🐟 Step-by-Step Guide: How We Pack and Ship Our Fish
We know how important it is that your new fish arrive happy, healthy, and stress-free. That’s why every order is packed with care and handled like it’s one of our own tanks heading out the door. Below is a full breakdown of how we safely prepare and ship your fish.
🧡 Our Promise to You
Every fish we ship is packed with care, checked for health, and handled by experienced aquarists who love what they do. From oxygenated bags to insulated boxes, every step is done to ensure your fish arrive safe, calm, and ready to settle into their new home.
Your trust means everything to us — and we’ll always do our best to make sure you and your fish are happy from start to finish.
Step 1: Preparing the Box for Shipping
The first step is finding the right-sized box for the fish being sent. It needs to fit just right — not too tight, not too roomy — to make sure everything stays secure in transit.
Once we’ve chosen the box, we line it with materials that absorb any water and help keep the temperature stable during travel. For our setup, we use newspaper — it’s cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and perfect for insulation.
(Plus, haha, if you find yourself with nothing to do that day, you can always read the news before unpacking your fish! 😄)
After the box is lined, we carefully bag up the fish. Each fish is inspected to make sure it’s looking healthy and stress-free before being packed. We double-bag every fish for extra security and fill each bag with oxygen to help keep stress levels low and ensure they have clean air for their journey.
At this stage, everything is about making sure the fish are safe, secure, and ready for travel.
Step 2: Securing and Packing the Inside
Once the fish bags are ready, we carefully pack them inside the lined box. Any spaces that aren’t filled are cushioned to stop movement and prevent temperature drops.
We do this by either:
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Inflating a spare fish bag and placing it between the others for soft, flexible support, or
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Using scrunched-up newspaper to fill any gaps and provide extra insulation.
This prevents trapped air pockets (which can make the box colder) and keeps everything tightly packed. Once everything’s secure, we fold the newspaper neatly over the top — like a cozy blanket for the fish — and move on to the next stage.
Step 3: Adding Heat Packs
To keep your fish warm during transit, we attach heat packs to the inside lid of the box. We use 48-hour heat packs, which give us an extra buffer — even if there’s a slight delay, they’ll still provide warmth for well over a full day.
This step ensures the temperature inside the box stays consistent, keeping your fish comfortable throughout the journey. Every pack is checked to make sure it’s working correctly before sealing the box.
Step 4: Labelling, Shipping, and Delivery
Once the box is packed and ready, we clearly label it with:
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“LIVE FISH – HANDLE WITH CARE”
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“THIS WAY UP” arrows
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And any special instructions for the courier
We then tape the box securely, double-check all labels, and confirm your delivery details — usually your phone number so you can get live updates from the courier and know exactly when to expect your delivery.
We’ll always tell you the delivery date in advance, so someone can be home to receive the fish as soon as they arrive.
👉 Important: For the safety of both you and us, we do ask for video proof of you opening the box upon delivery. This is part of our DOA (Dead on Arrival) policy. It helps us verify everything if there’s ever an issue and ensures that we can handle any rare problems fairly. We hope you understand — we simply can’t refund or replace fish without clear proof, as we don’t get reimbursed ourselves.
Also, please note that extra boxes (for large or multiple orders) may cost up to £15 per box due to packaging and courier fees.