we are going to be moving in a month....

We own a 55 gallon fishtank with fish in it... (some will say it is over stocked but I do watch the quality of the water... so bare with me! )

I have 2 bala sharks, 8 or so black skirt tetras, 2 cat fish, 1 japanese (sp?) algea eater, around 7 or 8 neons..(some blue/red some orange/black and one that is kinda blue green), 8 rasbora hets, 2 hatchet fish, 4 zebra danios. I think that is it. oh and live plants. :roll:

now the big question.... how to move the fish without killing them... the trip to the new house is around 4 hours. :shock: Plus time to set up tank. I want to take as much old water as possible so that will help some I think. I will also be taking out most of my gravel but will try not to disturb the underground filter to much.

Any ideas how to transport fish?

 

can you put them in bags during that time? That is the only way I can think of, but im not a fish expert, and don't know if you can leave them in bags that long.

 

I moved about a year ago, and here's how we did it. I went to a local pet store and got enough bags so that each fish would have it's own bag. Then I bought two large styrofoam coolers. I lined each cooler with a trash bag.

On the day we moved, the tank was the last thing we loaded. I put tank water in each bag, then a fish. Leave plenty of head room in the bag. Use just enough water for the fish to be comfortable. Tie the top of the bag with a twisty tie, so you can open the bag during your trip and allow fresh air into the bag. Set the bags inside the coolers and put the cover on. You can do the same thing with your plants.

We were 10 hours on the road, so we had to open the bags once to allow for fresh air in the bags. As soon as we arrived, we again opened the bags, and left them open while we set up the tank.

We did lose 4 fish, all of them glass cats, which are pretty delicate, and I wasn't really surprised we lost them. The rest of the fish did just fine.

 

just an idea. if you have any bucket's with lids, i would try that. last time i moved it was like a 2 hour trip and that's what i did. you can get buckets at any hardware store for just a few dollars a pop. the bags are a good idea but i'm not sure that there would be enough oxygen for a 4 hour trip. load the tank up last and set it up first. good luck!

 

2 days before you pack then up stop feeding them this will stop them from pooing in the bag which will make high ammoia levels which isn't good. all so set the bag in a container so they don't slush all over the place you can all so use five gallon buckets

 

I have actually moved fishes in new, rinsed out ice chests. They can be calmed down by closing the lids. The darkness will give them a little more security. Try to save as much water as you can, for re-filling the tank. The tank should be completely empty, or you risk breaking the glass.
Good luck.

 

Hi Laura05, I usually use trash bags inside new plastic trash cans. Put the tank gravel in one bag. There should be enough moisture to keep the bacteria culture alive. Try to divide your fish into different bags so that they are not overly crowded and deplete the oxygen quickly. You can take a rest stop each hour to hour and a half and open the bags to get fresh air. When you open the bags, just reach in with your hand and swirl the water a little to draw the fresh air into the water. The bag with your gravel and bacteria culture can remain closed. Another option that is a little pricey would be to buy battery operated air pumps, but they really aren't necessary by following the previous procedure.
Other important considerations are temperature. If they are loaded into an air conditioned van, temperature is not going to be too much of a problem. If they are going to be in the back of a pickup on a hot day, you probably need to cover and wrap a blanket around them to help insulate them from the sun and getting too hot.
While not breaking down the undergravel filter to keep your bacteria intact may seem like a good idea, it really isn't. While the tank is set up the UG filter pulls a lot of debris underneath the filter and develops not only the beneficial bacteria but also produces some bacteria that is pretty nasty. The good bacteria helps to keep this in check. When moving the tank this will get the nasty bacteria stirred up. The best thing to do is completely break the tank down. Store the gravel with the beneficial bacteria in a plastic trash can. Then rinse out the tank and the UG filter very well. Never travel with anything in the tank. It is an almost guaranteed breakage.
When you set up the tank at the new house you might want to consider a different type filter system. While UG filters help keep the water looking crystal clear, the problem with them is that after about 6 months of use they build up enough debris underneath to develop some really nasty bacteria if they get stirred up. Good luck on your trip and your new house.

Ooops. Just noticed you were going to be moving Neon Tetras. Neons do not do well at all on this kind of trip. They generally have to be tranquilized for this kind of trip. You might try to sell them to your LFS or give them to another aquarist friend in your area. When I worked wholesale we always tranquilized Neons for shipping. They just didn't make it without being tranqued.

 

Thank you all!! We are all moved and I only lost one fish .... I think it was due to age more then the move. I put them in 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon containers and then put them into two ice chests. I put some of my water in 5 gallon buckets with lids and some of it in my two 6 gallon camping water containers. So all in all I only had to replace about 20% of my water!! What a job that was!

All of my fish send thier thanks!!

 

congrad's on the good move

 

good job! and yes it is a pain...