Moving In Two Years; What To Do With Fish?

I am new to this site and idk if this is the right place to put this but I am moving across state lines and I don't knkw what to do with my fish then?

I have a 20 gallon with a bristlenose pleco (f), 4 platys and a swordtail. Can I give them to the pet shop if I can't find a home?

 

Most fish shops will take your fish, some mom and pop ones may even give you store credit, or if you get lucky, they might even be able to hold on to them for you until you get your tank set up again.

 

I love my fish and it's be great to take them but I feel a move this big will be way too stressful on the little guys

Thank you!

 

I mean, a LOT can happen in 2 years. My wife and I owned our house, had no plans on moving in the next 15+ years and within 2 weeks she was offered a new job, accepted, I closed my photography studio and we moved 250 miles south. You NEVER know what's going to happen.

But IF nothing changes over the next 2 years, why not take them with you? Are they illegal in the state you're moving to? Just put your fish in a bucket, empty the tank and bring everything with you. Its pretty easy and done all the time. Ive moved 8 hours away with 7 tanks, the biggest being a 220 gallon with 16 inch Oscar.

 

This move is pretty much guarantees, as it is to spend time with family before they pass, and as the drivers had bad night vision, that will be two days without a heater (and we're moving in the winter) and I just feel that will be too stressful on them.

Does this still sound doable? If so I'd love to take them, but I just don't want them to experience too much stress

Thank you so much!

 

So they have battery operated air pumps just for this reason. I ice fish a lot and I can keep bait (a few dozen) alive for two weeks in a bucket if need be. It’s all about oxygen... keep oxygen in the water and fish will endure all kinds of things you wouldn’t think they would.
Just some double AAs and you don’t even have to run it all the time just run it every few hours and your good. They also make much larger ones that can run for days without end.

This move is pretty much guarantees, as it is to spend time with family before they pass, and as the drivers had bad night vision, that will be two days without a heater (and we're moving in the winter) and I just feel that will be too stressful on them.

Does this still sound doable? If so I'd love to take them, but I just don't want them to experience too much stress

Thank you so much!

Thinking about this a bit more and how this hobby has played out with me... in two years you might have five or six tanks. Just saying it happens.....

 

If it ends up being impossible to keep them there’s always the buy/sell/trade/free forum on here and craigslist. They might end up in a better place than in a pet shop. I really hope you end up being able to take them with you

 

If you have to get rid of them, almost any pet shop would take them in and adopt them out. I ALWAYS look in the adoption tank at my local Petco first thing.

 

Thank you; this is so helpful!