I was wondering has anyone ever traveled by car or plane or went on vacation with a fish? If so, how?

Question

It is a goldfish and my nephew has no one to feed it, so he was thinking about bringing it along. So we were wondering if there is a travelling fish tank or soemthing

Answer 1

Well, it is possible to transport fish by car or plane, but taking them with you on a road trip is a really bad idea for a number of reasons:

The water will slosh everywhere. To keep the water from sloshing, you need something with either not much water, a narrow top, a lot of "wall" above the water, or a water proof lid.

Without much water, the fish's waste will build up much faster than it normally would in a larger amount of water, meaning you would need to do water changes more often. Frequent water changes are a common source of stress to the fish.

With a narrow opening to the container, cleaning the tank becomes more difficult, getting the fish in and out becomes more stressful, and oxygen exchange at the surface of the water becomes less reliable as a source of oxygen to the fish.

With a lot of "wall" above the water line, you will need to have an aquarium that is not entirely full, which takes up excess space, and does not provide the full benefit of the aquarium's volume of water.

With a waterproof lid, the container is probably a small jar, leading to the not much water issue. Also, if it is waterproof, it is probably also airtight, so the fish could eventually suffocate.

With any aquarium, there is a weight issue. Water weighs approximately ten pounds per gallon. This can cut into fuel efficiency, and while on the move, this becomes a mass issue, and with each start, or stop, the mass of this water can slam against one side or another of the aquarium, leading to potential tipping, possible damage to the aquarium wall, breaking aquarium seals, and injuring the fish as killer waves thrash it about on the decorations. You could remove the decorations, but fish feel rather uncomfortable if there is nowhere at all to hide.

With a car, there is no place entirely level, where a true aquarium could rest properly. Thus, even while stationary, the aquarium walls would be subjected to stresses beyond their normally intended purpose, and possibly beyond their design tolerations.

Water quality varies a great deal depending on location. Some water is very hard, some is very soft. Some has chloramine, some has chlorine. some has a lot of bacteria, some has none. Some has been in copper pipes, which is toxic to fish... Assuming, just for a moment that your fish is in top condition, and can stand the frequent changes in water parameters that you would subject it to in the normal course of a trip, can you be certain that the water treatment you use now will provide the same quality of water no matter where you go? or that it will even be effective in the different municipalities you will visit?

The bottom line here is that taking a fish with you on vacation is almost a certain recipe for one dead fish. Still want to try it? (Sigh!) here's some advice then, to try and minimize the problems.

1: Pack the fish in a cool chest: Cool chests are designed to handle the rough and tumble life of road trips. They are insulated to prevent sudden changes in temperature, they are padded to reduce shock from sudden stops and turns. They are dark, which will allow the fish to feel like it is hiding even when it is not. They are also large, and come with a (nearly) waterproof lid. I'm not sure I would trust an all styrofoam one to hold that much water for a long trip though. You can drill a hole through the lid of a plastic one, and provide air tubing (with a bubbler) to help with the oxygen issue. A second tube to let air OUT of the tank will also be needed. When getting one, make sure it does not smell like plastic. Things that smell like plastic can give off harmful chemicals in the water.

2: Battery operated filter: A battery operated filter will allow the water to be filtered when it most needs the filtration on long trips. TThis should make things a great deal more tolerable for the animal in question.

3: Bottled Water: For a trip of this length, you will need to perform several water changes. You could use a Reverse Osmosis device on local water to remove every impurity, and then add back in the proper salts, trace minerals, etc. But this sort of work is designed more for salt water than fresh water, it requires you to carry around various powders, and the RO device, none of which is compact, or cheap. A popular brand of bottled water should allow you to get water of approximately the same quality no matter where you are, and a more generic brand may be cheaper for a short trip than getting RO. Find one that is quite similar to the water quality of your tap water, and talk around to make sure it will be safe for the fish. Some bottled waters soften their water in a way which is not good for fish.

4: Drive carefully: Fish don't know what you're doing, and may have a tendency to swim near the surface to try and get a good look. this can be bad when water sloshes up to the lid of the cooler. Unless you want your fish partially brain damaged, and enormously afraid of swimming near the surface, stop, and start gradually, as if you were hauling your valuable furniture around.

