Fish transportation..
- Thread starter samdaman
- Start date
jerseyhokie
New member
Do this all the time with freshwater. One tip, dont feed for a few days before the trip. That way they wont expel as much ammonia when stressed. Always use dark containers (cooler fits the bill) because that will calm them.
What ammount of fish to what ammount of water are we talkin?
What ammount of fish to what ammount of water are we talkin?
dcombs44
New member
They ship overseas in bags, and sit in airports, trucks, etc. for hours at a time.
A cooler with enough water for them to move around in will suffice. Try to keep temperature as steady as possible and slowly reintroduce them to light when you set back up. Probably need to acclimate like normal as the water in the cooler will get fairly fouled during the trip. No need for an airline IMO. Agitation from the vehicle's movement will provide gas exchange and sufficient oxygen.
A cooler with enough water for them to move around in will suffice. Try to keep temperature as steady as possible and slowly reintroduce them to light when you set back up. Probably need to acclimate like normal as the water in the cooler will get fairly fouled during the trip. No need for an airline IMO. Agitation from the vehicle's movement will provide gas exchange and sufficient oxygen.
Chris27
New member
That's the thing, when they are in there, the oxygen will go down over time being displaced with CO2, then they poop (ammonia), ammonia in water at a low pH (excess CO2) is far less toxic then ammonia in water with a high pH (high O2). So really, if the ammonia gets a little rough in there, and you add oxygen, you could be doing more harm then good.
My suggestion is to fill the cooler with all the water you can and the fish, close the lid, keep it in an Air Conditioned car and drive away. When you get there, simply open the cooler and get them into another tank, don't throw an airline in there, as you could be raising the pH allowing for the ammonia to become more toxic.
My suggestion is to fill the cooler with all the water you can and the fish, close the lid, keep it in an Air Conditioned car and drive away. When you get there, simply open the cooler and get them into another tank, don't throw an airline in there, as you could be raising the pH allowing for the ammonia to become more toxic.
samdaman
New member
hmm good point. so should i put them in the cooler alone or in a bag with oxygen, surrounded by tank water in the cooler
samdaman
New member
Tell me about it im in arizona!:thumbdown
dcombs44
New member
If you're sealing the cooler, air space is more important than water volume. Same as bags at the fish store. If there's more water than air, the oxygen will be consumed more quickly and lead to problems.
I say fill the cooler 1/3 of the way, making sure that there's ample water to cover the fish and for them to move around a bit, leave the rest as open air space so there's plenty of available oxygen.
Floowid
New member
I had someone try this once and the load shifted during transit, causing the little plug at the bottom of the cooler to come open. Most of the water drained out before they noticed.
So just a word of caution, take precautions to keep the cooler plugged up during the trip.
If it were me, I would get some of the large fish bags from a LFS and bag each fish individually in an oversize bag. Doing so keeps them separated, each in its own water volume, and in the bagging process you are able to add pressure to the air/water mix in the bag, which assists in gas exchange. It also protects them from moving too much (sloshing around) and getting injured when you hit bumps and make turns. Place all the bags in a cooler to insulate and protect them.
You can do it either way, bagging them just makes more sense for long trips.
So just a word of caution, take precautions to keep the cooler plugged up during the trip.
If it were me, I would get some of the large fish bags from a LFS and bag each fish individually in an oversize bag. Doing so keeps them separated, each in its own water volume, and in the bagging process you are able to add pressure to the air/water mix in the bag, which assists in gas exchange. It also protects them from moving too much (sloshing around) and getting injured when you hit bumps and make turns. Place all the bags in a cooler to insulate and protect them.
You can do it either way, bagging them just makes more sense for long trips.
Chris27
New member
Definitely another good way of doing things - :thumbsup:
samdaman
New member
I have one of those thermal coolers. will those work or should i put it in the normal coleman hard coolers. so less water more air too and bagged.
samdaman
New member
Yeah those are only good for short distance, not for traveling.
Chris27
New member
I don't even trust those for holding good beer - PBR or Coors maybe, but not good beer....
BTW, the soft thermal coolers will work ok if you're bagging them, just make sure to double bag everything, or triple bag fish like large tangs, triggers or foxface's, as they can break bags pretty well.
Scuba_Steve
Premium Member
This is really good advise, and exactly how I transport. No need for bags or anything fancy. If you buy a smaller cooler/coolers, you can find ones without drain plugs. Im talking the little 5-10g igloos with the swing top.
You just dont want the water to become stagnant for a long period. Guess what, 5 hours isnt a long period, and the movement from your car will keep the water non stagnant anyways.
Arizonah13
New member
Would it be beneficial to add some Amquel (+) to the bags to help with the potential ammonia ? And doesn't the Amquel + help stabilize pH?
