# Kordon Breather bags...



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Do you like them?

At first I thought they were a great idea, but the more I have had experience with them, I personally find them a PITA.

The first thing that I don't care for is the fact that you can't just float the bags, but have to dump the dirty bag water into another container and acclimate the fish from there.

Another thing I don't care for is the fact that they are 100% filled with water, so opening the bags without spilling isn't as easy as the classic bags.

And finally, I've had a better success rate with the regular bags than with the breather bags.

What are your thoughts on them?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

They are great for shipping shrimp IME. The only thing they don't work for is cories because of their need for oxygen from the air.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

grandmasterofpool said:


> The only thing they don't work for is cories because of their need for oxygen from the air.


Ahh, I hadn't thought about that with the Cory's. I just had 2 of them arrive DOA and they were shipped in breathable bags (1 per bag). I suppose the same would hold true with Betta's.

I don't mind the bags if I'm the one doing the shipping, but I really don't like being on the receiving end with them.... :-s


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

The betta might be okay. The oxygen a betta gets out of the air is for respiratory purposes, while a cory is gulping oxygen to change its bouyancy.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Jan, this may be a moot point. I read a thread over at pt saying that the company that makes them is stopping production. Apparently not enough business.


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## Aaron (Feb 12, 2004)

I like breather bags. I have shipped and received all types of fish including Cories and Bettas in BBs and have never had any problems. I think the best attribute of BBs is that because there is no air in the bag, there is no sloshing around during transit, which can do a lot of damage to fragile and tiny fish.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I think they are great for shipping and traveling with fish long distance. I dont have to worry about the fish having enough oxygen in a box in the back of the car, plus I can pack more fish per box and still have room for other stuff.


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

Kordon stopped making them due to lack of sales. 

I use them for shipping shrimp, they are wonderful for that. I can why they never really took off. There are expensive. The best price I ever saw for 100 4x8 was $11.00, so thats $0.11 per bag. Regular bags for that approx size run in the range of $3.00/100. A significant difference even when double bagging if you ship a lot.


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## koffee (Aug 21, 2005)

JanS said:


> The first thing that I don't care for is the fact that you can't just float the bags, but have to dump the dirty bag water into another container and acclimate the fish from there.


I thought acclimating in a separate container was the best method, though.

Floating bags is simple and common, and usually works just fine. But you're either going to dump that water into your tank, or have a more difficult time netting the fish (or whatever) in a bag to move them.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

koffee said:


> I thought acclimating in a separate container was the best method, though.
> 
> Floating bags is simple and common, and usually works just fine. But you're either going to dump that water into your tank, or have a more difficult time netting the fish (or whatever) in a bag to move them.


Many of us have determined that it's best to get them out of the bag water ASAP, so we float the bag to get the temp stabilized, then open the bag and pour it directly into a net over a bucket, and put the fish in the net directly into the clean tank water, and discard the bag water (it should never be dumped into the tank, as I'm sure you know). It's like chasing your tail to try to acclimate them to things like pH or hardness, since that would take much longer than the time it's usually done, anyway. 
Let's face it, in many cases, bag water smells stanky when you open it (breather bags, or not), and it can burn a fishes gills, so IMO, the quicker you can get them into the clean water, the better.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

koffee said:


> I thought acclimating in a separate container was the best method, though.
> 
> Floating bags is simple and common, and usually works just fine. But you're either going to dump that water into your tank, or have a more difficult time netting the fish (or whatever) in a bag to move them.


Jan, I think he's referring to the drip method of acclimation which is intended for sensitive fish (ie. Chocolate Gouramis, Licorice, etc.) Here's an in-depth article about how to preform it - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&aid=841


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

I just got my breather bags in yesterday and sent out my first shipment of fish using them. I'm sending out some Endlers so it's not the most demanding of fish to ship, but I'll be curious to hear back from the recipients on the condition of the fish. Come to think of it I shold have packed a few in regular plastic bags as a comparison.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

I'm starting to see these bags are still for sale on Aquabid and Kensfish. 

Did they bring them back into production or is this the last batch out for sale?


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I just moved all my fish from Massachusetts to Idaho in regular bags. They went air frieght, so were in the bags a total of about 16 or 18 hours. Every fish came through just fine including rams, rummies, and congo tetras. I guess for shipments that take longer, say 48 hours or so it might help, but regular bags seem to have worked ok for me.


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

Raul-7 said:


> I'm starting to see these bags are still for sale on Aquabid and Kensfish.
> 
> Did they bring them back into production or is this the last batch out for sale?


Bought a few from aquabid in the last 6 months. Not sure if they are in production again.

Cheers,
Pedro


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Raul-7 said:


> I'm starting to see these bags are still for sale on Aquabid and Kensfish.
> 
> Did they bring them back into production or is this the last batch out for sale?


I think I did hear that they brought them back into production because they were still in demand.

One other thing I didn't mention earlier was the fact that they only have two different sized bags - one very small one and very large one, with no in between. I think it would be to their advantage to provide a few other sizes.

I'm glad to hear your move went well guaiac_boy. I've never had a bit of trouble with the regular bags either, providing the fish are healthy to start with and you don't expose them to drastic conditions.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

*Kordon Resumed Production*

Just throwing another confirmation out there for those still wondering. I emailed Kordon, and they stated that the demand was high enough to continue production on the Kordon's Breathing Bags. Select bag sizes were discontinued. But the most common onces are still at full production.

To answer the poll, I do use these breather bags to ship shrimp and Fish. The extra precaution is worth it to me. Though I believe fish would be more susceptible to increased chemical waste then oxygen deprivation.

-John N.


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## desertgold (Dec 23, 2006)

I received my shrimp in them and like them. They take up much less room and stop the splish splash becouse of the lack of water. I understand some fish and all snails do better with air in the bags. I will use these bags to ship my shrimp and about had a heart attac when I read they stoped making them.


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