I'm moving across country and was going to drive, but am going to go the moving pod route instead and fly myself (cheaper that way). And an air trip is much shorter. A pet friendly airline based here in WA, does allow fish on the plane, even in the cabin, but is it safe to take goldfish on an airplane? I imagine that the fish raised in Thailand and brought to the US aren't put on a boat, they probably fly by air, but I worry about a rupture of their swim bladder. The airline's website says tropical fish, but I imagine they specify tropical to mean small aquarium fish, not koi or anything large. The recommendation they give is to bag the fish and keep it in a plastic container. Has anyone here safely flown with goldfish before, and are my worries totally unfounded? I'm going from nearly sea level in Washington up to DIA in Colorado, and sometimes you see stuff in the grocery store like ballooned up bags of chips that encountered a change in air pressure. I imagine my poor fishies' swim bladders and cringe. One website says to leave a bit of slack in the bag for any expansion of air. I really want to take them with me. Thanks! Cody
Goldfish on a Plane! Get Samuel L Jackson!
- Thread starter ThRtst
- Start date
i would say that depends on how large your goldfish are, and what type. you shouldn't need to worry about swim bladder issues too much - remember that in the passenger area of a plane, the air is pressurized, otherwise you would be very uncomfortable too! 
the bags of food you see ballooned up aren't from the change in air pressure - companies inject air into the bags to make it look as though there is more product inside than there really is. marketing ploy, that's all. anyway, most food isn't transported in pressurized cabins like people are - it all goes in cargo holds.
if you're transporting any fish smaller than 6 inches total length, you could try transporting in individual bags, inside one of the smaller rubbermaid containers - such as the boxes made for storing hanging file folders. Those should be small enough to carry-on. that way you can keep an eye on the fish during the flight.
i would also consider sedating the fish using clove oil. try using google to look up clove oil and koi. clove oil is often used for a sedative/anaesthesia in koi surgery and for transport. it's very safe as a sedative, as it's extremely difficult to accidentally overdose- a low dosage is completely safe.
you might also think about using a battery-operated air pump during the flight with an airstone to each individual bag. if you use baggies, not ziplocks, and insert the airline through the top of the bag with rubber bands to secure it, that could work. it's important to keep the water aerated when sedating fish, as their gill movement slows down.
if this all sounds like too much work, you could try contacting your local LFS and see how they ship larger fish such as oscars and koi. if they have a recommendation as far as a shipping company and shipping techniques, you could contact the company and see if they will accept your fish for shipping to the new address. that might be the safer route, as they are professionals and your LFS probably uses a reliable shipping company.
the bags of food you see ballooned up aren't from the change in air pressure - companies inject air into the bags to make it look as though there is more product inside than there really is. marketing ploy, that's all. anyway, most food isn't transported in pressurized cabins like people are - it all goes in cargo holds.
if you're transporting any fish smaller than 6 inches total length, you could try transporting in individual bags, inside one of the smaller rubbermaid containers - such as the boxes made for storing hanging file folders. Those should be small enough to carry-on. that way you can keep an eye on the fish during the flight.
i would also consider sedating the fish using clove oil. try using google to look up clove oil and koi. clove oil is often used for a sedative/anaesthesia in koi surgery and for transport. it's very safe as a sedative, as it's extremely difficult to accidentally overdose- a low dosage is completely safe.
you might also think about using a battery-operated air pump during the flight with an airstone to each individual bag. if you use baggies, not ziplocks, and insert the airline through the top of the bag with rubber bands to secure it, that could work. it's important to keep the water aerated when sedating fish, as their gill movement slows down.
if this all sounds like too much work, you could try contacting your local LFS and see how they ship larger fish such as oscars and koi. if they have a recommendation as far as a shipping company and shipping techniques, you could contact the company and see if they will accept your fish for shipping to the new address. that might be the safer route, as they are professionals and your LFS probably uses a reliable shipping company.
aw let's not be so paranoid about getting ripped off. potato chip bags are puffed up so the chips don't crack into crumbs whenever the bag hits something. it's a simple design, not intent on leading you on.
I can just imagine the conversation with airport security trying to get a battery operated air pump on the plane. They even have some silly new rule about what kind of batteries you can take on a plane. I would definately contact several local fishstores and find out how they ship. How big are the fish?
i didn't mean to imply that it was - only that it's a result of the company's procedures, not a result of the transport. and you're correct - it protects the product as well, but it is also part of their marketing strategy. no harm there.
I emailed the guy who runs dandyorandas.com and he did allay my swim bladder fears (which were set off by a roommate lol). He ships huge show fish, but mine should be easy, they're babies, still about 1-1/2 inches long. The battery pump seems like a good idea, but TSA can be finicky, and who knows, the LIVE fish could be floating in a liquid explosive and the "pump" could be the detonator.
Oh, and when it comes to the chip bags, when I lived at a higher elevation, you'd sometimes see some bags that literally looked like one of those foil mylar balloons. I mean, stretched tighter than Joan River's face.