caryho at ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
> In The Dawn of the Third Age "James E. Capelle" <jcapelle at gte.net>
> woke me from my contemplation by writing:
>
> > Should I make an issue of folks that haphazardly handle and ship fish
> >over a long distant and time, and look for answers on how we can improve
> >things on this issue, to get an answer in a round about way?
>
> The real trick in long ship times is preventing the water from fouling
> and the pH from dropping. This occurs from fish waste, predominately
> the ammonia, that occurs if they have been fed or not prior to
> shipping. Solid fish waste doesn't really hurt the fish in a bag but
> it doesn't look good. Regurgitated food because they had full bellies
> can wipe out the fish no mater how you pack them. Adding a product
> like AmQuel to the water will prevent this. Be careful not to
> overdose. There is also a pad that can be bought in pet shops that
> absorbs ammonia. It will turn brown as it collects it plus you don't
> have to worry about over dosing. Sorry I can't think of the name at
> present. but you just cut a chunk off and throw it into the bag. You
> really don't need to worry about packing in oxygen. I've had fish
> bagged in straight air and kept them that way for a week without ill
> effects. The thing to remember is don't over pack and only fill 1/4 of
> the bag with water. Contrary to popular belief, your standard plastic
> fish bag does pass gasses provided the outside is dry. But it does
> need the reservoir of air to do this.
> Also I would recommend rebagging your fish after the auction. Many
> people do not bag correctly or only bag with the idea that some one is
> going straight home with the fish. I also doubt that any fish will be
> packed in oxygen at the auction. Most folks don't have access.
>
> later
>
> Cary Hostrawser
>
> My Rainbowfish Home Page
> http://pw2.netcom.com/~caryho/home.html
>
> Rainbowfish Study Group Web Page
> http://home.stlnet.com/~gwlange/rainbowfish.index.html