AndyTH

Hey All,

I'm moving house on the first of May, and although it's only 10 minutes down the road I'm not sure how I'm going to transport my fish, as I'll be getting the keys the day I need to leave my current place and therefore won't have time to cycle a new tank. So far the only method I can think of is:

1. Take spare tank to the new house, and enough water from my current tank (4 foot cichlid tank) to fill it.
2. Transport the fish in bags and put them in the new tank (20 small malawi's in a 2 footer, and a feathered catfish but it's the only tank i've got)
3. Empty the 4 foot tank into buckets, and quickly transport the tank and water to the new house
4. Refill there
5. Add fish


I really can't think of any alternative, unless anyone here has thought of something I didn't?

MissMTS

I am moving at the end of April and have to do the same thing. I have heard that you can transport fish in soft cooler boxes, but I am not sure what those are or where to find them. It would be easier than bagging the fish though. Also, make sure you keep the filter media wet so that all of the bacteria does't die.

Llama

You don't actually need to CARRY the water (the 'cycled' part is in the gravel and most importantly in the filter).

ThisGuy

i did it last July moved 5 min down the road i just put all of the plants in one 5 gall bucket. Separated all the fish from the different tanks into 5 gall pails, broke down the tanks i left a little water in them but brought the water level down to a weight that i could lift them. Tide all the buckets & tnaks down in the pickup and drove slowly down the road. I broke down and moved all 4 tanks in 2 hrs. But that's how long it takes to transport and and set up all of my tanks. I had the same thing i had to move out and move in on the same day so i couldn't set up a tank at the new house. I bought stress coat for the fish when i move i think it really helped and it only cost $10 so its worth it in my opinion. MOST IMPORTANT THING remember to bring a level i was scrambling trying to make sure all the stands were level before i set up the tanks and i couldn't remember what box the level was in.

aabaltz

any advice on a bigger move? In about a month i will be moving about an hour and 30- 40 minutes away...Basically do everything the same way? Thanks in advance

ThisGuy

I haven't done one of those but i have heard of bagging the fish and sticking them in coolers to keep temperature. My advice try to get in before you move and set up a tank at the new place if you can.

aabaltz

unfortunatly at the present time I only have one tank, so setting up a tank ant the new place isnt really an option. I was brainstorming about keeping the heat constant, what if I found a friend with one of those power inverters that you plug into a car cig lighter, then have a 5 gal pail with water, fish and heater in it? would that work

aabaltz

btw sorry for highjacking this thread.

Stephen 31

Miss the soft cooler boxes are just the foam boxes that you would usually put ice and cans of soda in. you'll get them in any walmart or somewhere like that. i even seen them in some 7/11's
just ask at the counter and you'll be sorted

IIIHawKIII

the inverter and heater would work....if your hearter amps and watts are all under the rating of the inverter.

i moved about and hour away. put all my fish in buckets. about 25 fish in about, 10 buckets. 5 Gal. with all 5 gal of water in there. and had 2 more buckets with gravel and filter media in it.

tank was the last thing to tear down. first thing to set up. all my neighbors were lookin at me funny when 3 or 4 of my buddies made 2 or 3 trips carrying nothing but buckets out.

got there, filled the tank about half way. dumped about half of all the buckets into the tank. dechlor'd it. put the gravel in. got the filters back up and runnin. waited an hour and started acclimating all the fishes by adding about a gallon of the "half new tank water" back into their buckets of "old tank water." then added another gallon about an hour later.

didn't lose a single fish. until the ice storm 2 years later. lost them all. not a fun winter.

MissMTS

Oh thanks for clarifying that! I know exactly what those are, I guess the discription just didn't make sense to me lol

CHoffman

I would think for that short of a move you could just use a rubbermaid container with some tank water in it. I've done ALLOT of fish rescues and most of them were 2-3 hours away...I always just use a rubbermaid container, put the lid on so it's dark and it works like a charm. drain all the water out of your tank, transport it to the new place, fill it up with some stress coat and put your fish back in.

MissMTS

That sounds a lot easier than bagging them. I have 4 huge tanks of fish to move, so putting them in a rubbermade container would be sooo much faster.

CHoffman

It's always worked really good for me and I've had to move some BIG ole fish...2 24" plecos. 12" Oscar, catfish..and some smaller fish too...Don't fill the container to full because then it slosh's out of the container...Also put it somewhere tight fitting so it doesn't move at all while transporting. All of the fish faired great when being transported this way and most of them were in bad shape since they were rescues. Good luck for everyone having to move..I feel for ya..I sure wouldn't want to do it.

ThisGuy

You didn't have any lids on your pails?

CHoffman

No I did..But those lids are not water tight..If you don't have lids and just the containers you can use towels too..

aabaltz

so a long move is very possible. thanks