how to move large fish

[Native Keeper]

Hello everyone!

I'm about to move to Indiana, and I want to take my goldfish with me. However, I'm not sure what container/bag I'll use, since some of my goldies are 6"+, so here's my question:
 

What would yall use to move larger fish? any recommendation are appreciated, and links to products will be highly appreciated, thx!

[anewbie]

You can use 40 gallon tote and battery powered air pump to keep oxygenated. Remember 20-30 lb of water is heavy so you might need to siphon some into 5 gallon pails to actually lift it into your car. Also pre-measure the flat area of your car to make sure the tote you buy fits. If you are not driving but flying - well that becomes more difficult - you could ship them over night in large bags but it will not be cheap. Best bet might be flat rate boxes from the post office but those will take 2 to 4 days depending on distance.

 

A lot depends how you are travelling.

[Native Keeper]

@anewbie We will be driving, however I'm hesitant to use totes, since I don't the fish to be constantly jostled around, but I will consider, thank you.

[Tazalanche]

When we used to supply for LFS in our region (up to 2 hours one way), we would use 5 gallon food grade buckets, with lids. Larger fish would be 1-2 per bucket. The lid would have 2 airline sized holes drilled into it. One would hold the airline that had an airstone on one end & a battery powered air pump on the other end (hooked onto the wire handle). The other hole was for ventilation, with minimal spillage. I preferred having the buckets in groups of 3, so I could wrap bungee cords around them for less chance of tipping over.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Tazalanche

[anewbie]

A bit depends on how far you will be traveling; btw they will be joslted no matter how they are transported. If transported via mail/ups/fedex you can get those boxes will not be handled with white gloves. 

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If you are traveling for several days i would include a sponge filter - i drove my cardinals/swordtails/loaches 1500 miles over 2 days in a tote. A 5 gallon pail works but not sure i would use one for over night travel - if you put a lid on them (a) make sure you have air holes and (b) use an air pump - i'd use an air pump either way i've had an adult angel fish suffocate after it spent 2 hours in a 5 gallon pail.

[Tanked]

On 9/8/2022 at 1:17 PM, Native Keeper said:

Hello everyone!

I'm about to move to Indiana, and I want to take my goldfish with me. However, I'm not sure what container/bag I'll use, since some of my goldies are 6"+, so here's my question:
 

What would yall use to move larger fish? any recommendation are appreciated, and links to products will be highly appreciated, thx!

I would use a styrofoam cooler, a battery air pump and air stone.  Two or three holes in the lid just large enough to secure an airline, 1 for the airline, and one or two for a vent.  The fuller the container, the less water movement (jostling).  Cooler lids generally fit tighter than totes, so there will be less leakage more insulation, and they are disposable. 

[k0olmini]

Definitely large totes with an air pump. You might want to bring some extra water in case you need to do an emergency water change. Hopefully you’re not taking them in a flat bed truck, they will freeze

[Biotope Biologist]

On 9/9/2022 at 6:57 AM, Tanked said:

I would use a styrofoam cooler, a battery air pump and air stone.  Two or three holes in the lid just large enough to secure an airline, 1 for the airline, and one or two for a vent.  The fuller the container, the less water movement (jostling).  Cooler lids generally fit tighter than totes, so there will be less leakage more insulation, and they are disposable. 

This is what we commonly use although it’s usually lined with a plastic liner and separated per fish so they can’t move. It might also be good to drug them the less respiration the better.