WISCONSIN CICHLID FORUM AQUARIA ARTICLES

Building A Shipping Box
By Brent Milam

Shipping fish through the mail can be intimidating, but with the proper shipping box, shipping fish through the mail can be fairly easy. I have found it to be quite economical using USPS priority mail. The first thing to do is to get a priority shipping box from the USPS. You can go to your local USPS and pick up some or you can order them from their website for free.

Supplies needed to build a shipping box 1 flat rate shipping box 1 small garbage bag ! piece of pink insulation board

Tools needed Stright Edge(ruler) Utility Knife Shipping Tape Tape Measure

A shipping box is easy to build, basically you are just insulating the box. I like to use 1/2 inch pink insulation board to line the box. An insulated box will provide protection from the elements while your fish are being sent through the mail. This is most important during cold weather, but will also provide protection from all types of weather. For the purpose of this article I am not including exact measurments because your box and insulation may vary in size from mine.

The first thing to do is to tape up the bottom of your box and measure in the inside dimessions to figure out what size pieces you need to cut, you will need to cut a bottom, top and 4 side pieces. The best way to do this is to first cut the bottom and top pieces for the box. The top and bottom piece will be the exact same size. Measure the inside diamater of the box and cut two pieces to fit.

Now, you will want to cut your side pieces. You will have to subtract the thickness of the top and bottom pieces to find the height of your sides. For example, if your box is 10 inches high and you are using 1/2 inch insulation you would subtract 1 inch for the height and your hight for the side pieces would be 9 inches. Cut two of your side pieces exactly the same size by measuring the inside length of the box, then cut your other two sides the same way, but remember to subtract the thickness for the first two sides. Example if your box is 12 inches wide you would subtract 1 inch to allow for the first two pieces so you last two side would be 11 inches wide. Don't worry if they end up a little to big, you can always trim them down, just don't cut them too small, as the old saying goes measure twice, cut once.

Next ,it is time to assemple your box. Put your garbage bag inside the box and then put in all your cut pieces of insulation besides the top piece. Then all you have left is to add your bags of fish, put the top peice of insulation on , tie you garbage shut, tape up the bix and your ready to ship.

 

 

This is what your completed shipping box should look like when your done. You wont fit alot of fish in a box this size but it is good for shipping 2-4 bags depending on the size of your bags.