No buckets in auction

[royallen]

In previous auctions I and others have been using see-thru plastic pretzel jars instead of plastic bags to hold the fish. Under the new "no buckets" rules are the pretzel jars permitted?

[joe_jaskot]

IMO, big fish are better off in buckets. There is more air available than in a plastic bag. Big fish will sometimes bite the plastic bags or puncture them with their fins. Just my opinion, but I don't make the rules.

[Heyguy74]

For small fish they must be in bags. We will discuss amongst the mods about very large fish. Until we say otherwise there are no buckets for now.

[fishboy]

i agree, sm buckets have more surface area and provide better ox.. just my opinion but i prefer properly packaged bags unless its a fish that will easily pierce through a 3mm bag.. double bagged 2mm usually does the trick but ive see fish poke through 3 and 4mm so i think sm buckets should b allowed if its a fish that can tear through a bag

[CJC]

What's the big deal over buckets, it's the best way to hold and transport large fish...

[fischfan13]

What's the big deal over buckets, it's the best way to hold and transport large fish...


Did you see the mess that was made with a few of the buckets that were brought into the last auction?
ECC is working on an amendment to the rule.
The "big deal" is that we are trying to work something out that would not only benefit the auction, but the person who bids on the fish AND, most of all, the fish that is being brought to the auction.

[Longstocking]

The fact of the matter is that probably 60% of the fish in jars/buckets by the end of the day were gasping or dieing. Roy's fish were fine.. but the cichlids that were in buckets were not. I think the only cichlid that I saw in a bucket that was doing ok was a red devil.

[fischfan13]

The fact of the matter is that probably 60% of the fish in jars/buckets by the end of the day were gasping or dieing. Roy's fish were fine.. but the cichlids that were in buckets were not. I think the only cichlid that I saw in a bucket that was doing ok was a red devil.

+1

[Narwhal72]

Packed correctly buckets do offer superior leak protection than bags. However most people forget the basic rules of fish bagging and this leads to problems.

1. There should be no more than 1/3 water to 2/3 air in any container. Many times people fill the buckets with too much water and then seal the lid so that there is not a sufficient oxygen reserve.

2. The containers must be sealed. If the lid is left open the water will exchange gasses with the air which will prevent the pH of the water from dropping. As ammonia builds up from fish excretion it will become toxic. If the bag/bucket is air tight the resulting increase in CO2 will drive the pH of the bag/bucket down. At low pH values the percentage of toxic ammonia to nontoxic ammonium is miniscule and not an issue.

If everyone followed good practices I do not see a reason why buckets could not be used in an auction (it does help reduce a lot of wet tables from leaks). However not everyone follows good practices and banning buckets may be a more practical solution. At our club auctions we routinely have a few buckets/pretzel containers in them without much issue.

Andy

[dogofwar]

As Andy said, the key for the bucket is 1/3 water and 2/3 air.

Sealed or unsealed, a chunk of Polyfilter can do wonders for keeping ammonia down (in a bucket or bag). The other key is to not feed big fish for a few days prior to the auction. A fish that's bucket size can go a week or more without feeding. I usually fast for 4 days. No poop = less ammonia.

I think the main thing against buckets in auctions is that they don't afford a good view of the fish being sold...and often result in lower bids (or deals for buyers)...

Matt

[Flareside]

you guys are a trip...

If you crave buckets, go net your fish and put them in buckets. Then sit there and stare at them tonight. That should get it out of your system in time for the auction

Organizers of the auction say no buckets. What the hay are you debating them for? Its their auction. Do as they ask.

[CrabbyMatty]

Mods and Admins are fine tuning the rules as I type. We will be allowing buckets in certain instances. Stay tuned for further developments. :ty:

[cichfrk]

Just my 2 cents here to please everyone - Fish in buckets should also be inside a large clear plastic bag. This system allows the prospective bidder to lift the bag and inspect the fish. The fish with the plastic bag can be put back in the bucket afterwhich. The plastic bag can be sealed or not, or can be decided later on. This I think is a win - win situaton for everyone. Fish can be viewed easily for buyers. Fish vewed can fetch a better deal/bid. I hope this helps.

