Moving Fish Across Country,

[Galantspeedz]

I never bothered to declare the fishes though lol

 

[squint]

Just of curiosity how many times have you actually traveled by air with fish (or any other animals)? Or even flown on an airplane for that matter? I'm going to take a wild guess and say not many, if any

I've traveled enough that extra pages had to be added to my passport before I was old enough for junior high.

Do you think dogs and cats in cages are put in the regular baggage holds that are very cold and have no air and make them wear oxygen masks? If you specify you have a live animal or fish they will be put it in a special oxygen & temperature controlled hold (without golf club bags lol) -- if they freeze a $1,000 fish they're going to have some explaining and reimbursing to do, which I'm sure they generally try to avoid. Also you can very easily make sure your live animal cargo is on the very same flight as yourself (I've done it 6 times on international trips with 1-2 dogs), no dramas (except long/expensive quarantine period in Japan).

Yeah, airlines never make that mistake...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4457524/Giant-rabbit-Simon-died-United-staff-FROZE-him.html
https://www.peta.org/blog/dog-freezes-death-flight/
https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/kitten-freezes-to-death-in-cargo-hold-of-delta-plane

The chance of fish being treated as regular luggage is much greater. Baggage handlers will just see a cardboard box and toss it in with the rest of the luggage. There are plenty of horror stories of airlines dropping and kicking kennels and dogs/cats arriving dead or near death. The airlines' typical response is a voucher for your next flight. There's very little accountability for dogs/cats and likely far less for fish.

Others have have already mentioned that boxes of fish are commingled with regular baggage. And I also posted a video of baggage handlers throwing boxes marked "LIVE TROPICAL FISH" with regular luggage.

Lastly, what makes you think the cargo hold has no air?

Also to be clear nobody here ever said air travel is actually better, but somebody did start to imply that by air was worse/dangerous, just saying. Imho each to his own and I think both by road as OP describes or by air is perfectly fine, though there's always the chance something weird/unusual could happen with either method.

Sorry, I assumed fish owners would be interested in the best method to move fish. I guess if someone wants to waste time and money to put their fish at greater risk that's their business.

 

[islandguy11]

I've traveled enough that extra pages had to be added to my passport before I was old enough for junior high.

Yeah, airlines never make that mistake...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4457524/Giant-rabbit-Simon-died-United-staff-FROZE-him.html
https://www.peta.org/blog/dog-freezes-death-flight/
https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/kitten-freezes-to-death-in-cargo-hold-of-delta-plane

The chance of fish being treated as regular luggage is much greater. Baggage handlers will just see a cardboard box and toss it in with the rest of the luggage. There are plenty of horror stories of airlines dropping and kicking kennels and dogs/cats arriving dead or near death. The airlines' typical response is a voucher for your next flight. There's very little accountability for dogs/cats and likely far less for fish.

Others have have already mentioned that boxes of fish are commingled with regular baggage. And I also posted a video of baggage handlers throwing boxes marked "LIVE TROPICAL FISH" with regular luggage.

Lastly, what makes you think the cargo hold has no air?

Sorry, I assumed fish owners would be interested in the best method to move fish. I guess if someone wants to waste time and money to put their fish at greater risk that's their business.

I stand corrected on your flight history, plz excuse me, perhaps you had a parent in the military or working overseas? Didn't you ever fly with your pets? If so did you have any problems?

Nobody here said airlines are perfect in this regard and for sure there are horror stories. Traveling by road isn't without its risks as well (we all know the old saying 'flying is safer than driving' ). And again I refer you to the FEDEX/UPS (by road) analogy, those horror stories are the exception, not the rule or norm. In fact for every one of those examples you've mentioned there are literally millions of successful air journeys for fish and other animals which had absolutely no problems at all.

I lost over $1,000 in company equipment when a truck coming from Bangkok overturned and everything was spread for kilometers down the road. I only got back about $100 lol. But you won't catching me arguing that everyone will have the same experience if their fish are shipped/taken by road.

