Safe to ship catfish in breather bags?

[tokyo]

I have some syno multipunctatus I'm trying to sell locally. I would like to be able to offer shipping to be able to sell them nationally and increase my chances of finding a buyer, but I don't like shipping with regular bags because of how much space they take up. Would it be safe to ship them in kordon breather bags? My one concern is that the spines in their fins might damage the bag.

Also, what size bag should I use for a 4"-5" fish?

[Bas Pels]

Breather bags are much thinner than regular bags, and thus much more sensitive

I would not try any catfish with identifiable spines to these bags, personally.

@ size - a 4 inch fish measures 10 cm - therefore a bag which after being filled measures 10 cm across is too small.

Filled 10 cm across equals a width of nearly 16 cm.

A regular bag of 40 * 20 cm might work out, but I would prefer a 10 liters bucket (2.5 gallon)

this fish is, thus, too large for regular shipment

[Narwhal72]

I wouldn't use breather bags because they puncture too easily. You could pack several into a standard 8" x 15" poly bag (triple bag it to prevent punctures would be best). Or you could pack them individually in 4 x 12" bags. This works better if the box you are using is short and flat so you can lay the bags on their sides.

Andy

[Suckermouth]

I received loricariids shipped in breather bags from Larry (apistomaster). When he swings around I'm sure he'll give you a lengthy opinion on the matter.

[2wheelsx2]

My

Peckoltia compta

were shipped by Larry (apistomaster) also in breather bags without problems. 2 of the bags developed tiny leaks, but over 3 days, very little water was lost.

[Proteus]

I think the breather bags are more flexible or am I dreaming? Tho I've not had a seller ship me a catfish or any other fish in a breather bag, as I think they're more pricy per bag than a plastic one. But I have brought a batch of breather bags and sold the fish at the swap meets in the past, it worked out great. Very flexible and none of them ever leaked when I was using em with some catfish species as payne's catfish and bumblebee catfish, cories etc.


Most of the plastic bags when I had catfish shipped in in general 75% already have popped the bags.

[Narwhal72]

I did one auction where I decided to use breather bags.

Never again! It was a disaster. People kept handling the bags to look at the fish and they were getting punctured and leaking all over the place. Of course this made the ink run on my nice tags and I had to hurriedly write up new tags for each bag as it came up.

I think they work great for shipping most types of fish (since they don't get handled once they go in the box) but I still think the puncture issues with plecos would be a problem.

Andy

[apistomaster]

Breathable bags are more elastic than barrier plastic bags which actually makes them more puncture resistant than barrier bags of the same thickness but the spines of catfish are a problem regardless of the type of bags that are used.
For larger catfish I would recommend using at least two barrier bags. One should be pulled over the other from opposite ends so the final bag has no corners.
I accept that I will have a few breathable bags get punctured but my over all losses among shipped plecos is barely 1% and I do not know of any way to improve upon that rate of success.
I use an impulse sealer to seal the two corners of my breathable bags at about a 45* angle to reduce the chances of the spines finding a place where their spines can gain enough purchase to puncture the bags. In effect, I customize my breathable bags.
I ran tests with my plecos sealed up inside breathable bags for seven days and simulated the rough drops and other shipping stresses to prove the bags would work before I opted to use them exclusively for my purposes. I had to stop the tests after seven days so the fish would not starve to death. I fast all my fish for 48 hours prior to shipping to keep their water clean. I also use Jungle Bag Buddy Tablets in the shipping water. I do not use them as directed nor do I use them for their supposed ability to to produce oxygen. I blend a tablet in a little water and add it so there is one blended tablet per 2 liters of shipping water. I only use Bag Buddies for their tranquilizing properties.

[tokyo]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Apistomaster, when you double bag do you put anything in between the bags? On the kordon website they recommend putting moist paper towel between the bags when double bagging. They don't explain why though.

[apistomaster]

I never double bag breathable bags because that will cut the gas exchange rate by at least 50%. Using a paper layer between two breathable bags may improve upon that slightly but at that point one needs to consider the merits of using two thicker barrier type bags. Larger catfish need more water and as many as three bags for maximum protection against punctures. Many of the larger Cichlids like Discus are often double or triple bagged. I consider the Synodontis to be even more likely than a pleco to puncture a bag.
The majority of the plecos I sell are 2 to 2-3/4 inches so I can safely use very little water, as little as 2/3 to 3/4 cup, and pack many fish in a box. I wrap each bag with a paper towel so 100% of the bag's surface area is in contact with air even if the bags are packed tightly together. This helps keep the costs of shipping as low as I can although I do buy expensive insulated shipping kits which adds to the costs it offers maximum protection from temperature change and other shipping damage.
I sell relatively expensive fish so it doesn't make sense to me to cut corners on their protection.

By impulse sealing the bag's corners at about 45* the bagged fish are enclosed in an oval shaped water balloon.
I strongly recommend testing your options at home and simulate the drops and other forms of rough handling to see how well the particular fish hold up. As I mentioned previously, I tested my plecos for as many as seven days to learn what the limits were to how long and how much the fish could survive.

[syno321]

I've shipped all kinds of fish, including many Corys, using Breather bags and never incurred any problems. Never tried any Loricarids or large Synos. Just like apistomaster describes his method for double bagging, I've always doubled the barrier bags for the plecos and Synos and never had a problem.