This 100 million year old dragon fish has long been considered a trash fish along the Mississippi river in the good old USA. There are a few clubs around like http://garfishing.com that enjoy the hookless catching competition and a deep respect for the Gar fish as beautiful, gentle, super fighters. In other places of the world these dynamic fish are becoming a novelty for the hobby of fish keeping. Gars can breath both air and/or water as a BIMODAL BREATHER (can drown in warm water when unable to reach the surface). When you bend the Gar fish it becomes temporarily paralyzed. The Gar scales are the hardest biological substance known to man. Gars have very sharp teeth and very poisonous eggs that have a built in Neurotoxin to protect them. These fish are literally on the cutting edge of scientific discovery and a beautiful thing to see. Long nose gar enjoy a warm summer day basking in the sun but in the winter they hibernate for several months without eating.

This is my latest project transporting Long Nose Gars: Here is a new box design that I think will work soon to get the job done.

This represents a 60LX16WX19H leak proof box. The one piece somewhat heavy vinyl, 3 yards of 16 - 20 gage, is spray glued to the inner sides, folded on the ends and fastened down with furring strips at the top rim. The wooden strips, hold the vinyl in place, act like handles to improve lifting, provide a shifting slosh barrier along the inside edges, and reinforce the vulnerable upper edges of the box. This becomes in effect a light weight fish tank. Added to the design are the drilled 6 inch diameter septic drain tubes, single wall, with end caps that provide a snug fit and at least 4 inches of water for the fish to be able to gulp air and maintain a good submersion, also a battery operated Air pump to circulate the air. All together about $100 worth of materials. This advanced design will weigh 36 pounds and about 220 pounds, or 1 Kilo to even things out, with 18G water @ 8.33 pounds/gallon that is 150 pounds of water and 2 - 50 inch fish. I have 3 experiments to perform over 24 hours in this box, including size of fish, and 48 hours with knockout drops at a rate of 10 drops per box.

Active additives to the water might include: Tetracycline, Hydrogen Peroxide, Amquel Plus, Humic Acids, Knockout Drops, ice in the form of a frozen water bottle on top of the tube or lodged at the ends. It is a question about how much ice and how much styrofoam insulation to use. Colloidal Silver or Methylene blue might be a substitute for Tetracycline but it is not clear how any of these might interact with each other and the physiology of the fish. The Humic Acids will Ionically neutralize any neurotoxin introduced into the water from the excited fish. Evidence for this is based on the red skin coloring that looks like systemic infection associated only with a stressed out or freshly captured fish.

With no oxygen in the air at 30,000 ft over the Ocean then the temperature could be a critical factor. An Oxygen bag this size could not be tied with a rubber band like in a normal fish box. I will consult with one of the old timers about the old days of no bag shipping. I am certain that the modern jets are pressurized and relatively cool.

Florida tropical fish farmers association: Quote; "You must be nuts trying to ship a 4 ft Gar, you better get your money first".

Pre-conditions for the fish:
1) Fish must be crapped out at least a week in advance.
2) Fish must be good color without red systemic and not dark with frayed fins.
3) Fish must not be to large 48+ or to small 36- for the tubes.
4) Pool water must be changed every other day till the slime coats are stable.
5) Humic acid and rock salt must be added to the pool water to stabilize the bacteria and slime coat.

---

First Run transport: The first transport; buy Dodge Van, from Alabama to West Palm Beach, worked out fairly well with the 4 boxes. Out of 13 fish only 2 died in the process. They were not in tubes, in a single box, with about a foot of water, and 4 large fish. It would seem that the less trauma that they go through in packing and the less food they have in their systems then the better they ship. All the fish that were in the tubes and 18 gallons of water made it the 12 hour trip with no problems. We did do a one half water change about half way home. One box with two of the largest females 40+ inch was as clean as can be expected and the fish never knew they left town. The other 2 boxes with tubes got kinda scummy the first half of the trip but seemed to do well on the last half after a water change. My fisherman was happy and we got at least one black gar and several beautifully spotted long nose.

Final Run transport: From Miami to Tokyo via UPS through ANC Alaska. They survived! The first two fish anyway. It cost an arm and a leg, almost literally. The box had to be modified with a constructed crate arrangement in the final hours before shipment. The paperwork was much easier than I thought it might be. A final flushing with fresh water, Ammolock, and a small hand full of rock salt was just before the lid was screwed down. It took 4 men to get it into the back of the van and I suppose they had fork lifts to deal with it along the way. Thanks to the great people I had to help me along the way these first two fish are living it up in Japan now. Only 8 more to go on the first order.