What are the methods for buying and transporting fish?

To get fish from a trusted @#@125@#@ source, verify whether the dealer follows proper quarantine procedures, and check whether the fish in the container look healthy. Unhealthy fish may hang upside down in the group and respond sluggishly to a gentle tap on the aquatic plants (dealers do not agree with this point).

Only a small number of fish are bred and sold locally; most fish are shipped by air over considerable distances, so the final health of the fish depends to a large extent on handling before and after transport. Nowadays airlines are quite experienced in handling fish and have established transport standards. They pack the fish densely into plastic bags containing as little water as possible, then put the bags into cardboard boxes or expanded polystyrene containers for transport. Different exporters use different handling methods before transport, but it is important not to feed the fish, so as to minimise the fouling of the water. Usually zeolite granules are added to the container to prevent the formation of ammonia and nitrite.

Using this method, fish can withstand 36 hours of travel. After arrival, careful freshwater fish importers gradually replace the water in the bag with fresh water, which is as similar as possible to the water in the bag. Then over several days the fish are gradually acclimated to the local water. Therefore, before buying fish, you should verify whether the dealer has properly followed this procedure, verify whether the fish have already been quarantined, whether there has been time for any possible disease to develop, and verify whether the fish have been fed to bring them into good condition. It is better to spend a little more money on properly handled fish than to buy cheap fish. Cheap fish have been flown long distances, then placed very quickly into unfamiliar water, then caught again and transported once more; after suffering repeated injuries, the fish may not survive.

Once you have chosen your fish, the dealer usually places them in a plastic bag, possibly with a small amount of thermal insulation around the bag. Be careful not to let them get too hot or too cold on the way home. You can find containers with better sustained insulation, or you can use a low-voltage heater and an oxygenation system plugged into the car's cigarette lighter to keep the fish comfortable during the journey.