Transporting Fish on Road Trip

[theotheragentm]

Well, I am helping someone move from Arizona, back to California. This is a 6 hour drive approximately. I wanted to pick up some Glofish, as they are not available in California. Is this just crazy to think the fish will survive the trip? I would put the fish in a styrofoam cooler for the trip. I can get water set up for a PWC partway through the trip, but I'm not sure what else I can do. Please offer up suggestion and advice.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[finny al]

Hi! I successfully moved all of my tropicals on a 9.5 hour move from Florida to Alabama. I had them in a foam cooler and used one of those battery-powered air bubblers that you can buy in the fishing section of any sporting goods store or even wal-mart. It will cost you $10-15 dollars for the air pump, but it will be well worth it. My fish made the trip just fine! another idea would be to bag them and use those "air fizzies" 02 tabs (if you can find them!).

 

[theotheragentm]

I actually found out that my friend has a power inverter. I wll borrow that from him to get a heater and air bubbler going.

Unfortunately I am riding solo in the UHaul truck. What would you recommend to reduce the bumps or is this not a big issue? I was going to place the cooler into a box, padded with some of the clothes I am moving. I was thinking of also hanging a trash bag around the cooler, so the bag is suspended over the cooler like a trash bag on a trash can.

Edit: I'm going to get a 50-watt heater, but I'm trying to see how many watts some of the air pumps tank to see if I can plug both of them into the power inverter. I tried to find out the wattage of this pump on Hagen's site, but with no luck. Does anyone else know?

 

[neilanh]

How much water are you planning on using in the transport? 50W may be way overkill.

Also, this one says 3 watts.

 

[MyCatsDrool]

this will come out all wrong, and i am sorry in advance..


think dumber. These fish are often caught in streams, lakes and rice paddies in asia, south america, or africa, then tossed dozens together into bags, dumped into coolers, sometimes dumped into trash cans, no heat, taken to processing plants and holding tanks, re-bagged (several to a bag without bag buddies or heat packs), tossed into boxes that get tossed into planes, trains and trucks, dropped off at a pier, are looked over by cherry pickers, shaken, turned all around, take into trunks or cars or beds of trucks, then submitted to the USPS, or direct to another holding tank to take yet another ride to a fish store.

I would just bag them seperately, if you have access to bag buddies, then great, if not, try to get as much air in the bag as you can, put them in a cooler with a lid, and ride on. Chances are they will survive, and be quite unscathed. They have had much worse travel in their lives.

hope that didn't come off mean, it wasn't meant to. just trying to ease your anxiety about transporting them a bit.

 

[theotheragentm]

Not mean at all. In fact, that's a big sigh of relief. As I won't have another chance to move these fish for quite a while, I just wanted to get things right if possible.

I think I'm going to toss them in a cooler with a small air pump and skip the heater. I figure I'll want the cabin the UHaul truck to be about 70 degrees anyway.

 

[Stephen]

I'd think most tropicals would survive the trip. Don't forget to fast your fish a day or two before transporting to minimize waste accumulation during the trip.

 

[theotheragentm]

Thanks for all your replies. Fasting the fish is an excellent idea. I almost forgot about fasting them to reduce waste. Should I do a PWC halfway through the trip anyway?

 

[neilanh]

I don't know that I would, that might add even more stress to things.

 

[theotheragentm]

I don't know that I would, that might add even more stress to things.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but it's always reassuring to have someone give their input. I'm just going to push through the trip. No more worrying. Thanks, everyone.

 

[Pleco]

Also don't forget that those fish are illegal to own in California and to be prepared for a steep fine if they decide to ask you whats in the cooler as you pass through the agricultural checkpoint going in to california. All major routes in to California have them, and the fact that you will be in a moving truck would triple your chances of them wanting to do a search. Every person i know that has moved in to CA with a van was stopped and at least asked questions at these checkpoints, they do take their jobs seriously.

They will confiscate them and fine you, from what i hear the penalty is nothing to laugh at. The state will take them and euthanize them, think about the risk to the fish too, along with the risk to your personal finances.

Good Luck
Pleco

 

[theotheragentm]

Also don't forget that those fish are illegal to own in California and to be prepared for a steep fine if they decide to ask you whats in the cooler as you pass through the agricultural checkpoint going in to california. All major routes in to California have them, and the fact that you will be in a moving truck would triple your chances of them wanting to do a search. Every person i know that has moved in to CA with a van was stopped and at least asked questions at these checkpoints, they do take their jobs seriously.

They will confiscate them and fine you, from what i hear the penalty is nothing to laugh at. The state will take them and euthanize them, think about the risk to the fish too, along with the risk to your personal finances.

Good Luck
Pleco

I am totally prepared for that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[neilanh]

I had no idea these were banned in CA. wow

I am totally prepared for that. Thanks for the heads up.

Don't know if I want to ask how...

 

[Pleco]

I had no idea these were banned in CA. wow

From Wikipedia:
"As of January 2007, sale or possession of GloFish is illegal in California due to a regulation that restricts all genetically modified fish. The regulation was implemented before the marketing of GloFish, largely due to concern about a fast-growing biotech Salmon. Although the Fish and Game Commission declined to grant an exception (solely on ethical grounds) in December 2003, it later reversed course and decided to move forward with the process of exempting GloFish from the regulation. However, due to the State’s interpretation of the California Environmental Quality Act, Yorktown Technologies was informed by State attorneys that it would first need to complete an extremely expensive study, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take years to complete. According to the company’s web site, they have thus far declined to undertake this study."

From the California Fish & Game regulations site:
"The California Dept.of Fish and Game has implemented regulations that require a permit to import, possess, transport or culture live, transgenic aquatic species. Transgenic species are those organisms that include genes from dissimilar species. Permitting will be difficult and involve strict requirements to prevent escape or theft. Violations may invoke a civil penalty of up to $10,000, additional investigation and attorney fees, and potentially other severe criminal penalties. "

Beyond the possibility of penalties and criminal charges there is the life of the fish at stake, if they are taken by the State, they will kill them. That fish never asked to be illegally transported over state lines and i would personally feel bad if my need to keep it ended up killing it. Ethics i believe they call it.

-Pleco

 

[coldmachineUK]

Wow, and I thought the UK had some crazy bylaws (like being able to shoot Welshmen inside the city walls of Chester after 6pm, but only with a bow and arrow)...

Of all 'GM fish', I would have thought GloFish were down there on the 'least disturbing' front. I'd be more concerned about the ones we're eating each week than ones people are just looking at. I'd also be more bothered about introducing laws to prevent global fish stocks from collapsing as they're expected to do in only 50 years.

I think that's why most sensible people don't become politicians

To the OP: I don't know if I would run the risk tbh.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I personally wouldn't take the risk either. There are so many other cool fish out there that you can get and keep. Why take the chance doing something that you know is not legal? It's not right. And it's not right for the fish as well.