My boyfriend and I are going to Vancouver soon, we would like to check out the fish shops down there. We dont have a plan on getting any fish, but if we happen to see something we really like, we would like to have a way to get it home. It is about an 8-10 hour drive..is this even possible?? Is there something we can rig up to keep the fish alive?

most fish are transported long distances to lfs. this is stressful and id imagine many are lost along the prosscess. it is possible, but it is a big gamble.

I dont think it's that big of a huge gamble.... I think there's a slight risk they may die. I wouldnt suggest buying a couple 200$ fish to transport home lol. Obviously you live out of the way and make the trip worth it.. i'd say you would get them all alive safley.. maybe a bit stressed but i doubt they would all die. If you really worried about heat being a issue you can get some heater boxes... dont think it's necessary though.

What do we do if our power goes off for a day ... not much we can do.

I live right near vancouver.. funny i'm seeing this post

If those fish can live from amazon to your lfs i'm sure they will be ok from vancouver to wherever you are.

fish are shipped for more than 24 hours in bags all the time. Yours will be fine as long as you don't leave them in extreme temperatures. If you have a styrofoam cooler, use that. And don't let the petshop folks fill your bag with a lot of water. 1/3 a bag water is really the most the fish will need (air is more important than water).

The air part is important, but you can't discount the water. Here's why: Firstly, a larger volume of water means that the waste concentrations won't build up as quickly. Secondly, water holds its heat a lot better than air does. Thirdly, you can refresh the air by opening the bag.

I would suggest, rather than only getting bags 1/3 full, I'd ask the LFS employee to use the largest bags they have. You want lots of water and lots of air.

Do use a cooler, and if you are buying tropical fish, I'd get something like those hand warmers. You break the package, and the warmers put our heat for several hours. It's not an impossible task, but at the same time, do understand that it is a risk. I'd something like a 10% chance that the fish won't make it.

No we don't plan on spending a fortune on fish, its just on the off chance we fine something that we don't get here, we'd like to try and make it home alive. If it dies, oh well.
I can leave the fish in the original bag? I dont have to use a small tank or anything like that? No filter?