Travelling With An Acf?

Smokescreen · Oct 15, 2008

I have a young ACF (about an inch and a half long at present, maybe a bit less) and, due to leaving for home for about four days and not having anyone else around, I'm going to need to take her with me on the four hour drive. The only small container I have that I can think of to use for transportation is a half gallon tank. My question is, how can I make her as comfortable as possible? I will have a passenger, so she'll have to be in the back seat or on the floor, so any suggestions would be great. I want to make this as stress-free for her as possible.

Mikaila31 · Oct 16, 2008

a ACF will be fine for 4 days without food. Just feed it right before you leave.

kevinthecow · Oct 18, 2008

well, 'Chewie McCookie Monster.' will be fine. He can take it for the ride. Stress coat, conditioner?

Also also! Dude get one of those auto feeders. They feed your fish automatically for like a few days or so.

Smokescreen · Oct 18, 2008

Thanks for the replies.

My roomie actually ended up staying an extra day, so I fed her before I left Thursday, and she fed her before she left Friday, and I feed her at night, so I'll be back Sunday night to feed her. So, really, she only has to fast one day. And she's got a feeder guppy if she gets hungry. :lol:

But I'll have to know how to transport her eventually, because come Christmas time, I've got to pack up all the tanks and take them home for break. XD

Mikaila31 · Oct 18, 2008

Well good thing she was able to stay, cuz such a long drive would most likely stress her out and make her not eat for a couple days anyway. Auto feeders are not good things. They tend to jam up and A) not feed the fish at all or B) dump way too much food in the tank and cause serious problems. Fish and frogs can easily go for a week with no food w/o any problems.

I'm guessing you are in a collage dorm :lol:

. I'm a freshmen, but I only live 15min away from campus so I decided to commute. Besides I saw those rooms no A/C and no way I could fit a 55gal, 20gal, 15 gal, and 3 gal tank in there :lol:

. To move the fish, go ask a local pet shop for some of the fish bags and see if you can find a cooler or styrofoam box to put all the fish bags in. These will help keep the bags the same temp and Keep them dark to reduce the stress. You can also use plastic food containers to transport the fish.

Smokescreen · Oct 18, 2008

Mikaila31 said:
Auto feeders are not good things. They tend to jam up and A) not feed the fish at all or B) dump way too much food in the tank and cause serious problems.

Which is exactly the reason that I use weekend feeders (either the little gel pods or the ones that come inside white blocks) if I use anything at all. I refuse to get a weekend feeder. Too much hassle and too many problems.

I'm guessing you are in a collage dorm .

Yep. But I'm at a private school, and we have controls for our AC and heat in our own rooms. XD And our rooms are bigger than public school dorms. And I only have a two half gals, a 3 gal, and a 6 gal. (Until Chewie outgrows the 6 gal and graduates to the 10 gal. Then I might try to divide the 3 gal for my two male bettas. But who knows if that would even be worth the effort.

)

To move the fish, go ask a local pet shop for some of the fish bags and see if you can find a cooler or styrofoam box to put all the fish bags in. These will help keep the bags the same temp and Keep them dark to reduce the stress. You can also use plastic food containers to transport the fish.

That is a fantastic idea. I never thought of that. XD I used ziplock bags set in a pitcher for transporting to school this semester. It wasn't my best idea. XD But it was all I had. But I will for sure ask at the LFS about bags, and find a cooler someplace.

Thanks for the tips!!

Mikaila31 · Oct 18, 2008

There was heat for each room, just no A/C. A 11x15 room for 2 people. All my friends are in Grimm hall, it is very grim :sly:

.

Smokescreen · Oct 18, 2008

...Dude, you're talking about River Falls, aren't you? XD I went there for the first year and a half of my college career before I transferred to Indiana Wesleyan. XD That's hilarious. Talk about a small world! I just looked at where you're from. XD Wow.

Mikaila31 · Oct 18, 2008

Yeah UWRF! It is a small world XD. Were you in Grimm Hall?

Smokescreen · Oct 31, 2008

No, I was off campus my entire time there. But I had friends in Grimm.

Oh, and another quick question: if traveling with my frogs and fish in tupperware, think I should poke holes in the tops? The trip is about three hours, and I plan to have them in a box in tupperware if I can't find a cheap cooler to put them in, so I dunno if I should start stabbing those lids now, or not. XD

Mikaila31 · Nov 1, 2008

No I wouldn't poke any holes in it. Just treat it like a bag and do 1/3 water and 2/3 air and they should have plenty. I was just at a fish auction last weekend, it lasted 8 hours. All the fish where in bags and laid on tables for the 8 hours. There had to be well over a hundred bags, and very few fish died. There was every thing from goldfish to adult discus. I brought home over 20 fish, who had spent 8 hours in their bags, its been a week and all are still alive and doing great!

The cooler is to keep things dark, which greatly reduces the stress on the fish. I like the soft lunch coolers. If you can't find one warping the bag or Tupperware container in a blanket or sweater will work just as well. Basically you are just looking for something to keep it dark and insulated.

Indian sounds nice. We've been getting snow flurries up here :sad: