Keeping an aquarium is a very therapeutic hobby. Watching those colorful and playful tropical fishes swimming in their beautiful seascape habitat is truly relaxing.
Since these salt-water tropical fishes are fragile and sensitive creatures, shipping them can be a daunting task. However, when properly prepared and packaged, live aquarium fishes can be safely and successfully shipped. Here is a simple guideline on how to ship salt water fishes.
Transfer some water from the aquarium in a plastic bag and gently place the fish in it. Make sure that the bag is only 25 percent full of water. Each fish to be shipped should be bagged individually.
Drop enough food into the bag to last 48 hours.
Put a Bag Buddy tablet in the bag. These tablets, which are usually available in most fish and pet shops, are used to help oxygenate the water in the bag and to keep the fish calm during transit.
Seal the bag by tying a knot at the top of it. Don’t forget to leave air space at the top of the bag
To be sure, place the sealed fish bag into two more bags so that the fish is triple-bagged.
Place the bagged fish/es inside of a Styrofoam box to protect it from temperature fluctuations. To ensure that the bag/bags are stable and won’t shift around the box, use some packing materials. Although you should not place more than one fish in a bag, you can put as many bagged fish as will fit in the cooler.
Get a shipping box that can accommodate the Styrofoam box. Place the Styrofoam box inside the shipping box and use some packing materials to keep it in place.
Close the box and address it. Add labels such as “Live Animals” and “Handle With Care” on each side so that the shipper knows to be careful with the package.
Ship the fish using an overnight service. Never ship fish if they cannot be delivered the next day.