A pop-up laundry hamper from the $2 shop used as a live box!

Buckets of water and fish get hot in this weather, and even when it is cold the fish can quickly use up the oxygen. This way the water can flow through the mesh and you don't have to worry about the fish.

It folds flat and you can twist it down to about 20cm diameter (when you buy it it is twisted down). It readily (violently) springs back to normal size. It does need stone in the bottom to hold it down, which also provides a bit of cover for the fish. The mesh isn't the most durable, but holes could be sewn up really easily. I have seen these things at the $2 shop for a while and long thought they would work for this, so they will probably be available for a long time yet.

Small fish can wriggle out. I had an eel escape, and a small bully got it's head stuck (I managed to push it back without appearing to damage it). Small fish would probably cope better in buckets than big fish anyway, not going to use the oxygen so quickly.

This is amazing! Haha.

what a clever idea!

Simple and effective

You could make one out of thinner mesh for smaller fish?

It would probably be a bit fiddly to put finer mesh on, but would be do-able. It is essentially four oval springy wire frames covered in mesh and linked together.

If I was wanting to hold smaller fish like this I would probably just put them in a spare net and rest the net frame on rocks so the fish couldn't get out.

What about a breeding net like the AquaOne brand? Would probably pay to modify it so that you could weigh it down from the outside rather than putting a big rock inside.

What about a breeding net like the AquaOne brand? Would probably pay to modify it so that you could weigh it down from the outside rather than putting a big rock inside.

YES. Dam good for safety in tanks for the baby's to swim into as well.