Moving a tank?

K

Kayleigh750

Medium Fish
#1
Dec 28, 2011
74
0
0
Canada
#1
yesturday my mom and dad announcd that they are seperating to me and my brother. happy new year, right? So it's all for a good cause because they said they can still be friends, they just don't want tension to turn to animocity. On the other end of this, we now have to move. great. They say we will probably be getting two new houses in the area between the end of june and beginning of august.

To the point where is comes to fish, my newly establishing 26 gallon bow front aquarium and what to do. I know you are really not supposed to move a tank. It's set until the fish all die... But I really don't want to quit fish keeping, I love it! has anybody ever successfully moved an aquarium? Any tips? Should I just forget about the thought of moving it with fish, keep the two I have for now and not add any more, and pray they can survive a little move to a place that would be no more than 5-10 minutes away, and then continue on? I really shouldn't add any more fish to the tank between now and then?

Just on a side bar, I got them some new food stuffs from the store and am hoping to get them to eat, but the seal under the cap was broken. Is the food no good, should I return it to the store?

Thanks all for any words of advice. I would like to plan out what I have to do here ahead of time.
 

KcMopar

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#2
May 11, 2011
1,854
1
0
Louisiana
www.americanhotrodsolutions.com
#2
I know how you feel, my parents separated when I was 12. I to had to move fish as well. Keep the ones you have and do not get any more. You will be moving in the warmer season so the cold will not play into it. Also being so close its not a huge deal. You need to collect some 5 Gallon pails with lids so you can transport your water and fish. You might wand 7-8 of them so they are not filled to top. One you can fill to about 1/2 or a bit more for your fish to be in, the others will hold what water you can siphon out without disturbing the gravel. That little bit of water and gravel in your tank should not be to heavy to lift. Also take the filter media and put it in a pail with the aquarium water so the bacteria lives. Just be sure the tank procedures are the last to be done at the old house and first to be done when you get to the new house. More then likely the fish food is OK, many people like to see what the food looks like for some reason. I have seen this many times on fish food I have bought. I have even seen people do it while shopping for fish food.
 

K

Kayleigh750

Medium Fish
#3
Dec 28, 2011
74
0
0
Canada
#3
Thanks so much for the words of advice. I'll be sure to follow them to the last detail! I'm happy that there will be a way to do it without causing too much problems for myself or the fish. I'd love to keep this as a hobby for a long time because there are so many amazing fish out there to have :p Thanks so much again, for help in advance.
 

T

tiny tetra

New Fish
#5
Jun 4, 2011
9
0
0
#5
I try to keep the fish in a large bucket or small tank while i drain the water. It's best to keep a heater in the temporary tank until absolutely nesecary (sorry for spelling) to take it out, move all the stuff at the same time and try to get the tank as visible as you can in under an hour and then place the fish in, they'll be perfectly happy from now on as long as its all set up as asual.

~hope i helped, tiny tetra
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#6
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#6
Two important things - DO NOT try to move the tank with anything in it. (you could loosen the seams and start it leaking) and Before you fill it, be sure it is level front and back. Use the Search function on this site and you will find info from people who have moved clear across the U.S. I used a cooler rather than buckets. Unless it is really hot or cold, you don't have to be in that big of hurry - just use good sense - like don't leave containers in the sun or a hot car, etc. Take your time to get the tank set safely where you want it, and substrate and plants back in. Use an instant read thermometer and refill it close to the temp in your transport containers and also add the water from those containers. It should be fine.
 

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

Large Fish
#7
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#7
I just moved 3 tanks at the beginning of december. Make sure the fish have a lid to keep them from sloshing out. You don't have to hurry too much, they can survive quite a while in a 5 gallon bucket with their water... Having a live plant or 3 in there would be helpful. That said, its not ideal to leave them there too long... Make sure your tanks are EMPTY when you move them. Even a bit of gravel not only makes it really heavy, but you can crack the tank in the move that way. While it is helpful to have the tank water, it is not necessary to keep it all. The bb are mostly in the gravel and filter media, so as long as your fish are in good shape before the move, they can handle the time it will take to replenish the bacteria lost in the water. Keep some of the water, but don't kill yourself trying to keep it all. I ended up with just the water that kept the gravel and decor wet. The fish didn't show any I'll effects from the "instant cycle." Its the recommended fishless cycle for new tanks of established keepers, so its not a problem for these guys.
Once at the new place, set up the tank asap, and let it run for am hour or so before putting the fish in...
Good luck with the move. And good luck with the life change. Its tough, but things will end up ok. " Just keep swimming"
 

K

Kayleigh750

Medium Fish
#8
Dec 28, 2011
74
0
0
Canada
#8
Thanks to all, I'll incorporate everything I can. These two mollies of mine are troopers so far, I'm sure they will handle it when the time comes. Should i try to keep the gravel, decor, filter cartridge and biological filter parts in the water over the move? It won't be much hassle to keep at least a quarter to half of the water from the tank. I'll be sure to take everything down at the last minute possible and assemble it as soon as I feel is possible and safe for the fish. The tank and supplies I will not let go on a moving van, my mom will have to drive me and everything, I'll make sure the fish are either on my lap or somewhere nearest me. It won't be a long trip and it will be very safe and the most stress free as possible as long as i have anything to do about it. thanks very much again to all of you, i'll try to throw together ideas from everybody and do what I believe is best for the fish at the time.
 

K

Kayleigh750

Medium Fish
#10
Dec 28, 2011
74
0
0
Canada
#10
thanks for that, I'm not out here for sympathy, but i appreciate it.

ok thanks. yeah i wouldn't be able to keep much of the water in the first place. it would be a pain in the neck to lug it all around. i will definitely keep all the stuff in the tank wet though :p
 

exhumed07

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
#11
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#11
My girl friend and a are getting an apt in feb and i'm going to need to move all 4 of my tanks. i'm probably just going to keep 2 of them setup though. but i planned on taking all my tank water and putting them in 10 gallon water jugs to move it and put the fish in a lidded 5 gallon buckets to transport them and also do the same with the gravel, then taking a wet towel and wrapping that around the driftwood to keep it moist. i have a truck so spilled or splashing water is not an issue and i also plan to keep all my tanks at home till i'm done moving everything else. but i figure going from the country to the city it would be best to save all the water i can and slowly aclimate them to the city water or just go get RO water from then on. but the most important thing is to keep that bacteria alive so there is no cycle to need to deal with.
 

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