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please help

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Bzishka, Jan 4, 2012.

  1. Bzishka

    Bzishka Inactive User

    110
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    Iam sorry that i havent been on and kept up to date with the society much lately but now that i have my tank set back up and things under control, i need a little help.
    So my issue is i'll be going on vacation down on an island in the gulf of mexico, I'll be down there snorkling and hopefully diving and i was looking foward to getting some small pieces of live rock, maybe a few blue and red legged crabs and a few snails. I figured it would be easier to send the package to a friend up here in the sates to start the curing process and to get the snails and crabs to be healthy and alive without bringing them in my luggage,
    so my main concern is...
    [list type=decimal][*]How do i go about packaging and sending the box[*]do i need any special permits or licenses to send the box[*]will customs take my box and pretty much make the shipping costs a big waste of money[*]is there any other documentation i need to worry about[*]will i even be able to get a box to ship them in?[/list type=decimal]
    Any help would be very very very much appreciated, you guys and this society are my only hope..  Thanks Alot, Brock
     
  2. iaJim

    iaJim Inactive User

    775
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    I think you're going to run into a lot of trouble on many fronts here. It's probably cheaper just to purchase what you need. I think you need permits to collect live animals. Next, if you're going to send them from out of the country, you'll have a lot of questions to answer through customs, and you'll have to pay something to get them in.

    Of course, it could be a lot easier than that, but I doubt it. Maybe if you put a couple of small rocks in a ziplock bag and claimed that they were just rocks, you could get them in. Maybe.
     
  3. Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    West Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,821 / 14 / -0
    I'm guessing that you will not be able to ship anything like that either out of wherever you are at or into the US without having jumped through a lot of hoops. This is probably a good question for a seller like Midwest Frags or something like that. Though they probably get from an importer.
     
  4. Bzishka

    Bzishka Inactive User

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    I was thinking maybe theres some kind of permit and i could just bring them back, like the permits we can get here to ship and sell animals, or the people who sell them from other countries to america? i was thinking that the fact i wont be selling sothing might come into play as well. like what about when u buy live plants and things from ebay from other countries, they send mangroves and all sorts of stuff.
     
  5. ruggerkc Experienced Reefkeeper Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member

    North Liberty , IA
    Ratings:
    +183 / 3 / -0
    "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles"

    Thats what any good dive master will tell you.
     
  6. xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

    La Porte City, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,014 / 6 / -0
    If you are in the US Gulf & shipping out of one of the states, no big deal.

    If you try to ship from Mexico, you could be looking at jail time.

    That being said, tons of people will put a few things in a gatorade bottle and ship it in their luggage, but anything more then that you are looking for trouble.

    There are Cites permits which are costly, and a huge hassle.
     
  7. Bzishka

    Bzishka Inactive User

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    I will be shipping from out of the us, and i wanted to ship to the us... i just want a few pieces of live rock mostly, just to save the memories of picking it up out of the ocean.
     
  8. nick

    nick Well-Known ReefKeeper

    754
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    Agreed with craig. This is something they don't take lightly. If caught there would be alot of trouble and lets just hope its not trouble on the mexican side of the law
     
  9. mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    simply put, you cant do this legally.
     
  10. Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

    West Des Moines, IA
    Ratings:
    +1,821 / 14 / -0



    +1 on that
     
  11. Bzishka

    Bzishka Inactive User

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    +2 on that
    I do agree I am not gonna end up bringing fish or snails back. I did however call the us customs agency today and talked to a guy who told me i could send rocks no problem at all, (shipping is a beast)  but snails, wood, and dirt/clay is not aloud to be shipped at all, i beleive i can get a permit to bring back crabs but they have the possibility of being stuck in us customs for up to 45 days, that pretty much rules out of the shipping threw customs via post office, although, i was told i can get a permit to collect and import "items" from a designated collection area, basically i will have to get a permit in the states (to receive the "items"), and i'll need a seperat permit from the vacation destination to the us (to collect and send the "items) so iam a little iffy about the whole ordeal........ i will however keep you guys(and gals) posted about if i figure out how and how much it takes to make it possible.   Thanks for all the help... You can never learn to much.
     
  12. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    This is a great saying... however... how on earth do we get all of the creatures we have in the hobby today? Just saying, it all started somewhere... most of the fish many of us keep are also wild caught. It's easy to get caught up in the "leave nature alone" sentiment. Truthfully, those that really feel this way probably shouldn't keep a saltwater tank.
     
  13. Jamie

    Jamie Well-Known ReefKeeper Vendor

    591
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    +24 / 0 / -0






    Dry rock you might be able to get back, if it is wet or contains organic matter they will most likely not let it through.  Since your more likely to bring back unwanted organisms that could potentially disrupt the local ecosystems if they were to get in it. When we were in Cozumel they let us take back about 30lbs sand off the beach where we got married but they did question if it was dry.  Heck it's even illegal to take sand off the beaches in FL


     
  14. Bzishka

    Bzishka Inactive User

    110
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    good thing i wont be in florida, haha, Its a little upsetting Since we live all the way up in the midwest, there is no ocean for us to release these potential saltwater "threats" into
     

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