Transporting Tropicalfish

So in about a year I will be moving to uni, which is about a 30-40 minute drive. I have a 25 litre tank that currently has 4 female betta, 1 wood shrimp and 1 fan tail shrimp. I am looking to upgrade my tank to about 40-50 litres. Should I wait till the move or do it as soon as possible? Also how should I transport the fish and set up the new tank? Will they get too cold and die?

 

With a betta sorority I would try to get a tank as big as possible and plant it heavily. How are they all doing in the 25l? The bamboo and vampire shrimp would appreciate a bigger tank too. I'd upgrade soon and make sure that the fan shrimp have enough food in a new tank - generally established tanks are best so you will need to target feed in the new one. The oto will need specific food too. Make sure to move the cycled filter over to the new tank when you get it to keep the cycle going - and make sure the heater and filter are big enough for the new one.

When I transport fish I just put them into the bags that they came in or my own fish bags that I bought. 2/3 air 1/3 tank water. Others use 5 gallon buckets with lids to transport. My fish can sometimes be like this for hours when I buy them from a shop and they don't die. 30-40 mins isn't too long. To keep the bacteria in the filter alive and kicking I put them into a bucket with an air stone and use a battery powered air pump.

 

IMO you will need to upgrade within the year. The current tank size will be too small to adequately house all the inhabitants.

I agree with Feohw, that getting a new tank set up and established sooner is better than later, especially since you have shrimp.

When it matures your shrimp will have a food source. If you move them in while new you will have to supplement/spot feed.

You could set it up, let it cycle and move the Bettas in to maintain the cycle. Then let it go for a few months then add the shrimp.

If you need it immediately, pull the old filter media off the old filter and stuff it into the new. If you want to use the same substrate, mix the old in with the new. This will help maintain/move the nitrogen cycle in the new tank.

I would actually suggest a bigger tank than 50L if you can manage because of the Betta sorority. I’m thinking something like 20gal long. (approx 80 liter). Though they are females they can be nippy and will set up a pecking order that will be tested time to time. A larger footprint on the tank will give them more space to move about and help lessen aggression. Plants to break line of sight will help as well. The shrimp may like it as well. Plenty of space to move about and find feeding spots.

As for moving the fish I usually transport fish in a cooler. I use either a styrofoam cooler or my igloo cooler. You just have to bag the fish in a good freezer bag. Plus if the bag leaked the water is contained. Either container maintains a stable temperature for a couple hours. I have never pushed it beyond 2 hours though, but for your needs this will work.

You could just use a food container too as long as the temperature isn’t crazy hot or cold. 30min isn’t a long trip so if the car is warm enough then you won’t have to worry about temp swing.

As for the tank drain the water as much as you can and put plastic wrap over the top of you have plants to maintain moisture/humidity. Just drop the filter media into another container/bag with water to keep the bacteria alive and wet.

Before you move check the water parameters at the new place. If they are different save your water from the old house. You will want to fill the tank with 100% old house water. Then you can do 10% water change each day over the following week with the new house water. You won’t shock the shrimp or fish if you do this.

If the parameters are pretty close then don’t worry about the prior, though a drip acclimation or add water to the bag method can still be used since the water may not be exactly the same. (My main concern is the shrimp with the water differences...)

 

They are all doing fine in the tank. The shop I bought then from had about 15 and a 15 litre tank so they were all together already. The shrimp are fine aswell. Nothing has shown aggression yet but I do want to get a bigger tank after the petship didn't tell me how big the fan tail got and also gave me the wrong name for it.

So the fish will be fine in bags and just try nd save as much water from the original tank as possible.

 

They are all doing fine in the tank. The shop I bought then from had about 15 and a 15 litre tank so they were all together already. The shrimp are fine aswell. Nothing has shown aggression yet but I do want to get a bigger tank after the petship didn't tell me how big the fan tail got and also gave me the wrong name for it.

So the fish will be fine in bags and just try nd save as much water from the original tank as possible.

Pet shops tend to have their tanks overstocked and stocked in ways that shouldn't necessarily be done in a standard community. They have their tanks connected to sumps so although the tanks are small they actually have much more water in the system, meaning water quality doesn't sway as much as it would in a smaller tank. My female bettas were in a tank together at the shop too and they didn't fight very much when I had them. But a big tank with lots of plants is quite important for them.

The vampire/viper shrimp can get to be quite big, but apparently not all get to 5-6 inches as mine is. They still would appreciate a bigger tank though. I'd agree that if you can get one bigger than 50l that would be great.