Anyone know (on average) how long a fish can/should be kept in the bag they were purchased it? Would they be alright for a few hours?

Derrick

I can't help with this but I would really like to know the answer.

Derrick, you can ask the pet people to put the fish in a bigger bag with more room for air. 3 hours is usually fine. If I know I am transporting mine longer, I just bring one of those plastic fish/turtle kind of containers with a lid along. That's how I packed mine 14 hours to here!

Yep that's correct people transport them for koi shows all across the country. Of course that's dependent on the distance so they use different methods. One of the easiest is pure oxygen. Keep the water cool if the outside temp is hot. Like KK said you should have no problem.

FM3

When we bought a koi from a place about 2 1/2 hour from home, the guy put a tablet inside the bag with the fish.
He said it would create enough oxygen for the long trip home.
Don't know what the tablet was made of though. :unsure:

The koi was trying to jump out of the bag the whole way home.
My wife held it in her lap for the drive home. She kept saying "He sure is strong!".
We named him Hercules. :D

PG

Some stores will inflate the rest of the bag with oxygen from a bottle. I have transported fish 3hr .

Cool, thanks!
I usually don't even bother asking the kids working! LOL

Derrick

Us fishy lovers would ideally keep fish in a bag no longer than say four hours. But, when fish are shipped to stores, they are often in the bags for over a day and often very overcrowded. Yet, some (not all) survive. How long they survive depends on the size and quantity of fish, volume of water, how much oxygen gas was put in the bag, if something like Ammo-Lock is added for the ammonia, temperature, etc. I think there are fizz tabs that release oxygen but I'm not sure where you could get some. They would be short term in helping.

If you need to transport a fish for several hours, just tell the person bagging the fish. Most good fish shops have oversized bags for situations like that, and they can fill the sac with pure oxygen. I have had fish in the car for three hours or more several times with no ill effects.

When moving fish for more than a few hours, I typically bring a plastic file box, the kind that has a foldover lid, available for cheap at any office supply store. I just have the fish put straight in there.