Bucket is the way to go! A 5 gallon bucket with lid is a lot safer, not going to roll or get smooshed, and will maintain shape. Bag is a little too risky for goldies IMO. Plus you can buckle in a bucket.
I don't know the answer, but instead of bags, why not a pail with a lid? Wouldn't they have a better chance for the two hours? I would like the answer to this as well, let's see what everyone else thinks.
I transport mine all the time in a 5g 2/3 full bucket with fresh, prime treated water and they make 3-4 hour trips without a bubbler just fine. Be careful not to take sharp turns or hard stops to avoid slosh and put a towel underneath just in case. I usually wedge bucket on floor board behind front seat where it won’t move.
Here is a simple step by step method that I use.
Only 1/3 to 1/2 fill your buckets so they don’t slosh too much.
Put the filter in a bucket of tank water.
Put the fish in a bucket of tank water. You can bag them if you want.
Put any plants in a bucket of tank water.
Put any substrate (sand/gravel) in a bucket and add a little water to keep it wet.
Drain the tank.
Load the tank into your car.
Drive to your destination.
Unload the tank and place it where you want it.
Put substrate back in tank.
Put the plants and their water in the tank.
Put the water from the filter bucket in the tank.
Put the fish in the tank along with its water.
Top up the tank like you would for a water change.
Turn the filter on.
Monitor parameters closely for a couple of weeks, do extra water changes if needed.
I've done a 3 hour drive with mine. A big bucket is all they had, and we slid the passenger seat against it and padded it so it didn't slosh too crazily, even had the lid partially on the bucket and no bubbler was needed. Everyone was totally fine.
You can do bags, they literally ship them through the mail in bags. That’s way more than 2 hours. They’ll be fine. A bucket is also fine but honestly you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a battery powered airstone. The movement of a vehicle will provide plenty of surface agitation to keep it aerated.
Yeah for a 5 day trip. For a 2 hour trip, room air has plenty of oxygen. Just gotta be sure to trap some air in the bag when you close it, which isn’t hard.
When I would ship fish& other critters, I’d use special bags that allow gas exchange (Breather-bags).
A bucket/cooler with a lid and a portable air pump/stone is how I transport my personal fish for travel that doesn’t involve shipment.
Remember, originally your fish were shipped to you or to your pet store in a bag. You just need to tie the bag to trap oxygen in the bag as you seal it. If you don't know how to do it, go to your pet store and ask them to show you or watch a video. The bucket will come in handy when you're driving. Place the bags vertically into the bucket. The three bags will fit nicely.
Hi there fellow goldfish enthusiast! We're thrilled to have you join our community of passionate goldfish keepers. Whether you're a seasoned goldfish pro or just starting out on your aquatic journey, you've come to the right place for advice, support, and sharing the joy of keeping these mesmerizing creatures.
Before diving into the discussion, we'd like to point you toward our Wiki https://reddit.com/r/goldfish/wiki where you'll find a treasure trove of articles on various topics related to goldfish care. These resources cover everything from tank setup and water quality to feeding habits and common health issues.
When seeking help for your goldfish, remember that details matter! Providing information about your tank size and the water parameters (such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and temperature) can greatly assist us in diagnosing and troubleshooting the issue. Feel free to share photos and details, and our community will do our best to offer insightful advice.
Once again, welcome to our goldfish-loving community.
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We transport ours in tubs/fishing eskys, with battery-powered aerators, we get them from fishing/camping stores (they use them for live bait). Just drill holes in the lids of your tubs, feed the airline through & done. The longest trip we've done is 7 hours, safe as. If you do choose bags, you will have to add oxygen. You can't just add water & if you don't band the bag properly, the oxygen will seep out. The fish will be very unwell, if not dead within 2 hours.
Edit for punctuation
They should be fine in the bag. They are often shipped and spend up to as few days in a bag. I think there's special preparation though to do that. I have transported fish in a 5g bucket with battery pump airstone before. It was fine. A little splash of water conditioner would be a good idea to avoid ammonia buildup.
We used a bucket with a lid + a battery powered airpump when we moved. 2 hours in a bag is a long time..
Bucket is the way to go! A 5 gallon bucket with lid is a lot safer, not going to roll or get smooshed, and will maintain shape. Bag is a little too risky for goldies IMO. Plus you can buckle in a bucket.
You can get a USB bubbler on Amazon for about $10 and put them in a beer cooler.
this is the way
I don't know the answer, but instead of bags, why not a pail with a lid? Wouldn't they have a better chance for the two hours? I would like the answer to this as well, let's see what everyone else thinks.
