How are Live Aquarium Fish Shipped?
Live marine fish shipping is fairly straightforward. Fish, like humans, have a few basic requirements. They need oxygen, water, and a relatively small temperature range. Provided these things, fish can travel failry well. As we showed in the discussion on collection areas, live aquarium fish have a long way to go from ocean to store to your tank. They typically travel in the cargo holds of airliners on direct flights from the South Pacific to Los Angeles where nearly all of the major importers are located. That journey will be very similar to the one they tank from the wholesaler/retailer to your home and your aquarium.
To start, live fish are bagged in heavy plastic. The plastic needs to be heavy because many fish have spines or barbs on their bodies which can puncture the bags. Most shippers will use bags that are black on the lower section. This is to provide the fish some privacy and security during the shipping. These bags will be filled about 1/3 of the way with saltwater. The remaining space will be filled with pure oxygen. Some shippers will used compressed air, but pure oxygen is better. The bag is then sealed with either rubber bands or metal clamps or staples. These bags will be loaded into styrofoam boxes by size. They are packed fairly snugly to prevent them from tipping or rolling during transport. The styrofoam acts as a cushion as well as an insulator. In the colder months, a heat pack will be taped to the box lid to keep the box warm until the fish are delivered. These boxes are then placed into a large bag and closed to contain any leakage. Finally, they are placed into a cardboard box for extra protection and to allow the attachement of shipping documents.
This method is tried and proven so you should not be overly concerned about your live aquarium fish during transport. During my time working in the industry, I've had fish left out on airport ramps in the Arizona heat during the summer, had shipments left on the doorstop in the snow of winter, and received bags where nealy all the water had been lost and almost everytime the saltwater fish were just fine
