fish + car ride = ??

my brother had to move his oscar 12 hours.. he put it in an esky..put in an airstone and put the car in the boot as he was told it was more of a chance of his fish cooking than getting too cold.

turns out that the heat generated by the air pump in such a small environment nearly killed his fish.. it went grey and stayed that way for nearly a year.

i would still use the esky option
just stop and check on the water temp often
 
I would eliminate the transport tank and bags completely. Why not simply put them all in as large a cooler as you can afford. Fill it 1/2 way with water. Bag the substrate though. Every hour or so, stop and open the cooler lid for a while to let the oxygen level climb or, even better, get a battery operated air pump, airline, and an airstone. The larger cooler provides thermal control and the open area gives the fish more space. Also, either lid opening or airstone helps keep enough oxygen.

Charlie

i think this is your best bet.well put charlie
 
Then you're going to have to repeat the process when you return to college. I too am at college and considered moving fish back and forth, but instead opted for additional planted tanks at college (planting to control ammonia/nitrates, a light timer switch and an automatic feeder for only $11.00) and keeping my main tank at home.

I have transported fish in the distant past, though. If I were doing it now, I would simply use a large, clean well-insulated box with lid, like a large Colemans picnic cooler. I knew fishkeeper years ago who used large Thermos flasks to move fish!

Retain as much of the tank water as you can manage - in the case of a 5 gal it would be pretty much all of it - pouring that into the clean cooler. If the cooler has previously been cleaned with detergent, use a trashcan liner inside it to provide a clean environment, adding the fish bynetting them. The large volume of water will lose heat much more slowly than a small amount will. The volume of air in the cooler and the large surface area should be adequate to support the fish for several hours. Place the container securely inside the car away from the heater - maybe on the back seat, using safety belts to stop it tipping in the event of a quick stop - and just try to get car interior air temperature to around 75 degrees, which feels 'neutral-to-cool' but not cold to most people. Heat loss should be minimal with this setup.

At your destination, because the gravel in the tank will have cooled a lot, I would simply pour in enough lukewarm water to cover the gravel to take the chill off, or even use it as a chance to wash the gravel, ending with warm water, drain it and quickly pour it back into the tank. Replace any decorations and tidy the landscaping as necessary. Finally, add the original water and the fish, either by pouring or by netting.

This way, there's no rapid water change to a different chemistry or temperature, you'll have time to age some local water and add it a little at a time as you make your usual water changes, and there is only a single transfer for the fish to deal with (i.e. into the cooler and out of it again).
 
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Unfortunately, I have a small car, and as a college student I don't have the money to spend on a cooler....the best I could afford was the plastic tank....I will heed everyone's suggestions and try my best to keep the fish in a stable situation.

Thanks for everyone's input :)
 
Unfortunately, I have a small car, and as a college student I don't have the money to spend on a cooler....the best I could afford was the plastic tank....I will heed everyone's suggestions and try my best to keep the fish in a stable situation.

Thanks for everyone's input :)

I'm sure you'll do fine. Best of luck shadow88.
 
You can wrap the critter keeper in a blanket, sleeping bag, or pile o' sweatshirts to help retain heat. I've transported my fish multiple times in a small six-pack cooler, and they came through just fine.
 
The last time I moved I had all my cichlids in a cooler for 181/2 hours with no fish deaths so I think you should be fine. Good luck with the move.
 
thanks everyone! :) I feel much better now about having to bring them home with me for the summer....lol
 
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