tanker83

MY family and I have been talking about moving house and I have been looking forward to it with excitement and apprehension untill I realised HOW WILL I MOVE MY FISH TANK?? We havent decided how far or where to but if and when we do move.... what is the best, safest way to move my fish and fish tank any suggestions would be much appreciated to put my mind at ease.....
THANKS

Dino

How many fish, how far and what sized fish and tanks?

sirdarksol

Hopefully COBettaCouple will be around soon. They moved over halfway across the US with their fish, and despite some setbacks, everything went splendidly.

Edit: Dino and CWC will be good sources of info, too.

Dino

Well, I guess we will get to the fish part later.
As for the tank, remove all decorations, keeping them wet, so that you do not lose your good bacteria.
Remove all of your substrate ( gravel, sand, whatever ) also keeping it wet.
Remove all the water, saving as much as you can to put back in the tank once it is reset up.
As much as possible, make the tank the last thing that gets taken down and the first thing you set back up.

For a large number of fish or large fish, moving them in buckets or plastic tote is better than trying to bag them.

For smaller fish, moving them in a bag is just fine.

CWC and myself, moved a fishroom, a 7 hour drive last year.
With no fish losses.

Hope this helps.

tanker83

wow thanks for the quick reply guys! its a four foot tank with silver shark, angel, 5 clown laoches, pleco, 5 neon rainbows, 3 barbs, pearl cichlid, 2 gouramis and a convict. I dont know where to or how far because we don't know where we are moving....its just i would like to know WHEN we do. Because I'm worried.

Dino

If you place all fish in a 30 gallon or so tote to move them, you should be fine.

COBettaCouple

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummaga...oving-fish.htm - this pretty much sums up what we did when we moved the fish over a 3-day, 1800 mile trip. Hope that it helps you with your move.

sirdarksol

Dangit. I went up and down that list twice, and couldn't find the article.
Oh well.

tanker83

Excellent! that article has helped heaps! Now I know what to do. Thank-you thank you thank-you

Fishies-for-me

Last time I moved a 5 hour trip with fish I put them in picnic coolers that had a snap on lid. You could drill a small hole in the lid for an air hose to be driven by a battery pump if needed . The coolers really insulate the water against rapid heat loss.

COBettaCouple

Cool and good luck with the move!