At some point in time, you may need to ship your fish. Quite a bit of fish purchasing is done over the internet these days, so it is important to know how to properly package and send fish through the mail. Making a mistake can mean dead fish in a soaking cardboard box delivered by an irritated postman.

1. Shipping Container

The first item on the list is a shipping box. An insulated box is a must during any season. Fish freeze during winter and overheat during summer if they are not in an insulated box. Plus, in the case of a leaky bag, a styrofoam box will help contain the water rather than soaking (and destroying) the cardboard box. A true styrofoam container is the best (see picture). I'd suggest a place to purchase styrofoam containers, however, I have only ever recycled the ones that I have received fish in. The alternative is to build your own styrofoam lined boxes.

To build a styrofoam-lined box, you will need to purchase a sheet of styrofoam from your local home improvement center. Styrofoam comes in several different size sheets and thicknesses, each with their own insulating qualities. I use the blue stuff that has a higher insulating value than the regular white type. Once you get the sheet, it's just a matter of measuring the inside dimensions of your cardboard box and cutting six pieces to fit. So far I've had no problems with these "homemade" styrofoam boxes.

2. Heat Packs

As the weather gets colder, heat packs are necessary to keep the fish warm during their journey. I use heat packs from http://www.rldtheheatsource.com. The 35-hour packs are fine for overnight trips. The heat packs should be allowed to heat up before taping them to the box lid. Make sure they are taped on well, because a heat pack that ends up resting against a bag of fish will overheat and kill the fish. The heat pack should be taped onto the inside of the box lid, and a double layer of newspaper placed between it and the rest of the box contents.

 3. Bag the fish

Now it's time to bag up the fish. Obviously, you will only want to ship healthy fish, as shipping is a stress to their systems. The fish should not be fed the day prior to shipping to give them a chance to clear out their systems. My bagging instructions below apply specifically to Bettas. For other fish you will want to use larger bags with more water in them.

Plastic bags can be acquired at your LFS, or on Aquabid.com. Longer bags are better because they give you more room to tie a knot in the bag.

First, fill the bag with about two inches of water from the tank. Net out your fish and dump him into the bag. Sounds easy, but this can be one of the most frustrating parts of the job! Holding the bag open while trying to extricate an angry fish from a net can be a big hassle. With my Bettas, I usually pour them out of their jars into the bag rather than net them.

Once you get the fish into the bag, grab the open end of the bag and quickly close the top to trap air in the bag. Twist the end and tie a knot in the bag. This also sounds easy, but it takes a few tries to get it right. If the bag isn't long enough to tie, then use a rubber band.

Next, invert the tied bag into another bag, and push the tied bag to the bottom of the new bag. Then repeat the knotting/rubber-banding procedure with the new bag. Now you've got a double-bagged fish in a safe environment with no bag corners to get stuck in.

In the picture, it does look as though there is very little water in the bag. For Bettas, air is more important than the amount of water. As long as there is enough water to keep the fish covered, that is enough. When you are shipping fish, using the least amount of water necessary helps keep shipping costs down. Water is heavy!

Now that you've got the fish bagged, label the outer bag with permanent ink. Black "sharpie" type markers are the best to use. If the marker rubs off or smears when it is wet, you'll have a confused customer when he opens the box and tries to figure out which fish is which. :-)

4. Pack The Box

With the fish bagged and labeled, place them in the styrofoam box. If bagged with the proper amount of water, it shouldn't matter whether the bags lay on their sides or stand upright. Besides, the box is likely to get turned over or laid on its side during transit. With the fish in the box, fill in the empty space with styrofoam packing peanuts. Some people use newspaper for this purpose; however, if a bags leaks, the newspaper will get wet and lose all its cushioning qualities. So I recommend only using styrofoam peanuts to cushion the bags in the box. Tape your heat pack (if necessary) to the lid, put the lid on the box and tape the box closed.

5. Ship The Box!

Normally I would recommend labeling your box as in the picture below. However, due to the current problems with the US Postal Service (USPS), mark the box fragile and use the fastest possible shipping method. Some of the airlines that carry for the USPS refuse to ship live animals, so if your box is marked "Live Fish", it may be returned depending on which airline receives it for shipping.

The final step in shipping fish - paying for the shipping!

At the current time, I am only using FedEx to ship my fish. For Standard Overnight, my boxes usually cost about $25-$30 to ship. USPS Express Mail is cheaper, running about $18-$25 depending on weight. The problem with USPS is that frequently their overnight shipping takes two days, especially to remote locations. In my experience with FedEx, only Hawaii is a two-day shipping location (and even that can be overnight if you spend the extra $15 to get it there). USPS Priority shipping is a good summer option. Priority usually costs $10. One warning: Priority packages usually take 2-3 days to arrive, but are not guaranteed to arrive in that time frame. So there's a chance that the package may be in transit longer than you had planned.

Make sure you get a tracking number for the package. FedEx and USPS Express always provide one, but if you use USPS Priority, you have to pay for delivery confirmation. Email or call your customer to let them know the fish are on the way. If your customer will not be home to receive the fish (not a good idea in winter or very hot summer weather), make sure to mark the signature waiver or your fish will end up riding around all day with the delivery man in an unheated/un-air-conditioned truck.