How to transport fish/plants

Anyone have any information about transporting fish/plants with Time Freight and flying with SAA?

What are the rates these days? What is the charge per kg?

Who do I speak to?

How does one correctly package fish?

What are the risks involved?

I need to get some of my fish/moss to a relative in JHB so advice needed . . .

Which option is more economical? Road or air freight?

TM

 

Plants, like moss is easy,cheap and fast with the post office speed services.

Talk to @Dolphin about air freight though.

 

Well, I was hoping that this thread would be a discussion so others can learn as well . . . but it would be nice to know the details behind air freight and road freight.

TM

 

Have been using Express Air Services for years - these guys are used to handling fish and not to pricey(all depends on weight,flight times,urgency and amount of boxes sent...

Other option with smaller fish is to use the post office's overnight counter to counter service....2kg parcel cost me R71.00 the other day - fish packed individualy in bags with oxygen and placed in small styrofoam container....Been doing it for years like this between mates and myself,but not allways the safest way --> have had toal losses,but few and far between --> Good to get fish to those far flung little places that dont have a airport close by....

 

I would definately use air freight, it is alot quicker, therefore fish will be in bags for less time

 

I was going to use Time fright to get a fish sent to Durban from Potch.
I phone them up and it would have cost me R200 for 10kg and I had to take it to the place just before they leave and the person who collects has to collect it at there branch as well. but they do not guarantee that the fish will survive the trip and so on.
I never went through with this due to the risk.

 

Express Air Services sounds good.

How do I package fish?

 

Used Express , no problems. TM just tape the corners of the bags so they are rounded, wrap everything in newspaper and place in box (polistyrene would be best). Mark LIVE FISH (they will also put on stickers)

 

Yeah. .

Thanks (Still drooling over those tanks you make bro) . . .

I emailed the Durban regional manager. Hopefully she can explain the process and procedure.

Where do I get the boxes from . .

TM

 

I have packed discus 1 per bag(used koi bags)apprx 7-8cm and time freight pickd up in the afternoon and my buddy pickd the next mornin from the depot around 9:00 or so..............NO problem twas the first time I packd for overnyt...I did not use and oxygen gas used the tablets though and added some aquaplus conditioner and just grabbed the bag and rubberbanded it. Twas my experience

 

Some 3 or 4 months ago, I moved house with (approximately) 12,000 fish.... I think, I lost one Guppy female..... an ornament in the tank fell on her in transit... I merely removed the water in all of my tanks (and ponds) to a depth of about 3".... and transported them like that. This trip only took about 3 or (for some tanks) 4 hours, but when I moved from Welkom to Lime Acres..... I did the same thing and this took close on 20 hours before unloading. No problem.

When I buy fish & know I have to travel a long distance, I insist that the pet store puts very little water in the plastic bags and fill the rest with O2.... and please, no oxygen tablets or any other additives...... Has allways worked for me.