Sharing the cost of shipping Brine Shrimp Eggs

[RonWill]

Kwek Leong and those sitting on the bench about ordering,
I was at the LFS and was discussing BBS/daphnia with the operator, to which he advised, "the chicken flu hit Thailand badly. 100+ dead chicken in Malaysia. Daphnia and tubifex are fed on the run-off from these farms. If Chicken-Flu is confirmed in Malaysia, incoming daphnia will stop."

He further advised me to get another 2 cans of BBS, making it 4 cans for myself. Am I getting hysterical as well???

[timebomb]

Hey, don't worry too much about it, buddy.

I've already wrote to them to ask for the exact shipping costs. In the meantime, you shouldn't worry too much about the chicken-flu thing and all but if I were you, I would stock up on chicken eggs. Heard a rumour that they may soon cost a dollar an egg

Loh K L

[imported_lily]

Heard a rumour that they may soon cost a dollar an egg

A dollar an egg... that's too expensive man! Lucky I dont take eggs but .. I fed my fry with egg yolks if I am running out of BBS..

[imported_lily]

Hey Mr Loh,

Can include one tin for me? I dont have any left now and how long will it take for BBS to arrive?

[RonWill]

I'm afraid I haven't made the order yet. I'm waiting for confirmation from a friend who bought the eggs recently from the same web site. He's going to let me know if the eggs produce good hatch rates.

Kwek Leong, I was wondering if your friend is already hatching those BBS eggs or is he also waiting for it to arrive? Any updates from him yet?

I'm getting twitching fingers and it ain't from chickie-flu :wink:

[A.Rashid]

Ronnie and to all in Singapore here,

My BS eggs should be arriving this week.but I didn't order much just a 6oz(abt 100gram)(ordered a small amount to test the reliablilty of the freight there) if you are desperate I can spare some, just need to return me the amount when your order has arrive.

[timebomb]

Kwek Leong, I was wondering if your friend is already hatching those BBS eggs or is he also waiting for it to arrive? Any updates from him yet?

Ronnie,

His eggs (90% hatch-rate quality) arrived a few days ago. I called him on the phone just now and he said the hatch rate is fantastic. It was so good, he said, that he couldn't drain them from his hatchery as the number of hatched baby shrimps was so high they choked the opening of the gang valve My friend is known to exaggerate a bit sometimes, of course

I wrote to the web site 2 days ago and they replied this afternoon. Idiot that I was, I made the mistake of ordering 6 one ounce cans of eggs when I should have asked for 6 one pound cans. But you really can't blame me for such a mistake. Who else other than those primitive Americans weigh things in pounds and ounces Heck, the whole world has gone metric but these guys still live in the dark ages

Anyway, I've already rectified the error and am now awaiting for the new reply to confirm the shipping costs. I'm afraid I may have made a mistake with that too the last time. It may be a bit more than what I thought. USPS rates are quite expensive and so it may turn out that each can of brine shrimp eggs can cost about Sing $60 to $70 with shipping. I'm sorry for the error but if the hatch-rates are what my friend said, it would be worth the money.

Lily, if you really want a can of eggs for yourself, I wouldn't mind letting you have one of the 2 I'm ordering. The usual mark-up and "cash on delivery" would apply, of course But seriously, once the order is confirmed, I expect the eggs to arrive in 3 to 4 days.

Loh K L

[RonWill]

His eggs (90% hatch-rate quality) arrived a few days ago. I called him on the phone just now and he said the hatch rate is fantastic. It was so good, he said, that he couldn't drain them from his hatchery as the number of hatched baby shrimps was so high they choked the opening of the gang valve

hmm.... that's pretty good news, all that wait was worth it then.

Anyway, I've already rectified the error and am now awaiting for the new reply to confirm the shipping costs.

Kwek Leong, so which is it you ordered? 6 one pound cans?

It may be a bit more than what I thought. USPS rates are quite expensive and so it may turn out that each can of brine shrimp eggs can cost about Sing $60 to $70 with shipping.

Don't they ship it any other way? I mean, if things are as good as it sounds and we order before our BBS finishes, chances are we'll be able to save some $ via Surface shipping.

I'm sorry for the error but if the hatch-rates are what my friend said, it would be worth the money.

yeah... and I'll just have to sell a few more killies...

Lily, if you really want a can of eggs for yourself, I wouldn't mind letting you have one of the 2 I'm ordering.

If Lily is feeding more than just a few fry, the BBS should keep quite well in the fridge. Heh, at least she can be my backup! :wink:

[timebomb]

Kwek Leong, so which is it you ordered? 6 one pound cans?

The one pound cans, of course. One pound is equal to 16 ounces, isn't it? Don't tell me I made another mistake again!!

Don't they ship it any other way? I mean, if things are as good as it sounds and we order before our BBS finishes, chances are we'll be able to save some $ via Surface shipping.

Shipping by surface mail is not an option, Ronnie. This is because it can take several weeks. We are paying quite a lot of money for the eggs and I really don't want to take the risk of them spoiling. They have to come by priority mail or the eggs may die during the journey.

Loh K L

[timebomb]

Okay, guys,

The cost is confirmed. Here's the reply from them:

Loh K L- Happy New Year, Here is the quote for the 6 (15 ounce) cans of 90%

6 cans 90% USD $140.94
Shipping USPS Express 3-5 days USD $55

Total USD $195.94

Payment would be best by cedit card if possible.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Ned Skanchy
North American Brine Shrimp
[email protected]

I did the maths and 1 can would cost about Sing $57. I think it's a good deal. If I don't hear any objections, I will confirm the purchase tonight.

Loh K L

[RonWill]

6 cans 90% USD $140.94
Shipping USPS Express 3-5 days USD $55
Total USD $195.94

I did the maths and 1 can would cost about Sing $57. I think it's a good deal. If I don't hear any objections, I will confirm the purchase tonight.

