Transporting Lg Adult Altum Help

[TwoTankAmin]

Pretty much all of the Altums I have acquired have not been close to adult size. I have had 4 tank raised ones for the last few years and they are now pretty large with very lovely long ventrals. I am in the process of retiring from the hobby due to advanced age and will be selling a ton of fish and supplies at the up coming Keystone Clash. As part of this I am selling the Altums to be picked up at the even which is about a 4 hour drive away.

I have mostly shipped a ton of smaller plecos over the years and other small fish as well. I have no idea of how best to pack these guys nor the safest way to catch them. I do have all size of nets and in varying mesh sizes, including fine. My big concern is not damaging the fins. I have all the supplies needed to ship almost any size fish I might have to.

One final note re the above. The fish will likely heed be in whatever container or bags I use for about 2-3 days. I go out there Thursday to set up in the vendor room but the fish won't change hands until Friday soonest. I have RO/DI water I always bring as well as a portable unti to make more in my hotel room. So I can change plenty of water. I usually keep these fish at pH 6.0- 6.5 and TDS in the 60-70 ppm range. I also start bagiing fish Wednesday morning into the late night and then a bit more in the morning. Many are pre-segregated in water circulating traps on Tuesday so they can almost be poured into the bag and then it is closed- very fast packing this way.

Any advice on catching and choice of shipping container is apprecieated. (I have 7 x 5 gal. buckets w/ lid. 2 x 3 gal. and one bigger than 5 but the same diameter.

 

[tlindsey]

Any advice on catching

If you mean out of aquarium most lower the water prior to catching.

choice of shipping container

I suggest a Rubbermaid brand or sturdy one from a home improvement store.

 

[kno4te]

I’ve used a styrofoam coolers with an aerator. Or can do as tlindsey has suggested.

 

[duanes]

Agree with the above
When I collect fish, I do as the others above suggested, because they are in transit sometimes a very long time.
So I use a battery operated (plug in car jack) pump, grab an extra gallon of water from the river, and change some water , sometime while in transit.

A cooler, a bucket, something that holds enough water (especially for the height of angels)
If for days, I'd put some type of seasoned biomeda, or something seasoned from the tank in it.
You can see above, there is a waterlogged branch in the bucket.
I once delivered some large Fossorochrimis cichlids to an event.
I suggested the buyer take the battery operated pump, at my cost, he didn't, the fish died in his care, before he got home.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I considered a 5 gal bucket. But many years ago I transported a couple of angels (not altums) in a 5 gal bucket. It did not end well. WHen the car moves around corners, brakes or accelerates, the water moves and can slosh the fish against the sides. I would be more inclined to bag them. Since I am driving not shipping I can over bag them so survival should not be an issue.

But I am not sure about trying to net then as opposed to draining the tank down to a few inches which forces the angels to go flat. That should make them easy to slide a hand under and pick them up in a flat open hand. Netting may damage the fins?

I normally try not to handle fish. I have caught plecos ny hand but morstly I had on a waterproof glove. I use latex eca, gloves and seal them shut with waterproof tape. I do this because is keeps my dry since birth hands from drying even more from being in water a lot.

These are the largest Altums I have had to nab and move. They are really lovely and I hate having to let them go, but I would hate damaging them even more.

I do not use air when transporting fish. Even when they may be in transit for days. I just have more air than water in a bag, I purge the fish and add a piece of poly filter to the bag. I have heat packs as well. I do not lose many fish shipping them unless the shipper screws up badly.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have decided we will bag one fish per 10 inch wide tall bag. I keep them in staind water with tTDS about 60-70 ppm and pH at 6.0 to almost 6.5 if I skip a water change. I will do a final wc on their tank a couple of days before we bag them. We will also grab a few gallongs of the tanks water in 1 gal. jugs to take to the Keystone Clash where the buyer will take possession. The extra tank water is to enable him to do a water change in the bags. If possible I hope to bag them Thursday morning and we depart at 11 a.m. He would get them Friday. I hate letting them go, they are quite lovely.

I have rented a U-Haul van to get everything out to the Keystone Clash in 2 weeks. Lots of good deals to be had

I also figure the best way to do this is to lower the wter in the tank a bunch and then to catch them in a large net. I will havs some tanks water in a bucket and will lower the net into that and then fish should be on it's side so I can slide my open palm under it and pick it up. Yhe I should be able to slid it into he nearby bag held open by my friend there to help. Watch this vid about catching wild altums and how they transfer them in this time bookmarked part of the vid.