Selling tropical fishes has become a very profitable venture. An increasing number of hobbyists have turned their hobbies into a lucrative business that requires shipping live fishes to other states or even to another country. Shipping of live tropical fish can be done via the U.S. Postal Service. This may sound tedious but with proper packing procedures, the fishes will arrive in their destination safely and healthy. here are practical tips on how to ship live fishes.
Avoid feeding your fishes two days before you bag them for live shipping. This is to keep the water in the shipping bag as fresh as possible while in transit.
Fill a 1.5 to a 2-milliliter plastic bag with the minimum amount of water necessary. Each bag should be no more than 1/3 full of water. Longer bags are better to have more space for air.
Place a fish in the bag. Put only one fish in each bag if possible. Pump the bag with regular air or oxygen, then twist and tie it closed. You can use a rubber band to secure the bag. Label each bag with an adhesive tag.
Place the bags with fishes in a shipping box with polystyrene thermal insulation. Arranged them such that they will not move around when moved. Put Styrofoam shelves between each bag. You can use crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts to keep the bags in place.
Label your box inside and out and ship immediately after packing. Ship overnight or express mail during cold or inclement weather to prevent harm to the fish. Ask the postal clerk when it will be delivered.
Let your customer know when the live fish will arrive so they can make arrangements to receive the package. Instruct them to open the shipment immediately and to acclimatize the fishes first before transferring to their tanks.