Best way to transport fish via car

[Pufferlover95]

Looking for suggestions on transporting approximately 15 new fish via car on a 1.5 hour drive. The fish are a mix of mainly tangs, a few clowns, and a few small misc. I really wasn’t trying to have an entire car full of Homer buckets in the back seat with individual portable airstones. The drive back with that many buckets semi-open is nerve-racking.

I looked into large coolers on Amazon and biggest I found is 100 quarts for $110. Not cheap for only 25 gallons.

Any other suggestions? I was going to be driving a hatchback SUV BTW.

 

[TX_REEF]

Looking for suggestions on transporting approximately 15 new fish via car on a 1.5 hour drive. The fish are a mix of mainly tangs, a few clowns, and a few small misc. I really wasn’t trying to have an entire car full of Homer buckets in the back seat with individual portable airstones. The drive back with that many buckets semi-open is nerve-racking.

I looked into large coolers on Amazon and biggest I found is 100 quarts for $110. Not cheap for only 25 gallons.

Any other suggestions? I was going to be driving a hatchback SUV BTW.

In your situation I'd probably do a large cooler with an airstone, some PVC pipe for hiding places, and include a few pieces of mature bio-media.

 

[Pufferlover95]

In your situation I'd probably do a large cooler with an airstone, some PVC pipe for hiding places, and include a few pieces of mature bio-media.

Like I said, the largest cooler I’ve found so far is only 100q (25g). Will that be enough?

 

[VintageReefer]

I used these for a move. I paid 40$ a piece for them new. It’s 70qt and the cube layout is good, the insulation is really thick too

I see they make a 60qt now, for $65

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...pin_ast_store_MCWQP6FJPEHVTWGJKRJX&th=1&psc=1

Follows the trend of the last decade. Make everything smaller and more expensive :/

 

[eliaslikesfish]

put all the bags in a bucket and drive double the speed limit home.

Live on arrival guaranteed

 

[VintageReefer]

Here you go. Perfect. Found the 60qt on eBay for 35$ new

Igloo 60 QT Laguna Ice Chest Cooler with Wheels, Blue, Easy transport | eBay

Igloo 60 QT Laguna Ice Chest Cooler with Wheels. Roller Design: The built-in wheels allow for effortless maneuverability over various terrains, from grassy fields to sandy beaches. Backyard Gatherings: Great for backyard barbecues, pool parties, or outdoor dinners, providing convenient access to...

www.ebay.com

Buy two, 70$ total, you get 120qt of volume, spread the items into two containers.

Are you keeping them bagged or filling the cooler with water ? When I moved I had 4 of the own in my original post, each filled 50% with water, a 15w heater, and airstone. Closed lid 99% to just allow the tube and wire to come out. And sealed the seam with press and seal wrap. Then just rolled to my truck and plugged into a multi outlet inverter. Plugged in the air stones and heaters and had a successful 2.5 day trip. Wheeled them into my hotel also. Got some good looks from everyone

 

[Pufferlover95]

Just found this, looks promising:

 

[JayM]

If they're bagged well, an hour and a half shouldn't do any harm. They spent much longer than that getting to the store.

 

[Pufferlover95]

If they're bagged well, an hour and a half shouldn't do any harm. They spent much longer than that getting to the store.

Is bagging them all necessary? It’s a 1.5 hour drive, and I can add a few bubblers to a large container.

 

[GARRIGA]

Bait shops sell portable live wells. Seen them used to carry a dozen large bait for grouper fishing.

 

[eliaslikesfish]

in all seriousness, i don’t think it needs to be that complicated, 1 and a half hours in a bag isn’t gonna harm them, fish get shipped all over the country, I assure you they are in those bags for longer than 1.5 hours, additionally I drove home with my midas blenny and it took a little over an hour, he’s vibing now.


old pic but nah the 1 hour drive maybe made him nervous for an extra couple days?

 

[VintageReefer]

I have the husky it will work to transport if in bags but it is not insulated. If you keep your car interior in 70’s you will be fine on 1.5 hour trip

If you intend to not use bags and transport in a vessel of water, the husky is not strong enough and will flex and possibly crack

 

[Pufferlover95]

I have the husky it will work to transport if in bags but it is not insulated. If you keep your car interior in 70’s you will be fine on 1.5 hour trip

If you intend to not use bags and transport in a vessel of water, the husky is not strong enough and will flex and possibly crack

So these are good for transporting them in bags. What type of bags do you recommend? Typically when I get 1 or 2 fish I just bring a 5g bucket, so this is new for me.

 

[VintageReefer]

Where are these fish coming from? Will they come with water or do you need to bring water?

I would just go to petco or a fish store and tell them the number of fish you are transporting and ask for 15 bags or whatever and offer a few bucks for them.

 

[paragrouper]

If they're bagged well, an hour and a half shouldn't do any harm. They spent much longer than that getting to the store.

This

 

[Pufferlover95]

Where are these fish coming from? Will they come with water or do you need to bring water?

I would just go to petco or a fish store and tell them the number of fish you are transporting and ask for 15 bags or whatever and offer a few bucks for them.

Idk tbh, the person isn’t too quick to respond. But that’s a good point and a good idea. I could definitely get some of those bags from the local store. Never thought about asking.

 

[VintageReefer]

Idk tbh, the person isn’t too quick to respond. But that’s a good point and a good idea. I could definitely get some of those bags from the local store. Never thought about asking.

I’ve done this before because they have bags of all sizes and since I was a regular customer they gave me a ton for free

 

[mfinn]

5 gallon buckets

 

[KrisReef]

Make 5 trips with 3 in a bucket

 

[Eric R.]

If you're worried about having buckets without lids, just drill a hole in a lid for you're 5 gallon bucket and run an airline through it to your air pump. That's what I do.