Annadvn

Im sorry this will probably end up being a long post with me rambling on and on, sorry in advance.

It starts with us making a 1700 mile move this coming weekend/week. I had plans to take the fish tanks down the night before we leave and get a U-Haul trailer and tow them the 1700 miles from missouri to Idaho with the fish in bags in the husbands car, so he can keep an eye on the temperatures in the bags and turn up the heat/air conditioning to keep them relatively stable. But then i realize by tiny toyota tacoma cannot tow the weight (only 3500LB) so as the military are moving we sell off/ give away a few fish to reduce the number of active tanks - therefore reducing the number of tanks that i need to tow.

Well the car goes in for a service 2 days ago and they mention there is a noise coming from within the transmission and they recommend against do any long road trips and especially towing <panic a little>. So hauling the tanks is no longer an option!

The following day we go for a briefing from the army (husband is Navy, and this would never have happened if they were organizing things) about moving all of our stuff and we bring up a couple of questions on the fish tanks, they say yes they can cover them, i think great until they ask us how many we have. We reply with 19 with the size ranging from 5g to 200g. They freak and ask if we have ever sold any fish, to which we answer yes (we have but at a loss to what we bought them for, i mainly trade fish with other people) so they then go on to say that we are a business and that therefore they will not cover the tanks to be moved and that we have to do it all our selves! (if you remember my truck can't haul the weight of all of them) so after a lot of digging holes and filling them in as fast (and me acting like a pit bull!) they finally agree i'm totally nuts and that i have an obsessive hobby and agree to take the tanks. <note - i have never made a profit selling any fish!>

So everything gets arranged for the professional movers to come in on friday and pack everything (except the fish tanks) and return the following tuesday (memorial day weekend, remember) to load the truck and finish packing the fish tanks. I get a phone call this morning saying that they need the tanks ready to be packed on the friday and that they have to be totally empty and spotlessly clean. So i have to finish work a day early, cancel everybody's help that agreed to come over on the monday and help take the tanks down, so i can do it tomorrow. As i am writing this they have rang again to say that the house will be packed up on friday ad they will pick up all the stuff on saturday now! The only trouble with this is that the date everything is due to be delivered to the house has not changed, and its still 8th June!

How can i possibly keep the fish alive for over 2 weeks in bags, its not possible. I have already started taking down some of the tanks, mainly the bettas they are now living in 1/2 gallon tupperware containers with a bit of java moss, no filter or heater! 1 plan i have is to move all the cichlids (mbuna and haplochromes) into 1 tank and down size them to a 90g, and move everything from my 125g (13 clown loaches, 2 bala sharks, rainbows and various other fish) into a 90g tank as well. This will allow me to tow a much smaller trailer just fitting in 2x 90g and the 75g salt tank (i am petrified in moving that tank anywhere with out it dying on me!) and keep them in squashed confines with 50% daily water changes during the time it takes their regular tanks to arrive! ANd i haven't even worked out how to transport the substrate and filters to try and maintain as many beneficial bacteria as possible so i only go through a mini cycle not a full cycle with fish!

I'm desperate now, does anyone have any suggestions for keeping as much of the bacteria as possible? Do you think the fish will cope squashed into smaller tanks? Anyone ever moved a salt water tank this far before without everything dying off? I am desperate i thought i had this all worked out but with the army messing us around like this and more and more stuff getting in the way and making me stress out i wished i had written my plans down.

Sorry for the long rant, typing this out has made me feel better.

Anna

Amanda

Oh mannn...I don't have any advice, but I truly wish you the BEST of luck. And yes, the Army can mess up many things, I've experienced that.

Lucy

Oh wow Anna, I wish the post could be chock full of good adivce.
Instead, just know we're thinking about you and how much stress this must be on your family.
I know you'll do the very best you can.