Thanks for sharing the 'best' way though, I prefer to think the best method is what is best for each person, there's no absolute here.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

I think the takeaway from this is to avoid transporting fish as checked luggage. It seems like the most risky way to transport fish. IMO bringing fish as carry ons is the best solution, but isn't always recommended for large fish. (Bringing my 3 foot fire eel as a carry on was great though)

My method of using cooler setups seems like the safest solution for large fish, however getting it set up is expensive, and you also have a lot of transit time.

Checked baggage:
Pros:
Can take large fish
Fast

Cons:
Possibly the highest risk of death


Carry on:
Pros:
Fish are safe
Fast

Cons:
Difficult for large fish


Cooler setups:
Pros:
Can handle large fish
Fairly safe if done properly

Cons:
Slow
expensive
may stress fish more than other methods

 

[Rocksor]

just don't take fish as carry on with Southwest.

Colorado student not allowed to bring pet fish on flight

While TSA's policy allows it, Southwest Airlines did not.

www.9news.com

find out which airlines allow fish as carry on.

 

[islandguy11]

just don't take fish as carry on with Southwest.

Colorado student not allowed to bring pet fish on flight

While TSA's policy allows it, Southwest Airlines did not.

www.9news.com

find out which airlines allow fish as carry on.

Man that was a tear jerker But hopefully it was a happy ending at least, the letter written by Denver Int'l Airport staff was a good laugh:

 

[Galantspeedz]

I think the takeaway from this is to avoid transporting fish as checked luggage. It seems like the most risky way to transport fish. IMO bringing fish as carry ons is the best solution, but isn't always recommended for large fish. (Bringing my 3 foot fire eel as a carry on was great though)

My method of using cooler setups seems like the safest solution for large fish, however getting it set up is expensive, and you also have a lot of transit time.

Checked baggage:
Pros:
Can take large fish
Fast

Cons:
Possibly the highest risk of death


Carry on:
Pros:
Fish are safe
Fast

Cons:
Difficult for large fish


Cooler setups:
Pros:
Can handle large fish
Fairly safe if done properly

Cons:
Slow
expensive
may stress fish more than other methods

You can take more than 100ml of liquid as carry on?

Presume the fire eel was taken as carry on pre 9/11?

 

[Carefree_Dude]

You can take more than 100ml of liquid as carry on?

Presume the fire eel was taken as carry on pre 9/11?

You can take more if it's housing a fish. I transported mine in 2012 in a giant plastic bag

 

[Galantspeedz]

You can take more if it's housing a fish. I transported mine in 2012 in a giant plastic bag

Wow that's cool.. our side of the world, it's not allowed or maybe no one asked....

So we just checked it in

 

[Nm1]

Ok, so I have a little bit of a dilema. I am moving from Massachusetts to Palm Beach County Florida. I am going to be driving down with my family. So this of course is going to be a huge move and I am in a jam currently. My other half wants me to sell my tank and all the live stock and just start over and buy a new tank once settled. I am getting a 180 gallon. But here is the thing some of the fish I have I love and some including the catfish species I have spent years looking for.
I am not sure as to how I can move the fish. I can sell the main display tank but keep some of the fish and bring my 40 gallon breeder with me to use for a week or 2 after we arrived and settled down in the new house.
Before we begin discussing how to bring the fish with me, these are the fish I will be bringing with me:
~ 6 Red Hook Silver Dollars
~ Oxydoras Niger
~ Megladoras Irwini
~ girafee cat
~ hassar cats
~ ornate pims
One thing I can consider is having the fish shipped to me. In order for that to work, I would need someone from MA hold the fish for the days I'm driving down and then ship them back to me as soon as I get settled. While this is considered the easiest, it could put a burden on someone else.
Another thing I am considering is getting a few large rubbermaid tubs, fill them with clean rodi water, add a piece of decor for hiding, add battery operated air pumps and pray for the best.
As it may take 2 or 3 days, I am thinking each day I can replace the water with fresh rodi water.
What would you guys recommend? Any and all help would be great.

I would run some sponge filters in my tank for a bit of time before I left to transfer. Get a food grade 55 gallon drum with locking lid. Bore some holes in the top and rig some battery operated air pumps. Secure the the drum in the truck with rope ratchets to a side wall...Do a 50 percent water change in North Carolina. A bit of stress guard and your golden.