How We Ship
We've shipped shrimp through delays, extreme temperatures, and packages lost in transit, and our animals still arrived breathing. That doesn't happen by accident. Here's exactly how we do it.
Every animal that leaves our facility is personally inspected, confirmed alive and active, and photographed before the box is sealed. We have never knowingly shipped a deceased animal. Our packaging is engineered to keep your shrimp alive through delays that would kill animals packed any other way. If any arrive deceased, we replace them. No argument. No hoops.
Nothing is left to chance. From the moment an order is confirmed to the moment the box leaves our hands, this is the exact process every single order goes through.
Every shrimp in your order is hand-selected and individually inspected before packing. We check for active movement, healthy coloration, intact appendages, and no signs of stress or disease. Animals that don't meet standard are not shipped, period.
We use professional-grade breather bags, not standard poly bags. Breather bags are made from a special permeable membrane that exchanges oxygen and CO2 directly through the bag wall. Your shrimp breathe naturally without added oxygen for up to 72+ hours. Standard bags trap CO2 and require oxygen injection, if the seal breaks, they suffocate. Breather bags eliminate that risk entirely.
We check the full transit weather forecast before every ship day. Cold season (below 50°F overnight): we include a 40-hour heat pack. Hot season (above 85°F): we include a 48-hour cold pack and additional insulation. We will delay shipment rather than ship into a weather forecast that puts your animals at risk.
The sealed breather bag gets nestled into a generous bed of dense shredded paper inside a standard cardboard shipping box. It insulates just as effectively as foam, absorbs shock beautifully, and is 100% recyclable. No external markings indicate live animals. Your package looks like any other delivery on the outside.
Before the box is sealed, we photograph the packed animals in the breather bag. These photos are logged with your order number and date. If there's ever a question about what shipped or the condition at packaging, we have timestamped documentation. This protects you and it protects us.
We ship Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday only, never Thursday or Friday. A package shipped Thursday or Friday risks sitting in a carrier facility over the weekend with no movement. That's 48, 72 extra hours in transit for a live animal. We don't do it. Orders placed late in the week ship the following Monday.
Every material in our packaging was chosen for one reason, it keeps animals alive longer under worse conditions than standard methods. Here's exactly what and why.
Permeable membrane bags that exchange oxygen and CO2 directly through the bag wall. No air pump, no oxygen injection needed. Shrimp breathe naturally for 72+ hours.
We use dense recycled shredded paper in place of Styrofoam. It insulates surprisingly well, absorbs shock better than rigid foam, and is completely recyclable when your order arrives. Better for your shrimp, better for the planet.
Activated heat packs provide steady warmth for 40+ hours during cold season shipping. Placed strategically in the box away from direct contact with the bag.
Gel cold packs keep internal temperatures safe during summer shipping. Wrapped in paper to prevent direct contact freezing while maintaining cool temps.
Every order includes a printed care sheet specific to the species you ordered, acclimation instructions, water parameter targets, and first 72-hour guidance.
We pack 1, 2 extra shrimp per order beyond what you ordered, at no charge. This accounts for any transit stress losses so you receive your full count alive.
In our experience, the overwhelming majority of shrimp that perish after a confirmed live delivery die because of the receiving tank, not the shipping. An uncycled tank, incorrect water parameters, copper in the water from fertilizers or medications, fish that predate on shrimp, temperature swings, these are the real causes of post-delivery loss.
We ship these animals alive. We document it. We've had packages get genuinely lost in transit for days, and our shrimp were still alive when they arrived because of how we pack them. The packaging works.
What we cannot control is what happens after delivery. That's why we require buyers to confirm their tank is cycled and ready before ordering. That's why we include a care sheet with every order. That's why our FAQ has a detailed acclimation guide. We want your shrimp to thrive, not just arrive.
Our guarantee covers what we control: the animals are alive when they leave us. That's our promise and we stand behind it completely.
Color grading in shrimp can be subjective, especially between similar red varieties like Cherry, Bloody Mary, and Fire Red. To eliminate any confusion or disputes before or after purchase, we offer photo documentation and Google Lens color verification for every order.
Before your order ships, we photograph your shrimp in natural lighting against a neutral white background. We then run the photo through Google Lens color analysis to generate an objective color classification, the result is documented, timestamped, and attached to your order confirmation.
This gives you a third-party color verification that is completely independent of our own description. What Google Lens says the color is, that's what it is. No arguments, no interpretation, no subjective disagreement.
This is included free on any order where there may be ambiguity between similar species, particularly red Neocaridina varieties. If you want photo verification on your specific order, simply note it in the Special Requests field when ordering.
Every order ships with the same care. Browse the species guide or place your order now, live arrival guaranteed.
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