Tips For Moving+tank Redo? Long Drive.

Hello! I am going to be moving 4.5 hours away on Saturday. My fish are of course coming with me. I also have been planning on completely redoing my tank, and figured this would be a good time since my tank will have already been completely taken apart.
I have a few questions regarding the move and the redo. If anyone could answer some or all of them that would be awesome!

I plan on moving the fish in buckets. The ones that I feel need to be singled out for the ride or from other tanks will go in bags. I have made this 4.5 hour trip with them before (it's from college to home) and they were fine so them dying is not really what I am worried about.

Last time I only used sealed bags to transport them. I am concerned the water in the buckets may slosh around too much and either spill or stress the fish out. How can I prevent this? Filling them up more?

When I get home, I would like to start out by putting sand in the tank. (It is gravel currently) I have the sand but it has not been cleaned as I have no where to clean it here. When I arrive at my house I will clean it. Will the fish be ok for another hour or so in the bags and buckets while the sand is being washed? I could run an air pump into each of the buckets and possibly a hob filter if it fits, but a filter doesn't seem entirely necessary for that little time.

How long in general do you think they'll be ok in bags/buckets if I am giving them decent air supply? It's not the air I worry about it's the stress and amount of fish per gallon in those small containers. I only have so much bucket!

The gravel is obviously a big source of bacteria in the tank. Should I like.. save some gravel or something to put back into the tank for the bacteria after changing to sand and remove it later? I don't plan on putting anything from the current tank into it when I get home, but if it's to get the bacteria in there I can for now. The only source otherwise of original bb would be the filter media and original water the fish are in (which I would plan on putting back into the tank as much as I can) I also tend to put some culture in every week as the bottle suggests.

Will I really need to cycle the tank? I want the fish out of the buckets asap or both mine and the fishs stress levels will just rise. Last time there was no issues with the move and I did clean a lot of the stuff in the tank without cycling after, so I feel like it should be ok.

I'm forseeing them being in bags/buckets for at least 6.5 hours. (1 hour before I leave, 4.5 hours driving, 1 hour prep) But how long could they be there?

Any other tips? Thank you so much. I get pretty bad anxiety about things and my fish are important to me. I just need to make sure they'll be ok!

 

Don't feed them the day before the move. Less waste in the bags. You should be fine if you seal the bags right before you leave and open them up right when you get there. They will be fine for a couple more hours while you set things up.

 

They should be fine for even up to 8-12 hours in the bags. Even longer if need be. However, just get your new tank set up with the substrate and deco asap. Keep your old filter media wet or moist so that you can stick it in the filter again when you get back home.

 

Leaving tomorrow, any more tips?

 

Don't use bags unless you fill them with pure oxygen. They're only used by necessity (shipped by air or for people to take home from stores). If you're driving you can give them a lot more water and allow gas exchange. Add some Prime or Amquel to the buckets and make sure each has an air stone.

 

Don't use bags unless you fill them with pure oxygen. They're only used by necessity (shipped by air or for people to take home from stores). If you're driving you can give them a lot more water and allow gas exchange. Add some Prime or Amquel to the buckets and make sure each has an air stone.

I will use buckets for most of them but I only have 2 buckets and 3 fish tanks, don't want to mix fish. I'll put stress coat in the buckets and will put in an air stone once I'm home setting up the tank.

 

I think you have it all covered. You've done it before. Just remember the tank is the last thing that should be moved out of the house and first thing to be set up at the new location. That's what I was told.

Also make sure your bio filter is in water too, that's where all the good stuff is at, not the gravel.

 

So having some problems with the sand. I rinsed it for about an hour and it was running clear but I guess I just didn't do it good enough because the water in the tank is light brown still can't see more than a centimeter into it....
I've been constantly changing the water for about a half hour now and will keep going... fish are still in buckets with air pump. How long will my fish be ok? I have like 15 small mollies in one 5 gallon bucket and a 6 inch pleco in a 1.5 gallon bucket... I have another bucket but I don't have another air pump. How should I distribute them? I feel like they might have to go overnight .-.

 

So having some problems with the sand. I rinsed it for about an hour and it was running clear but I guess I just didn't do it good enough because the water in the tank is light brown still can't see more than a centimeter into it....
I've been constantly changing the water for about a half hour now and will keep going... fish are still in buckets with air pump. How long will my fish be ok? I have like 15 small mollies in one 5 gallon bucket and a 6 inch pleco in a 1.5 gallon bucket... I have another bucket but I don't have another air pump. How should I distribute them? I feel like they might have to go overnight .-.

Not sure about your fish but I helped my dad with his new sand substrate tank! Rinsing the sand above can take hours, which we didn't have either so we emptied all the cloudy water, put the decor in and VERY SLOWLY poured the water in on top of the decor piece to evenly spread the water. The jet is not to disturb the sand at all!! It still won't be crystal clear but as long as you're treating it as you fill it, it should be okay for your fish. His was clear by the next day abs crystal by the 3rd day with happy fish. I hope this helps, Good luck!

 

Not sure about your fish but I helped my dad with his new sand substrate tank! Rinsing the sand above can take hours, which we didn't have either so we emptied all the cloudy water, put the decor in and VERY SLOWLY poured the water in on top of the decor piece to evenly spread the water. The jet is not to disturb the sand at all!! It still won't be crystal clear but as long as you're treating it as you fill it, it should be okay for your fish. His was clear by the next day abs crystal by the 3rd day with happy fish. I hope this helps, Good luck!

Save 20% of your water put all your media in the save 20% water with your fish put a little fish poop in there so the bacteria has something to eat on then put brand new water in your tank once you have finished the move fill up your tank dechlorinate water put your media back in your filters it's a must u must ddchlorinate your water before putting your media back in your filters, you could really go as low as saving 10% of your water in all actuality

 

It's been a day and I've deep cleaned the sand twice for 3 hours and changed the water so many times my well is empty and it is still brown... I don't know what to do... I'm worried my fish are going to die in those buckets

 

It's been a day and I've deep cleaned the sand twice for 3 hours and changed the water so many times my well is empty and it is still brown... I don't know what to do... I'm worried my fish are going to die in those buckets

You could put the fish in the tank (the sand probably won't bother the fish) but you just won't be able to see them clearly until the sand settles (usually in less than a week) or you can set up a temporary container (such as a large plastic tote) for them to live in while you get the water to clear.