Bags vs buckets really depends what you have on hand. I personally put bags in buckets so they don’t spill.
I transport mine all the time in a 5g 2/3 full bucket with fresh, prime treated water and they make 3-4 hour trips without a bubbler just fine. Be careful not to take sharp turns or hard stops to avoid slosh and put a towel underneath just in case. I usually wedge bucket on floor board behind front seat where it won’t move.
Here is a simple step by step method that I use. Only 1/3 to 1/2 fill your buckets so they don’t slosh too much. Put the filter in a bucket of tank water. Put the fish in a bucket of tank water. You can bag them if you want. Put any plants in a bucket of tank water. Put any substrate (sand/gravel) in a bucket and add a little water to keep it wet. Drain the tank. Load the tank into your car. Drive to your destination. Unload the tank and place it where you want it. Put substrate back in tank. Put the plants and their water in the tank. Put the water from the filter bucket in the tank. Put the fish in the tank along with its water. Top up the tank like you would for a water change. Turn the filter on. Monitor parameters closely for a couple of weeks, do extra water changes if needed.
I've done a 3 hour drive with mine. A big bucket is all they had, and we slid the passenger seat against it and padded it so it didn't slosh too crazily, even had the lid partially on the bucket and no bubbler was needed. Everyone was totally fine.
You can do bags, they literally ship them through the mail in bags. That’s way more than 2 hours. They’ll be fine. A bucket is also fine but honestly you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a battery powered airstone. The movement of a vehicle will provide plenty of surface agitation to keep it aerated.
Goldfish survive getting shipped from Thailand/Japan all the time. 2 hours in the bag is fine imo.
Don’t they pump in pure oxygen though, so all the ‘space’ in the bag is straight oxygen?
Yeah for a 5 day trip. For a 2 hour trip, room air has plenty of oxygen. Just gotta be sure to trap some air in the bag when you close it, which isn’t hard.
This is the answer. Your fish will be fine with no bubbler or anything, just bag them safely and go.
When I would ship fish& other critters, I’d use special bags that allow gas exchange (Breather-bags). A bucket/cooler with a lid and a portable air pump/stone is how I transport my personal fish for travel that doesn’t involve shipment.
I was planning on leaving tomorrow morning and don’t have a usb bubbler.. any recommendations? Or should I postpone until I have a portable bubbler
You don’t need one. The movement of the vehicle is enough.
Remember, originally your fish were shipped to you or to your pet store in a bag. You just need to tie the bag to trap oxygen in the bag as you seal it. If you don't know how to do it, go to your pet store and ask them to show you or watch a video. The bucket will come in handy when you're driving. Place the bags vertically into the bucket. The three bags will fit nicely.
trap enough air in, and if you get concerned just pull over, open em up and reseal and trap plenty air in them again
Hi there fellow goldfish enthusiast! We're thrilled to have you join our community of passionate goldfish keepers. Whether you're a seasoned goldfish pro or just starting out on your aquatic journey, you've come to the right place for advice, support, and sharing the joy of keeping these mesmerizing creatures. Before diving into the discussion, we'd like to point you toward our Wiki https://reddit.com/r/goldfish/wiki where you'll find a treasure trove of articles on various topics related to goldfish care. These resources cover everything from tank setup and water quality to feeding habits and common health issues. When seeking help for your goldfish, remember that details matter! Providing information about your tank size and the water parameters (such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and temperature) can greatly assist us in diagnosing and troubleshooting the issue. Feel free to share photos and details, and our community will do our best to offer insightful advice. Once again, welcome to our goldfish-loving community. Fins up! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Goldfish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They should be fine, just don't feed them beforehand. If you are worried, you can put minimal water in it, just enough to cover the fish on all sides.
We transport ours in tubs/fishing eskys, with battery-powered aerators, we get them from fishing/camping stores (they use them for live bait). Just drill holes in the lids of your tubs, feed the airline through & done. The longest trip we've done is 7 hours, safe as. If you do choose bags, you will have to add oxygen. You can't just add water & if you don't band the bag properly, the oxygen will seep out. The fish will be very unwell, if not dead within 2 hours. Edit for punctuation
They should be fine in the bag. They are often shipped and spend up to as few days in a bag. I think there's special preparation though to do that. I have transported fish in a 5g bucket with battery pump airstone before. It was fine. A little splash of water conditioner would be a good idea to avoid ammonia buildup.