Shrimp Shipping Method

(for Royal Mail Special Next Day Delivery in the UK only)

This was my typical Tiger shrimps shipping method in the UK using next day Royal Mail Special Delivery during May-June 2006 when temperature was  between 18-25. I have tried this method more than 8 times now and so far no deaths on arrival (knock-knock on wood!). Shrimps (8-10) were packed with some Java moss in small amount of tank water mixed with clean water (1:1) and packed in fish bags with normal air (sufficient for 1-3 days journey, longer shipping time will require oxygen). The two bottom bag corners were then tapped up to prevent shrimps getting caught and crushed at the corners of the bag during shipping.

Note that the amount of water to air space is approximately 1:6. Some has suggested filter wool instead of moss because filter wool will not release CO2 in the dark like moss would. That said, none of my shrimps died when I used Java moss. Perhaps, for longer shipping time, it is best to use filter wool instead of moss.

I put the fish bag containing the shrimps in a small Styrofoam box and if the box is too big, shredded paper was inserted in gaps/corners to ensure the bag is snugly fit into the box to prevent any movement. As I shipped the shrimps in late Spring/early Summer, the weather was ideal for the shrimps and therefore no other ice/heat packs were needed.

And, finally, the Styrofoam box get wrapped up and labeled ready for shipping! I have shipped only Tiger shrimps using the above method. The youngest and oldest shrimps shipped using this method were one week old (3~5mm long) and 6 months old (2.5cm long), respectively. Both survived. The longest journey shipped was from London to Glasgow without problem. Hope you find this information useful!