Especially if the airport is a ways away... air pump, batter op or have inverter with to run, Amquel, something else that can hold fish. An icechest (very clean) or fish bags. Maybe even your own dechlor'd water source...here is my saga from yesterday.....
Picked up my Brady fish at the airport this afternoon... there was a hole in the box. They even had it noted on the airbill that there was water leaking..but the box was dry?? I opened the box (they wanted me to sign before I did that..no way!) and the bags seemed somewhat deflated, but I couldn't find any holes in the bags?
Called Brady and told him what was going on. Discussed some options. Decided that since I couldn't find any holes and there was still air in the bag I was just gonna drive home. Going down the freeway the more I thought about it, the less I liked it..so started to think of where a pet shop might be..Wasn't sure what I was going to DO but I felt like I needed to do SOMETHING!! I had a few ice chests with me and even considered buying bottled water and transferrring them. Got to the parking lot of the pet shop and checked the bag again..how to find the leak if there was one? Ok push on the bag..and right on top was very small holes through both bags. Called Brady back and told him I'd found the holes in both bags. Went in and bought amquel and a battery operated air pump. Dumped in a bunch of the amquel and made the hole just big enough to get the airstone in there and headed down the freeway. I check them again at the top of the pass (about 40 mins) and I could see they were visibly more active. Got them home and put them in the q-tank to equalize temps. It was quite warm in Washington today and the temps must not have been far off. I could use a digital thermometer to check the temps. They only floated for 10-15 minutes before I could put them in the q-tank.
They seemed to be fine. Pics will have to wait til later. Just not on the priority list.
It's a 3+ hour drive from the airport to home. With side trip and traffic was probably over 4 from the time I picked them up to home. Won't ever go to pick fish up again without amquel, airpump, and probably ice chest with water and/or extra bags. I would have hated to have tried to re-bag them as there was everything from a 19" fish to a 4", but the idea of having water ready in an icechest should the need arise is a interesting one.
I kept hearing in my head to take amquel..take a pump and inverter... Just thought it was my own paranoia It was trying to be divine intervention..but I wasn't listening!!
Fish are in the q-tank and seem to all be ok. I don't have any idea where/when the box damaged occured. The note on the airbill was unclear if it was from unloading in Atlanta or Seattle. If there was no plane transfer in Atlanta it would have been a note from Seattle. It's almost enough to make one panic....
Just happy they seem ok tonight
Added note from this morning... they seem to be ok. The only one I'm a bit worried about is a small hariwake that will eventually go to a friend of mine along with a kohaku. She doesn't have a q-tank set up yet, but it made to much sense to transport them all together and share the shipping cost.
