Transporting fish

[TheGrza]

I'm going to have to transport some fish soon. It's pretty cold here. Should I put them bagged in a cooler to retain heat? Would putting a hot hands pack in said cooler work or too risky?

 

[bigbanker]

How far are you going

 

[TheGrza]

They'll be out of the tank for about 5 hours

 

[Quest84]

how many fish are we talking about? what type of fish? How big?

 

[TheGrza]

how many fish are we talking about? what type of fish? How big?

3 juvenile calvus

 

[Andy Sager]

I'm going to have to transport some fish soon. It's pretty cold here. Should I put them bagged in a cooler to retain heat? Would putting a hot hands pack in said cooler work or too risky?

I shipped fish around the world using heat packs in the wintertime so..... If the bags are going to be exposed to the cold air for an extended period of time,
use your cooler and tape the heatpack to the lid so that it is not resting directly on the bags. Make sure your cooler is sealed to prevent heat loss.

If the exposure to the cold will be short (i.e. under 20 minutes or so) just seal your cooler and wrap it in a blanket or towel and your fish should be okay. If the water does get too cold accidentally, just remember to float your bags in the new tank for at least 20-30 minutes to get the temps the same again.

Hope this helps

 

[Dreamingdragon]

If you have a grandma that is on oxygen. Maybe u can use a bottle. For your fish. That is what I did airline oxygen. And airstone. After 1and half hours a pit stop to give the water some air. With NP

 

[Quest84]

purge fish of food for 2 days prior to transport. Put them in a bucket with a battery powered airpump and airstone to oxygenate the water. Fill the bucket with clean conditioned water. They should be fine for 5 hours..just make sure the heat is on in the car. If the temp inside the car is 75-80 your fine. Not all fish store use heaters in each tank, they just keep the heat at 80

a battery air pump is $10 at petsmart. this will also come in handy if your power ever goes out at your house

 

[TheGrza]

Thanks Andy. The fish are for my boss. I dot want anything to happen to them in transfer. Not good for business. Lol. This is going to be a pain in the neck to catch the fish and set this up at four in the morning.

Dragon: I have a portable air pump that I bought just prior to Hurricane Sandy that I could use if need be but I'm hoping that won't even become an issue.

 

[TheGrza]

purge fish of food for 2 days prior to transport. Put them in a bucket with a battery powered airpump and airstone to oxygenate the water. Fill the bucket with clean water conditioned water. They should be fine for 5 hours..just make sure the heat is on in the car. If the temp inside the car is 75-80 your fine. Not all fish store use heaters in each tank, they just keep the heat at 80

a battery air pump is $10 at petsmart. this will also come in handy if your power ever goes out at your house

Quest: I have an air pump. I was actually thinking of filling the bag with air instead of using the pump.

 

[Quest84]

IMO the bucket with battery powered air pump is easier for a 5 hour trip. They will also benefit from the oxygenated water compared to a bag. Just keep the temp inside the car up and they will be fine. Not feeding the fish for 2 days before transport will help keep the ammonia and waste down

 

[TheGrza]

IMO the bucket with battery powered air pump is easier for a 5 hour trip. They will also benefit from the oxygenated water compared to a bag. Just keep the temp inside the car up and they will be fine. Not feeding the fish for 2 days before transport will help keep the ammonia and waste down

Thanks. I'm doing this Tuesday morning. I fed them today. Won't feed again.