Traveling long distances with coral

[Cool Cat]

I do a lot of traveling during the summer that takes me to many great LFS around the South. I’d love to bring home corals that might catch my eye that are different than my local shop. In most cases I’m about 4 + hours away from home or I have to make several stops on the way. Any tips on how to keep my corals at a stable temperature for my drives home. Also when I’m traveling I usually stay 2-3 days in an area, due to my schedule I may not be able to swing by the LFS on my last day in town. What do you guys think about setting up a small Beta tank in the hotel room?

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

These work really well for temperature regulation: https://buildinganobsession.com/shop/bao-insulated-transport

You could get an air pump and use that to give them some water movement if you want. But keep in mind that corals ship over seas for days without new water or air, so if it is just an overnight stay I probably wouldn't stress too much.

Edit:

If you're going to do a crazy LFS tour and really stock up, BAO also makes a rack to fit in a Coleman cooler:
https://buildinganobsession.com/shop/coleman-locking-racks

 

[andrewkw]

4 hours, a bag in the car should be fine as long as it's not freezing cold or boiling hot. That being said there is no reason not to bring a foam box or a cooler if you have one laying around and have room for it. If I'm going somewhere where I may get fish or coral (or even food) I always have one in the car.

If you're talking 24hrs or longer a 5 gallon bucket is probably easiest. Depending on what you are bringing back a battery powered air pump may be enough or you can plug in small heater / powerhead as well. I would also recommend either a tiny heater or an inkbird or similar device to control. Only if its longer then 3 days would I start worrying about a light.