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Interesting Article on Shipping

Gorm

Gorm

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I just finished reading an interesting article pertaining to the shipment of live coral. The link http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php talks about wet vs. damp shipping and the result of what appears to be for the most part controlled expierements on the subject. In a nutshell it appears that although maybe not for all coral, but some, that an increased survival rate from shipping could be expected from a "damp" shipment vs a "wet" one, similar to the method used for live rock.
 
I have shiped some corals this way, vary good way of shipping, also all the snails are shiped this way, I asked him about shipping inverts like shrimp this way, would be interesting.
 
Yeah, it's amazing how things with gills or use membranes for breathing (like worms) are tolerant of being "out of water" whereas we air-breathers will die instantly if we get water in our lungs! (OK, except for that mouse in the movie "The Abyss"). I've seen fish stay alive for hours out of water. I guess as long as the gills are wet, they can still get oxygen to their blood. Worms breathe through their skin, but it must be moist or they'll die. And I'm sure anyone who has gone fishing knows that earthworms can stay alive for quite a while underwater!

V
 
I've had just about every type of critter land with thimble full of water left. Most usually live.
 
A couple of years ago a BARe member did a snail group buy from Jeff's Exotic Place in LA. The snails were shipped in water, just like fish. We had lots of DOA, apparently some dead snails were included and fouled up the water, killing most in the same bag.

I was at Crazzyreefer's when the snails were delivered this time. They were in plastic bags, but only with a wet paper towel! No swimming around. I took home 130 snails, not one single DOA!
Jim
 
The preliminary testing from Tonga indicates this is a far superior way to ship most coral. The only caveat is that you lose the thermal buffer of the water so temperature control becomes a more serious issue. 2nd round of testing this week will indicate whether we, given correct temp. control, can break the 36 hour mark.
Keep your fingers crossed!-Jim
 
I recently used used the damp method for sending a dozen various snails, a gsp frag, and a carpet anemone to my dad in Washington. I sent it 2-3 day shipping, all items arrived living.
 
When you get things shipped like this, do you just put them straight in tank when you receive them, or is some acclimation needed?

Does anyone know which online retailers ship snails this way?
 
I would acclimate for temperature, and then I would add water to the container slowly till the coral is covered, then I would wait 10 minutes or so before putting it in the tank.

There are many ideas about how to acclimate snails. Most agree that they take a long time. Some people put them on the permitter bracing of the tank and let the snails find their own way into the water.

I don't know who ships snails that way.
 
Gorm said:
interresting to say the least, mainly because of the anemone. Thanks for the info
Click to expand...

Aiptasia is an anemone, right? I took out a small anemone covered rock and left it out of the water for at least 2 days. It was indoors, but out-out, not even moist. When I returned the rock into the tank, a feather duster promptly sprouted back out, and two aiptasias as well.

Lefty said:
I don't know who ships snails that way.
Click to expand...

Crazzyreefer's snail vendors did, wet paper towels only.
 
Many distributers ship snails this way and almost all distributers send anemonies this way. All zoanthids and saucer polyps out of the Soloman Islands and Mexico are shipped wrapped in newspaper. Many toadstools are shipped out of many locations like this.

As far as acclimating snails, why? If the snail is healthy, it'll do fine regardless of being acclimated. If it's on it's way out, no acclimation will help ;)
 
re: Snail acclimation.

I've read (somewhere...) that snails were very susceptable to fast changes in salinity as osmotic pressure would stress them out. I tend to believe this since they are basically just bags of slime! I've always blamed my snail deaths on bad acclimation (particularly the big mexican turbos) practice. I dunno. Gresham has WAY more experience with snail shipments and the like, so while I bow to his greater knowledge, I'll still acclimate my snails (survival rates on MY snails increased since I changed my snail acclimation, mostly for temperature).

Why do it? Because the little buggers cost $1+ each! Also, if I take a dead snail back to an LFS, they'll ask "Did you acclimate it?". If I say "No" then they might not give me a replacement snail. OK, I've never actually brought a fricken dead snail back to the LFS...but I'm just saying ...
(OK, I'm just GUESSING that they ask, since they generally ask if a fish dies)

V
 
What kills Mexican Turbo's is the mass handling of them, the shipping over the boarder in a van with no AC and the intense heat Baja experiences. Most MT come from upper Sea of Cortez, where there is a permit for them. So what you ahve is, 1,000 turbo's in 98 degree water just boiling in ammonia. No wonder so many die ;)

Zero distributers and wholesalers alike acclimate snails. Most LFS don't either.
 
What percentage of the snails would you say die trying to slip across the border?

It's a shame that the wholesalers/distributors/LFS have to plan for losses from the ocean to your door.

Another reason to go for snail species that breed in our tanks.

Best of luck,

Roy
 
They don't have to plan for DOA, if the follow proper handling protocols ;) Snails are so easy to do right, tis a shame they can't get thier collective acts together.
 
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