# How much oxygen is enough oxygen?



## joeyd71 (Aug 14, 2011)

Long story short- I need to transport my fish in a few days, early in the morning. I am catching them the night before and splitting up 20 fish into two 1 gallon containers. I will be putting the fish in the containers, and then putting the containers (open top) in the top of the aquarium to keep the temperature where it should be. I have a jerry rigged aeration pump that is slowly pumping out bubbles to the surface (4 medium sized bubbles a second). Is this enough to keep the oxygen levels survivable overnight for my fish?

Also, I filmed a video of my tank a few days ago for those who are wondering. (Watch in HD....then you can actually see my fish.)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vTXcIuWtAPE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thanks


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

Don't do that. The water will be toxic by the end of the whole ordeal. Catch them right before you are moving them.


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## joeyd71 (Aug 14, 2011)

fishguy2727 said:


> Don't do that. The water will be toxic by the end of the whole ordeal. Catch them right before you are moving them.


I'll also be adding/taking away water throughout the time they are in the containers- except for the 2.5 hour car ride.


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

Just catch them before you leave. There is no need to cram them in buckets overnight and stress them out even more then they already will be.


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

Why not just leave them in the tank until you are about to move them. Then you don't need to do constant pwc to keep the levels at an ok level for the fish. Might I also suggest a battery powered aerator, it was suggested to me for when I was moving fish and while I moved them without it, I ended buying one and it will keep the fish much happier for any more moves that I will possibly need to do. 

I was able to get a bucket insulated with styrofoam with the aerator for $25 at dicks sporting goods. It was a larger bucket hence the cost, they had a couple others that ranged from $10 - $40 depending on the size of the bucket, if it came with an aerator or just a place for oxgen access, if it was just styrofoam or a bucket and styrofoam, etc . . .


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't agree with that at all. I have been moving, shipping, and receiving fish for years and letting them sit in their own unaerated waste overnight (just as long as shipping, so what is the point?) then shocking them by dumping them in different water is not the way to go. Don't feed for a day or two before you move them, keep them in buckets for as short as possible, and aerate if at all possible. 

FYI you can buy plugs that go to your car's cigarette plug and allow you to plug normal plugs in it (like your usual air pump).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

When I moved my fish,I fasted them for three days prior,then bagged them up the day I left.Of course you can use a bucket ,but i would use clean dechlored water and do it the day of moving instead of that night.

As for oxygen they have battery powered air pumps.

My fish were bagged because i moved about fifteen bettas,lol and a bucket of bettas would not have ended well....


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

Dropping the oxygen level doesn't drop their metabolism. At any given temperature they are going to need a certain amount of oxygen, whether it is around or not. 

I never said it is okay to let them sit in a bucket overnight. They should be in a bucket for as little time as possible, not sitting in it overnight so you save a few minutes the morning of.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

jccaclimber said:


> So fish metabolism is mostly temperature based rather than O2 based? That makes sense as I think about it more, and would explain the problem with warming up a bag that fish have been shipped in without diluting it first.


This is why fish get in a semi-lethargic state in cooler temperatures. Being a fisherman, I know that I have to slow the presentation of the bait down during times when the water temp is low....like now with air temps as low as they have been.


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

The whole sentence says what i have been saying:
I have been moving, shipping, and receiving fish for years and letting them sit in their own unaerated waste overnight (just as long as shipping, so what is the point?) then shocking them by dumping them in different water is not the way to go.

I guess the parentheses broke it up too much.


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