I am going to Hawaii next week. I have lined up a dive trip. I currently catch fish in Florida and the Bahamas to put in my tank- I dont buy any fish, a rule my dad had when we were kids and I keep in my current tank. I am planning on catching a few fish while in Hawaii to add to my tank. I know some of you guys ship your fish overnight. What is the best way to do this. I can either fed-ex or put some type of sealed container in my checked bags. What additives should I add? etc.. Thank you for any help
transporting fish
- Thread starter produceb
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The department of natural resources told me that I could harvest a recreation limit of legal fish. I have saved their e-mail in case I have a problem. I will catch smaller species when I am there. I ussally catch very small fish , then trade them for credit at the lfs when they get bigger.
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
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I have no idea. Can you check with your LFS and see if/how they ship? Maybe you can call the folks at liveaquaria.com and ask them.
kickeralpine
Aquarium Advice Activist
well good luck to ya post some pics of what ya catch or some pics of you in hand cuffs lol hope all gos well for ya
lando
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not sure this is a good option if you cannot get it shipped overnight. Collection regulations do vary and I am not sure about the legalities. FWIW, most airlines will not allow the carry on of live fish, not sure about checked bagage.
talked to 2 local fish stores one has checked as luggage a small styrofoam cooler taped well to carry fish in. The other assured me they would be okay fed-ex and told me how to pack them. He told me that most fish, the stores get, are in transit 3 days and packed with so little water they can hardly stay up straight. They do this to cut costs in shipping. He told me as long as I keep them for 2 days after I catch them before I ship they will be okay. This gives them time to clean themselves out so there poop does not kill them. I let you know how it goes. I will only take 2 fish at the most to insure I can give them more than enough water and oxygen. I am planning a trip to one of the fish shippers there also, I am going to see if they will package them for me, like they do, for a fee.
It was kind of sad to think that some fish the stores get, come in bags not much larger than the fish. I guess the fish can be worth less than the freight bll could be with large volumes of water.
It was kind of sad to think that some fish the stores get, come in bags not much larger than the fish. I guess the fish can be worth less than the freight bll could be with large volumes of water.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wow...this seems like it could end up being a lot more trouble then it is worth....I cant wait to hear the outcome!
lando
Aquarium Advice Addict
This is true. Places like LiveAquaria and MarineDepot have special contracted shipping agreements with Fed-Ex. Overnight shipping is $35 (sometimes free if you spend enough) and there are no "packaging" or "boxing" fees. Both companies (as well as some others) also guarantee the livestock will arrive alive and give you anywhere from 7-14day warranty. IMHO, it is best to pass the liability onto someone else, and a heck of a lot easier.
Kurt_Nelson
Aquarium Advice Addict
lando said:
Especially when you read articles about the mortality rate between capture and your LFS is something like 80-90%. There's a reason the fish aren't cheap to start with.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
Another good point! I agree with Lando too...let the LFS or online store deal with all that mess....just send me my fish!
Well got my fish today. I only ended up sending back a bridled beautty cleaner wrasse a pair of coral banded shrimp and a half dozen zebra hermit crabs. half black and white half orange and black. All fish arrived in good shape. The department of natural resources, who I had to get free permit from to catch fish, pointed me in the direction of a fish store to help me package my fish. The guy used to be a collector and shipper and was super nice and helpful. I ended up fed-exing them, no airline would allow them even in thier cargo. I also caught a french angel the day before my trip to hawaii. He is doing great picked at my tree coral the first few days then began eating frozen food like a pig and now seems to be leaving all coral alone. cool personality comes right to you everytime you look in aquarium.
Marc was correct most fish in Hawaii were too large for my tank, I let a tang and a moorish idol go back after a day , too big. I was also only snorkeling and there was soo much coral. The fish were much more difficlt to catch than in Florida. Amazing fish and coral. I will let you know when the wrasse eats. He is very small and will hopefully be okay. Very colorful compared to species I see online. He is purple, pink and black. The fish store guy tried to buy him from me. I had bought a 10 gallon tank to hold fish for when I was there, gave that to the fish store for there help. They charged me 2 dollars. It was alot of work but worth every minute. My new wife was diving with me when I caught the wrasse so she loves it and it gets her involved. She also picked out all the hermit crabs, they were everywhere in the tidal pools in front of our villa.
Marc was correct most fish in Hawaii were too large for my tank, I let a tang and a moorish idol go back after a day , too big. I was also only snorkeling and there was soo much coral. The fish were much more difficlt to catch than in Florida. Amazing fish and coral. I will let you know when the wrasse eats. He is very small and will hopefully be okay. Very colorful compared to species I see online. He is purple, pink and black. The fish store guy tried to buy him from me. I had bought a 10 gallon tank to hold fish for when I was there, gave that to the fish store for there help. They charged me 2 dollars. It was alot of work but worth every minute. My new wife was diving with me when I caught the wrasse so she loves it and it gets her involved. She also picked out all the hermit crabs, they were everywhere in the tidal pools in front of our villa.
I was pretty amazed myself at how huge the yellow tangs were out there. Even better you released the Idol, those are very hard to care for. Thier feeding habbits are hard to keep up with.....if you get them to eat in an aquarium.
GL with the fish, snap some pics.
GL with the fish, snap some pics.
Here are some some photos:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/french.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/crab2.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/coral.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/cleaner.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/cleaner2.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/bandedshrimp.jpg
The french angel was caught in the keys and the cleaner wrasse, pair of coral banded and hermits were caught in Hawaii. Sorry on the quality , they would not stay still for a clear pick. The good news is everything is doing fine and eating. I have only gotten the cleaner to eat brine shrimp so far. If this wind every slows down I will be out to catch a few more small fish.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/french.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/crab2.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/coral.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/cleaner.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/cleaner2.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/produceb/bandedshrimp.jpg
The french angel was caught in the keys and the cleaner wrasse, pair of coral banded and hermits were caught in Hawaii. Sorry on the quality , they would not stay still for a clear pick. The good news is everything is doing fine and eating. I have only gotten the cleaner to eat brine shrimp so far. If this wind every slows down I will be out to catch a few more small fish.
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