[Flareside]

you should ban bags where people add "pieces of poly filter"

There is absolutely no need in the world to add that to a bag of fish. I have never heard of any retailer shipping pieces of filter with fish and they survive days in a bag with no problems. If you fast your fish prior to an auction, there is reduced waste in the bag to cause you problems

[emartin]

Just add ChlorAmX to the bag water. I do with all my fish, the stuff remains active until it is all used up on ammonia. I rarely have problems with bagged fish since I started using that in 2009.

[Tony]

2. The containers must be sealed. If the lid is left open the water will exchange gasses with the air which will prevent the pH of the water from dropping. As ammonia builds up from fish excretion it will become toxic. If the bag/bucket is air tight the resulting increase in CO2 will drive the pH of the bag/bucket down. At low pH values the percentage of toxic ammonia to nontoxic ammonium is miniscule and not an issue.



Never knew that. It makes total sense though. Thanks Andy.

I like poly filter *a lot*. Bought a package of it when I was leaving Milwaukee this year and threw a small piece in each bag for the long drive back to Maryland. I have received some bags from retailers where it is included in bags of large fish. I'll do it from time to time when I bring fish over 2" or so to the CCA auctions.

Not trying to start anything, but why should this be banned? It only positively affects the fish's health... especially when considering some of the fish purchased in the auction will be in the bag for 12-15 hours.

[Flareside]

I apologize, I misunderstood...I thought you were talking about a piece of used/dirty filter media from a running filter and putting it in a bag of fish

[Tony]

I apologize, I misunderstood...I thought you were talking about a piece of used/dirty filter media from a running filter and putting it in a bag of fish

Ah! Now I gotcha. :beerchug:

Yeah, used filter media... no bueno.

[dogofwar]

Not dirty filter fluff, an (unused) chunk of this:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4335

Matt



I apologize, I misunderstood...I thought you were talking about a piece of used/dirty filter media from a running filter and putting it in a bag of fish

[Flareside]

^ gotcha now...
in CT we have a lot of auctions, you may be familiar with PVAS's massive auction? Buckets cause a mess, and you do see small pieces of dirty filter sponges in bags of fish

[Narwhal72]

When I was working in retail we routinely saw bags of fish come in with small bags of zeolite in them to absorb ammonia. Not really much necessity in it if the bag is sealed. It does come in handy if you are in the habit of slow acclimation. Once you open the bag the pH will begin to rise and all that nontoxic ammonia suddenly becomes toxic. An ammonia neutralizer will prevent that. Or you could just dump the fish out and put them in clean water (rapid acclimation).

Buckets are pretty handy if someone is bringing in big plecos or cichlids. Noone wants a leaky bag on the table. I do agree that putting the fish in a bag within the bucket is the best solution.

Andy

[royallen]

Perhaps putting large fish in plastic bags and then putting the bag[s] in a bucket would solve the splashing problem. Even if the bag got punctured the leak would stay in the bucket and not on the floor or table.

[fischfan13]

Very nice thread...thanks.
New rules and a possible way to help out with the issue of Box-bags will be posted within the next 24 hours.

[Heyguy74]

We are requiring that all fish brought to the auction be bagged. We've had a lot of problems with fish in buckets over the last few auctions. There are some exceptions that we will allow with prior approval. The exceptions are:

Any fish that is 8 inches or larger.

In order for the fish to be accepted, we (the ECC staff) will have to be contacted and notified that you are bringing in a fish in a bucket prior to the auction. We will contact the seller prior to the auction if the bucket/container is approved or not. If you show up to the auction without contacting us first, the fish will be rejected and you will have to bring the fish back home with you. We expect the bucket to be large enough to accommodate the fish. Bucketed fish MUST be able to swim around comfortably and have been purged for at least 48 prior to the auction. The minimum bucket size will be 5 gallons. A 5 Gallon buck has an inside diameter of approximately 11.25 inches wide. This is too small for fish 10 inches and larger. Any fish 10 inches and larger will need to be placed in a larger container such as a Rubbermaid storage box. This is our decision and is not debatable. Any bucket or storage container will become the property of the person who wins the fish at auction. You cannot charge extra for the bucket. ECC staff will have the final say on all fish and how they are bagged. We will reject any fish deemed unsuitable to its container. Once again ECC has the final say on all matters in this regard.