Help on Transporting Fish

[aggressor09]

I am moving from NY to Pittsburgh and I cannot bear to part with my wallago leerii.
I need to figure out how to safely transport the fish without compromising its health.
It is a large fish, about 20", maybe a little more. If taken by car, the fish would be in transport for about 9 hours, including the ride, setting up the new tank, and getting the fish in.
I would transport as much of the old water as possible. I have a battery operated bubbler but I am concerned with aeration, and most of all, with keeping it warm.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[davcheng]

you could try bagging it, putting it in a cooler, and adding a heat pack

 

[Zoodiver]

Yeah, a large cooler will work. Take as much of the current tanks water as you can in sealed containers. Keep the substrate wet as well.

 

[Lady G]

I would not feed him for a couple days before the move, turn his heat down a few degrees..this will help to slow his metabolism and make the move a bit easier on him. By not feeding for a few days before he wont be going to the bathroom and help to keep the ammonia down in the water he is travling in. Put him in a bag of his clean tank water, then line a cooler with some newspaper or something like that and add a couple heat packs behind the newspaper. If you can find them you could add a few oxygen tablets to the water also. Maybe talk to your LFS and see if they have them or know where to get them. You could also ask them if they have any shipping bags, or the boxes (with the styrofoam inside).

Good luck with the move

 

[Lady G]

Wanted to add also with the heat packs I would wrap them in newspaper or something also then put them in their own ziplock baggies before adding them to the cooler.

 

[aggressor09]

thanks alot for all the help. should i just buy the heater packs at a pharmacy or something like that?

 

[Mystus Redtail]

thanks alot for all the help. should i just buy the heater packs at a pharmacy or something like that?

Walmart has that sort of thing.

When I ship fish, I use the ones that hunter's use to keep their hands warm. But you will probably want something a little larger, they make them.