS or about to purchase somthing over the internet. If I get treated well, and the coral is healthy I'll be back. As for the coral, its realy no mystery as to how to keep it alive during shipping. Its about cost, which brings it back to caring about the coral and the customer. Once a coral leaves my home it isnt "out of sight, out of mind" with me. I grow roughly 7 out of every 10 frags I sell myself from colonies that have been grown from frags I have purchased at retail cost. After I have spent so much time growing them up, and caring for them it makes no since what so ever for me to just ship it off any old way and not care if it dies. I am BIG on aquaculture. I care about the natural reef systems, and I care about the corals I raise. I used to do wholesale as well , but wen it got to where I would have to buy all wild collected specimens to keep up I stopped. I want to be a part of the solution , not the problem ;-) What I mean by "its no secret how to keep them alive during shipping" is that all you have to do is buy the correct supplies. I buy cheapo styrofoam wall insulation from Lowes for $7.99 per pack of 6 @ 15" x 48 ( I think ? LOL!) I buy brand name 40 hour, 60 hour, and 73 hour heat packs from a reliable source ( meaning they are fresh and not out dated, and most sellers use 24hr,30's, or 40's no mater what. What if it gets held up?). I use the "expensive bags" no one in the bisiness wants to use. Kodon breather bags.This is beacause they allow oxygen in and CO2 out through the bag its self. They are roughly twice as expensive as regular 3mil and 2 mil bags but they are worth thier weight in gold. You dont have to leave any air space in the bag so you can fill it all the way up This removes the "slosh factor" that damages corals during shiping. When they slosh around they bang against eachother and the side of the box damaging polyps, and forcing them to realease even more toxins that fouling the water in the bag even further. I use 6x6x6" boxes from Wally world. I glue tem closed with my glue gun too. This serves two purposes. 1: so the heatg pack can get some air seepage to remain hot ( they are activated via oxygen and a reaction when you shake them) 2: it make the box damn near Tamper proof/impregnable! Once you glue that puppy shut the next time its opened th ewperson opening it will need a pry tool and tat makes the box over all stonger as well. By using the correct supplies (and packing peanuts or pieces of styrofoam) You can assue the coral will get there safe and sound in up to a 3 day window to warmer areas, and 2 days for colder areas. Now thats assuming there are no delay with the shipping service and they dont drop kick the package LOL! My current personal best record for the longest time a coral was shipped and su2vived: 4 days going from 15 deg F weather her ein Ohio to 82 deg F weather in Arizona LOL!!The package was held up over the weekend because the buyer missed the delivery. They didnt get the notice on thursday and they sat until MONDAY at UPS LOL! I give all the credit to those breather bags man. ( good packagin to ofcourse LOL!!) The bottom line is if you care about what you do it shows and things stay alive. ;-) Link to comment
Izzue Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Damn straight...and well said. Izzue Link to comment
brshriver Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Thank you for the detailed reply!!! Those all sound like great tips. I will try to duplicate your method when/if I start shipping corals. I have seen people rubber band the plug to a piece of floating styrofoam as well so that it floats upside down during travel. This keeps the coral off the sides of the bag and limits polyp damage. Have you ever used that method in combination with your other techniques? Live Aquaria ships that way (although they have air - really O2 in their bags too) and it seems to work. Thanks again for the details! Link to comment
The Propagator Posted January 27, 2007 Author Share Posted January 27, 2007 brshriver, No problem! I have never shipped using the styrofoam float method. I dont have to because I can completely remove all the air inside the bag it self when I use Kordon breather bags. Your not going to get very much damage at all like that unless you under pack or over pack the box. Under pack= one or two small bags and not enought packing peanuts to take up the empty space. Over pack= 4-5 bags stuffed tightly together. ( your destined for problems doing the above. ) I also never used the floating method becase is causes MORE agitation on the coral its self during transport. It keeps the coral floating like a bobber up and down smacking off the side of the bag the entire trip. The simpler the better is a good rule to apply when shipping. Just start with the right stuff. Link to comment
purebullet417 Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 prop me and my friend are starting a 10 gal ghetto frag tank so ill let you no how it goes ill look into good shipping supplies to do you have a link for those bags Link to comment
The Propagator Posted January 27, 2007 Author Share Posted January 27, 2007 http://www.kensfish.com/shippingsupplie.html They cost 2 to 3 times as much but I swear to God there will be more than your fair share of times those bags will be the only thing standing between a happy customer with healty frags, and you refunding their money. Acutaly if you take into account how much an oxygen tanks costs, and how much it costs to refill it, these could end up being cheaper in the long run? Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 16 cents for a 5.5"X8" doesn't seem that bad to me to keep whatever I'm shipping alive, although I've never shipped coral before. Link to comment
purebullet417 Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 and with those bags you can fill it up completly i dont understand how that works Link to comment
nUgZ Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 They breathe so there is no need for oxygen in the bag. Link to comment
purebullet417 Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 i see now ill look into them Link to comment
The Propagator Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Follow the link I gave you and read on young grasshopper. Link to comment
jimbro Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Prop, I was just thinkin you should start an "Ask the Propagator" thread in the aquaculture forum or something. That way people can fire off random questions at you and you can answer at your leisure in one nice-and-easy thread. I bet it would get really long and informative in no time. Also I've seen you say that drip acclimating kills in other threads. Is it because the tank water raises the bag water's pH, re-toxifying the ammonia in the bag from shipping? Do you just acclimate for temp and then toss in? Just curious. Link to comment
Obsessed Reefer Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Also I've seen you say that drip acclimating kills in other threads. Is it because the tank water raises the bag water's pH, re-toxifying the ammonia in the bag from shipping? Do you just acclimate for temp and then toss in? Just curious. Ya know, I was wondering why he said that too... But I saw it on one of his eBay auctions. I also the "The Ask Duane Thread" would be a great Idea.. (me hoping I spelled his name right) Link to comment
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