how the hex do you smuggle fish overseas?? did you have any casualties? that just amazes me, but like someone said before looks a little crowded.
About casualties, what i can recall of almost 20 years of "importing" fish from Thailand to my home country Sweden, I only ever had one dead fish a couple of years ago when i arrived home!
It was a "Red Torpedo barb" that I had bought as a young fish from the Weekend Market in Bangkok, together they were 9 from the beginning!
Usually I enjoy to catch my fish from their natural habitats more, to actually see were they live is very interesting!
When I catch fish I only take with me baby fryes about 0,5-1.0 cm of lenght, adult fish i will just release again after some inspection and maybe a picture taken!
Easier and less traumatic for the fish to transport young specimen, not yet too accustomed to live in their natural environment, and therefore easier to acklimatize to live in aquariums!
In Thailand I will buy some smaller plastic aquariums cost no more than 5$ each for a 2-4 liters tank, that I keep my fish in whilst in my hotel room!
If it's fish from floating waters I will also use a small airpump, if bettas they'll do without the airpump.
For food I just use live mosquito larvae that I catch myself anywhere there is standing water, and feed my bettas with, for smaller fryes I'll use Artemia that I hatch myself, you can also buy live adult Artemia in some Aquarium-shops in the bigger cities.
Some fish will also take fine flake food.
I use only natural mineral water that I buy, to keep my fish in to avoid chlorine!
I will not feed my fish on the last day before I fly home, to keep the water clean as long as possible.
I transport the fish in small (0,5 liters) plastic mineral water bottles, depending on the size of the fish 5-10 in each!
The Bettas are easier to keep in small but long plastic bags, with just a little water and some air closed inside!
Usually I will carry the fish in my hand luggage, and strangely enough throu out all these years nobody has ever asked me to open and show what is inside after they have passed X-ray!?
When I arrive home there is never anyone in customs at all just to walk pass by!
But times has changed!!!
Rules has been made stricter in Sweden now for taking in aquariumfish, before you only had to show a paper that you had signed, in which you certified that the fish was for personal use as aquariumfish only and that they did not include coldwater species like Goldfish and Koi that are not allowed to bring in!
Nowadays you have to notice a veterinarian some days in advance that have to inspect the fish at the airport before you bring them in, which is quite expensive more than a 150 $ I think!
I think you'll get to pay heavy fines to if you get caught!
Another thing is the terrorist threat that has tightened the controll at most airports, so that nowadays they will always inspect your handluggage for liquids, because of this I didn't dare to "smuggle" some fish with me home from Thailand this year!
Probably still possible to take them in your checked in luggage, but then you have the problem of keeping them varm in the storage room during the flight!?
So I guess those days are over now to catch and "import" my own fish...
Thaifighter
ps about the tank in my movie being a bit overcrowded I agree, but when I released the fish in there a few months earlier they were still only 1 cm long babies, but they growed fast!
Shortly after this video was shot I actually sold the lot to an Aquarium-shop that wanted to keep them in a big Biotope tank for display!
