Transposting Discus via Car

[Second Hand Pat]

I need to safely transport discus via car, say about two hours. Suggestions?

[cooksa]

I bought a cooler big enough to comfortably fit the fish, and dropped an air stone in it, connected to a power converter to run the air pump. They made the trip just fine. The water cooled down just a tad, but when mixing in tank water in slowly, it gradually brought the temps back up before introducing them to their new tank.

[Skip]

2 dollar five gallon buck from walmart.. with lid

[seanyuki]

Hi Pat....do you still have those shipping bags?......most people use triple bags and you can use those two outer layers bags from yr previous order....add a few drops of Seachem Prime and enough water to cover the dorsal fins and tie the bag with rubber bands....the way people ship discus to you.....since it's only a short journey........just my 2 cents.

[Keith Perkins]

I have to disagree with you Skip, I prefer the ones from Ace Hardware. :)

[Skip]

I have to disagree with you Skip, I prefer the ones from Ace Hardware. :)

pfffffttt! those are $2.90!

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Stacey :)

Guys, I personally use the home depot buckets with lid and about the same price as Walmart.

Yea Francis I thought of that but I cut the tops of the shipping bags and they are not long enough nor do I have enough bags. If I used bags would prefer to triple bag the fish with newspaper between the two outer bags to keep the bag dark.

[Keith Perkins]

The reason I prefer Ace buckets is because I also use them to do WCs on breeder tanks with new free swimmers. The white buckets are great for being able to see the ones that got away so they can be caught and put back.

It really depends how many fish I'm moving as to how I do it. If I'm only moving a few smaller fish they're always bagged, actually double bagged. That's normally juvies in the 2 to 3 inch range. If I'm moving say 50 or more I do use the buckets, whether permitting.

[Second Hand Pat]

Keith, this is five adults.

[strawberryblonde]

I had to move a ton of fish that came with my big tank when I bought it. Total transport time ended up being 3 hours. I split them into manageable groups, plopped them into Lowe's buckets (yep, those are MY faves guys!), stuck in a battery operated air pump, put on the lids and stuck them in my car (drill a small hole in the lid for the airline tubing). Then I wrapped them all the way round with several layers of newspaper and surrounded that with two beach towels for each bucket.

When I got home the temp in the buckets had only cooled 1 degree and the fish all traveled very nicely.

So Pat, are you driving some lovely wilds out to see me? Huh? Huh? :angel:

[Keith Perkins]

The reason I said I use buckets for larger numbers of fish is because I'm s l o w at bagging that many fish. I haven't personally noticed any difference in fish condition at the other end of the trip whether I bagged fish or moved them in a bucket. If you're worried about your available bag size, I wouldn't worry about using buckets. The last fish I got from William Palumbo I transported in buckets, and by the time I made my one required stop on the way home it was 3 or 4 hours of bucket time. Stuck an air stone in the bucket as soon as I got home, used dripped method on the water, and the fish were perfectly fine. Actually they looked fine when they came out of the car before the air stone went in too.

Ps - just saw your post Toni, too funny. :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Sure Toni, this winter we will come up for some skiing, I will bring a couple of the tefes or maybe even my two randy female wild crosses. I will ensure the buckets are well wrapped with lots of towels, heat running full blast, air pump plugged into the lighter and studded snows on all fours. :grin:

[Second Hand Pat]

Keith, I would think buckets could be used for adults just fine but thought I should mention it.

[strawberryblonde]

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee, I'll have hot cocoa and the jacuzzi waiting for ya. Beefheart and a hot tank for the discus. :antlers:

[Second Hand Pat]

Sound like a deal...should I bring the horses too?

[Keith Perkins]

Keith, I would think buckets could be used for adults just fine but thought I should mention it.

I've yet to have a problem, but I haven't studied others experiences with this movement method. Definitely people around here that have moved a lot more fish than me.


