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#1 pitt20

pitt20
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  • SC

Posted 12 August 2018 - 10:47 PM

I have some questions about the most effective way to transport fish over long distances while minimizing stress. I am returning to college after spending the summer in Florida for an internship, and I am taking a 20 gallon tank filled with blackspotted and golden topminnows back to school with me. After acquiring one of the topminnows, I noticed it had a small white growth on its mouth. I isolated it for about two weeks and monitored it, and the growth went away. I introduced it to the tank today, but I'm paranoid that it may have been something like columnaris and I am worried the move may stress the fish and cause an outbreak. I have a six and a half hour drive back to SC. What would y'all recommend putting the fish in to keep them healthy during the trip? I'm also worried I may start the cycle over in the tank if I don't transport the equipment correctly. Any advice on the matter would be appreciated. Also, should I be worried about the growth? The fish never stopped eating or became lethargic and it went away on its own, but I have a lot of time invested into this tank and I want to make sure it stays healthy. I figured if it was columnaris or something similar, it would have spread and killed the fish before clearing up. Thanks in advance for any help y'all can provide. 



#2 JasonL

JasonL
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  • Kentucky

Posted 13 August 2018 - 11:25 AM

Save as much of the water as you can in 5 gallon buckets you can get cheaply at Lowes or Home Depot. Transport the fish in these bucket(s) ideally with a cheap battery powered aerator you can get online or at a sporting goods store. Do not clean the filter or substrate when you break down the tank. That way you keep the current beneficial bacteria/cycle intact when you set it back up.

Those species are pretty hardy and should be ok for an air conditioned car ride imo especially if you get an aerator (which I'm not really sure you'd need, but can also be used for collecting excursions later anyhow).

#3 JasonL

JasonL
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  • Kentucky

Posted 13 August 2018 - 01:59 PM

Also make sure all this is legal. I'm not familiar with SC laws but they are linked on the main page of the forum and I would give them a look to be sure.

#4 gerald

gerald
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  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 16 August 2018 - 01:18 PM

If your filter has sponge media, you can toss the sponges in the buckets or coolers with the fish (without the hard plastic parts).   Otherwise, drain out the water from the filters but keep it wet in a plastic bag or container, and dont let it overheat.  Treat your filter media like another fish (or maybe "like a frog" is a better analogy).  I prefer coolers rather than buckets for both the insulation and surface area benefits. 


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#5 don212

don212
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Posted 16 August 2018 - 08:26 PM

i found that my 5 gallon bucket results in a lot of buffeting on long trips, so i rigged a cooler with a mesh liner and 12 volt bilge pump for aeration, cooler is bigger, more temp stable, liner  prevents slosh collisions, more aeration with big pump 



#6 Doug_Dame

Doug_Dame
  • NANFA Member

Posted 17 August 2018 - 03:38 AM

Some more ideas:

 

Buckets are much more prone to tipping over if you have to jam on the brakes than coolers are. Probably a moot issue if you're moving the household, when the vehicle is likely to be jammed full. That said, some coolers are less stable than others. I've had to pull over quickly and rescue fish off the carpet a couple of times, which was stressful on everybody. If sliding or tipping of a cooler is possible, the best orientation is long side parallel to the direction of travel, or butted up to the back of a seat. (Unless you accelerate from stoplights like an NHRA dragster, you only have to worry about coolers sliding/tipping forward.) Sometimes you can find beat-up but functional coolers at thrift stores. Check to make sure they have a plug on the drainage outlet.

 

Many fish seem much less stressed if they have some things in the cooler/bucket they can hide under. Like plants. But in a closed cooler, it's dark, so real plants compete for oxygen. Better to use killie mops, plastic plants, or similar.

 

When moving fish that have been in your aquariums, not feeding them for a couple of days beforehand will reduce their production of ammonia. A daily shot of dechlor into each container can help you get through several days of life in coolers without water changes. The initial (partial) fill of the coolers/buckets should be from the water the fish have been living in. If you are combing fish from multiple tanks into a smaller number of containers, don't forget that many larger fish may consider smaller fish as tasty snacks.

