Fun Facts About Winter Livestock Shipping

Winter Coral Shipping
A lot of customers worry about shipping livestock in the winter. We don't blame you.  It's usually cold, windy, snowing, and nasty out.  
But don't worry!  
Truth is, winter is probably the easiest and safest season for shipping coral aquarium livestock. It is much easier to keep a package warm than it is to keep a package cool.  Our heat packs last 40+ hours so even if there is a delay the box still has heat.  Livestock can also handle fairly cold temperatures but not really warm temperatures.  Remember heat kills livestock faster than anything.  We have received shipments that had water temperatures well into the lower 50's with no problems some even into the 40's, but when we get a shipment that's to warm, 85+, we get a lot of die off.  In the winter time it is best to be home for delivery, as with any season, even better to have your package held at a Fedex center and to pick it up as soon as they open.  Remember that heat pack is still heating.  So if you leave it in a warm Fedex center all day the inside of the box is going to get hot and livestock doesn't like hot.
Shipping coral livestock in the hot summer is a little more tricky.
The problem is that Ice packs only last a few hours and are mainly used to help with the last few hot hours of the day.  That works out great since the temperature drops outside at night.  But then the package hops on a truck to be delivered to you.  As the day goes on the temperature outside rises and so does the temperature in the box since the ice is melted.  In the summer the best option is to have your package shipped to a FedEx center so its inside and not out in the heat or in a hot truck all day.  Remember heat kills livestock faster than anything.
In between seasons is probably the worst time to ship.  Especially when its warm during the day and cold at night.  The problem is this.  Say its 80 degrees during the day but only 45 at night.  The problem with this is if you use an ice pack the package will be way to cold during the night and if you use a heat pack the package will be way to hot during the day.  Its a tricky time to ship but we still manage to have 99% of all items arrive alive.
What should you do if your package gets delayed or the water is really cold/hot?
Don't panic.  That's the first most important thing you can do.  Just follow our acclimation guide like normal.  Keep an eye on everything and let us know within 10 days if something doesn't make it.  Most corals are pretty hardy and will surprise you. So please do not just toss them!  These are living creatures and we work hard to ensure their live arrival and hope you do too.
  We have gotten in some really cold/hot packages before with not many issues. 
Take this package for example.  Fedex delayed it a day and it was full of hundreds of anemones.  Granted we lost some of them but a majority of them lived and thrived.
No matter what season it is, you shouldn't worry about shipping coral livestock. 
We ship thousands of packages year round and have years of experience.  All of our livestock has a 10 day guarantee.  We even cover our livestock if there is a weather delay or other carrier delay.  Most companies leave you hanging when there is a weather or carrier delay.  We also give you a refund, not store credit like others, if something doesn't make it and you follow our guarantee instructions.  If we think its not safe to ship, we won't. Why would we risk it?   It's money out of our pocket if something doesn't survive, not yours.
Hope you enjoyed these Fun Facts!
Are you Salty?
Ryan

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