Shipping of algae species
Algae ordered before 5pm Monday-Wednesday will be shipped next day
Algae is shipped Monday to Thursday for delivery Tuesday-Friday.
Algae is shipped via a tracked 24 service and usually arrives the day after shipping.(The service use currently quotes 96% next day arrival rates for the UK)
Whilst tracked door to door the service DOES NOT require a signature on arrival and the package WILL fit through a standard letterbox. This leaves you free to go about your day and not be hanging around waiting for delivery.
Algae will be bagged in water, containing activated carbon to absorb any alginic acid secreted during shipping and to reduce bacterial action in the water.
Bags will be packed securely into an envelope box, that will fit through a letterbox, should you not be in on its arrival.
Packed this way we are confident, through 10 years of shipping that cuttings are perfectly happy like this for periods of at least 3 days (Should anything go awry with the postage and it not arrive within 24 hours don't panic! Your algae will be no worse for the ordeal!)
The Macro algae species we sell are only affected by sustained periods of temperature deviating from their ideal range. Cold water simply has no effect on them in the long term. In the short term slowed respiration and metabolic rate from cooler water is the only physiological change in the algae. For this reasons unless external temperatures are due below 0C we continue to ship algae. (In reality the water temperature never gets close to this as your algae passes throught the postal system insides buildings and vehicles). Extremely hot weather can be more of a danger when shipping algae and can cause physiological breakdown caoable of killing cuttings. Luckily we live in the UK and it is very rare we need to cease shipping due to it being too hot.
In either case should temperatures drop too low or become too high for safe shipping, we will contact you to make you aware.
Postage costs are flat rate. Regardless of how many species are ordered. On very large orders we may contact you to discuss alternative shipping methods rather than cram too much into one parcel.
Shipping of coral species
Small soft corals, Zoanthids and Palythoa
These corals will be sent 'Damp shipped' similar to how algae is posted. Years of shipping corals this way gives us full confidence it is the best way to shop these rockpool and reef crest species whilst also keeping shipping costs down and meaning you do not need to be at the address for delivery.
This is how these corals are shipped for scientific use and has been the accepted method in the trade for many years. It is only recently some began shipping these corals in pots of water with heatpacks and we believe keeping the coral expanded in warm water during shipping simply increases mucous secretetion and in turn bacterial action that fouls the water and can lead to oxygen starvation and death of corals.
These species have mechanisms that allow them to enter a 'protective state' when emerged from water as the tide recedes. It is simply amazing how hardy they are in this state. Seen in their natural habitat they are often baked in 40C heat, deluged with cold silty freshwater, endure rapidly plumetying nightine temperatures, have countless foot traffic walk over them and fishing boats dragged over them!
We have recieved zoanthids sent this way from Vietnam and Indonesia, simply wrapped in damp newspaper that been in transit over a week, including time in the freezing hold of a plane and are no worse for their ordeal!
These corals will be removed from our aquaria 30 mins before packing and allowed to enter this state by standing in air, they will be gently rinsed with aquarium water to remove any excess mucous membrane they have secreted before been bagged up similar to our algae, with activated carbon and placed in an envelope box.
They will be posted to you using a tracked 24 hour service.
You DO NOT need to be in to accept delivery, the service whilst tracked does not require a signature and the package will fit through a standard letterbox.
Packed this way we are confident, through 10 years of shipping that the corals are perfectly happy like this for periods of up to 3 days (Should anything go awry with the postage and it not arrive within 24 hours don't panic! Your coral will be no worse for the ordeal!)
Temperature fluctuations during shipping window is of little concern to the corals in this state, however as with our algae we will delay postage and contact you should temperatures become very high. If daytime temperatures are below 10C we will also include a heatpack, just to keep the worst of the chill off the polyps.
Larger head count zoanthids, palythoa, soft corals and less sensitive stony corals.
These will be packed either in pots or livestock bags, along with activated carbon granuals. They will be packed into a small cardboard box and insulated as appropriate dependant upon external temperatures with a mix of bubblewrap, foil, polystyrene and packing paper. If external temperatures are consistently below 14C they will be sent with a heatpak included.
You will need to be in or have a suitable safe place for livestock shipped this way to be left. Whilst not a signed for service it is tracked and will NOT fit through a letterbox.
We are firmly if the opinion after many years of shipping that soft coral and stony corals prone to producing lots of mucous when shipped, ship FAR safer in cooler water where respiration and bacterial action are slowed ensuring oxygen depletion does not occur whilst shipping (This is the number one cause of coral death whilst shipping, and the reason corals shipped close to reef temperatures that have not closed fully can arrive dead in a bacterial soup due to increased mucous production and bacterial population explosion, acting on this mucous in the perfect conditions of a warm bag of water.)
None reef crest, sensitive corals, large orders and anemones
These will be shipped, bagged or in pots in a good quantity of water with activated carbon. We WILL NOT skimp on water to keep postage costs down. Livestock will be packed into a polystyrene box and heatpacks will be included if temperatures are below 18C. These packages will be sent via a Special delivery pre 1pm service. You will need to be available for delivery to sign for the parcel.
No special delivery livestock will be sent until a day for delivery is confirmed, please message us after purchase with your required date of delivery (we can have deliveries arrive on Tuesday-Friday) Saturday morning deliveries can also be arranged for a supplement, usually around £5 (please contact us before purchase to organise and confirm this).