Answer 2

not really, in the end your going to end up getting water everywhere. How long are you going to be gone for? I only get someone to feed my fish if I'm going to be gone for a week or more. Otherwise I just feed them right before I leave, then feed them good right when I get back. Fish don't need to eat every day, infact I know that some fish can go at least a month without eating. (this is what happens with my fish, when they breed the mother holds the eggs/baby fish in her mouth for about a month before she spits them out, during this time she doesn't eat at all)
Also, you can get automatic feeders for pretty cheap that you set on a timer and it drops a measured amount of flakes or pellets in at the same time everyday.
I wouldn't suggest trying to travel with your fish, it will cause more hardacre than anything.

Answer 3

Get the strongest tank you can that will fit in the bottom in front of the back seat of the car. Cover it, but not so tightly that the fish can't breathe. Make sure the temperature down there is always within the fish's comfort zone. Have an alternative smaller container of water in case the first one breaks.

Answer 4

This question made me smile : ) I've had bite-sized moments of bliss this year, and if I could momentarily escape to there before it ended, I would. I remember crying for days and days after I returned home from New Zealand because the experience was overwhelmingly.... awesome. It truly was the highlight of this year so far, and I was incredibly happy despite a minor feud between myself and a friend occurring. I know it's not really that far in the past, but I felt amazing then. Standing on a board and sliding down a hill is a surprising confident boost and those small moments of success made me so happy. I also had the privilege of befriending people in older grades in my school, and it was the seed that made the blossoming friendships that I have now. It's funny that the second favourite memory that I'd retreat to was another international journey. But during that time in my life, I too was in an awkward adolescent stage. I stayed over a friend's house last night who went on the same trip, and I cringed at the horrible photos. I've truly changed internally and externally since then, and it isn't until now that I realize that. I've given myself so much grief over my appearance, but I'm not the same person as I was then and the photos are almost unrecognizable to me. Despite this, it really was an awesome time. I don't think I'd retreat to these memories for the places, necessarily (Although, they were amazing), but because of the experiences that I had. Another memory that sparks to mind was when I was little and had my Golden Retriever puppies and used to play outside with them for hours. It was at my old house, that I love and wish so much that I could move back there, and it was just blissful. A lot of my favourite childhood memories are formed through this stage of my life and with both of my dogs. It seems random, but whatever. I miss my childhood in general, actually. I remember cooking in the kitchen with my Mum, throwing the football around with Dad and cycling with my brother. At the moment I'd like to be anywhere pre-high school. My computer's crashed and is currently in repair so I'm borrowing Dad's. I had a mini-break down today over not having access to my assignments and after 6 consecutive hours of working today, I'm currently at a stage of content and am less stressed. Random side note, but when I was in pre-school I used to *beg* my teachers for homework. Oh, that memory makes me laugh a lot. (((((hugs)))))) ~ Florence

Answer 5

Yes I have transported fish from Florida to Illinois by car. I about a dozen lyrtail swordtail in a large clear plastic bag inside a Styrofoam container used to transport fish. I used a air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter to supply aeration (put air hose into bag and wrapped rubber bands to seal bag around hose punched hole in top of Styrofoam container an ran hose through the hole to the pump. Fish are transported around the world in Styrofoam containers they fill bag with pure oxygen before tieing off.

Answer 6

Unless you're moving and have to take the fish, I would say leave it home. Goldfish aren't known to be the most hardy of animals. If you take it in a car, it will most certainly die. Ask a pet store to fishsit it while you're gone.

Answer 7

I flew from FL to NJ with this crazy lady and her kid behind me with a fish tank on her lap!! also, when I moved from NJ to FL, we moved our fish (by car, not plane), in a 5 gal water bottle...a culligan one with the top cut off. you can also buy automatic feeders that will feed your fish once a day pretty cheap...this is the route I would go.

Answer 8

Well, it be pretty hard to take him with u, get feeding blocks (2) and drop them in the tank.
The blocks last 3 days, so drop 1 in for every 3 days. i was was just assuming you would be gone for 6 days.

Hope this Helps!! :-)

Answer 9

YOU ARE PROBABLY BITING OFF MORE THAN YOU WANT TO CHEW. THEY SELL WEEKEND FEEDER AT MOST PET STORE AND WALMART. IT IS A SINKIN PELLET THAT RELEASE FOOD TO FLOAT TO THE TOP AND THE FISH WILL EAT EVERY TIME THAT IT SEES FOOD/AT LEAST MINE DOES. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU ARE GOING TO BE GONE BUT I THINK THAT THEY EVEN CARRY A FULL WEEK FEEDER AS WELL.

Answer 10

Sounds like a question for Jonah !!!