Fish on a plane

S

SomethinFishy4

Registered Member
Dec 25, 2002
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Akron, NY
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Fish on a plane??

:confused:

Well, I'm bringing down some dwarf puffers down on a trip with me to the gift-receiver, my bf. I've checked with the airlines, and it's ok to bring live fish on a plane. I have to get the fish like a day ahead because they are dwarf puffers, and they will go quickly. I am getting like 6 of them. Will the pressure affect them at all? How about the x-ray machines(these fish will be in my carry-on bag, a smaller suitcase-style bag that will protect them[I might put them in a cooler too])? Do you have any other advice because these fish will be in bags for over a day...THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!

:confused:
 
Im doing the same thing and asked the exact same question a day ago. No real responses though. How are you going to get it into the bags? are you going to have the LFS put oxygen in the bag? What about a container instead of a bag? would it work just as good?
 
How about using battery operated air pump it will keep the sufficient oxygen in the container or bag and get the heating pad to keep the temperature to fish requirement you should be fine then........
Good luck with your trip!!!
~Ozone~
 
SF4 - A couple years ago, I packed my fish up and we all flew cross country (West coast to east coast). They were in their "travel" bags for about 12 hours.

Before our move, I had contacted the airlines and they said that they didn't accept live fish. So I basically "snuck" them on-board. I didn't have any trouble getting through the x-ray machines, but we moved before September 11. I'm not sure if you'll run into any troubles at the airport due to heightened security (afterall, we all know what a danger tropical fish present to the flying public ...).

I didn't feed my fish for two days, so they wouldn't produce as much waste in their little "travel" bags. I packed them in very, very clean water with an extra squirt of amquel (you can use any water conditioner that removes ammonia). I filled each bag 1/3 with water, 2/3 with air (watch the guys in the fish store close the bag -- they do it in such a way as to get as much air IN the bag as possible.) I also packed only a few fish per bag. I double bagged, which helps in two ways: (1) if done right, it helps prevent corners from forming, and (2) it helps protect against water loss. You may want to pack 2 fish per bag, having 3 bags total. I put all the bags in 6-pack coolers (the kind with a rigid liner that couldn't collapse on the fish).


Everything went well until we got to our new home. The fish survived the trip, and seemed ok. But ... their new home wasn't ready. Before I moved the fish, I had tried to establish cycled tanks in the new home (using fishless cycling methods). Because I was travelling back and forth between coasts, I was unable to completely cycle the tanks. When all my fish arrived, the tanks were experiencing a nitrite spike. I won't go into the details, but it was a miserable process of trying to keep my fish alive. All but one made it. Moral of the story: MAKE SURE that your boyfriend has a fully cycled aquarium that's appropriate for the puffers and is completely ready for the fish AS SOON AS you arrive. Don't go to the trouble of bringing the fish if they haven't got a decent home on the other side ...

Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck ...
 
It would be experiencing minor G-Force and pressure problems,it is much better than travelling by sea.:D
 
Thank you!!

Thanks for all of your help! And yes, my bf has been looking forward to these since we went to order them on that website where you can order fish online(can't think of the name now, darnit), and he has had a tank prepared for the little guys and is almost ready to run it through before the fish get here. But I just happened to find them at a pet store. It's Petsmart, actually. Thank you for all of your help, and the airlines said that live fish are ok to bring on, so I should be alright. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
 
If you are not experienced in packaging fish for overnight shipment, I would hesitate doing it.

In short ... you will need to starve your fish for about 2-3 days. Place your fish in doubled fish bags with air. You should also use something like Bag Buddies (a relaxer/destressor). Adding something like Amquel also helps. Then I would suggest placing them in a styro box w/ heat pack to regulate temperature.
 
I've flown with live fish in carry-on luggage literally dozens of times, but not since 9/11. I have a feeling that your greatest potential problem may be airport security, not the airline. These are two different organizations. It is security, not the airline, that inspects your luggage, and I believe they are now federalized.

I have no idea how these people will react to live fish in plastic bags in carry on luggage. I think we have all heard horror stories about kids being forced to drink unidentified liquids. It seems pretty obvious to me that a small plastic bag with a swimming fish ought to be harmless, but you never know these days. There is a lot of paranoia, and a lot of people with badges who may view anything "unusual" as a threat. I'm sure much depends upon who you are dealing with at the security desk.

I certainly plan on bringing fish home in the future from foreign vacations, as I have so often in the past, and would love to hear from anyone who has recent direct experience with fish as carry-on luggage.

I have always triple-bagged my fish to limit the possibility of leaks, and also lined the inside of the carry-on bag with a large "box bag", basically a giant plastic bag. A thick garbage bag will do in a pinch. Use two elastic bands on each bag.

Give the fish as much space as possible, a ratio of about 1/4 water to 3/4 air. Try to capture atmosphere rather than blowing in the bag, to maximize O2. DO NOT feed the fish for at least 48 hours before bagging them, otherwise their waste products will pollute the shipping water and kill them. The use of pure O2 in the shipping bag is nice, but not really necessary if you don't crowd the fish. A little Amquel is a good idea. Use absolutely new, fresh water, not old tank water.

The water will drift toward acidity during shipment. This is good, because acidity makes the ammonia excreted by the fish as part of respiration less toxic. It also means that you should discard most of the shipping water when introducing the fish to their new water. If the ph shoots up suddenly as new water is poured into the bag the ammonia can become toxic in seconds.

I would really appreciate hearing about how security checks were handled.
 
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