this was written with bettas in mind but i'm sure it's the same for all fish
How to ship and receive live bettas
As we all know, we start out with 1 little veiltail from the LFS, and then as you start to find out how to look after him, you start to realise that there is more to bettas than veiltails(no offense). You see all those lovely boys and girls of different tail type and species on the net and the only problem is that your LFS doesn't stock them
Unless you are able to receive (and eventually ship) live fish you will be missing out on a large part of the betta world.
Packing
You should pack bettas in individual plastic bags.
The bags should be filled with 1 third water and 2 thirds air.
Then seal with 2 elastic bands just in case 1 breaks, you must then tip this bag upside down and place into another bag and seal again with 2 bands. By doing this you are making sure there are no corners for the fish to get stuck in while in transit.
If shipping a large amount place the smallerbags into 1 larger bag in case of leakage.
Before packing
Place the fish in a clear container of clean water and fast them for 2 days, this is to ensure that they wiil not defecate while in transit.
If you don't starve them for 2 days before posting they will defecate in their sealed bags, resulting in acidification and deoxygenation in the water due to decomposing waste. Also ammonia build up and a risk of death.
In these cases the water will have a milky appearance and the water will smell foul.
Temperature
This is a major factor when shipping any live fish, so really you should never post during extreme weather conditions, be it hot or cold.
Heat packs can be extremely helpful on cooler shipping days as they provide warmth for 24 hours or less, these should be taped to he lid of the box.
Packaging
If you collect your fish from your breeder or deliver fish yourself, it might be worth your while investing in a picnic cooler as these are ideal.
Most breeders use styrofoam boxes inside cardboard boxes. Any spaces should be filled with other packing material such as bubblewrap or shredded paper.
