Moving fish

[dvdndh]

Hi all, need a bit of advice here. We’re moving house shortly & I’d like to take some of my fish, there’s a pond there already,needs setting up but I could do that before the move. The main concern is the distance,on a good run it will be 3hrs 45, possibly 4hrs + if something goes wrong....what’s the chances of my fish surviving?.....I have 4 koi I’d like to take, between 6lb & 9lb & a few small mirrors,maybe a 1lb & a half......any advice would be much appreciated......

 

[mrsclem]

The best way to move large koi is in large ice chests. For the time issue i would get battery operated aerators. set the coolers so the fish are facing to the sides, not front to back.

 

[dvdndh]

Hi, thanks for the reply,by ice chests do you mean polystyrene ones? Also do you think the aerators would keep them alive for that time scale, I’ve only used them for small fish before

 

[Gemma]

Hi,
if they were my fish, I would put them in bags, drive to a store where they sell fish and have them bags them properly, fill the bag with oxygen ( as they do to prep for shipping) then I would put the bags in boxes with ice packs between the box and the bag...that's what I would do

 

[dvdndh]

Hi Gemma, thanks for the reply....unfortunately the nearest decent fish place is a way away & if I start my journey at 10am ish it will put an hour on the journey.....I thought I might put the generator in the back of the truck & run the big air pump with decent stones on it, might have to stop to fill with petrol but thought that might be the safest way, any thoughts anyone?

 

[mrsclem]

Yes, if you have the generator use it! I would use the regular plastic coolers rather than foam. Also, do not feed the fish for several days prior to moving them.

 

[Gemma]

Good luck to you and your fish!...and if you can, come back to post how it all turned out, your feedback would be of much help to others that have to move their fish

Good luck!

 

[dvdndh]

Thanks & I will, hopefully it will turn out ok, I’m also wondering whether to sedate them to try & keep the stress levels down....

 

[j.w]

@dvdndh I like the generator idea. Hoping for a smooth move

 

[Tula]

You can still fill the bags with O2 from a portable O2 tank. Bagging them is safest as opposed to putting them in a cooler, as the bags act as "shock absorbers ".

Best of luck and let us know how you make out

 

[addy1]

In a cooler I would also pad the walls with bubble wrap

Good luck with your move!

 

[Ray G]

this video is pretty useful

.
by the way one of the big risks with moving koi is damaging their skin or fins while netting them.
Good luck. It can be done and is regularly done in Japan around their massive Koi sales.

 

[dvdndh]

Yes,good video,I’m feeling slightly happier about moving them now, still-nervous but not quite so much....I’m going to drop the water a bit when I net them & I have carp sacks to put them in to lift them out of the water.......
Thx Addy, I’ll definitely post feedback after the move, may not be for a couple of months or so though...