Faye Rod

It's humble to be a beginner....I messed up again. Pet Smart and Super Pet are 45 minutes from my house. I got 6 Cherry Barbs yesterday. The store clerk put them in the usual plastic bag with 2 cups of water. We took them to the car, had a window cracked and no heat on - it was in the 40's outside.Music was playing loudly. When we got home 2 fish were floating. I put the bag in the tank to adjust to temperature....took out the dead fish and put the rest in the tank using a net as I have been directed. The other 4 died during the night. Today I went to Walmart - only other choice for buying fish - which is 15 minutes away. I bought 6 more Cherry Barbs just to prove I can do this thing right! And two guppies. The guppy and pleco that have been in our 55 gallon tank alone for two weeks are adjusting to company - lively company so far!

Any suggestions for future fish buying and giving less stress to transporting fish?

-Faye Rod

HatchetHaven

ER9

i would have floated the fish in the tank but also added approx. 1 cup of the tank water to the bag every ten minutes over the course of an hour. that way they will also be able to adjust to your water as well as the temp.

after that i net them out and place them in the tank.

also on the car trips i try to adjust the heat in the car to mid 70's. i know that can be a bit hard but possible. and i make sure the bag of fish is not in front of a heater vent or getting a draft from a cold, open window. temperature shock might have killed the first two.

such a long drive it might also be a good idea to ask the clerk to add more water to the bags so they dont breath up all their available oxygen.

someone with more experience might be able to elaborate or add more to that but thats what i can think of that might help.

HatchetHaven

Barbrella

When I buy tropical fish in winter here, I put the bag under my coat and leave it there while the car heats up.

Cherry barbs are very hardy, but even they cannot tolerate something like this.

Faye Rod

Thanks for responding - I was ready to follow the suggestions for adding tank water over the course of an hour - but they looked so bad that I put the four live ones in the tank after the bag had floated for 20 minutes for temperature's sake. Yes, I netted them out of the bag water....which had fish poop in it. I've read enough to be afraid of nitrates in the little bit of water they were in.

I like the suggestion of more water for the long drive....and putting them in my coat until the car warms up. I hadn't even thought about the music yesterday but when I thought back on all of the stressors I really overloaded the poor things.

Good news - I tried again today from the closer Walmart - shorter ride, more care taken - so far so good! The sales person was very helpful and has a tank of his own. I got two more guppies also since our guppy has lived for two weeks now. So the tank has three guppies, six Cherry Barbs and one pleco. With my history of fish murder I think I'll wait for awhile before adding more!

Faye Rod

Thanks for suggesting the article for beginners about acclimating fish to the tank - much better written than what I had read before. I'll definitely print it out to keep.

Faye Rod

angelfish220

If you have a really long trip ask them if they have a oxygen hookup, coarse deathco wouldn't but at my lfs (which is about 4 hours away...) I tell them that I have a long trip and they put pure oxygen in the bag. Using this method they can live for over 7 hours (car trouble dont ask )

MasterShake2003

My LFS options are also about 45 mins. away from my house and my car, a real P.O.S., doesn't have very good heat (actually, it might as well be no heat because my doors are missing weather stripping and cold air just pours into the car...).

Anyway, I have found that paper bags work pretty well to insulate the bags. It's alot better than plastic, that's for sure. Another option on real cold days would be to get a couple of those hand warmer pouches...they're a chemical reaction in a gauze like pouch. Put one of those on either side of the water bag in a paper bag and the fish should stay nice and toasty. The little warmer pouches are what they use if you order fish from liveaquaria.com to make sure the little guys arrive at your door alive. Just my thoughts...

COBettaCouple

What we'll use to transport fish from a store is a soft cooler box (found in the sporting goods department) and some thick towels. The towels can help keep the bags secure, the cooler insulation helps keep the temp and helps keep out wind, etc. I think the dark also helps lower their stress some.

Dino

We transport our fish in either the coolers Dave mentioned or by using styro boxes that the shops get their fish in.

Drea

One more tip to go with all the other great advice shared here....I find it better to bring home lesser quantity of fish per trip, like 3 at once. But if you do have a long trip, have the fish put in multiple bags. And I have very good luck with the soft cooler use, too. I also put them under my coat, if I'm only 10-15 min from home. IMO I think how the store people net the ones you get also makes a difference...

BoSox Fan7

This is off topic, but what other fish are you getting?

Faye Rod

I was bringing home six Cherry Barbs last Wednesday who succumbed to the trip and - probably - my ignorance. I was determined to show I could do this the right way so after they died I went the next day to Walmart - closer and has been more helpful than the other fish stores - and those Barbs are doing great! I made sure they were in a warm car - I wrapped the plastic bag in a newspaper and came home with no loud music. We have been bonding over the last week - they are so much fun to watch as they dart all over the aquarium. Thanks for all of the tips for future transportation!

COBettaCouple

Glad to hear that your new fish are doing well.

Faye Rod

Thanks - I've started a new thread with my next question.

cherryshrimp111

well to me you were stressing the fish out to much so they died.

susitna-flower

Faye Rod, Don't worry, everyone goes through the same learning curve, and sometimes we have problems. Good for you for asking questions!

I often have to carry fish for 4-5 hours from stores in my "area", Two things I do to make sure they are safe. Get an insulated box (or cooler as suggested)you use for moving fish. Use it summer or winter. Summer your car can get too hot also! In winter I use heat packs like suggested above. You can pick them up at walmart, or any sporting goods store. Activate them and wrap in a layer of newspaper. You may need to use 4 or more if it is really cold outside. Just try to maintain 70+ degrees in the box.

Temperature is vital, but also oxygen levels if it is a long transport. I have found the best way is one fish per bag if they are over an inch. Small fish you can have 2-4 per bag, but there has to be 2/3 air, and 1/3 water. Explain to the people in the LFS that you have a long transport, and ask for larger than normal bags, and this will give plenty of water. Pack them in your box so that there are no corners getting pinched ((fish will get caught in a corner and die), and you should be good to go!

The reason to acclimate them slowly is because not only could the temperature be different, but surely your ph and nitrate levels will be different than the water from the store. You HAVE to do it slowly, 1/2 cup added to the bag every 15 min is what I do, and float the bag up to 2 hours..
When you net the fish out and put them in the tank, have lights off. Don't feed for at least 12 hours, and make sure if there is any stress, like fish chasing the new ones, to change the decorations so there are parts of the tank the new fish can hide. It should all settle down, and hopefully your new fish will weather the new conditions.