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I think if I was moving three 10 inch synos I would separate them into different containers...they would probably be okay together but I am sure with these there may be some poking going on...not even because of aggression but could be as simple as just being a little freaked out and protective of themselves...understandably so.

Birger

Birger, I communicated with the seller in regards to what containers I should bring. He also recommended that I bring 3 separate containers--specifically three 5 gallon buckets with lids. I think this is probably the most efficient solution. I just have to see if I can find lids for the buckets I do have. Or, perhaps they aren't that expensive at Home Depot. Otherwise, I'll bring my larger rubbermaid garbage cans and just put enough water in each to keep the fish submerged and then some. They are coming out of a 180gal tank, so I imagine the guy can spare some water to help facilitate this transaction.

Uh, yeah, separate containers is the BEST solution, absolutely. If you have a LARGE single vessel, that would be the second best, but not as good.

Bucket with lid: If they carry marine stock, give your LFS a call and ask if they have old salt buckets. Make sure you clean them out properly, but once the bucket is clean, it should be fine for keeping fish in, short term. These hold about 5 gal.

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Mats

be advised, in case this might help , unknown if it's the same bucket andlid you are all referring to but... one time i transported some BN fry to the fish store in a 2.5 gal fish bucket an lid, the fish bucket and lid were actually buckets from say Orchard Supply hardware in the paint section. It's what I use fo reach tank, minus the lids.

Anyways..i poked a hole in the top and fed an airling thru it for a battery operated pump and thought i was oh so ingenious until we got to the fish store, and no one could get the lid off! they were prying and poking and doing all sorts of things and i thought the poor fry would be scared to death by the time they got the lid off.

It was harrowing! and i now use coolers to transport.

just for info in case it helps anyone.

Thanks, Mats and Andy. I stopped by Home Depot and picked up 3 five-gallon buckets with lids for less than $10. I inspected about 10 or so buckets and picked out the ones that had the least amount of dust in them. I plan on rinsing them out thoroughly with hot then cold water. And, I'll make sure to rehearse putting the lids on AND taking them off before I head out to pick up the fish. If a lid gets stuck, I'm sure it can easily be removed with a flathead screwdriver--just like paint, sealer, etc.

I'll have no problems keeping the temp steady. The water conditions are pretty much the same between my tank and the one they are coming from. With regards to my driving, I'll do my best to cut down on the batman turns. However, I'll probably be cutting through Chinatown and downtown Manhattan to get there. I find that I get around NYC the best when I am an assertive driver. Defensive driving? Bah! My position is that a good offense is the best defense. But, I will do my best to keep the fish as steady as possible. And so much for that.

I'll try to take pics when I go to pic them up--and definitely before they go into my tank.

I've never driven in New York [1], but yes, I'm sure if you have experience of it, do what you think is right - and certainly, it's better to brake/steer/accelerate hard than to crash into something! The idea is to arrive alive with fishes in good health!

[1] I've been to NY a couple of times, but didn't have a driving license at the time. Since then I've got a license, and driven in several other places - but I think aside from a trip through Dallas and a bit of driving around the Bay Area, I've spent nearly all my US driving "in the sticks", relatively speaking. Minneapolis is probably the other "busy" place - but nothing really compares to NY, from what I understand.

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Mats

IMO, driving in and around Boston is even crazier than driving around NYC. Both cities are the craziest cities to drive in and around in my experience. I grew up in NJ and have lived in the SF bay area for several years with trips down to LA and San Diego. LA has pretty bad traffic, but it is no where as insane as the east coast cities for driving.

Unfortunately I drive all around New York City every day to visit my clients. Some times it can take me 20 minutes to drive 4 miles. The traffic can really be draining. Since this is my daily routine I try and remain calm and not stress out.

Mark

I use the lidded buckets with battery operated bubbler. 1/3 full max and sloshing from driving actually helps with oxygenation as long as the fish are not slamming into the bucket, LOL. The lid does not have to be snapped on tightly, I usually just get one corner to catch.

yeah that's probably definitely the trick , do not snap whole lid down! btu then have someone close by to moniter there is no bucket moving spilling fallign incident.

i find transporting fish kind of harrowing , can you tell? I am always yelling at the driver to slow down over the railroad tracks!! slower!! slower!! can you go like 2 mph over those *&&&%%$$(** tracks!!!

I am most comfortable with big coolers, the airline from the battery operated air pump can still fit in and the lid can come down. Just not pushed down totally tight, again requires someone sitting with it in the back seat to moniter.

Altho the pictures from another thread with the buckets seat belted in and that awesome air pump thing or pl;ug in thing. let me find that thread cause it was awesome! i think it was on my l239 thread of doom.

page 5, post by drpleco

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... e&start=80

I use the back seat belts or some other similar way to ensure the buckets CAN NOT fall over - the last thing you need if you have to do an evasive maneuver because some driver in front is doing some dimwhit action, is to find that you have fish and water all over the back of the car - especially on a big road where it's hard or illegal to stop.

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Mats

My bucket fits exactly and snugly on the front passenger seat floor, can't move once it's there.

Just got back a little while ago. I wound up taking the Staten Island route to Brooklyn. Didn't feel like messing with Holland Tunnel and Manhattan traffic. It's always a pain when you first get onto the Staten Island Expressway--always traffic. But, it was a relatively easy ride.

The fellow I bought these S. angelica from was a very nice guy. Seems like he's been an ichthyology geek for a long time. He's heavily involved in the local aquarium societies. That's something I will try to get involved in. Regarding the S. angelica specimens I bought from him--he said they are about 15 years old. He attemped to breed them for some time, but thinks they will only do it with a mud substrate--which he didn't want to put into the tank they were in. If I'm going to try a mud substrate, I'll probably do it in a big 300-gal tub (like what they sell koi out of). They are definitely the biggest S. angelica I've ever seen in the flesh. I'm probably going to try to get a few more, smaller specimens. But, this is a good start.

I'm drip-acclimating them now. Stay tuned for some pics.