Shipping Tips

By

Charles Pratt

 

Many of you reading this article are probably raising very good guppies, some of which may be capable of winning in IFGA Shows, and yet you may not be entering them. Your reasons for not showing will vary, but the only way you will ever know how good your guppies are is to show them. My purpose here is to get you started. The process of showing your fish may be a bit intimidating so I will describe it step by step. I think you will find it easier than you may have thought.

 

  1. Purchase sufficient 4” by 12” (or longer) plastic bags for shipping. A thickness of 1 or 1.5 mill is fine. You will be double bagging the fish, so that means two bags for each entry shipped and two more for the return trip. You can find many vendors of plastic bags on the web. You might also try contacting IFGA past president, Tom Allen at tgallen40@yahoo.com or Wet Thumb Aquatics at www.wetthumbquatics.com, both of whom sell plastic bags.  You can use rubber bands, or simply knot the top of the bag. Many members have an oxygen tank, and can put about 1/3rd water in the bag, and 2/3rd oxygen or air. But an oxygen tank is not essential. One fish to a bag of 1/3 water and 2/3 air should last 3 to 4 days. On the other end, I have not yet been to a show that had an oxygen tank. The fish will be shipped back to you without the use of oxygen. The shipping water is best if it comes from the same tank the fish is coming from but it is possible to use water exactly the same in ph, hardness and temperature.

 

  1. Finding a Styrofoam box of an appropriate size may be the toughest part of preparation. You can try various fish shops to see if any have a small one they can sell you. If you can find a good tough Styrofoam box, you can ship it without putting it in a cardboard box, but if it is a bit flimsy, you should have an outer cardboard layer. You may find the best thing is to buy a small Styrofoam beer cooler, and then look for a cardboard box you can put it in. If you have friends who show their guppies ask them where they found their box. Whatever you use, if you tape it up well, it should be fine.

 

  1. Of course if you are taking the fish to the show yourself, this is all a bit easier. You can carry them in any type of insulated cooler. You can use bags or plastic or glass jars inside the cooler. Plus, if you haven’t ever been to an IFGA show yourself, you have missed a lot! So if the show is near you this is the best way to get your fish there.

 

  1. Decide what show you want to enter. You can get this information from the show section of the IFGA web site. While you are there print out the show entry form. You will want to ship two copies of the completed form with your fish, and you probably will want to save a 3rd copy yourself.

 

  1. Read over the instructions for your selected show carefully. Most of the show rules are the same for all IFGA shows, but you will need to particularly notice the Shipped-in Entries section of the show announcement. Most shipped in entries must arrive at the show by 5:00 p.m. of the Friday before the show. If you are taking them to the show yourself you can usually register them at the show up to about 12:00 noon on Saturday. Be sure to print out and save those rules. You will need the address for shipping when you send out the fish.

 

  1. You can ship by Postal Express through the US Post Office, or by Airborne Express. Other carriers are also available, but these are the two that I know will accept live fish for shipment. If you use another one, check with them first. Airborne has recently been acquired by DHL Express, and you can find out more about Airborne at the DHL website, http://www.dhl-usa.com/home/home.asp. At the lower left of the site is a link that allows you to register with them. If you do this they will set up an account for you (pending a credit check I assume). They will then ship you a number of waybills with your name and address already imprinted on them. This is very handy because you can use one for your outbound shipment, and include another inside your shipment for the return. The volunteers at the show will use it to ship back to you, so you don’t have to worry about how much money to send with your fish for the return shipment. Be sure and fill out both of the waybills before you take your shipment to your local DHL/Airborne office. Airborne will then bill you for both the outbound and return shipments.

 

  1. It works well, and is fairly economical to ship on Wednesday before the show for two day delivery. I have never had any trouble with my fish getting there on time in good shape in two days either through DHL/Airborne or through Postal Express.

 

  1. Here is a checklist of items to include in your shipment:

 

    1. The fish themselves, individually double bagged.
    2. Two copies of the show entry form. (write COPY in big letters on one. That will keep the volunteer doing the paperwork from duplicating their efforts needlessly by mistake.)
    3. A check for your entry fees.
    4. Two waybills, one for when you ship, and the return waybill, or money to cover return shipping.
    5. Two empty plastic bags for each fish to be returned to you. Remember you can usually sell some of your fish at auction, but you then will have to send along a female for each male you auction. Most shows will not auction lone males, but only pairs or trios. Most groups will return to you 50% of the auction proceeds, but prefer to have donations of fish to be auctioned.

 

Showing your fish is both exciting and rewarding. Perhaps the big surprise is that you will learn more about your own fish than ever!