Hi. My goldfish have been reproducing to the point that my pond is
getting overcrowded, so I have to move some goldfish to a new pond.
This will require a car trip 2.5-3.5 hours long. I am interested in
any advice about how to do this successfully without hurting my fish
or stressing them too much. I will need to be moving one large fish,
about 5-6 inches long, one or two medium sized fish (about 2-3 inches
long), and several small fish (about 1-1.5 inches long).

Here is what I have planned so far. I have a styrofoam cooler about
15 x 22 inches (about 1 foot high) . I can fit 8 gallons of water in
it and still leave several inches of air at the top. I'm planning to
put a heavy duty plastic bag inside the cooler, fill it with 8 gallons
of pond water, add the recommended amount of Stress Coat, put the fish
in, put lid on the box, tape the box to the bag, and fold the bag over
the top of the lid. I'm planning to aerate the water with a
battery-powered air pump/air stone.

Does that sound okay? How many fish can I put in that box? Do I need
to fast the fish? Do I need to add something to neutralize the
ammonia from fish poop during the trip?

What's the best way to catch the fish and get them in the box/bag? Do
I net them and put them in a large bowl/tupperware container till I
can carry them to the cooler? I figure the cooler will be too heavy
to move once it's full (about 65 pounds if a pint is a pound).

Any suggestions/advice are greatly appreciated. I love my fish and
want them to do well. I wish I didn't have to give them away, but I'd
rather give them away than see them die of poisoning due to being in
an overcrowded pond.

Joan

P.S. I am thinking of trying to make my pond a one sex pond so I
don't keep having this problem. Somebody told me girl goldfish can
turn into boys if they are in an all-girls' pond with no boys around.
Is this true??? Maybe I'd better plan on an all boys' pond?

___________________