The Big Move is on..

[HEADIN]

Ok so this coming saturday I will be moving my 4ft tank to my new house.

Never done a total move before so im going to try and get it all laid out in my head so I know what im doing etc.. The actual time on route once everything is loaded up will be about 20/30mins so not to long.

I have 2 black buckets that I will be using to house the fish during the move.

So far it goes something like this..

1 - partially drain the tank and remove decor to make catching fish easier.

2 - Disconnect all the electrical stuff

3 - catch the fish
4 - move and load everything into the car.

5 - get to the new place and get unloading.

6 - fill tank and treat the water n in they go lol

Wat sort of time is safe to keep the fish in buckets. The water wont be heated. Itll just be tank water so speed will be the top priority I think. The quicker the better.

Any tips? Pointers? Advice?

 

[IThinkTherefore]

Get alllllll the water out if possible. Don't want the tank bottom to fall out D:

Since it'll be such a big change, you may want to re-acclimate your fish to the new water. That's all I've got, others will have more to say

 

[HEADIN]

Thats a very good point there cheers. Not sure how much difference there will be in the water params, like ph etc. But I will def acclimate them again.

Would it be best to add the fresh water to the buckets the fish will be, or bag them and let them float so that the temp can level out aswell?

 

[skjl47]

Hello: I had to move everything to a new house this time last year. I set up a new tank at the new house about a week in advance. I put some plants and snails from the old setup the first day and allowed the filter and heater and lights (on a timer) to run during that week. This allowed me to monitor the new set up while i was making additional trips with furniture and stuff.

I have also come to suspect that snails and floating plants from an established tank will start a cycle in a new setup. They also seem to take being dumped in fresh untreated water well.

 

[ryanoh]

I moved across town, and for the sake of time my friend and I didn't take the gravel out of my 40 gallon. That was hands down the heaviest thing we moved the entire day, so if not for structural integrity of the tank, empty it just to do yourself a favor.

 

[HEADIN]

I would actually like to change my substrate to something a bit nicer and would be the ideal time to do it but dont have the funds at the min to do it. But out with as much gravel as possible then.

 

[Thyra]

Last Jan. I took over my daughters tank which was about a 45 minute move - just the driving part. I bought a plastic storage tub, but if I were doing it again I would use a cooler. If you had a couple of them, you could siphon the water in, divide the fish up and because coolers usually have two handles a friend can help carry them and of course they also have a lid so you won't lose water. The fish came from city water (daughter never used declorinator) and went to well water. When we got the tank leveled, I put my tap water in the approximate temp of the water they arrived in (which wasn't much because my SIL had moved them himself) and put the fish in. If you use coolers, you will probably have a lot more water and you can mix new water with the transport water. You sure should be able to borrow a few coolers. Anyway, have fun and good luck!

 

[Thyra]

Just had a thought! Do you have live plants and need the substrate? You could leave the bottom clean until you can get what you want OR you could get a couple of shallow plastic food storage containers, like cake pan size, and but your existing substrate in those and then just lift them out when you can get what you really want.

 

[lauraf]

Also make sure if you are removing gravel and/or the filter media, keep them submerged in existing tank water - this will keep the bacteria live so your new setup doesn't go through a cycle . . . .

 

[HEADIN]

Thanks for all the input so far folks. Picked up some gd points.

Thyra - ive no live plants unfortunately, crayfish n apple snails just eat them. It will be a while before I can get a new sub so I think I will just put it all back in, then when I do get new stuff, i'll just do a full re-scape and drain the tank and bucket the fish for an hour or 2.

 

[pateceramics]

We have moved tanks twice. They are REALLY heavy, so ditto on the draining as much as possible.

Put a few plants in the cooler with your fish while they move to make them more comfortable, but don't put anything else in there with them while you are actually in motion. Squish.

If it's practical, when you get where you are going, put your heater and filter in the bucket full of fish and plug them in to keep them comfortable while you fuss over getting the tank stand leveled and start refilling the tank. A spare heater comes in handy for this sort of thing. But using a cooler instead of a bucket for the fish will also help a lot. Holds in heat.

I'd also make sure that your tank is the last thing that you move when moving. That way you can get it set up and have the time to sit by it and check on the fish and water levels in case of problems. If something is going wrong with the tank and you are busy carrying boxes, you might not notice.

And have a plan for where the tank is going before you start. Be sure the floor will hold, and there are enough plugs for everything.

 

[HEADIN]

Well this plan turned out to be a fantastic big NON EVENT!

Had all my plan sussed out and the day before my EX girlfriend decides she is gonna keep the tank and not let me have it!

Absolutely gutted as ive put alot of work, time and effort into it over the last year! But if thats the way she wants to play she can keep it and goodluck to her lookin after it.

I have however got a replacement on the cards. A friend has offered me his tank, complete with equip n fish for 60quid so no cycling etc would be needed. Its a 4ft tank aswell, 48x12x18 so works out as 44gal I think so would give me some extra stockin options.

The only thing I dont have is a stand or unit for it but im ont he lookout. Theres no rush as the tank is running in his house and he said its there if I want it so thats the potential new plan that is on the cards.