Moving tank?

Alright well I moved into a new apartment in August, set up my fishtank, etc. Turns out my apartment has a spider problem (and I'm kind of badly arachnophobic), and my landlord won't do anything about it. Sooo I'm probably going to be moving again within the next few weeks, but now I have the issue of moving a 10 gallon fishtank.

So what I'm thinking right now is that I'll empty out all the water, put my betta in my small temporary container, get another container (maybe just a cheap plastic food container?) to put my shrimp and mystery snail in, and just leave the sand and decorations in the tank.

I also have some live plants- water wisteria and anubias- in my tank, and I'm kind of thinking of just leaving them in there during the move. Will they be okay for a day or so without water? I've just been working hard to get everything planted and setup nicely, and I don't want to have to pull up all of the plants out of the sand and mess it all up.

Anyone have any advice for moving with an aquarium?

 

Get a large Rubbermaid container and put your water and filter media in there. Should be more than enough capacity for 10 gallons. Saran Wrap the top of your tank, maybe leave a coating of water to keep things from drying. I did this in August with a 5 gallon and had no issues but had everything back together in about 22 hours.

Oh and I held the aquarium on my lap in the passenger seat in the move, small so wasn't to heavy or bulky. Container with my water was belted in back seat and arrived at new house first.

 

You can quite easily move a 10 gallon tank, even with a couple of gallons of water in it. To make the move easier, you can place the tank on a piece of wood large enough to cover the tank bottom, and then just lift away (best done with two people, as is any move).
Separate the fish beforehand, though
I'm not sure of your timing; why do you say a day, or day and a half? The tank should be the last thing moved and the first thing set up
You might also check the water chemistry difference (if any) between the old and new place.
Personally, I would just get used to the spiders, especially as they can make great fish food.
Good luck in your move, rick

 

The tank should definitely be one of the last things you move, or you should take the time to set it up s soon as its moved, and your new place should be set up for its arrival.
Keep in mind that you're moving a little ecosystem, and the water/plants/substrate/fish will be better off if disturbed as minimally as possible.

 

Okay thanks guys! Good tip to move the tank last. The only reason I said it may be a day or two to get everything back together is because I'm currently in the middle of a semester, so I might be moving kind of after class, etc and I don't know exactly how much time I will have each day to get everything done. I'm still looking for a place, so I just want to get advice now, before I have a chance to make mistakes lol!

And lol Ricmcc I REALLY don't like spiders. And these guys are hunting spiders, so they don't just stay in a corner- they crawl around the walls and ceilings at night. I've tried to live with it and hoped to see a decline in their population, but no luck so far.

Sent from my XT1058 using Fish Lore Aquarium Fish Forum mobile app

 

I also would be out of there ASAP. Spiders have too many legs for me and they give me the creeps. Meanwhile keep a large can of bug spray in each room. also a two by four if necessary in each room if needed.Alison

 

I adopted a 55 gal tank from an older couple who were moving out of state back in May. I live about an hour away from where they lived, so I had to move 2 plecos, 5 loaches, and 3 cories. I got a couple of 5 gallon buckets from Lowes that have those nice sturdy lids, then drilled some air holes in the lids. But what I wanted to mention to you was that I also used battery-operated air pumps while we moved. I probably didn't need them for such a short time, but it made me feel better

They were really inexpensive (I think each one was like $11 on Amazon) and they worked out well. I also like that I now have them as a backup in case of a blackout. You said you weren't really sure how long your fish would be out of their home tank, so I thought something like that might come in handy.

Good luck with your move!
Amy