This Friday we’re going to pack the kids, the cats, the dog and two goldfish into the mini-van and move to Chi-town. We bought a plastic jar - about a gallon in size - as temporary housing for the fish. If we seal the lid on the jar, how long can they live in there?
I’d guess about 6-12 hours. Without oxygen, they die.
You might want to ask the Goldfish Sanctuary people about this. But for godsake, don’t give them your real name. They’re likely to rescue the fish and put you in a sealed jar.
Just wanted to add:
If you open the jug every 45 minutes or so (you didn’t say how long this trip would be) and let it sit open, maybe aggitate the water a little, that would help. Goldfish do much better with a lot of surface area. If you’re really bonded to these fish, you might want to put them in a big rubbermaid bin with a lid so there’s lots of surface area. You could also punch holes in the lid. If you’re not so bonded with the fish, then just give them to someone with a garden pond or sell them back to the petstore.
Why do you need to seal the lid? Will it be impossible to keep the jar upright? Poke holes in the lid if you can.
Otherwise, fill the jar only part way so there’s lots of air in it. Whenever you stop, take the jar out and unscrew the lid to refresh the air.
Goldfish are a kind of carp and are adapted to live in stagnant water. Off hand, I would guess that they could last in a sealed jar for quite a few hours if there was enough air in it to begin with, possibly as long as your car trip from Maine to Chicago. But better be safe than sorry by giving them some fresh air en route.
Ain’t military life grand? Don’t get me wrong, I loved the idea of seeing new places, but it’s tough on family life.
I’m not a fish expert, but I think temperature variants might be as important as oxygen.
What does the Guard have in store for you in Chicago?
I’d go with opening the lid periodically and maybe taking along a straw that you can blow into and agitate the water, but here’s another idea.
Put the fish into a bag that is about the size of the jar. Fill it partway with water, then put it in the jar. On your way out of town, stop by your regular petstore and ask them to fill the rest of the bag from their oxygen tank and then tie it up. That’s how they usually pack fish to bring home. The jar will proctect the fish and the bag will allow filling with the oxygen.
I’d check with the local PS anyway. They probably get in fish shipments all the time and will know the best packing method.
Good luck!
Given the serious stress your goldfish is going to be under, I would recommend spiking his tank with IckAway (or something similar) as soon as you get to your destination. You know the product - it’s designed to remove the white spots (Ick) and maybe condition the water or help prevent infections and whatnot.
Actually, I would recommend dropping some of the stuff in the tank you’re transporting him in.
I’m no fish expert (by any stretch of the imagination), but I use IckAway like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding used Windex. Fish looks sick? IckAway. Fish looks sleepy? IckAway. Fish looks at me funny? IckAway.
I’ve had great results with it.
The Doctor
I certainly don’t need to seal the lid. I was curious if it was a Bad Idea[sup]TM[/sup]. As the van will be pretty packed with wildlife (which includes the children), I was looking to guard against accidental spillage. The drive will be about 18 hours.
These are some pretty stout fish. The wife bought them 3 years ago for the outdoor pond. They survived just fine out there, right up until their environment starting freezing around them. So we brought them indoors for the winters only. The kids have become attached to them, otherwise I was going to donate them to the local all you can eat Chinese buffet.
(They have nice indoor goldfish pond - what’d you think I meant?)
I’m heading to the SAR Station in Wilmette Harbor. It’s a really nice unit and I’m lucky to be heading there. The wife and I grew up just a few miles South of there. We didn’t even ask for that unit - it just worked out that way. Nice!
I wouldn’t be concerned about oxygen so much as heat. Enclosed space, still air, warm bodies… it’d be really easy to overwarm the environment and send the fish into fatal shock.
By “warm bodies,” of course, I mean “you and your family,” not the fish, unless they’re peculiarly evolved or something.
If you really wanna maximize the chances of a good outcome, you can by a battery operated air pump and force air through an airstone. Fisherman sometimes use them to keep bait alive. I’ve seen them for sale in bait shops/sporting goods places.
http://www.wholesalebait.com/product.php?pid=156&PHPSESSID=51d008e70129d10c9b00e9d7e9c3cf26
I did an experiment on goldfish in college biology about this very topic. We put the little guys in sealed mason jars, and measured the water for changes in oxygen content and ph. It only took a couple hours for the water to become unable to sustain the fish. IIRC the ph dropped quite a bit as the oxygen got turned into CO2…it’s been a long time. But it was a bad day to be a goldfish.
At the end of the experiment I took my little fellah home and gave him some nice fresh water and kept him alive for a few weeks. I won’t go into details but I lost him accidentally down the bathroom sink.
Years ago I saw an exhibit in the Ontario Science Center of a goldfish that was sealed in a 15 inch ball. With the fish was a live plant, a water plant of some kind ( I don’t remember the plant). this ball was inside another ball about 35 inches in diameter with a timed light inside the outer ball. The plaque said this goldfish had been inside the sealed ball with the plant for 7 years. Possibly, under the right conditions (light, food, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water and a living creature) this experiment should work.
Fish exhales co2, plant gives off o2, fish eats plant, fish poo fertilizes plant, water for fish and plant, plant continuously grows feeding fish with food and o2.
The earth is a sealed ball in a vacuum (space) and we all live on it.
What do you think??
I think that, ten years after this thread was posted, that goldfish is long dead whether or not it was placed in a sealed container.
You’d be surprised how long some fish can live.
Apparently we won as well, I honestly don’t remember Maine attacking Chicago …
Cursory Googling indicates goldfish live 30 years with proper care, and at least one lived to 43.
Koi live even longer; researchers counting growth rings on scales believe one famous koi named Hanako was 225 at the time of measurement.
