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As Nick has added about the breathable bags, and they can last days and weeks in them. Every time I have gone to Mexico to catch our own fish, we used breathable bags. Fish mostly were placed singly, with a couple bags had 2-3 fish in them. And they lasted as long as 9 days in a bag. Only lost a couple out of over 100 bags. My guess is stress took those fish, not lack of O2. And we used the ammonia absorbing sponge pieces in each bag to control waste.

As for wholesale shippers, well they are a bad example. As they many times use drugs on the fish. Or they fill with high concentrated O2 in the bag, instead of outside air. And, they ship airport to airport. I guess it might could be compared to the same time in the bags as with a purchased fish or two transported home. hmmmm....



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There is always a bigger fish...

Waste build-up seems to be more of a worry than oxygen shortage. And temperature swings are a very big concern. If the weather is cold and you are determined to bring home fish, don't rely on them providing a box unless you know beforehand that they will. Take along a box and a towel, load the fish in the bags in the box and wrap the towel around the bag before leaving the store. I did this and it worked great on one of the coldest days we have had so far this year. -23C. Or you could try a cooler. They will keep things warm if prepared before hand. To some maybe it seems silly but to those of us who really care it is only common sense to want to keep the fish safe so we can enjoy them once they make it home.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Thanks all

The bigger concern with tropicals is temperature. Heat loss.

My LFS supplies poly boxes for people buying large numbers of fish in one go, or for people who are going to be travelling some distance. Those things keep the heat in quite well.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Wow thanks

Koi, if you have to try that again, you can double bag the breathable bags. The company states they work just as good with double bags. However they say any more then 2 and they don't.

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There is always a bigger fish...

They usually do ok over night. Keep them in the dark (most fish are diernal-spelling?) so they stay inactive. Many people take their fish to shows etc. and they pack the bag the night before, travel for the day and the fish stay in the bags until the middle of the afternoon. 15+ hours no problems. If you plan on making the trips often get one of those cheap styrofoam coolers to stabilize the temp.

20 Gallon Long:
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2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

Everytime I've used the breatheable bags they got torn. Even for guppy fry one out of 3 started leaking and that time I couldn't even find the leak. Water just kept appearing on the outside of the bag and by the time I got the fish in the tank it was down to 1/3rd the water it had started with.

One of my favorite fish stores is actually an hour and a half away so I've often travelled that far, gotten fish, stopped for food, and then headed back home where the fish sat in the bags in the tank for another hour. The only one I've lost is a yoyo loach that kept having the worst fits and eventually punched his way through both bags. Of course outside temperatures have to be taken into account when leaving fish in bags for any length of time.

I've had problems using breather bags. They've been out for quite a few years. In my case I have used them to move fish long distances with me. They work just fine for most species, but my plecos and loaches often tear the very thin bags.

Longest time I have had fish in a breather bag: 11 days. Mis-routed shipment of endler's livebearers that made it just fine.

Koi

Empty chairs at empty tables, the room silent, forlorn.

How long do fish have in those little bags from the lfs, ive heard 2 hours and 8 hours? How do we know?

metagon got it, fish can last for a good while in a small bag. The stress fish undergo during transport and the ammonia issue would be of more concern. Agitated fish will excrete more ammonia than they normally do, since they respire at a higher rate and often clear the poop in their system right into the bag.

The latest issue of TFH did feature a very interesting article about "breathable" bags. They apparently do not need any air in them at all, as these bags can absorb oxygen from the atmosphere around them. Check a product info page here for more info.

Last edited by sirbooks at 31-Dec-2005 18:25

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

i know, my wholesaler uses a mixture of gases, and i have had no problems with holding fish in bags for along time.

Generally you've got enough oxygen for hours. In fact, lack of oxygen is probably one of the last things to worry about. Think about it this way: how do the fish get from the wholesaler to the local fish store? Well, in a bag! Granted, wholesalers often use really big bags, but they also often put quite a number of fish per bag.

I'd be more worried about temperature fluctuations, especially in the winter. Being a relatively small amount of water, the temperature can swing quite readily, and this can cause a good deal of stress on a fish. I'm also relatively sure that after a few hours, a fish is still more likely to suffer from ammonia than oxygen, because after all a bag doesn't really contain all that much of the necessary bacteria to get rid of ammonia.

Finally, if you're really worried, just ask for a bigger bag from the fish store. Most of the time you won't be making trips for more than an hour. If you're moving, it's definitely possible to make a safe move with your fish all surviving for quite a number of hours.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

How long do fish have in those bags before there home?

How long do fish have in those little bags from the lfs, ive heard 2 hours and 8 hours? How do we know?


Where is the oxygen question?.



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I dont mean floating, i mean how much oxygen is in the water.

I only leave them 30 minutes floating & never had any problems.


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http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I was told by an employee that you should have them at least floating in a tank in 1 hour.

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

do u mean how long to let them float? or how long can they live in the bag.

~well answers will vary do to the water/air perportion, but, when i get my fish from places that i trust, they can travel for up to 9 hours with me, b4 going near a tank.

and when they are floating sometimes i leave them for 4-5 hours in the tank.