As some of you may know earlier this month Neal (Peacock Bass) & I drove down to Sacramento from Seattle to pick up some Cichla from Jesse. We went down to grab 6 Cichla total.
1 x 22" Temensis
3 x 18" Temensis
1 x 14" Ocelaris
1 x 14" Monoculus
Here is how I prepared for the trip. Although it wasn't totally a happy ending I thought I would share my experience and info with everyone so people can learn and maybe try something new and different in the future.
I chose to drive down with Neal because he has had experience transporting big Cichla from WA to CA. Those Cichla made it fine and are now with DonH. So with that experience I wanted his suggestions on transporting and I thought of ways of improving it.
So here it goes.......
My car is a '95 Integra Coupe. It's a hatchback and I was able to fold down the back seats. I purchase a plastic sheet to cover the back from all the water spilling and splashing (Thanks for the idea DonH).
Then behind the front seats on the floor I had my backup plan of Contractor bags and an Oxygen tank.
Next I stuffed the trunk with as many big coolers as I could.
Then I was able to borrow a powerful air pump from a friend of mine and had it plugged into an inverter which was plugged into the cigarette lighter. I used bubble discs instead of your regular air stones.
Now I had to make sure that everything fit into the trunk and was able to close securely. I bought some thick foam to jam the cooler lids. That way it doesn't cut off the air supply of the fish.
Neal had mentioned that he had also used tranquilizers on the Cichla that he transported to DonH. I wasn't able to find a small bottle of Hypno but I found a company that made a similar product. Looks and smells like Hypno too. The Company's name was SURE-LIFE and the product was called TRANQUIL.
I also used another of their products called SHAD KEEPER. I decided to use this product to remove ammonia and harmful surface foam. Adds all necessary electrolytes. Stimulates a natural slime coat and hardens scales.
READY! SET! GO!
The trip was a 12+ hours drive so we had to stop every 4 hours or so to do a water change. I brought along a Coralife Digital thermometer that help me determine how much of a temperature fluctuation the bottled water was from the water in the cooler. We also brought along an Ammonia test kit and tested the water every time we made a pit stop.
TESTING WATER & WATER CHANGES
12+ hrs later we made it back to Seattle. All the fish got to Seattle alive BUT 3 the 3 x 18" Temensis for some reason didn't recover.
It could have been due to many factors. Stress, temperature, tranquilizer, etc etc. We will never know the cause. I was heart broken that they died 2 days after arriving in Seattle and their lifeless bodies are still in my freezer.
I would like to thank Jesse for his the hospitality and help during our trip. Without his help I would not even have had a chance to own these magnificent fish.
THANKS JESSE!
1 x 22" Temensis
3 x 18" Temensis
1 x 14" Ocelaris
1 x 14" Monoculus
Here is how I prepared for the trip. Although it wasn't totally a happy ending I thought I would share my experience and info with everyone so people can learn and maybe try something new and different in the future.
I chose to drive down with Neal because he has had experience transporting big Cichla from WA to CA. Those Cichla made it fine and are now with DonH. So with that experience I wanted his suggestions on transporting and I thought of ways of improving it.
So here it goes.......
My car is a '95 Integra Coupe. It's a hatchback and I was able to fold down the back seats. I purchase a plastic sheet to cover the back from all the water spilling and splashing (Thanks for the idea DonH).
Then behind the front seats on the floor I had my backup plan of Contractor bags and an Oxygen tank.
Next I stuffed the trunk with as many big coolers as I could.
Then I was able to borrow a powerful air pump from a friend of mine and had it plugged into an inverter which was plugged into the cigarette lighter. I used bubble discs instead of your regular air stones.
Now I had to make sure that everything fit into the trunk and was able to close securely. I bought some thick foam to jam the cooler lids. That way it doesn't cut off the air supply of the fish.
Neal had mentioned that he had also used tranquilizers on the Cichla that he transported to DonH. I wasn't able to find a small bottle of Hypno but I found a company that made a similar product. Looks and smells like Hypno too. The Company's name was SURE-LIFE and the product was called TRANQUIL.
I also used another of their products called SHAD KEEPER. I decided to use this product to remove ammonia and harmful surface foam. Adds all necessary electrolytes. Stimulates a natural slime coat and hardens scales.
READY! SET! GO!
The trip was a 12+ hours drive so we had to stop every 4 hours or so to do a water change. I brought along a Coralife Digital thermometer that help me determine how much of a temperature fluctuation the bottled water was from the water in the cooler. We also brought along an Ammonia test kit and tested the water every time we made a pit stop.
TESTING WATER & WATER CHANGES
12+ hrs later we made it back to Seattle. All the fish got to Seattle alive BUT 3 the 3 x 18" Temensis for some reason didn't recover.
It could have been due to many factors. Stress, temperature, tranquilizer, etc etc. We will never know the cause. I was heart broken that they died 2 days after arriving in Seattle and their lifeless bodies are still in my freezer.I would like to thank Jesse for his the hospitality and help during our trip. Without his help I would not even have had a chance to own these magnificent fish.
THANKS JESSE!
he was funny. Good job trust