Considering a shipping experiment

[Epiphanaea]

Hoping for some feedback here - new to breeding, new to shipping.

I’m breeding hillstream loaches, who are particularly sensitive to lack of oxygen in the water and to drops in water quality.  
 

So I had a thought - why not include a soft, round sponge in the bag?  One that has been prepared so it’s impregnated with good bacteria.  It would process ammonia and nitrite and it would break up surface tension and introduce oxygen into the water when jostled around.

I feel like there must be a down side to this that I’m not seeing, or everyone would do it already.

[Tony s]

That’s a good thought, but I’m not sure having anything in the bag with the fish would work well. Even if your shipper is being extremely careful, there’s still going to be a lot of jostling and movement in the bag. Very possibly too much chance for injury. The water by itself not only provides the environment for the fish, but also acts like a great shock absorber and prevents damage. 

[Rube_Goldfish]

Plus the bacteria breathe oxygen, too. I think the standard way is either to use breather bags, so that the bag allows gas exchange with the atmosphere, or to get a pure oxygen bottle and fill the "air" in the bag with pure O2.

@tolstoy21, you ship fish fairly regularly, right? Any thoughts?

[GoofyGarra]

I agree with @Rube_Goldfish. The kind of bacteria you would be trying to use need oxygen. In an aquarium we are providing that through filters and plants which negate the bacteria's oxygen requirements, but in a closed bag  oxygen will run out faster with the bacteria.

[tolstoy21]

On 6/9/2024 at 12:12 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Plus the bacteria breathe oxygen, too. I think the standard way is either to use breather bags, so that the bag allows gas exchange with the atmosphere, or to get a pure oxygen bottle and fill the "air" in the bag with pure O2.

@tolstoy21, you ship fish fairly regularly, right? Any thoughts?

I use breather bags for shrimp and pure O2 for fish. 

In another thread, I was talking about how I accidentally left a fish in a small bag for close to two weeks and it was still perky and active when I found it. I credit the use of O2 with it staying alive for that long.

Do you need to use pure O2? Nope, cause you'd never intentionally want a fish in a bag for two weeks. Im my opinion, all pure O2 does is allow you to pack fish in much smaller bags so that half your shipping box isn't taken up by bags that are 3/4 air and you get a much greater density per shipment.

On 6/8/2024 at 8:43 AM, Epiphanaea said:

So I had a thought - why not include a soft, round sponge in the bag?  One that has been prepared so it’s impregnated with good bacteria.  It would process ammonia and nitrite and it would break up surface tension and introduce oxygen into the water when jostled around.

You usually don't want a fish in the mail for long enough for this all to matter. Plus the sponge would take up room in the bag (and thus in the shipping box). If i were shipping a fish that is super sensitive, I would ship overnight with guaranteed morning delivery.

I put a little Amquel+ and stress coat in the water I ship fish in to hopefully alleviate ammonia and help with any scrapes or bumps that may have been introduced while netting and bagging the fish.

[Epiphanaea]

Aerobic bacteria was the thing I wasn’t figuring in!  Thanks guys.  🙂