Kwek Leong,
Shipping is reasonable. Go ahead with mine. If others back off, I'm game to take over their order. Let's not delay this any longer :wink: .

[zmzfam]

No problem with me on the cost. Let us know the ETA.

[imported_lily]

Hello guys,

The charges are fine with me too and hope you include mine too. I am very desperate for BBS now...

[timebomb]

Ronnie, Zulkifli and Lily,

The eggs arrived this morning. The total cost of 6 cans with shipping is US $195.94. Divided by 6, that would be US $32.66 for one can. Converted to Sing dollars (x 1.75), it would be Sing $57.

Please call before you come to collect your can of eggs.

Loh K L

[RonWill]

Kwek Leong,

Thanks for organising the BBS order. I feel much better* now knowing I've enough to tide me over.

Anyway, a thought occurred to me... not everyone, including me, might have had so much BBS eggs before, so perhaps it's a good idea if you give us some tips for storage and things to beware of.

Questions;
1. I have both cans in the fridge's vege bin now. Before I open it up, do I have to wait for it to come up to room temp? What about condensation?**

2. If not in the vege bin, can I place it in the freezer? Is that too cold?

3. If not stored in the fridge, then is it advisable to keep it in the storeroom? (not everyone has ageeable spouses or moms!)

4. By your approximation, how many film canisters would be needed for one can, to repack into smaller portions? (still can't find the packing weight)

(This one I know, but I'll ask anyway, for others' benefit)
5. For BBS eggs re-packed in canisters, how do we store it for good shelf-life? (FYI, I wrap the canisters in newspaper before putting it the chiller section)

Zul and Lily, I have good access to empty film canisters and if you need them, please let me know in advance.

*A LFS operator told me that if Chicken Flu hits Malaysia badly, it'll affect or worse, cut off the supply of daphnia & tubifex. So now you know why I'm frantically building up my GWC & MWCs! (ok ok... so I'm getting paranoid!!)

**I've read that condensation moisture can trigger something in the BBS eggs and when water doesn't come, they go bad.

[Debbbear]

Ron,
I always have a small container on a shelf that is room temperature. About enough for a week's use.I have heard of some putting them in the freezer never have myself.Here is some information I found on a Brine Shrimp site.
1. In a tightly sealed container
2. Free from moisture
3. In a cool environment at or below 50 F
(Refrigeration is ideal. Freezing can lower
metabolic activity and delay hatch-out.)
4. The above storage guidelines apply to all
brine shrimp eggs both opened and unopened
containers.

[timebomb]

1. I have both cans in the fridge's vege bin now. Before I open it up, do I have to wait for it to come up to room temp? What about condensation?**

I never worry about condensation. I have never seen it in any of my cans, even when I've kept them in the vegetable compartment of my fridge for several months.

2. If not in the vege bin, can I place it in the freezer? Is that too cold?

It won't be a good idea to keep it in the freezer. If memory serves, there's a warning on the cans of BBS I bought from brineshrimpdirect.com which says, "Do not store below 10 degrees C".

3. If not stored in the fridge, then is it advisable to keep it in the storeroom?

I would say "not advisable". This is because we have to keep the eggs for quite a long period. If it's only for a few days, I think it won't do any harm but over a period of several months, I can't be sure.

4. By your approximation, how many film canisters would be needed for one can, to repack into smaller portions? (still can't find the packing weight)

The weight isn't written on the can but in their bill, they put down 15 ounces. One 15 ounce can should fill up 29 film cannisters. When I was using those 16 ounce ones, they fill up 32 cannisters. In other words, we now know 1 ounce is equivalent to 3 film cannisters.

(This one I know, but I'll ask anyway, for others' benefit)
5. For BBS eggs re-packed in canisters, how do we store it for good shelf-life? (FYI, I wrap the canisters in newspaper before putting it the chiller section)

That's what I did with my film cannisters too. As far as I know, stored this way, the eggs remain viable for very long periods.

**I've read that condensation moisture can trigger something in the BBS eggs and when water doesn't come, they go bad.

I have never seen condensation but I always make sure the small little spoon I use to scoop the eggs is completely dry.

Loh K L

[imported_lily]

Zul and Lily, I have good access to empty film canisters and if you need them, please let me know in advance.

Ronnie, thank you for the kind offer but I dont think I will need to re-pack them because they are solely for my own use. I have better ways of storing them...

[RonWill]

Ronnie, thank you for the kind offer but I dont think I will need to re-pack them because they are solely for my own use.

urm... Lily, I think you've misunderstood the intention of repacking. I'm not implying that you'll be selling some off but, rather than taking a big can of BS eggs out of the fridge frequently, you're removing a canister at a time.

I have better ways of storing them...

and what may that be?

[RonWill]

Kwek Leong,

I repacked the can of BBS eggs into 27 film canisters and it's possible to fill up to 30, if packed a little less compact.

If you and others need these canisters, let me know. I collected about 300 of 'em last night, compliments from KC Ginza Lab & Studio at #01-58 Ginza Plaza.

Reason I mentioned this outfit is that to date, they've probably supplied up to 1000 such canisters for our BBS eggs, starter cultures and other miscellaneous purposes... where do you think I've been getting it from?

Anyway, I've already thank them on our group's behalf and the operator, Edmund, is also a happy fella... he has killies in his tank! :wink:

Outfits like this and Karin at Far East Aquatics, work transparently behind the scene, in support of our hobby and activities, and justly deserve at least a mention (lest people think that such things grow on trees! :wink: ).

I'll be home tomorrow (Saturday) same time, 4pm. Those who need containers please email me off forum. If there isn't enough, I have another box of 200 canisters awaiting collection!

See ya!