suggestiong for fish transport

[henryD]

I am going on a weekend trip to grab some fish. Does anyone have suggestion for transportation?

I was going to pick up some battery operated air pumps. Some of those heat packs.

Any other suggestions?

It is going to be around a 8 hour ride altogether.

[chirohorn]

I wouldn't think you'd need the air pumps for an 8 hour trip. Triple bag & pure oxygen should do the trick. It's also a good idea not to feed the fish for at least a day before the move. This decreases the crap content that the fish have to swin in during the move. Good luck.

Bring a cooler if you get them from a hobbyist. Nothing, just lot of cash if the fish come from a breeder.
Jimmy.

[henryD]

It is from a hobbyist. So oxygen is going to be a problem. Hence the air pump. Anyone have experience using air pumps?

[chirohorn]

I think the vibrations from the road will be sufficient. Air pumps don't necessarily pump oxygen into the water per se - they increase surface turbidity to help O2 from the air dissolve into the water. Opening the bags every hour or two will help increase available oxygen.

[hkong]

Here is what I usually do when I carry Discus during the 8-10 hrs fly. First, double or triple the plastic bag. Fill in the bag with just enough water for the fish but plenty of Oxygen. Keep the fish in my carrying lugged case with my laptop computer. During the flight, I keep my laptop turned on to generate heat for the discus. In airport, I am always able to find an AC outlet to power on my laptop and to keep the fish warm. It seems work for me because I have not had a single fatality during the transportation.

Good luck,

--Henry

[chirohorn]

Possible water leakage onto a laptop scares me. A good idea though...maybe another electronic, heat generating, cheaper gadget would work as well.

[henryD]

The do sell those tiny heat packs that produce alot of heat. THey same ones you use to put in you boot or glove during ski season. Not very expensive.

Heat is really not a concern since we will be in a car and I can keep the heat on and have the windows down worse case. I am more concerned with the oxygen.

[fredox]

i've not done it for discus, but for other tropical fish i've put them in a bucket with a pierced sealable lid and then put them in the footwell of my car and put the heaters on hot, blowing into the footwells. Not ideal but it worked.

for discus i'd probably bag as normal ( double/tripple ) and each time you stop for a break, say every 2 hours, i'd refill the bags with fresh air. also use a pump as blowing into the bags will be putting oxegyn depleted air into them.

byron