Hi, my first post here. I was directed here by someone in Canada because I can particularly help out with the second part of this multi-question post.
First part first. The first thing is exactly what are the logistics here? Reading between the lines, I see you selling up, moving into rented accomodation until such time as you emmigrate to Canada correct?
So, next question(s):
1) How far (timewise) is the move from your house to the rental?
2) Do you have "overlap" access to the rental before the house sale is completed?
If the second answer is "yes", then that can make the logistics a little easier.
Right, let's go through your Q's.........
1. Obviously fish in bag of tank water - 1 fish per bag.
A. Depends what they are. Small fish such as tetras can easily be bagged in multiples. Use little water, lots of air and pack all the fish in an insulated box. If you have good relations with a local shop, they might give, or sell you the shipping boxes that they receive fish in. Anything spiney, such as
Plecostomus species are best bagged seperately although
Corydoras will be OK in multiples. Double bag everything for security and even treble up if you have something particularly prone to puncturing bags.
2. What to do about good bacteria? Would think it would die.
A. Here's where the time factor comes in. Bacteria need oxygen, so drain any cannister filters, but leave them wet, so bacteria can "breath".
3. Therefore when putting fish in tank again, tank would need to cycle.
A. Go to a camping shop or hardware store and buy one or two big water carrying containers. Fill these with mature tank water before you start breaking down the tank or catching fish. Depends on tank size, but go for at least one third of the total capacity. This will then effectively feel like a major water-change and spring-clean for the fish.
4. Even if I put them in a spare tank that one would have to cycle too.
A. If you have a spare tank, you can set that up bare at the rental accomodation and use the saved water and just hook up the mature filter(s). Then set up the other tank at your leisure.
5. What do we do about the substrate? - eco complete. How do we transport it?
A. Heavy job, depending on tank size of course. Scoop it out as-is and transport it in biuckets. Put it into the tank at the new place and place a large plate on the substrate then partially fill the tank with dechlorinated water at approximately the normal tank temperature, pouring it onto the plate, so as not to disturb the substrate. It's still going to be pretty messy, so you can syphon off this initial fill, along with disturbed mulm, and then refill again. At around half full, add your original tank water, then top up with fresh to the correct level.
Hook up your filter(s) heaters, etc. and switch on. Leave it for a while to clear some of the inevitable cloudiness.
6. How do we transport the plants? - same way as we do the fish?
A. Plants are easy. Put them in bags and inflate the bag. This stops the plants getting crushed in transit.
OK.....CANADA. Good news is that Canada has no restrictions on importing ornamental fish as long as they are not an endangered species. This was certainly the status when I came here from Suffolk in August, 2001. I would check up with Agriculture Canada via the web to check current regs.
I came here right in the middle of Foot & Mouth in England, so did a CYA move and contacted CEEFAS in England who are responsible for Fisheries. They were extremely helpful and gave me a nice letter stating the fish were "of no agricultural threat". Good call on my part because Air Canada were reluctant to accept them, but the letter clinched it.
There's two ways to go about shipping the fish. If it's quite a few, then you need to pack them in regular shipping boxes. If you manage to obtain some for your move, then keep them for the Trans-Atlantic trip. I initially rang Air Canada's freight department at Heathrow. They wanted to charge me a bunch of dough and it seems there would be quite a lot of hoops to jump through, but mainly that route doesn't work, I feel because you have to garuantee that the fish go on the same flight as you so you can get them at the other end.
Now, before I came here, my then girlfriend came and visited and she took back some Uaru. She just walked up to check-in and the fish were accepted, no charge as regular baggage to go in the hold. I'm guessing that they got re-directed to Special Handling and went in the heated luggage compartmment on the plane.
So when muggins walks up to the check-in in April 2001, I have two shipping boxes taped together as one because the freight guys told me they charge by the box. I thought I would be clever and make it "one box", but they weren't being fooled
So I got charged for two, BUT this charge was less than I had been quoted by the freight department, so I wasn't
that unhappy.
Here's the crux of the matter though. It was getting on for 200 quid if I remember correctly. Bottom line is, are the fish you want to ship worth that in intrinsic value or emotional value, or could you replace them with other's once you're set up in Canada?
I had to take the box(s) to the special-handling area and when I got to Pearson's luggage collection area the box was sitting there waiting for me even before my bags arrived!
For me, I considered certain fish I had a high emotional attachment to, plus they were fairly rare in Canada as far as I was aware.....a Royal Panaque and an Adonis plec for instance, plus a group of nice Clown Loaches. I had other more "common" species that basically I shipped because there was room for them in the boxes. Also, there were several established aquariums waiting for them in Toronto.
That trip was to come over and get married. In August, I came here permanently, and that time brought over my Hillstream Loaches in my carry-on. I was not charged anything and they sat in my bag in the overhead locker. I declared them on the customs form they give you on the plane, and I was directed to the "declaration" part of Customs. The guy asked me what I had and said he wasn't sure about them, so contacted a Supervisor. He arrives and says, "Can I have a look please?".
I got them out of my carry-on bag and he asked, "Are they endangered species?" to which I answered negative. He never actually asked me
what species they actually were. I was then told I could go. Completely painless!
Now what you do with them once you get here is your problem based on the circumstances that you have set up here.
Whereabouts are you coming to? If you're going west-coast, obviously the flight is much longer and the possibility of including oxygen in the bags because of the extra duration comes into question. I had a souce (don't ask) on the April trip and used O2, but the Hillstreams, even with their high Oxygen requirements were perfectly OK with only air and infact the
Pseudogastromyzon cheni bred just a few weeks later!
Hope this all helps some,
Martin Thoene, Toronto.
