Salt Water Fish Transportation

[Squalus]

I am due to move to a new location for work cross about 2 states. I have numerous salt water fish that I have grown from fingerlings(disclaimer; got them from a salt water fish store, did not take them from the ocean) after my divorce. I cannot part from them, they are like kids to me. Anybody have any suggestions or knows how to transport salt water fish, I could really use the help.

 

[Hank49]

I am due to move to a new location for work cross about 2 states. I have numerous salt water fish that I have grown from fingerlings(disclaimer; got them from a salt water fish store, did not take them from the ocean) after my divorce. I cannot part from them, they are like kids to me. Anybody have any suggestions or knows how to transport salt water fish, I could really use the help.

I have experience shipping baby shrimp for up to 20 hours and we use different techniques (drop temperature to slow metabolic rate, feed or no feed before etc) depending on how long the shipment is. You also must consider the receiving end and acclimation due to pH drop in the shipping bags and temperature etc in the new tank. PM me if you like. It's a lot to write on a post like this. Hank

 

[hnladue]

There are battery powered air pumps out there too. I used one to transport a Koi across 2 states. Or you might be able to find a transformer to convert a plug to a cig. lighter and then plug in a small submersiable filter.

 

[Corigan]

There are battery powered air pumps out there too. I used one to transport a Koi across 2 states. Or you might be able to find a transformer to convert a plug to a cig. lighter and then plug in a small submersiable filter.

I would go with the battery powered air pumps. I have transpoted quite a few fish this way for long distances. As long as their is something injecting oxygen in the water and aerating it, the fish will be ok. You can get the battery powered air pumps for $10-12 from local petsmarts/petco etc. Penn-plax makes the ones I use on all my aquariums. They are good backup devices for when the power goes out. They take 4 D batteries and will run for days off of those batteries. I have them tied into my main lines of aeration on all my aquariums here at the house. When the power goes out, they kick on and run airstones in my aquariums to make sure there is movement and o2 being added into the water for my fish. So don't think you are just buying one for the move, use it as a safety device on your aquariums when you get to a new location. It's really cheap to add one into a setup. All it takes is a T, a check valve, some extra tubing, and the unit.

Matt

 

[Gidds]

I'm a fishy person both in hobby and trade and I have 3 large fish and a 75g tank that I had all through college and I've moved it all over the place. I use the battery-powered air pumps more for my reassurance than the fish. All the sloshing in the car should keep the water aerated enough unless you intend on stopping over night. I have some 35gish rubbermaid tubs and I line them up in the backseat of my car and add some water then go capture the appropriate fish and deposit it in the container and then add some more water to a level that I feel is appropriate. You can probably get away with making sure that the fish is just barely covered but I inted to overdo it and end up with wet car seats. I have had the fish in the car for 6-8hrs this way before with no complications. The fish are 5 and 6 years old and have been moved thousands of miles in various weather and even dropped a few times. Also you will need to starve the fish for a few days before moving since waste in the moving water will deplete the oxygen. If you want more detailed strategies and other opinions try: http://www.fishaholics.org