Wheeeeeeeeeeeee, I'll have hot cocoa and the jacuzzi waiting for ya. Beefheart and a hot tank for the discus. :antlers:

LOL, quite a visual image I've got on this one. I can see the discus hitting the miniature marshmallows floating on the surface. Oh wait, I think I'm tangling up your sentences. The cocoa and discus aren't suppose to be in the jacuzzi are they.

[Second Hand Pat]

LOL, quite a visual image I've got on this one. I can see the discus hitting the miniature marshmallows floating on the surface. Oh wait, I think I'm tangling up your sentences. The cocoa and discus aren't suppose to be in the jacuzzi are they.

Now that is an interesting visual...:grin:

[TURQ64]

I've moved thousands ( literally) in the past when I was cranking them out years ago by car. Never used air frieght until last year.. Always triple bagged for adults, and some large, heavy mil bags 24x30 for groups of fry/juvies...oxygen from my torch, into a styro shipper, and then stacked in my van/truck....never used a bucket for anything other than 1/2 hour from the house..Just call me 'old-fashioned'....seldom lost a fish, other than an occasional during winter..Largest loss to date was the batch of juvies from Mark, shipped by John(snookn21)..go figure..(crappy box, too thin for expensive fish IMO, and I've been getting them shipped since the dawn of air freight)...Gary

[nc0gnet0]

I prefer using multiple igloo style plastic coolers. Buckets work but they tend to allow for too much sloshing around when not full thus tossing the fish around quite a bit.

[Disgirl]

Pat, I have moved lots of discus safely by using a large styro. box, with a clean large plastic bag put in first. Put in bag, add water, then fish, tie bag shut, put on lid and off you go. They will be fine for hours. I like styro and plastic bag better than a hard plastic bucket that they can bruise their noses on.
Barb

[Keith Perkins]

Pat, I have moved lots of discus safely by using a large styro. box, with a clean large plastic bag put in first. Put in bag, add water, then fish, tie bag shut, put on lid and off you go. They will be fine for hours. I like styro and plastic bag better than a hard plastic bucket that they can bruise their noses on.
Barb

I've wondered about this method, but wasn't ever sure where to get a good bag or bags for it. Admitted though, all my trips even though they are an hour plus literally only have 4 stop lights and a half a dozen turns. Almost all highway and interstate time. That and I now drive like I'm over 50, not nearly as much sloshing as there might have been 30 years ago.

[jimg]

I had to repossess about 10 med to adult discus from a guy in nj for a friend one time. it was about 2 hr drive. I put them in my coolers and lunch box coolers and they were fine.

[Second Hand Pat]

I'm tending to favor the bucket approach but see the advantages of shipping bags. My biggest concern with the bag is getting the fish into the bag. Seems you would need to lift the fish into the bag by hand.

I appreciate everyone's input on this :)

[TURQ64]

I use a tupperware jug; fill with the amt of water the bag holds, net the fish, put in bowl, pour into bag..Voila~

[Second Hand Pat]

I use a tupperware jug; fill with the amt of water the bag holds, net the fish, put in bowl, pour into bag..Voila~

Thanks Gary

[Disgirl]

I've wondered about this method, but wasn't ever sure where to get a good bag or bags for it. Admitted though, all my trips even though they are an hour plus literally only have 4 stop lights and a half a dozen turns. Almost all highway and interstate time. That and I now drive like I'm over 50, not nearly as much sloshing as there might have been 30 years ago.


Keith, I just use a large black plastic trash bag (no perfumes or anything on it) and line the styro. box with it. The black keeps the fish nice and calm and when ready to put them into the new tank just lift them out with a soft net or your hand and put them into an unlit tank in a darkish room. Done it for years with no probs at all! Good luck Pat.
Barb

[Keith Perkins]

I'll file that one away for future use Barb, thanks.

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Barb, you could line the bucket with the black bag, set the water and fish in then tie the bag shut so no slosh, spill or jumping out. The large bags for yard waste should work quite well. Of course should limit no more then two fish per bucket I would think. Could even drop an air stone into the bucket prior to closing the bag.

