How long can Goldfish travel in a polythene bag ?

I want to collect some Goldfish and Grass carp for the garden pond but the Garden Centre I want to buy from is about 1 1/2 hours drive away. The fish are supplied in the large polythene bags, tied at the top. I assume that the 90 minutes journey time to get them home will be OK ?
Cheers
Brian.

 

A practice when moving Japanese koi is to add some oxygen to the bag. Those airfreighted to the UK from Japan are usually sedated too.

It's a bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question. A lot depends on what weight of fish and how many litres of water are in the bag. Raise your concerns with the seller, make sure they are willing to refund your money if they go "fins up" during the journey. Also they are bound to get quite warm in a car for that length of time and you may be putting them into water at a much lower temperature when you get home. Fish don't like rapid changes in their environment.

 

I agree with @Doghouse Riley....

Good for you for considering this. As @Doghouse Riley says, I would raise your concerns with the place you are buying from. If you feel you are being given advice from someone who doesn’t seem sure, ask to speak to the boss. I often find that the Saturday staff can be supplemented by trainee staff. Everyone has to learn somewhere, but you don’t want your new pets to suffer because of this! For this reason, I would be tempted to go collect your fish on a relatively “quiet” retail day (making sure that it’s not the boss having the day off!).

Another precaution I used to use was to take an old towel, and a cool bag. Take them into the shop, line the coolbag with the towel, and have the bag nestled carefully in the bag, supported by the towel. This lessens the jarring, and also keeps the temperature a little more even on the way home. Of course, also buy the fish at the end of your visit, rather than the beginning!!

 

Good advice above, but when getting home do not just put them straight into your pond, slowly add some of your pond water to their bags, or put them into a larger holding bucket/tub and add the water into that.

This allows them to get used to your waters parameters and temperature will the least shock.

Some say float the bag in the pond or tank but that only equalizes the temperature and I find that can add stress.

 

Thanks all.
We will be calling in on the way home, this Thursday. Cool box and towel is a good idea, hadn't thought of that !
Cheers for all the tips.
Brian.