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The first thing you might notice if one was to look at our selection of bags on our workbench, is that they tend to be "long." as opposed to the short and stubby ones that some folks favor. Why long? Well we prefer to knot our bags rather than use rubber bands. Long bags are easy to knot. Long bags are also easy to use with rubber bands too. Either way, long is easier to use than short. The cost difference for the few inches in length is negligible.

You might also notice that the bags are not too "wide." We don't worry about using all the bags available in the market place but rather, we have found that with just a selection of 5 sizes of bags in three thicknesses, we can cover all but three fish we raised in our hatchery...out of 12.000 fish, we only had four that need a different bag than we typically had on hand, and those fish were about 12 inches long.

If you take a third look at the bags on the table you will see that we use the same length and width is most of the three thickness that we find most useful. That way, bags can be used in combination for even more flexibility.

Two of our bags can be used in combination in a unique way. When full, two of the four inch bags can be put into a six inch bag. By doing so, one can keep pairs together and/or separate fish that would take out their frustration on the other while in the bag.

When choosing a size of bag for a particular application we like to use a simple rule of thumb. We choose a bag that will allow a fish to be covered with water while allowing us to keep a ratio of 1/3 water to 2/3 gas in the bag. We don't pick a bag that will give the critter the ability to "swim" in the water, but rather sit in the water. One would not choose a car for the ability to exercise in the vehicle...it's purpose is to get you from one place to another. We sort of look at the bag in the same way. We like to use a bag that will get the critter to the other end but not allow the animal to thrash around (which would also create more waste).

We use 4 inch wide bags for some fish that are 3 inches long, but not others. A fish that is round (as Discus for example) might be 3 inches but it will be a completely different project than if one was trying to ship a 3 inch gourami. A couple of things come into play with a "rule" that one might want to create to determine what bags should be used with what fish (or other critters for that matter). Hard and fast rules don't work very well when trying to apply them to the array of fish that are available. The mass of the fish will also have a good deal to do with the decision of which bag to use. The level of activity of a fish may play a big part in its shipping appropriateness. If we were shipping the fish, that same 3 inch Discus would be bagged using a 6 inch bags, whereas a 3 killifish might be in a four inch bag.

Knowing the biological needs of a species will help you in your bag selection. Some fish for example are raised in warm water (Discus and Angelfish come to mind) and because of the warm water, the water can hold less O2. With the decreased amount of O2, the need to use O2 as a gas above the water becomes a consideration. Also, because of the warmer water, more water in the bag is also a consideration. The surface of the water in relation to the gas above the water is more critical with warm water shipment than with cold water shipments. A cool water fish (Killifish for example) can be put into a smaller bag with out using O2 (simply relying on atmospheric over the water) with great results. Bettas also can be shipped in small bags with atmospheric over water...even through they are a warm water fish. The difference between the techniques used with Angels and Discus and those of the Betta (and Gourami group) is that the latter have those fabulous labyrinth organs allowing them to breath air when the O2 of the water they are in is less saturated.

We don't think we want to discuss the pros and cons of the techniques used to ship most commercial Bettas...it's shocking for most folks (but it works). However, the truth is that the Betta is a very unique fish and can be shipped in pretty small bags. We don't recommend using less than a 3 inch bag for most fish...and while it may seem "cruel" you will see less damage to the fins when you use smaller bags...less water sloshing makes a huge difference.