going home for christmas

[_brokenglass_]

hi, just a quick question... I'm in college right now and am keeping 2 bala sharks. I'm going home for christmas in about a month and am not sure what the best way to transport them will be. including the bus to get to the airport, plane ride, and getting home and stuff set back up, it's gonna be a total trip time of about 6-6 1/2 hours. would a cooler be the best idea? (i'd feel kind've bad about leaving them in the dark for that long, but oh well?) it has to be kind've small so i can take it on the airplane. will fish even survive a plane ride? oh man, i'm so confused.

any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[Corty]

You may have trouble getting them on the airplane.. I've heard of people having trouble bringing a single Betta!

Hopefully they've relaxed since..

 

[rubysoho]

Do you live in a dorm or an apartment? If you are in an apartment, maybe you can find someone to take care of your fish??

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Whatever you do, remember that solid containers work a whole lot better than bags which can rupture, plus solid containers can easily be opened to vent the air.

You mention that you don't wish them to be in the dark for too long, but the darkness should actually make the trip a bit less stressful on the fish.

 

[_brokenglass_]

yeah, i live in a dorm, so that's not a possibility. i'm gonna be home for 3 weeks too, so i doubt anyone would take them for me.

haha, yeah, i'm thinking i'll have to be sneaky in getting them on there.
what my friend said he did with a goldfish was keep it in a nalgene waterbottle... i don't know if that's good for the fish, or if it's too small though? (they're about 2 1/2 - 3 inches each right now). so would a cooler be my best bet, or something along those lines? and i'm not supposed to feed them or anything while they're in there, is there anything else i should know?

 

[mayreee]

I wouldn't try sneaking anything on a plane now-a-days. Plus what if you get caught? What are you going to do with them? You might miss yout flight.

 

[rubysoho]

I think a cooler would be checked... too obvious... if you can find a larger water bottle, perhaps 3 inches in diameter so then room is tight, but they can still turn easily, and you'd need two... good luck!

 

[QTOFFER]

Three weeks seems like such a short period of time to have to go through transporting your fish twice (I assume you'll be bringing them back to school).

Is there anybody you know very well, living on campus or nearby, with whom you could leave the fish? It could be a fellow student, your dorm director, a TA, or a professor. I would rather move the fish and the tank across campus than bring the fish home via airplane for three weeks.

If you can't think of anybody, call your airline and check on their policy regarding transporting live animals. AFAIK, most carriers will treat your cooler of fish as regular carry-on baggage. It will have to go through the X-ray machine (perfectly safe for fish), be inspected manually, and fit in the overhead bin. BrianNY transported discus from Atlanta to NY on a plane with no problems. Maybe you could PM him for advice if he doesn't chime in.

 

[Melody]

Im not sure, maybe Im missing something here, but why not just an auto feeder??

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Usually dorms close down over breaks completely meaning they usually turn the heat way down, and sometimes the power even goes out.

 

[Melody]

Usually dorms close down over breaks completely meaning they usually turn the heat way down, and sometimes the power even goes out.

oh yikes.... I figured I was missing something there... I was... Im sure if you explaine this to the airlines, they will help you out. I had a friend take two otters onboard with her and they let her. although screening wanted her to take them out of the carrier so they could inspect the carrier, when she took the towel off the carrier, Security was greeted with growles and gnashing teeth... kinda funny. They said they were fine and to go ahead.

 

[Fishalicious]

Also, with the auto-feeder,you'd still have to do water changes or else those nitrates would get too high. Well I GUESS you could try and risk 3 weeks w/out water changes, but thats up to you.

Yeah, you also might want to check to see if the electricity would be shutting off.

-Dan

 

[QTOFFER]

When I was in college, my idiot dorm director went into every room before Xmas break, and unplugged everybody's refrigerators....without telling us he was going to do so.

As a result, I had three cans of frozen orange juice ferment and explode inside my mini-fridge. It took years for the smell of rotting OJ to go away. I was lucky though; someone who lived in my dorm had an entire roasted chicken in her fridge. Imagine what that smelled like after four weeks with no refrigeration. 8O

Anyway, I wouldn't just leave the aquarium set up in the dorm without telling someone in charge...all you need is for some genius to unplug the heater and filter while you're gone.

 

[Mofo2713]

If you don't want to try an auto feeder, have someone feed them, the easiest way is to get 2 32oz. gatorade bottles and cut a small hole or two on the lid. You could even have them in your lap during the flight.