Butterfly

Wow Anna I was wondering when you were going to have to move.
I think the fish will be fine in smaller tanks for the time being. Not sure how long the bacteria will live but keep as much of it wet as you can and hopefully some will survive.
If at all possible Tetra Safe Start might be a better option once you get there.
Keep us posted on how things are going.
carol

Annadvn

Thanks everyone, i will try and keep this post updated with progress and what works and what didn't so in future if people need to do what we are doing, they can read and learn with what we did with the good and bad results.

I thought about getting Tetra safe start but was wondering if if it would make more of a mini cycle instead of less? I have used it before with great results!

So far i have all the smaller tanks down and bleached out (want to make 100% sure they are clean so there is no excuses from the people who move them!!)

I have bagged up some of the plants and the Snails i have been trying to unsuccessfully breed (seems i don't over feed enough!) Tomorrow will be the rough day taking down the 125g tanks (and 2x 55g and a 90g) and moving everyone over to temporary accommodation and having a dinner party for all the friends who want to see us before we go!

I am trying to keep looking at the benefit of moving right now so i say happy and positive. Once we move the husband can finish his degree at Boise Uni, we will be near family and friends and generally (fingers crossed) be happier than in the middle of know where Missouri.

Anna

MissMTS

Wow Anna. You have been dealing with so much. I truly wish you the best of luck with the move. I just moved about a month ago and it was really hectic. I would suggest putting a lot of the fish into rubbermaid tubs and just doing lots of 50 percent water changes and add prime until you get the tanks up and running. You can even set up heaters and HOB filters on the tubs once you guys get to your new place and you are waiting on the tanks to come.

Annadvn

Some good news came today!

The movers came around today to get measurements of all the fish tanks so they can make individual wooden crates for each one to go in!! Makes me happy to think they are taking them seriously now, although the bloke thought he and his friend could lift the 200g with 1" thick glass with just 2 people! I guess he will learn the hard way tomorrow.

Anna

Shawnie

wow anna..I cant even imagine all you are going through....moving stinks anyhoo without all the tanks that we love..and being in the service, im sure you do it more often than others....kudo's to you and your family for the sacrifices you do daily for us!!

I am glad things are getting somewhat easier....and I also agree..get some rubbermaid tubs at walmart and just put your heaters and filters on them after you arrive.....keeping the filters in a cooler with some tank water in the meantime, will help alot...after loosing power this winter for 4 days, (I know yours isnt the same) I had zero mini cycles which i was forever greatful for..and the TSS on hand will also help alot...goodluck and godspeed this all transpires faster than the blink of an eye!

SWilkins

Oh Anna I so wish we could help you somehow. You will definitely be in our prayers and so will your family and fishy family. Would Kordon breather bags work for the filter media and maybe some of the substrate? They could also work for some of your smaller babies. A friend of mine did a test and had inverts live for three weeks in Kordon bags in an insulated box on her counter. When the first one showed signs of distress she put them back into their tank. I am grasping at straws here for you and I cannot think of anything else. I can tell you that your Koi angels that I got from you are doing great and are just gorgeous if that makes you feel any better.

Best wishes and best of luck with your move dear.
Sherry

Annadvn

Thanks everyone,

I almost have the tanks down, only 2 to go and they are only 55g tanks. the fish from the 125g tanks are settling in their temporary 90g tanks for now, the bala sharks have only jumped out 3 times so thats good (i have a lid on them now!

Each of the tanks has about 8 filters running on them right now! Trying to keep everything going now until we roll out of here on saturday.

I have placed all the rocks and sand substrates in black bin bags and placed that into milk crates for ease of moving them, but boy they are heavy. I tank had MTS in the substrate so i have left them in the sand, i thought it would be interesting to see if they keep the sand healthier or not??

Oh and in 1.5 hours time i have a dinner party coming over, some friends really wanted to see us before we left and are now coming over for dinner tonight!! I hope they like what ever is left in the cupboard that needs eating!

I took my giant onion plants out of the tank earlier and held them up the leaves were as tall as me at 5.5 feet! I took a picture i will try and get it up later.

Annadvn

Well i already have 3 casualties from the move so far (and i have not even moved yet, they are in temporary tanks), 2 clown loaches and a albino cory cat!

