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Flying with a whole nano setup and livestock


L8 2 RISE

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I thought I’d share my experience moving my whole 5g setup on a domestic flight. Hopefully this will help others in similar situations!

 

As many know, I moved to Mississippi about a year ago for work, but had to leave both my setups at home with my parents. My mom adopted the 57g and it’s still looking great! Over Christmas I was finally able to bring my 5g down here though.

 

Before going home for xmas, I set up an RODI unit in MS and mixed up some saltwater. This could have easily done without he prep work- just buy water instead.

 

This is the tank a few months before the move (I’ll admit it was neglected and many of the anemones had shrunk in the months after this was taken though):

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The first thing I did was remove all 6 anemones from the rock (this was the hardest part of the move). I gave them 2 days to heal in a breeder basket before the move.

 

The animals:

On flying day, I split the nems between two water bottles and put the clown fish in one of the bottles. The smaller rock covered in GSP and snails went into a Tupperware. All three containers went into my carry-on in a lunchbox with some hand warmers.

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The rock:

I wrapped the LR in wet rags, double garbage bagged, then put into a styro with hand warmers.

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The sand:

I rinsed then put in a tripled freezer bag.

 

 

The glass tank:

Was cleaned, dried, then filled with the bag of sand, a bunch of the cleaned and dried equipment, and clothes to fill the space. I then put it into a tight fitting cardboard box, and then surrounded that box with a ton of bubble wrap/packing supplies in a bigger box.

 

Other equipment/lights:

These got packed into my checked bag of clothes/etc.

 

 

In total I had a checked box, a checked bag, and a carry on backpack. In each checked item I put a paper list of what was in the container and explanation as necessary (what is Live Rock for example). For carry-on, I printed out pictures of what all the coral/nems looked like when open or closed as well as screenshots of the TSA webpages that allow unlimited water for fish and corals.

 

 

At the airport:

I flew Southwest and checking the bag/box was super easy. They covered he box in fragile stickers but didn’t need any explanation.

 

TSA took a little while. I sent the lunchbox through the scanner separately, knowing it would be pulled aside. I showed them the TSA printouts and they had no issues with the fish container. The coral/nems took more convincing. I had to explain that what I had was coral/anemones. They were animals - not plants. They were alive and no, they wouldn’t be ok if I poured the water out haha. Overall they were very professional and easy to deal with, just took a little explanation.

 

The area supervisor said he had to call his supervisor, but came back a few minutes later and said it was no problem and I was cleared through! They did the swabby chemical test on the luncchbox and outside of the containers but that was it.

 

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After arriving in Atlanta, it turned out TSA had opened the cardboard box and done a HORRIBLE job re-packing it. I was amazed there was no damage to the tank! Props to Southwest for that.

 

I had a 4 hour drive back to MS from there. Once home I immediately set up the tank with the new salt water and LR. After a couple hours I acclimated and added the livestock. Everything survived perfectly, but one anemone died about 2 days later. It was the most damaged of the six from the removal process and I think the stress of the move did it in. A big water change was done 4 days after the move and weekly for the next couple weeks.

 

I decided not to add the sand immediately because it was starting to smell funky. I ended up re-cycling the sand in another container and adding it a month later.

 

I had a slight algae bloom initially, but it went away after a couple water changes.

 

 

 

In review, I’d do it again, and it turned out to be quite easy at the airport. I will use a bigger container for the fish though (thinking 0.5-1.0L) and only half fill it with water. The fish was struggling by the time I got him in the tank and I think it was oxygen deprivation. I had foreseen this given the smaller bottles, but planned to open them regularly in the flight and I left the lids open during the drive. Clearly this wasn’t enough though.

 

The trouble was definitely worth it, the clown (name JM) is my little bro and went back and forth to college many times with me! He’s also popular among my friends, so I received a few threats that he better survive from friends who heard about the plan to move him haha.

 

If anyone has any thoughts on how to improve this process or inputs, please post up!

 

Anyways, here’s the tank now and JM the aviator:

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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You're a SUPERSTAR Sam!  Thanks so much for sharing your trip experience with us. (I think JM should be nicknamed Bilbo.......... he seems to go on many adventures!) 

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very cool, I have shipped fish from Puerto Rico to FL when I moved there but never carried an entire tank with me... That is a good option if you dont have many fish and corals!

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Wow, I'm really surprised that TSA cleared the lunchbox - both containers had to be over 3 oz.  Is there an exception for animals?

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(edited)

You're a SUPERSTAR Sam!  Thanks so much for sharing your trip experience with us. (I think JM should be nicknamed Bilbo.......... he seems to go on many adventures!) 

 

Haha I like it!  Maybe if I ever get a partner for him (later her?) that can be a name!

 

 

very cool, I have shipped fish from Puerto Rico to FL when I moved there but never carried an entire tank with me... That is a good option if you dont have many fish and corals!

 

That's cool, how was shipping from PR?  Were there any additional permits needed since it's a territory?  

 

Thanks, I'm glad to have it as an option now!  Also a lot less nervous about buying corals at MACNA / etc and flying home with them.

 

That’s insane. Insanely awesome.

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks!

 

Very cool story, the shots of your clown + nem in a water bottle is priceless.  :cool:

 

I love those pics too, thanks!

 

Wow, I'm really surprised that TSA cleared the lunchbox - both containers had to be over 3 oz.  Is there an exception for animals?

 

Yep, there is no restriction on water for animals.  These are the pages I had printed and on hand going through TSA:

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/live-coral

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/live-fish

 

This also mentions fish: 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips/taking-your-human-plane-what-every-pet-needs-know

 

And actually looking at the website again, they no longer explicitly state that the rule is waived - but it is.  I suggest calling ahead, getting someones name, etc.

 

This quote used to be on the website "Live fish must be transported in a clear, plastic, spill proof container. In this case, the container may be larger than 3.4 ounces. A Transportation Security Officer will visually inspect your live fish at the checkpoint."

 

I guess they deleted that part as a way to cover themselves in case someone brought excess amounts?

Edited by L8 2 RISE
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Yep, there is no restriction on water for animals.  These are the pages I had printed and on hand going through TSA:

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/live-coral

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/live-fish

 

This also mentions fish: 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips/taking-your-human-plane-what-every-pet-needs-know

 

And actually looking at the website again, they no longer explicitly state that the rule is waived - but it is.  I suggest calling ahead, getting someones name, etc.

 

This quote used to be on the website "Live fish must be transported in a clear, plastic, spill proof container. In this case, the container may be larger than 3.4 ounces. A Transportation Security Officer will visually inspect your live fish at the checkpoint."

 

I guess they deleted that part as a way to cover themselves in case someone brought excess amounts?

 

I thought I remember seeing the "container may be larger than 3.4 oz" wording before as well, and for the life of me I could not find it again.

Edited by PupChow
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Yep, there is no restriction on water for animals.

I wish I had known that when I brought the Bryopsis from Tampa.  Felt like I was smuggling coke.  

 

Great story, and very useful info for anyone thinking about carrying livestock.  Best of luck in MS, Sam.

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Thanks!

 

Ha! Hopefully I’ll make it out again for this MACNA, we’ll see! Mum said she won’t be there though, doesn’t think she could handle a Vegas one after the events in New Orleans

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