Is it possible to keep a fish alive in a cooler for about 24 hours?

[HAAAAAAAA]

I thought of doing tide pool collecting, but the beach is quite far which is about a 4 to 5 hour drive, whenever i go there i need to stay at an inn, so is it possible to just put any fish which has been collected in a cooler with live rocks collected at the tide pool to keep ammonia at bay? or i could change the water every 8 hours by keeping spare 3 gallon bottles of sea water

 

[fishywishy]

As long as you keep the water heated it should be fine.

 

[Reef.]

Obviously don't close the lid and keep the water at the correct temp, I would also add an air pump as water that has been kept in a bottle will be low in oxygen, the air pump will also help with water movement.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

You should be good. Tide/rock pool fish have a high tolerance for about everything, due to the fact they are stuck until the tide comes back in. A water change and a battery operated bubbler, you should be all good. Your location probably does not necessitate a heater.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would add a rock or two for biofiltration and for hiding space and add a powerhead and airstone (and heater if needed) but I think it should be fine.

 

[GARRIGA]

Air stone to agitate surface water will maintain gas exchange and kept at room temperature will allow more dissolved oxygen to persist.

Don't need live rock but small corner filter loaded with seeded media that is air driven will solve both nitrification and gas exchange in a small package. Bottled bacteria such as Fritz can seed it quickly although better to grab from established tank.

Biggest issue being ammonia since gas exchange will prevent pH from dropping which happens in sealed bags during transport and shifts most of it to ammonium which is harmless. Those freshly taken will be excreting ammonia as they breath.

Why as an option might be best to bag them and use a small oxygen canister to fill two thirds with oxygen then acclimate once home.

Here's that old school corner filter which likely the best solution. Battery driven air pump can be used on the ride home and connected to outlet in the hotel room.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

I appreciate the help! I'll make sure to prepare everything said for the next time I go

 

[Paul B]

Virtually all the fish we keep, except the ones we collect spent a day or longer in a cooler on their way to your LFS.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Would not hurt to look up regulations for the fish you plan to catch, also don't get caught with fish and no fishing license

 

[DaJMasta]

Don't add any rocks or heavy equipment unless they are anchored, you don't need bowling balls in there with your livestock.

As said, tide pool critters tend to be pretty tolerant, but an airstone (lid on is fine if the air intake is outside) is a bare minimum and for a full 24 hours a small heater is good too (this is very dependent on the weather in the method of transport, though, there are plenty of days in a car in the summer where a heater would be bad).

Water changes should be more than enough to mitigate buildup of ammonia, remember we ship livestock overnight (and often over 24h in transit) all the time. Yes, they can have some special treatment (not feeding the day or two before to minimize excreted waste, oxygen in the bag, etc.), but 24 hours with air and reasonable temperatures should do fine for all but the most fragile/stressed organisms.

The above note about being sure you're allowed to collect them is an important one too.

 

[BryanM]

I thought of doing tide pool collecting, but the beach is quite far which is about a 4 to 5 hour drive, whenever i go there i need to stay at an inn, so is it possible to just put any fish which has been collected in a cooler with live rocks collected at the tide pool to keep ammonia at bay? or i could change the water every 8 hours by keeping spare 3 gallon bottles of sea water

If you think about buying fish online, they easily spend 12hrs in a bag in a box. Heater and an air stone and you're good to go.

 

[GARRIGA]

Careful comparing being bagged vs open access cooler. One causes pH to drop as co2 accumulates and neutralizes ammonia vs letting ammonia accumulate to lethal levels. Doubt water changes feasible in this setup.

 

[Tamberav]

I just add a bubbler but never bothered with heater when moving fish long distances, mainly because I find heaters can be off and heat up too much and room temp/cooler is better for fish than too hot. I guess I could drag my inkbird along... but when fish are shipped here in the cold MN weather, they often arrive in mid 50's to 60's without issue. I bet if they arrived in the 90's, they would be cooked.

If you use a heater, just keep an eye on the temp.

I do tank transfer method to QT fish and they are in uncycled tanks for about 3 days at a time without issue so unless it is large fish, ammonia should be okay.

 

[exnisstech]

I used to buy fish when I visited family out of state. I just ran an inverter off an auxiliary outlet on my vehicle and used it to power a heater and air stone in the cooler.

 

[jrill]

Better check the legality. You probably need a license at the very least

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

I really appreciate the suggestions and advices! I have a familiar local there from whom I take help from, i believe that there's a rule here in which a licensed holder can write written permits to fish in behalf of them, though of course I'll study the regulations more, i don't want to end up paying double for the fish I catch than what I would've gotten them for in a lfs haha

 

[vetteguy53081]

I thought of doing tide pool collecting, but the beach is quite far which is about a 4 to 5 hour drive, whenever i go there i need to stay at an inn, so is it possible to just put any fish which has been collected in a cooler with live rocks collected at the tide pool to keep ammonia at bay? or i could change the water every 8 hours by keeping spare 3 gallon bottles of sea water

Some ship longer than this with success and I have transported fish longer than this using a power inverter and pump with air stone. adding a few drops of Seachem prime will help with TYEMPORARY ammonia reduction