I am at the point now where i just need to sit and cry!

RIP little guys

Anna

Annadvn

Well i lost 5 clown loaches, 1 albino cory cat and a bristlenose pleco over night.

The movers are very fast at packing! Too fast, they packed the python before i had chance to move it to the side, ahh back to 5 gallon buckets when i get to the other end to fill the 90g's and 50g.

Butterfly, do you know if i can use bag buddies with the clown loaches, i am sure i can but as they are sensitive i just wanted to make sure??

Anna

Shawnie

oh no anna..im so so sorry for your losses already...I cannot even imagine what you are going through ....big huggs!

MissMTS

Anna, I am so sorry for your losses. I lost some of my precious fish when I moved as well and its really hard to deal with. I wish you and your family the best of luck with the move and I hope that everything goes well.

Butterfly

Sorry for your losses Anna
The Bag Buddies will be fine with the clowns
Carol

aquarist48

Hang in there Anna! Would someone define Bag Buddies please. It will get better! Sorry to hear about your losses.

Lucy

Aw, Anna, I'm really sorry you lost them.
Hang in there.

Annadvn

http://kensfish.com/shippingsupplie.html

scroll down and you can see a description.

I have to say i HATE, HATE, HATE, bag buddies, i was up at 6am and bagging up the Mbuna cichlids and its now 11am and i checked on them and i have 5 Acei and 6 Labs that look dead!! They are hardly breathing, their scales/slime coat are all looking bad, they have white blotchy look to them. So no more bag buddies EVER again for me!!

Other annoying things happening this morning are the fish have decided to play up and they kept swimming up the hose pipe when we are trying to empty the tank, the corals that i have been bagging up, despite really careful handling, sem to have stung me and yes, i rubbed my eyes!

Still after all this i think i could set up a company dealing with fish tanks and transport, bagging up of fish as a business so others don't have to go through the stress.

Anna

Shawnie

oh no!! i so wish it was easier for you im sorry for your losses.......Im not familiar with salties and I so hope your eyes are ok!

could your mbuna's been stressed before ?(im sure everyone is as well as the fish) I have never lost a fish with bag buddies but have without them... I swear by them whenever putting fish in bags....

goodluck with the rest of the move and i so hope nothing else goes wrong!

Annadvn

Well after 2 days of travel, i have lost all the cichlids (about 80) 7 synodontis cat fish, 4 more clown fish.

I am down to 3 clown fish, 7 rainbows, 1 bala, 2 RTS, 3 bristlenose plecos and all my bettas and a handful of cichlid fry that were only 24 hours old when i bagged them if that!

I am so upset right now, i don't know where to start, i still have another 4 hour drive tomorrow (yesterday was a 13 hour drive, today was 12 hour drive)

The salt stuff seems ok right now, but time will tell when i set it back up.

Anna

MissMTS

Anna, I am so sorry for your tremendous loss I am sure it was heartbreaking to lose all of those fish. You did the best that you could for them. Moving fish is not easy to begin with, let alone moving them across the country. I hope your salties and other fish stay healthy. Hang in there!

SWilkins

Anna hang in there hopefully the worst is over. Maybe when you are all settled and calmed back down to normal life all of us here at Fishlore can get together and send you some new babies...not replacements just new babies.

tropical_lizard

Oh my gosh. I'm sorry all this happened. I can only imagine the stress levels. Keep calm though, after a stormy cloud, there is always light. Hope everything goes stable to good from now on.

catfishlover123

So sorry about your losses. It is so hard to lose fish.

Angela_96

I hate that!
I hope you get everything going again!

Annadvn

Thank you everyone for your kind words. This is the first day i can think about what happened without crying.

I'm sure shortly those who breed fish will get an PM asking if they have any available, so we can restock.

Anna

Butterfly

Anna our hearts are with you. Anything I have you are welcome to.
Carol

SWilkins

Same goes for me. I got some gorgeous beauties from you and I would be glad to send you anything I have that you like...feel free to PM anytime!