JCR

I am hoping to get some helpful tips about moving my fish tank. I am going to be moving in a month or so and I wanted to know if there is anything I should do or prepare for to make the trip for my fish less stressful. My new apartment is less than 10 miles away from where I presently am. I was wondering:

1) Can I wash out the gravel and get rid of all the stuff that I have missed vaccuuming?
2) Should I get a huge bucket to place all of my fish in or should I seperate them in bags?
3) I have to replace the water once I get to my new apartment.. Will my tank cycle again?

Any other useful tips would be great guys..

I really hope they don't die. Please help..

COBettaCouple

1) The best thing to do with your gravel is to leave it in the tank with just enough tank water to cover it and the lid on.. you want to keep the gravel wet with tank water so that the good bacteria that have built up on it won't die. You can always clean your gravel in a bucket of tank water or clean treated tap water to get out anything missed in vacuuming. I'd probably put towels under it and over the lid, just in case any water splashes out - although that's unlikely with how little water will be in the tank.

2) Transport the fish in bags. Probably best to double bag them and seal them with plenty of air. If you can, put them in a cooler with bunched up newspaper to keep the bags from moving around. The cooler can also keep them from heat or A/C temperature shifting some.

3) Transport your filter box in a container of tank water or clean treated tap water. Between the good bacteria in it and in the gravel, hopefully you won't need to do any cycling at the new place. There is a little of the good bacteria in the water, but almost all of it is in the filter and gravel.

JCR

Thank you for your response FLBettaCouple.

COBettaCouple

no problem.. seems like everybody's moving lately.. and we talked to people about a potential 1800 mile move a little while back.