Black Skirt Tetras - Tank Size and Moving

[Uncle Albert]

I've had a 29 gallon tank since 2006; for the last 2 years I've only had 5 of the Black Skirt Tetras (along with plastic plants and some ornaments) and plan to keep it that way.

I have 2 questions:

What is the appropriate size tank for the 5 fish? Changing even half the water in the 29 is a real chore for me, so I would like to downsize. *SICK*

We plan to move in the next month or so from the East Coast to the West Coast. What is the best way to safely move the fish? *GOLDFISH*

Thanks in advance for all replies.

UA

 

[Thyra]

IMO you have plenty of room in the 29g for 5 tetras plus a few others if you choose after your move. I would fill a clean cooler with about 5 inches of water from your tank and get some type of aerator you can plug in at night - I assume you will stop for the night someplace with power. I wouldn't worry about feeding the fish during that time. Black skirt tetras are pretty hardy IME. I don't know what your plan is, of course, but having been back and forth across country numerous times, I find it is usually a 4 - 5 day trip and this time of year it should be warm enough not to need a heater. As far as water changes, in an established tank as you have and if your water tests okay you probably could get away with about a 25% change once a month, particularly if you continue with just your current stocking.

 

[Uncle Albert]

Thyra,

Thanks for your reply ... but I do want to get a much smaller tank once we get setup; what's the minimum size for the 5 fish that I have.

We'll be flying not driving. What would be the best way to transport them (shipping, etc) ..

UA

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You should be able to ship them easily enough - if possible, ask maybe your LFS or somewhere who ships fish, what they recommend as far as packaging. Baring that, I would say double bag them and if the weather looks particularly hot, throw a cold pack in with them (again, ask what is normally used with fish if you can). Also take a used filter cartridge out as you break down the tank, and stick it in a ziploc with some tank water and bring it with you, to hopefully eliminate or reduce cycling when you set back up.

A 20g should be fine for those guys, possibly smaller. Honestly I've never seen a full grown black skirt, just the little ones they sell in stores. You would want a comfortable tank size for them. If you do even a 5g water change in a 20-29g tank with those guys once a month, it would be fine. So you don't have to stress about massive water changes.

 

[Rotaripsnoc]

This seems reasonably well done, though I've never shipped any live fish before I would probably do something very similar to this.

Shipping , Step by Step - The Angelfish Forum II - Focused on Freshwater Angelfish.

 

[Thyra]

I will bet it will cost more to ship those fish than what it would cost to replace them. As I remember the ones I cost were probably about $1 each on sale. If that is the case I would just donate them to someone or your LFS and start of when you get settled.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Uncle Albert,

Nothing but 5 black skirt tetras and some decor would be fine in a 10g tank if you really want to go as small as possible. A 20g long is also an easy tank to maintain IMO.

Congrats to you for owning the same batch of small tropicals for going on 8 years! That means you maintain your tank wonderfully. I would think 7-8yrs would be about the lifespan of those fish. Not sure.

Like said, if your going to move them yourself, keep them in a sturdy plastic cooler with some of their used decor, gravel and filter media. You can get battery powered air pumps for a bubbler, etc.

I would think shipping them commercially wouldn't be worth the risk. Like Thyra suggested, donate them and get more once you're settled if that's the case.