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Capital Exotic Fish

keeping fish in your hotel room

Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Every so often I see people asking questions about keeping fish in their
room. With preorders, group buys, swap meet, and rare fish auction, will you be prepared?

I originally posted this for The BFD 2.
I figured I would repost this thread.

You can either use some of this information or just laugh at me. LOL


Here is what I do.

NOW REMEMBER that I am a little overboard on things. I am a fish nut and I have been to 37conventions in the last 12 years. If I had more time off and money, I would be at even more of them.
Proceed with Caution..... You have been warned.....



__________________
 
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Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Okay, you were warned.....



Sometimes I take fish with me to show or sell.
Other times I take most of this stuff just incase I find fish I just cant live without.

First off a week or two ahead of time, I start a new list of items to take.
It hangs in my fish room storage area.
 
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Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
May sound stupid but I need to do this so I don't forget.

I have a bunch of storage containers. Some large and some small. These carry most items to and from the event and serve as the fish tanks while I am there.
If I am selling like at the swap meet, I also usually have a few 10 gallon tanks that I take with me.
Anyway the storage containers.

The small ones are like this and then they fit into the larger ones for transportation and storage between conventions.


You can get them anywhere. I just recently bought new ones because my others were getting rough. (FRANK, I took your advice and bought the one like yours). These came from Target.
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
I store them with most of the items already inside so I can go at any time.



I stack around 5 smaller containers into 1 of the larger ones. Inside the top one I keep the items I will need.
This one is my Air items.




You will notice I have air line, gang valves, as well as other items.
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Yes, air pumps.
I loaded up everything for the Cat Con 2 years ago and after setting up, realized my air pump did not work. Now I carry 2.

I also use Dirt Magnets from Jungle for filtration. They are no longer avail but there is another brand out
there.
The reason is the size. I cut the lift tubes and they work perfectly in the small containers.

I have Dirt Magnets in some of my tanks in the fish room. I keep them in there mainly so they are ready for a show.


I have some old bases and lift tube that stay in the box. That way when its time to leave, I take the sponges off the filters in the tank and put them in a bag and go.
 
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Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
In another big box, I carry more small ones with other items.



I have some 50 watt heaters that I carry. I bought them just for this. You don't need much in the hotel room. So far 50's have done well for me.


Don't know how many times I forgot these, so I always buy an new one to put in the box now.
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
I carry another container with bags and bands in it.


Don't forget things like a drain hose, couple of different size nets,
A sharpie, a razor blade or knife to cut air line. Etc.
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Okay, why this picture?

Tracey and I have found out the hard way that sleeping with the fishes may not work well. If the fish are in total darkness they tend to startle and bang on the side or the lid of the container. These are the cheap led lights that don't put out a lot of light. I put a couple on a few of the lids and it glows just enough so the fish stay quiet and we can get some sleep
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
I usually take a 4 foot table with me so I can put fish on it as well as under it.
I also have taken that rack that was in the first few pictures with me if I am
selling out of my room. I can set it up in about 10 minutes but it takes me another hour to
get the tanks or containers set up in the room and running the way I want.


Oh and always take the lids. You want them sitting on top for the jumpers.




Here are two other set ups I spotted at a convention. Remember these are for selling out of your room but it shows the extremes that people go to .



 
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Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
This is the set up I had in my room at OCA in2006.

This is the view when you were walking down the hallway of the hotel.
You can see even then I was advertising the club every where I went. Top left... LOL
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
So now you see how strange I am.
When I travel to these things, I am prepared.
Heck I have flown from California with fish in my luggage.

How many people actually have all that stuff sitting in storage, ready to go. Just in case a convention pops up?
Stop to think about it, I believe there are others in the club that do it too.
My non-Fish friends think we are all strange.
You can do this on a much smaller scale, but I don't like going little.
 
jonclark96

jonclark96

Past CCA President
Good write up, Pat.

I have similar things around the fish room. Mine just aren't quite as ready to go as yours are. The one thing I always have to remember to do is seed some sponge filters. I usually have extras in tanks, but having a few more never hurts.

If you are nervous about getting fish and setting up bins in your hotel room, don't be. It really is as easy as it looks. Get a bin, fill with water, drop in a sponge filter and you are good to go.

I often don't heat the bins, depending on what fish I am keeping in the hotel. I would recommend heaters if you have fancy plecos. The few times I have lost fish, they were plecos and I think they got cold.

Don't forget to dechlor!
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
jonclark96 said:
Good write up, Pat.

I have similar things around the fish room. Mine just aren't quite as ready to go as yours are. The one thing I always have to remember to do is seed some sponge filters. I usually have extras in tanks, but having a few more never hurts.

If you are nervous about getting fish and setting up bins in your hotel room, don't be. It really is as easy as it looks. Get a bin, fill with water, drop in a sponge filter and you are good to go.

I often don't heat the bins, depending on what fish I am keeping in the hotel. I would recommend heaters if you have fancy plecos. The few times I have lost fish, they were plecos and I think they got cold.

Don't forget to dechlor!
Click to expand...


Twice now I have walked out without grabbing the sponges. I hate that. Having them in the tanks as extras helps because they are always seaded but does not good if you forget them. LOL.
 
A

AndyNarwhal

Members
I am going to add a shameless product plug here.

One thing I unfortunately discovered with the glass tube heaters is that they can melt a hole through the bottom of a Sterilite container if laid on the bottom. Especially if it is a model without a rubber bottom bumper.

I switched my travel heaters to an Aqueon flat heater and I don't have to worry about melting my containers any more.

http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Products-supplies-Aqueon-Flat-Heater-Watt/dp/B00XEDV478

Here's another one that I use. Even though it's not a Central product.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMI632G?psc=1

I use this to measure the temperature. Just hold it close before you shoot and you can go from container to container quickly to measure the temperature.

Andy
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
AndyNarwhal said:
I am going to add a shameless product plug here.

One thing I unfortunately discovered with the glass tube heaters is that they can melt a hole through the bottom of a Sterilite container if laid on the bottom. Especially if it is a model without a rubber bottom bumper.

I switched my travel heaters to an Aqueon flat heater and I don't have to worry about melting my containers any more.

http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Products-supplies-Aqueon-Flat-Heater-Watt/dp/B00XEDV478

Here's another one that I use. Even though it's not a Central product.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMI632G?psc=1

I use this to measure the temperature. Just hold it close before you shoot and you can go from container to container quickly to measure the temperature.

Andy
Click to expand...

Yeah Andy, I went and bought that thermometer last week. LOL
or one like it from Harbor Freight. Much easier in the fish room than what I had.
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
I started my list for the event today.
I will keep adding to it whenever I remember something that I need to take with me. Don't put off adding things to your list. You will forget.

Todays addition is to pack nets. Hard to catch fish for bagging on sunday when doing it by hand.
 
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