Tomorrow morning I am heading to Indy with a friend to get some new fish. I was wondering if any of you could give me some ideas for the best way to bring them home. Indy is a good 2.5 hour drive for us, and I'm sure we'll be stopping to eat since we will be heading back around lunchtime I think. I won't know when we get there what I'll be buying of course but my understanding is they are in the 8-12" size range, and I'm thinking I'll be getting 2-3. I was thinking of bringing our cooler, (its one of those with the double lid on wheels) But I'm just not so sure that's big enough for 3 koi for 3 hours or more. Any suggestions?
The best way to bring home new fish is by asking the dealer for a polystyrene or cardboard box (they should be free). If its koi your buying be sure he double bags them and tops the bag up with bottled oxygen, also ask him if he has any Elbagin a fish sedative (it turns your water dayglo yellow but does the job).
A trick we learned after transpoting our koi 170 miles round trip to a fish show in Cambourne Cormwall then back here to Plymouth, is to also take a few black bin liners then put the bags in a black liner then into the polystyrene box.
Place your box across the real axle of the car not facing forwards as a sudden stop could cause what is known as a bag burn...
This is where the skin on the nose of your fish gets damaged, which is a bugger to heal because koi just love to grub about nose first.
The reason you double bag is koi have been known to puncture a single bag, also ask the dealer for some spare bags.
Driving home drive evenly with no sudden jerks, take it easy on the bends do this and the fish will arrive at your home in one piece.
Take the box with the bags still in it to your QT facility then gently take the bag out of the box.
Still in the black bin liner place the bag into the water then leave them for around 30minutes, this should equalize the temperature of the bag remember to note the time they are placed bagged into the water
After 30 minutes first roll down the black bin liner then take off the first elastic band and roll down that bag too.
Take the last bags elastic band off roll down the bag then gently turn the fish a number of times before lifting it clear of the bag and releasing it into the QT water ( do not pour the water from the bag into thre QT facility pour that down the drain.
Leave them to settle for another few hours then give them some pelleted food, leave them in QT for around a month before releasing into your main pond.
That is how we do it, not if the water looks brown it means that your koi has had a bleed dont worry its only stress but place that fish directly into the QT facility without equalizing the temperature.
I hope this has been helpful.........Please note we have been showing since 1990 and have not lost a koi nor seen any damage other than the odd split fin, they soon heal leaving no mark.
You can stop for lunch if you wish but kep an eye on the temperature of the car wilst its parked up
Note:-
You may here one jump about in the bag, so stop the car and just take a peak to see if everything is ok.........
Note:-
Everything I have described is exactly the way they travel from Japan again with little harm doneand Japan is a hell of a ways away from the UK and the US
rgrds
Dave