 

Putting a 1/4 to 1/2" of substrate from your tank/s into the cooler(s) will help with the nitrogen cycle while the fish are in the cooler if the trip is long (multiple days), AND/OR will help you re-establish it in your tank/s after the move.

 

If you have a 48 or 60 qt cooler, you don't need to put 10" of water in it. You will have to carry the darn thing. A cooler with 40 qts of water is going to weigh around 90 pounds, be kind to your back. (Murphy's Law says that if you have to motel it overnight, even if you ask for a ground floor room, you are likely to end up on the 2nd floor. And the furthest distance possible from the stairs.)

 

Many people add a bit of salt to the water. I still have some old Bait-Buddies tablets I tend to use instead, so I'm not sure of a recommended level of salt to use. Don't use table salt with added iodine. 

 

While travelling, don't take any 90 minute lunches and leave the windows up while you're parked. I try to not leave the vehicle buttoned up for more than 5 minutes when fish are in it, and get food to go. Jim Graham takes 2 sets of keys so he can leave the vehicle unattended with the A/C running. Smokey the Bear says don't park over grass and leave the engine running for a long time.

 

If you have a lot of surface area and not many fishes, you may be able to get by without an air supply, especially if the ambient air temperature is 70 or below. But it's always safer to have an air supply.

 

When the car is running, having a DC/AC inverter will let you use a regular indoor aquarium air pump. Don't forget than when you turn the vehicle off for more than a few minutes, you'll need to switch to battery power.

 

If things are getting warm, some ice cubes in a ziplock bag can offer relief. If you have an aquarium thermometer, toss it into a cooler so you can check the water temp periodically.

 

Make sure that you have air actually bubbling in the cooler(s)/bucket(s) AFTER you've packed the vehicle. And during rest stops. If you're using a battery-powered pump, have spare batteries. If you value your fish, this is not a situation where you'd want to being using partially-depleted batteries. Will it last 8 hrs, or 4, or 2, or 10 minutes? In a moving vehicle, you're not likely to notice that the bubbler has stopped. (Especially if you are listening to Billy Idol at 105 db, which per my understanding is required in most jurisdictions for long highway trips. In the southeast, substitute "Dirt Track Date" by S.C.O.T.S.) 

 

When you get to your destination, unload the fish cooler/s first and move them indoors, even if they're at the bottom of all your stuff.

 

HTH - some of this probably doesn't apply to your specific situation, but is generic advice for occasional fish transporters.


Doug Dame

Floridian now back in Florida
 


#7 gerald

gerald
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  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 17 August 2018 - 02:30 PM

Ice in ziplock bags can sometimes cool the water too fast.  Wrapping the ice bag with some insulating material (bubble wrap, foam packaging) and sealing it inside a larger bag will provide longer and more gradual cooling.  Small water bottles half-filled and frozen can be used this way too.

 

Uptake of oxygen by plants in the dark is very small, and many plants continue to uptake ammonia in the dark, storing it in their cells for later use when they have light.  My guess (untested hypothesis) is that aquatic plants in coolers or bags with fish are beneficial overall, at least for short trips (1-3 days).  Java moss, Najas, Elodea, Myriophyllum, Susswassertang are some plants i use with fish during transport.  If anybody has more info on this (ammonia vs O2 uptake in dark) please share.


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#8 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
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  • Central Maryland

Posted 22 August 2018 - 07:22 AM

Great feedback above.  I use a cooler for my fish trips, filled about a third of the way, with a battery powered air pump.  Don't put too much water in the cooler because some of it will spill after hitting pot holes or unexpected sharp turns.  Coolers also allow for more stable temperatures than buckets do for long trips.  In addition to the suggestions above, make sure you bring extra batteries.  Also, find a way to weigh the air stone or air line down so that you get maximum circulation.  If you have to spend time away from your parked vehicle, make sure you park in the shade.  Using car window sun blockers also help keep the overall temperature inside the car down on hot days.  I like the idea of carrying dechlorinator in case you have to perform a quick water change (another way to keep temperature down in a pinch).  If you have an in tank bubble filter in your tank now, you could use it in the cooler as well for aeration and biological filtration, and keep bacteria alive for when you set your tank back up again.


Kevin Wilson





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