HOW TO BRING YOUR FISH TO THE CLUB AUCTION
By
Howard Norfolk
Original to Aquarticles.com
How do you regard the
fish you are bringing to the club auction?
- They are nuisances using up space in your tanks and you’ll be glad to get rid of
them. It would also be nice to make some extra cash by selling them.
- They are living creatures whose fate rests entirely in your hands. They are
about to have the most stressful day of their lives, and you hope they will go safely to a
good new home.
Without getting overly
sentimental, perhaps if you lean towards the second attitude your fish will be happier,
their new owner will get more enjoyment from them, and, deep down, you will be more
satisfied.
So with these thoughts
in mind, consider the following when taking fish to be sold at the club auction:
1. Do your regular
partial water changes a day or two before the auction. You
don’t want your friends testing your water and finding it in its usual disgusting
state, do you? Check that all the fish in the tank(s) are healthy and free of any
hint of disease.
2. Acquire some
suitable fish bags. Food or sandwich bags are usually too thin, and Ziploc
bags come open too easily and will not be allowed in the auction. Perhaps your best
source is to beg or buy some bags from your favourite aquarium store.
3. Catch the fish with
as little stress as possible, and carefully place them in your bag, together with
enough of their own water to fill the bag about one quarter full.
There should be enough water to cover the fish when the bag is on its side, but otherwise
oxygen is more important than water. A little "Stress Coat" or
similar conditioner could be added to the water.
4. Fill the bag with
air. Don’t blow it up like a balloon, but rather keep your mouth a short
distance from the bag, so that you fill it with oxygenated air rather than your
own expelled carbon dioxide. Alternatively, use an air pump with hose to
fill the bag.
5. Fasten the bag
securely. If the bag is long enough you may be able to tie a knot in the
bag itself. Otherwise twist the top, double it over, and use a rubber band, like
they do in the pet stores. Take extra care over this – you may not be as good
at it as the pet store people, and your bag will be getting a lot more handling than
theirs do. Do not use metal twist ties - they can burst yours or other people's bags.
Make the bag quite taut like a balloon – this will make a
small amount of water sit better on the auction table, and will help to avoid the
possibility of fish becoming trapped in the corners of the bag.
6. Place the first bag
inside a second bag, upside down, and fasten the second bag securely. This
will insure against damage and leakage, and will round out the corners of the first bag.
7. Before using the
second bag, detail the contents clearly, using a felt pen (or perhaps a sticky
label). Write low down on the bag so that your writing is not obscured when you
fasten it. Put the same information on both sides of the bag so
that viewers don’t have to turn it over on the auction table. Put as much information
on the bag as is appropriate – the common and Latin names of the fish, how many fish,
their size, sexes, and so on.
You'll probably be in a rush catching and bagging fish on the day of the auction -
so consider doing the writing part the evening before.
8. Should your fish be
a species or variety that is rarely seen, you should definitely provide the Latin
name, and might write a short note as to their characteristics (“community”,
“carnivorous”, “killifish", or whatever), and the aquarium conditions
they prefer – or you could give the auctioneer this information
before the sale (they don’t know everything!). Some auctioneers might ask you to say
a few words about your unusual fish when they come up for sale.
If the fish are uncommon, some really considerate people take the trouble to attach computer
print-outs or photocopied information about them. This is
much appreciated by purchasers (and the fish!). You might also consider writing an article
about the fish for your club's newsletter.
9. Extra large fish
need extra large bags - they will suffocate in a bag that is too small. Fish
with spines (including cichlids and plecos) have been known to burst their bags.
They are best brought in a glass or plastic container, or at least with their bag
contained in a bucket.
10. Take the bags to
the auction in an insulated container – a polystyrene box or a
“cooler”. Whether the temperature outside or in your car is warmer or
colder, this will help stabilize the temperature of the fish water. Hopefully the auction
room will be at a suitable temperature - if not, leave your fish in the insulated
container as long as possible.
11. It is very
stressful for fish to be lifted and examined dozens of times when on the
auction tables (and at some auctions this is not allowed). Make sure your content
information is clearly visible, so that people who don't want “guppies”
won't have to lift them to find out what they are. The more details you give, the less
they will have to be lifted. If bags with the same contents are placed beside
each other and labelled the same, each one will have to be lifted fewer
times.
12. After the
sale, should your fish be uncommon, seek out the buyers and tell
them a little more about the fishes' characteristics and care.
Most aquatic
plants do not require water in their bag. They are more
likely to be damaged washing around loosely in water than in a tight air filled bag.
Write on the bag before filling it. Latin names are very useful to purchasers of
plants. Don't include snails, pieces of duckweed, etc.
When you buy fish
at auction place them immediately in your insulated container.
Don’t just leave them on the cold floor beside you. Take a few spare bags in
case they need re-bagging.
If the species is new
to you, seek out the seller and find out all you can about it – including
its Latin name so that you can look it up more easily at home.
Take a little extra
care!…..and good luck at the Auction!
|