Rehoming Shubunkins

[rubyduby]

I will be rehoming some of my shubunkins next week and would like to know how long they can be in pails with pond water...Do I need to put a bubbler in each pail if some are in overnight? I have read that goldfish can be without oxygen for quite some time..Is this true? Also, does anyone have any idea how many 5" fish can be in a 3 gallon pail for about 8 hours?

 

[WaterGardener]

No fish can live without oxygen. Can't imagine where that idea came from.

I would be very nervous about doing what you propose. In that small amount of water the ammonia would spike very quickly and they would run out of air.

You would definitely need an air supply. And I think they might jump out of the bucket.

Can you at least find a larger container? You can get large storage tubs at big box stores at reasonable prices. They usually come with lids that would prevent fish from jumping out. You could drill holes in the lid and run an air tube through one of the holes.

Or get a kiddie pool to put the fish in. Don't know if those are available yet this year, but I haven't looked.

My feeling is that 3 gallons is just too small for keeping fish for that period of time. I would much rather err on the side of too large than too small.

 

[TheFishGuy]

If I were to transport 5" fish in 3 gallon buckets for 8 hours, then I would add some seachem prime ( neutralize ammonia spike ) and an airstone. I think with those two helping hands you could get away with possibly 3 fish per bucket.

 

[Mgessert]

I would say one or two that size in 3 gal. at most, and definitely use an aerator.

 

[rubyduby]

No fish can live without oxygen. Can't imagine where that idea came from.

I would be very nervous about doing what you propose. In that small amount of water the ammonia would spike very quickly and they would run out of air.

You would definitely need an air supply. And I think they might jump out of the bucket.

Can you at least find a larger container? You can get large storage tubs at big box stores at reasonable prices. They usually come with lids that would prevent fish from jumping out. You could drill holes in the lid and run an air tube through one of the holes.

Or get a kiddie pool to put the fish in. Don't know if those are available yet this year, but I haven't looked.

My feeling is that 3 gallons is just too small for keeping fish for that period of time. I would much rather err on the side of too large than too small.

This is what came up when I googled “how long can goldfish live without an aerator” :

 

[WaterGardener]

I'm sorry, but I can't buy that. If that is true there would be no need to keep a hole in the ice in winter. Fish die every year because the pond freezes completely over with no way for oxygen exchange. They suffocate under the ice. And they wouldn't die from putting treatments in the pond that deplete the oxygen, as they do if you use too much potassium permanganate or some of the algae treatments.

For that matter, why not just dump them on the side of the pond, out of the water? If they can live without air, what's the problem there?

I would have to see some hard and fast scientific proof to change my mind.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet!

 

[Criscar]

This is what came up when I googled “how long can goldfish live without an aerator” :

It’s very important to note that that article you are citing is about goldfish and wild carp overwintering in very gradually frozen-over (and obviously cold enough to largely shut down metabolism) _large ponds and lakes_, _not_ about abruptly overloading multiple fish in a small room temperature or warmer bucket. I would definitely not use a study of wild carp in winter conditions to justify taking such a risk with your fish if the object is actually to safely rehome them. At room temperatures your fish are metabolizing at far higher rates than under freezing conditions, and they won’t have had weeks or months to gradually acclimate to lowered oxygen conditions.

Another thing to keep in mind when transporting fish is you need to stop feeding them a couple days ahead of time to lower the amount of ammonia waste they will produce in unfiltered, small amounts of water. Even with a bubbler this is a potential serious issue with trying to keep 3 fish in a small bucket for many hours…

 

[rubyduby]

Okay, thank you all for the advice....That is what I love about this forum...So many people with a lot of experience on here to help when you need it...First let me clarify that the only fish that would have been in a bucket overnight are the tiny ones (up to one inch) I never intended to keep the bigger fish in buckets overnight....I was going to catch the bigger ones right before he came for pick up...They are only going two blocks away so it shouldn't be for long....Maybe I will just forget about rehoming some of them...It is just too stressful on them and on me!!!

 

[Mgessert]

That plan should be fine, and we were mainly worried about the big ones. Just be sure the new owner acclimates them to the water temp. Good luck!

 

[rubyduby]

If I were to transport 5" fish in 3 gallon buckets for 8 hours, then I would add some seachem prime ( neutralize ammonia spike ) and an airstone. I think with those two helping hands you could get away with possibly 3 fish per bucket.

Okay, now I see where I made my mistake on the post....The 5" fish were never intended to be in buckets for 8 hours...just the little baby fish if I caught them the night before (easier to see them with the pond lights on but thank you FishGuy for giving me pointers on what to do to the water first and how many to put in each bucket...(if I even decide to rehome them now...)

 

[TheFishGuy]

Okay, now I see where I made my mistake on the post....The 5" fish were never intended to be in buckets for 8 hours...just the little baby fish if I caught them the night before (easier to see them with the pond lights on but thank you FishGuy for giving me pointers on what to do to the water first and how many to put in each bucket...(if I even decide to rehome them now...)

oh yeah, the tiny babies will be fine overnight, I would still use an aerator and some prime to make it less stressful, but I wouldnt worry about it too much.

 

[rubyduby]

oh yeah, the tiny babies will be fine overnight, I would still use an aerator and some prime to make it less stressful, but I wouldnt worry about it too much.

Thank you FishGuy

 

[j.w]

@rubyduby I remember keeping goldfish in bowls when I was a kid and they lasted a long time, years in those bowls w/no filter, aerator, nothing. We just changed the water when it got cloudy and that was it. So I think those little fish will be fine for the short time you will be keeping them in there.

 

[rubyduby]

@rubyduby I remember keeping goldfish in bowls when I was a kid and they lasted a long time, years in those bowls w/no filter, aerator, nothing. We just changed the water when it got cloudy and that was it. So I think those little fish will be fine for the short time you will be keeping them in there.

Isn't that the truth! Just those round flat goldfish bowls with some gravel if they were lucky and fake plants....Thanks for chiming in

 

[SarahT]

@rubyduby I think your plan is fine for the little goldfish, the bigger ones might need a little more space if overnight. Don't feed them for a couple of days before they're moving. I used a kiddie pool with an aquarium airstone for my 20" koi and several large goldfish for 2 weeks, with netting from JoAnn Fabrics over the pool in case they wanted to go explore. The pond was on a covered lanai, so no sun. They were all fine (still are, 18 months later).
You're keeping a few shubies more than your two favorites?!