How long can a fish last in a bag?

[sen5241b]

Assume I ask the LFS to put extra water in the bag and keep the temperature around 70 something, how long can a fish last in one of those bags? (I found a good LFS 3 hours away and I brought some hermits and snails back from there and they were fine, but fish?

 

[dustin_P74]

you dont want more water. you want more oxygen in there. and im sure three hours is fine. i mean when you buy a fish online there in the bag for upwards of 12 hours

 

[UnderwaterWorld]

my LFS friend told me 6 hours and they will be fine, but like fishfan mentioned they make it a lot longer when they are shipped. I would just make sure you keep the temp as constant as possible, go directly home

 

[fatman]

If your talking a two to three inch fish your fine with just blown in room air. Hopefully the LFS uses at least pumped air for filling the bags instead of filling them by blowing in them by mouth. Larger fish need larger bags of course and Tank fed O2 is nice but should not be nessary for a three hour trip. Keep the fish bag in a cooler or foam box as O2 requirements go up at higher temps yet warmer water holds less O2.

 

[Bifferwine]

Fatman is right, it depends on if they fill the bag with pumped oxygen or just room air. When fish are shipped overnight, they are shipped with pumped oxygen and they can last 24 hours plus that way. With regular old room air, they should be okay for 3 hours.