> Should I make an issue of folks that haphazardly handle and ship fish
>over a long distant and time, and look for answers on how we can improve
>things on this issue, to get an answer in a round about way?
The real trick in long ship times is preventing the water from fouling
and the pH from dropping. This occurs from fish waste, predominately
the ammonia, that occurs if they have been fed or not prior to
shipping. Solid fish waste doesn't really hurt the fish in a bag but
it doesn't look good. Regurgitated food because they had full bellies
can wipe out the fish no mater how you pack them. Adding a product
like AmQuel to the water will prevent this. Be careful not to
overdose. There is also a pad that can be bought in pet shops that
absorbs ammonia. It will turn brown as it collects it plus you don't
have to worry about over dosing. Sorry I can't think of the name at
present. but you just cut a chunk off and throw it into the bag. You
really don't need to worry about packing in oxygen. I've had fish
bagged in straight air and kept them that way for a week without ill
effects. The thing to remember is don't over pack and only fill 1/4 of
the bag with water. Contrary to popular belief, your standard plastic
fish bag does pass gasses provided the outside is dry. But it does
need the reservoir of air to do this.
Also I would recommend rebagging your fish after the auction. Many
people do not bag correctly or only bag with the idea that some one is
going straight home with the fish. I also doubt that any fish will be
packed in oxygen at the auction. Most folks don't have access.
later
Cary Hostrawser
My Rainbowfish Home Page
http://pw2.netcom.com/~caryho/home.html
Rainbowfish Study Group Web Page
http://home.stlnet.com/~gwlange/rainbowfish.index.html