Heat Paks
Styroboxes
Bag Buddies

Helpful Links

Bags are bags, right? Not really. We have found that poly bags normally used for shipping fish are not designed for the fish industry but our use of them is an afterthought. Folks may sell a bag as one for tropical fish, but in reality it's just a bag with a dimension that works. Of course there are bag liners and some industry specific bags, but generally speaking the bags that we use in the hobby end of the trade are made for some other use.

Bag manufacturers really don't sell bags by "the each," but rather sell them by weight. They have pretty sophisticated equipment that can weight a number of bags pretty effectively, but they don't count them per se. The cost of the material in making bags is realatively inexpensive. Even during periods of high oil prices, the prices of individual bags is more-or-less insignificant. The manufacturing process is highly mechinized so labor is not a real daughting issue either. The shipping of the bags is the most gloomy issue for bags and the issue that drives the prices of the bags in the hobby.

We look for bags that are well sealed at the bottom of the bag. We have run into some bags that were seamed along the sides also, but the side-seams did not seem to be all that stable. They popped in shipping...not a good thing. We have found that bags sealed across the bottom are the better choice.

The thinkness of a bag has a lot to do with it's suitability. We use a variety of bags to give us flexibilty to deal with the range of fish we work with. Thin bags allow some transfer of gases, giving some fish a healthier ride. Thin bags also can make for a better "balloon" when double bagged. However, a bag that is too thin (less than 1.5 mil in thickness) can create some rather interesting problems...they can easily "ooze" water...something like a leak. Bags that are thin are more easily puncturered by the critter inside also. With some fish, thicker is better for the puncture issue alone (Corydoras and Angelfish for example). But be careful in evaluating bags...it's foolish to equate thickness with quality. A poorly made thick bag could leak more frequently than a well made thin bag.

The size of a bag can make a huge difference in the results of the shipping process. An undersized bag is a very bag thing and an oversized bag has some definite challenges to consider.

There a some specific species related issues that should be considered when choosing a bag. Shipping fish, plants and "moist" critters all have their separate issues to deal with.

Lots of folks recycle bags that they recieve fish in. Not a bad re-use of the product...please do if you can (we do). There are a couple of issues you will want to think about with a recycled bag. Diseases transfer could occur with a freshly recycle bag. Dry bags between usage and you should have no problems. Be prepared for leaks. We have SuzieQ, The Hatchery Cat, to thank for unexpected punctures as she plays with bags (it's better the bags than the fish). Also...and we know it sounds a little tryt...we like to use new bags for sales, either from the shop or through our local auctions. Fresh bags seem to make a better presentation than some of the recycled bags. But please recycle when you can.