Shipping Information

Please NOTE ! Someone must be home the day of delivery to sign for and receive the package. Fedex will not leave your package without an ADULT signature. We dont know what time they will deliver to your specific area. If you must have an AM delivery, let us know and we can ship it Priority, to arrive by 10:30 AM (extra $14 fedex charge applies). If you are not there and they attempt delivery, then you are responsible for DOAs.

Shipping Cutoff Time | Shipping Costs | General Shipping Information | Local Pickup | International Shipping | Errors in Delivery | Acclimating new corals

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SHIPPING CUTOFF TIME: 6:00 AM (early morning) EST for orders to ship the same day. Orders received after 6 AM Eastern Standard Time US will ship the following day unless you request a later date.

We ship on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. We do not ship on Friday (except for special Saturday delivery), Sunday, or National Holidays. Before shipping, we will first send you a confirmation email with the day confirming your requested day to ship.

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SHIPPING COSTS:
Shipping cost are calculated automatically at checkout based upon YOUR LOCATION in the continental US, and the number of ITEMS ORDERED. We normally ship Standard (not Priority) Overnight Delivery via FedEx.  Shipping Costs are automatically calculated during checkout as you add items to your shopping cart, based upon your location in the US.

The first item of your order is the most expensive to ship. After that its about $3 to ship each additional coral. The price of the first shipped coral includes a $5 box charge. As you can see, the more items you ship, the less the AVERAGE shipping cost is PER ITEM is.  The cost to ship one item only is very expensive, but the cost drops quickly after that. For you, the most economical way to ship is the 9 item standard box. We have no minimum order except when shipping SPS (Small-Polyped Stony corals). With SPS we have to have at least 5 Items, e.g. bags of water, to regulate the temperature properly.

For more than 24 items, please email us for a quote. Airfreight usually has a 100 pound minimum, so its more cost effective to ship small size orders fedex. We do charge a surcharge for airport deliveries and will quote you when you contact us with the order. Larger orders can be shipped air freight. Ask us.

For online orders, there is no minimum order size. However we cannot ship small-polyped stonies (SPS) in boxes with less than 5 corals because of temperature fluctuations due to the heat or ice packs. We need at least 5 liters of water in the box to moderate temperature fluctuations when we ship SPS. And yes we can ship less than 5 SPS and just put empty bags of water to equal 5 bags, but there is a $25 surcharge for this to cover the costs of the shipping and water and processing the order.

We do not substitute items without your consent. All corals come mounted on an attractive, permanent rock. Since our sizes vary, please call for specific size information.

We ship Federal Express "Standard "Overnight.  Your order will arrive at your house the next day before approximately 3PM at the latest. Someone needs to be home to accept the package during this time. We can ship to your business also and you can receive it while you work.   Priority "Overnight Delivery" for delivery by 10 AM to "most areas", is available at an additional charge of $14. If you request Priority delivery, we will send a separate Payment request for this. Some locations that are very rural require us to ship via Priority only. We will send you a payment request separately for this amount when we ship to you.

We ship anywhere in the Continental United States including Alaska, but not to Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

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GENERAL SHIPPING INFO:

When we receive your order, we will send you a confirmation email. The day we ship, you will receive a tracking number from Fedex. This will allow you to track the package online. You will receive email notification that your package has been picked up by Fedex and also confirmation via email that it was delivered.

We think we have one of the best shipping methods in the industry and our success rate seems to bear that our. Each order is hand packed, with great attention to detail. the corals floating upside down on styrofoam blocks, triple bagged and ends crimped with Aluminum bands. We use an oversized styrofoam box, with a box liner, heat or ice pack, and even shrink wrap the outside of the box to eliminate air infiltration (the main cause of overheating or cooling).

Your packing slip will be in a sleeve on the outside of the box. Compare the item number on the packing slip with the item number written on the styrofoam piece each coral is floating on to identify which coral it is.

SUMMER SHIPPING: (this is not currently in effect). We can ship soft corals directly to your door year-round. During all seasons except summer we will ship SPS direct to your door. However due to the heat, during the summer time (June 1 - Sept. 1) for SPS hard corals, our company policy is to ship to the nearest Fedex to the location nearest to you.  This "HOLD FOR CUSTOMER PICKUP" location  is usually within 15-20 minutes of where you live, and you can generally pick it up after 9:00 AM in the morning. This is much better for the corals because of the temperature fluctuations in Fedex trucks as they drive around all day, and less time in the bags also means less stress on the corals. The good news is you can pick it up first thing in the morning and not wait around all day for delivery. There is no additional cost for this. We can locate your most convenient Fedex location using your zip code at the time of ordering. We can still ship orders with soft corals direct to your door. But if you have even one SPS, it has to go to the Fedex HOLD location.

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LOCAL PICKUPS
We do not offer local pickup.

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INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Sorry, Scientific Coral does not ship outside of the US at this time, nor do we anticipate doing so in the near future. Its just too difficult dealing with all of the unexpected delays in various countries and the paperwork to export CITIES Appendix 2 livestock.

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ERRORS IN DELIVERY:

PLEASE NOTE: in the unlikely event that the package is delivered a day late, do not refuse delivery! You must receive it for credit. All soft and most hard corals can usually survive an extra day. Save what you can, and we will replace any items that are DOA and take care of filing the claim. All corals are packed to survive at least 40 hours, and some can live many days. Refusing a shipment will result in NO CREDIT for the lost order, and no further sales to that customer.

Payment information: We accept Master Card,  Visa,  and Amex Credit Cards via Paypal. We no longer accept CODs. Shipments can also be sent upon receipt of Money Orders (Post Office, convenience store, etc.), Cashiers or Certified Check from a bank.  Or you may mail a business or personal check, but please allow 7-10 days for checks to clear before we ship. Do not send cash in the mail!

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ACCLIMATION UPON ARRIVAL:

Float the bags for 20 minutes in the tank that they will placed in to equalize the temperature. Do not float them directly under metal halide bulbs as they may overheat the bag. It is best to turn the lights off during floating and during the first few hours, to allow the animals to gently adjust to their new surroundings. After floating, put the items directly into the tank, first gently swishing them upside-down in the water to dislodge any accumulated debris, and then place in a good current area in the
lower part of your tank. It is not necessary to  use a drip acclimation system.  CAUTION! At first, put the corals down LOWER towards the bottom of the tank to avoid light shock which can stress the corals. During the first week, if the corals are lightening, move them to a lower part of your tank. Gradually move the corals up closer to the light over the next 2 weeks. Its safe to put them in a lower light area initially.  Do not place the corals directly under 250 watt or 400 watt metal halides initially.

We think we have one of the best shipping methods in the industry. We are always trying to improve it so let is know if you have any ideas.

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