Aquarium Fish
How can you transport aquarium fish long distances?
My friend is moving, and driving 8-9 hours from Ohio to upstate New York. How can he transport his aquarium fish safely?
A) Packing fish
- use double bags in case the inner one leaks
- tie off the pointed ends with rubber bands or taped back to create round corners (small fish may get into corners & become crushed or suffocated)
- bag width should be at least twice fish length
- Bag should be at least 3 times as deep as wide, for adequate air space
- adults of territorial species & fish larger than 6 cm should be packed separately
- plastic jars can be used instead of bags, easier to open en-route to allow fresh air in
- if using water from the existing tank, check ammonia & nitrite levels are zero & nitrates as low as possible
- if existing tank water quality not that ideal, use about 2/3 tank water & 1/3 new water in the packing containers
- suggest to put a bit of zeolite in packing containers to remove ammonia excreted by fish in transit
- put enough water in the containers, about 3 times fish body depth and add some stress coat conditioner
- aerate the water in the containers vigorously for several minutes before adding fish and use as deep a bag as possible. If possible, get the local shop or someone with an oxygen tank to fill the containers with oxygen. You can also use your airpump to inflate the bags, better than nothing. Never inflate by blowing into the bag, your air is ‘used’ air that already has oxygen removed by your lungs.
- seal the bags tightly while trapping as much air as possible
- place the bags in a dark & opaque insulated container, pack empty spaces with newspapers or bags filled with air to serve as padding to prevent the fish bags from sliding around
B) During the journey
- get to the destination as fast as possible. It is the time taken, not the distance, that is important in transporting fish
- don’t be tempted to keep peeking at the fish. It’ll stress them more to have light repeatedly flashing into their eyes
- only open the containers if you think they need fresh air, jars are more ideal than bags for this purpose
C) Finally there
- Get them unpacked as soon as possible, but keep them in the transport containers in a darkened area to let them calm down (just a very quick visual check that they’re still ok)
- once in the new tank, keep the tank lights off and don’t feed immediately. The fishes will take a few days or at least a day to recover from the stress of travelling.
It is quite likely there will be some fish loss on the way, but hopefully this can be minimised. Good luck to your friend & his fishes!
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