Part II:
Preparing the Livestock
Putting 2 & 2
together, one could build an argument against the “72 hr
standard fasting period” in conjunction with and prior to, a
prolonged time in transit. If USPS Priority shipping is 2-3 days
and the shipper "purges" the fish for 72hrs prior, then the
total period of malnourishment will severely test the
stress tolerances of many of the smaller aquarium species. It is
hardly speculative to imagine more than a few fish have arrived
in a borderline condition due to the misapplication of this
widely used baseline (and likewise fueling the common belief
that Nothobranchius and other species are poor shippers).
Weighing in the
probability of ammonia poisoning vs. the likelihood of a
secondary/opportunistic malady from a malnourishment induced
compromised metabolism, perhaps the time is at hand to advocate
a little more elasticity to the maxim “72hr fast”. Granted
several considerations could factor in your decision to purge a
fish for a given time period, but perhaps adding a “size over
time” variable to this “rule of thumb” might reduce
malnourishment stress without overly sacrificing simplification
or risk (specifically ammonia poisoning risk during transit). If
one must use a “rule of thumb” then conceivably, a “24hrs per
inch” fasting period provides relatively more safety in practice
(as a very rough guide, with an upper limit of 72hrs).
Water Quality
Considerations:
Discussion: The
checklist below is really a disguised flow chart, which
ask how can we provide the highest quality shipping water
possible without piling on additional stress to the shipping
candidate? (Water change stress/shock) There are two ways to
accomplish this, and the method you choose depends on: the
sensitivity of the species involved and/or how you go about your
routine tank maintenance:
a)
If the species
in question is sensitive to water changes and/or you have been
adjusting your tap
water to meet certain hardness or pH criteria, then your best
course of action is to do small partial water <in tank> changes
over a period of time until you achieve the cleanest water
possible by the shipping day (you then simply bag your fish
directly in its original tank water)
b)
If you routinely
perform a 25% or greater water change per week using ordinary
“unadjusted” de-chlorinated tap water, then in all likelihood,
setting aside a container of water overnight and using that for
25-50% of your bag water should be safe.
Common sense
rules here, and you may also want to take note of how much
vegetation, peat or driftwood is in the tank (materials that
might cause “pH drift”). You might also want to note whether you
have been routinely adding salt, and if you heat your tank above
room temperature. In those instances, a hand held TDS meter is
an indispensable tool for adjusting tap water (one you should
probably have anyway). Otherwise, you will have to use your best
judgment (or choose method “a” as your safest course of action).
Checklist
To
reiterate: You want to provide the cleanest possible water for
shipping your fish, and you want to accomplish this feat with as
little stress to the fish as possible. Bear in mind that not
only must the fish survive a battery of environmental stresses
while in transit; it will again have to adjust to an entirely
new environment at the destination. This consideration is
especially important with certain killifishes as many hobbyists
can attest. I have witnessed stress even when moving fish from
tank to tank, or making partial water changes.
Continued: Part III:
Fish Bags: Poly Bags
