Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I will go with coolers and/or
fish boxes and will probably use bags for the fish to prevent other stuff
getting wet. One other thing that no one mentioned is that you need to be
careful about heat from your car. The floor / bed of many vehicles get
very hot, and it is a good idea to provide some extra insulation between
the cooler and what it sits on.
A couple of points on people's comments.
I have too many fish to use breather bags, but they are definately the
best way to go in my mind if you have a few smaller fish without
significant spines. And the heavy duty polystyrene shipping boxes are
excellent too, again if you only have a few fish.
Many people mentioned using airstones. As long as you are moving most of
the time you don't need airstones. The sloshing will more than adequately
aerate the water. If you have a lot of fish, and you stop for more than
an hour or so though that could become a problem. I will take a regular
airpump and plug it in at night if I have to stop somewhere to sleep.
I have never liked having extra stuff like gravel or mops in the shipping
containers as it increases the chances of abrasion to the fish. I have
seen people transport fish with slightly larger pebbles and the fish were
mostly dead at their destination. Obviously that is heavier and larger
though, and the fish were more benthic. Most of the time the fish are
in complete darkness, thus they tend to be pretty calm. But if mops work
for you then all the more luck to you!
I have always worried alot about sloshing, but from the sounds of things
this hasn't really been an issue for people. I guess if you can avoid it
then all the better, but if you can't then don't be too worried about it.
Assuming I use bags, then I will only be adding about 15-20% water, with
the rest being air, which will slosh a bit more. But I don't have many
options if I go with large bags.
Thanks a bunch for all of your suggestions.
Cheers
Peter Unmack
Provo River, Utah
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