Shipping Times and Info

Synergy Reef Systems Shipping Times (CONUS)

We can ship to virtually any address in the USA. For international shipping transit times, please review our international order information page.

When placing your order, please read our policies and plan your purchases accordingly. We build awesome reef aquarium equipment and do not own any of the shipping companies. While we wish we could control the packages, unfortunately it is out of our hands, literally, once it leaves our facility,

How long until my order ships?

Stock orders will be shipped in standard shipping times which are normally:

  •  Most in stock items ordered before 12PM CST are shipped the same day if shipping is paid for with a service other than “FREE” Shipping or Flat Rate.  Free Shipping and/or Flat Rate items will ship in 1-2 business days in some cases.
  •  Some items need to be packaged for shipment and this requires extra time. Orders that are in “Built to Order” Status will ship on a first come first serve basis. Build times are listed in the item’s description.
  • Shipping times can vary depending on the ordered items. Built to order items are shipped once the build is complete and packed. See build time estimates under the item or contact us if you have questions. 

Standard shipping times are not guarantees or promises that a product will ship on a specific day. Certain situations, such as availability of stock, observed US holidays, incorrect addressing and shipping restrictions may delay your order.  All shipping time frames are provided in business days, and do not include weekends or holidays.

What Shipping Services does Synergy Reef use?

We offers different tiers of shipping services; Flat-Rate, Standard, 2-Day, Overnight, and LTL Freight.  Each service is listed below, alongside its potential shipping service as well as the expected transit time:

Shipping ServicesEligible ServicesEst. Transit Time
Flat-Rate or Free Shipping (Lower 48 States ONLY)

Standard Shipping
(All Items)

Carrier of our Choice

USPS First Class Mail
USPS Priority Mail
UPS Ground, UPS LTL Freight

1-2 Days processing & Delivery Times Varies and No Guarantee

1 to 7 business days and No Guarantee

2-Day Shipping
(Only In stock Items that are not sumps) Ordered by 12PM CST
UPS 2-day Air2 business days
(not including weekends)
Overnight Shipping
(Only In stock Items that are not sumps) Ordered by 12PM CST

LTL Freight

UPS Standard Overnight Air

TForce LTL Motor Freight

1 business day
(not including weekends)

Varies and No Guarantee

Free shipping or Flat Rate

Free shipping and Flat Rate are not express shipping services.  We ship them in the most cost-effective manner.  Free shipping and Flat Rate is only available to orders within the lower 48 states.  If you live outside to the lower 48 and choose free shipping or flat rate shipping, we will send you a bill prior to shipment for the actual shipping amount. Please choose a UPS or USPS shipping option if you live outside the lower 48 states.

Expedited Services

Only In Stock Items are available to ship via Expedited Services. Orders that request the following services will ship on the same business day if received prior to 12:00 PM CST. Orders received after 12:00 PM CST or on non-business days will be shipped on the following business day:

  • 2nd Day Air
    Arrives in two business days (M-F)
  • Overnight
    Arrives in one business day (M-F)

Expedited Services cannot be shipped to P.O. Boxes, and must be shipped to a physical address.  Expedited orders that do not identify a physical address may be cancelled.

Please Note

Flat-Rate, USPS Priority Mail and UPS Ground shipments are not an expedited, nor a guaranteed on-time service If you require products quickly, and on time, we recommend one of the expedited services listed above, rather than Flat-Rate, Priority Mail or UPS Ground.

LARGE SUMPS – LTL Freight Shipments

Any of our larger items and sumps over 34″ are shipped via UPS LTL Motor Freight on a large pallet. These items will be delivered to your address chosen when you placed the order. Please be aware that LTL Freight is not like a standard ground package service. TForce Freight will contact you to setup an appointment for delivery. Transit times are not guaranteed with LTL Freight. The delivery date and time is controlled by the LTL Freight company, and we have no control over these times. Please be aware of this when ordering large items. If you cannot be available for delivery, you can choose to pick up your items at the Freight Terminal near your area (If local terminal is available).

Shipping Rates

Please note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are dimensional-weight based. This means dense or large items, such as sumps over 40-inches in length may incur additional carrier fees for over-sized shipments.  UPS also has additional surcharges that are also included for residential deliveries. Our shipping calculator shows what you will pay.

Carrier Selection

Synergy Reef Systems reserves the right to change or choose the shipping carrier, should the order require it due to quantity, cost of services and/or transit times. In these cases, should you choose a specific carrier for your initial shipment and we modify your order to an another carrier, you will not incur additional charges.

Delivery & Service Delays

Shipment dates are estimates in accordance with our carriers. If you live in an area experiencing an unexpected service delay (i.e. severe weather, natural disasters, unscheduled events, strikes, labor shortages etc.), please note there may be additional shipping time to receive your order. We do not have control of the items once they leave our facility and are in the hands of the shipping carrier.

Tracking Your Package

If you have provided your email address we will send you a ship confirmation email when your order ships. For all orders this email will include a tracking number which you can use to track your package on the appropriate shipping carrier’s website.

International Shipping

Please see our International Orders page for more information on pipe size conversions and shipping.

Please note that for all international orders, customs taxes and duties will your responsibility and due at the delivery destination. These will be collected by the carrier upon delivery and are separate from any shipping charges in your order.

Shipping Cost Estimates

You can determine the cost of shipping options to your location by performing the following steps:

  1. Add all items you need to your cart.
  2. Select the ‘View Cart’ button to view all items that are currently in your cart.
  3. From the Cart page, use the Shipping Calculator and enter your basic location information.
  4. Click ‘Calculate’ to see all options and costs for each service available to your location.