[zchauvin]

Pat, wouldn't it be better off for you to just put some water in the bucket and then put a lid on it. To me the sloshing would make surface agitation and get a little more oxygen in the water( whats left under the lid anyways). When I got my first fish I transported them 2 1/2 hours from covington to my place in just bags and they did fine. Just a thought :)

[Skip]

now, i have had a couple of problems of putting more than 1 fish in a bucket.. the larger fish 4" or larger don't like it *i have had 3 die that way.. one i sold (30 min drive) and 2 i brought from dallas, 3.5 hr drive :(

smaller fish.. no problems

.. i think they get freaked out and cut themselves up :*(

[Second Hand Pat]

Thank Zach and Skip, really good to know.

[nc0gnet0]

68730

0ne gallon, two gallon etc, depending on application and size of fish.

[zchauvin]

Thank Zach and Skip, really good to know.

No problem :) as warlock said though, if its a big fish I would only put one per bucket. Think about it though, no bags to come in tied or pop, no worries of something dark to make them less stressed and no mess of water going all over. Also as I said the water will slur and help with oxygen levels :)

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[LizStreithorst]

One 3 1/2 gallon bucket per pair. The surface area is greater on a 3 1/2 that a 5 gallon. No areation is necessary. The sloshing of the water will provide enough surface agitation.

The temp in the buckets will drop. It won't be a problem. Make sure that the tanks they go into are also at a low temp, then just raise the temp slowly. Been there, done this. Nicholson taught me.

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Pat, we sell bags by the 20ct. Get a pack or two so you can triple bag them.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1118/Live-Fish-Shipping-Bags

All you need is a small bottle of oxygen and some rubber bands. I'll even come over and bag them for you (i'll show you an easy trick to using the rubbber bands).

Or, as everyone else is saying, use buckets. Get a couple 5 gal buckets with lids. Use a large enough air pump to power as many air stones as needed (1 per bucket). Poke a hole in the lid of each bucket to thread the airline tubing through so that the buckets are totally sealed. Purchase a cheap inverter to power the air pump. They would last for quite a while.

-Ryan

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Rick, Liz and Ryan :)

and Ryan, mighty generous of you willing to do that. I really need to stop by and see what all your store has and have you show me the rubber band trip. I am horrible with rubber bands. I need to see what Linda wants to do here as she is in the driver's seat. I am collecting info via this thread to possible transport some fish.

[hedut]

two years ago when I was moving to my house, I transport all my 25 discus with shipping box (fom sorry don't know how to spell) and double trash bags and put water high same high with the fish and don't put to many fish each box, if you don't fill secure you could add batree air pump. good luck:)

[seanyuki]

I think I am only one against using buckets lol.....plan ahead and use triple 4 mil bag for adults plus bag buddies....you gonna risk thousands of bucks worth of discus by using buckets.

[Darrell Ward]

Yeah, it's better to bag fish. The flexible bag gives a lot of protection. They ship fish in bags. Fish get beat to hell sloshing around in buckets and coolers. Been there, done that.

[LKSDiscus]

Thanks Pat for running this post which it was very helpful to know how many ways to transport. I know when I buy fish they use the bag method but all too often the bag leaks before I get home. I like the bucket or boxed method probably best. If you use the styro cooler method and the black bag as a liner would it leak or would be just as good as bucket. Also would it be a good idea to get a thermo heat to put on bottom part of the lid to keep it warm. I have a van with a deep well in back where I could put the cooler so it would not move around much when driving. IDK whats the best way as this would be my first time picking up fish this big on a trip longer then 1 1/2.

Linda

[Second Hand Pat]

Linda, I have not transported large fish either and why I posted this thread. My only concern on a styro cooler is the strength required by the cooler to hold several gallons of water. Ryan indicated he would be willing to come bag the fish and I am more than willing to buy the bags but I do not have oxygen. But I do have an air compressor (not sure this helps). I also have the styro box I received fish from Kenny which could be used and should be big enough.

Ryan, if you see this I am south east of the airport and about a hour away (best guess).