Koi, like any other pet, will have medical issues throughout its life, especially since Koi have been know to have a life span of up to 30 years. You contact the vet because you Koi is showing signs of injury or illness, and unless you have a vet that does house calls, chances are the first thing they will say is bring it in.

Like most Koi owners you are probably rather fond of your Koi, and proud of them as well. The last thing you want is for harm to be done to the fish because you were not prepared enough. Therefore, it is very important that you arm yourself with the proper knowledge so that you will know exactly what to do when you have to bag and transport your Koi.

The proper equipment that you will need:

First of all, it is very important to ensure that you always have enough of the following items on hand at any given time. The whole collection will not take up much room making storage of these essential items a breeze.

Bags- You must have the proper bags on hand to transport Koi. Do not attempt to transport your Koi in trash or regular plastic bags, as they are not designed for this, and may cause damage to your Koi. Unless you remembered to keep the bags you brought your koi home in originally, you will have to make a trip to your local pet store. Make sure to get bags sizable enough to hold your Koi.

Elastic bands – You will need plenty of good quality rubber bands that will not snap easily. Ensure that you have lots of them for every bag that you have.

The net – You will need a net that is of the proper size in relation to your fish, however, you will not be using it in order to catch them. Instead you can use it to guide the fish to where you need them to be. It is not advisable to left the fish out of the water with the net because it can cause them harm.

A bucket – Any suitable container will do but paint buckets tend to work well. It is a much safer way of catching your fish.

Transferring the fish into bags:

If you need to, invite someone to help you with the process of catching and then bagging the fish. You will be pleased to find, however, that it is not a difficult task to accomplish.

All you need to do is to coax the fish into the paint bucket using the net. Once it is in the bucket you then let most of the water out and bag the fish.

Of course it is important to check the bag to make sure that there are no leaks. Then, place it over the fish from head to tail, making sure that the gills are covered properly by water. To prevent the bag from being too heavy do not overfill it with too much water. Leave lots of air in the bag and seal it using a few of your rubber bands. Make absolutely certain that it is properly tied up.

As for transporting the fish by care you need to place the bag in such a way so as to minimize disturbance of the water and fish. Also, keep the bag shaded as much as possible and in the horizontal position so that the fish is not bent. By following the above guidelines you will safely bag and transport your Koi whenever the need arises.