Moving with aquariums?

[Crabby]

Hi everybody! Just putting this question out to anyone with experience moving houses with your fish tanks - how'd you do it? I'm trying to plan how I'll be moving my tanks in a few weeks. I have one 29 gallon (100L) and four 5 gallon (20L) tanks, 4/5 are stocked, 4/5 are scaped. All of my fish (besides my 3 shrimp) will get along fine together if I had to stick them all in a holding tub. Just looking for some advice though, if anyone has some.

Cheers! Crabby.

[Chels]

Following, since I may be moving in a couple weeks and the when I moved right after getting my shrimp I totally bungled it the first time. Great topic! 

[jayc]

Invest in a battery operated air pump for the fish and shrimps. That way, you can put them into a bucket that has a lid. Using a lid will stop any water splashing out during the trip. You can make a small hole on top of the lid to fit an airhose, so the lid closes properly.

I have this USB powered air pump for emergencies...

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-Mini-USB-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Oxygen-Air-Pump-Mute-Energy-Save-Compressor-/153725741661

I can plug them into any USB battery pack or even directly into USB ports in cars.

 

Make sure your glass tanks are safely supported by placing them on soft padding, like old blankets, carpet or similar. Placing them into a car, van or truck unsupported might crack the base of the tank.

It's important to keep your Beneficial Bacteria alive for the move. Any gravel you have should be in a bit of tank water, just enough to keep them moist. If you have sponge filters, remove the weighted part and place the sponge into the bucket with the fish and airstone.

Filter media in an external filter can be removed and placed in bucket with tank water. Never let it dry out. An airstone in this bucket for the filter media is also a good idea since BB are living organisms that need oxygen.

Don't feed the fish/shrimp 24 hours before the move - this reduces ammonia produced for the trip.

I suppose everything else is common sense. Some people might have a long trip to make and have to do a pit stop. Don't leave the fish in a bucket in a car on a super hot day for too long.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2021 by jayc

[Chels]

Exellent advice JayC!! What about shrimplets? ? I'd imagine you drain the water nearly all the way, and remove moss before that. With natural scaped tanks it'd be impossible to catch all the shrimplets. 

[Crabby]

1 hour ago, Chels said:

Exellent advice JayC!! What about shrimplets? ? I'd imagine you drain the water nearly all the way, and remove moss before that. With natural scaped tanks it'd be impossible to catch all the shrimplets. 

I mean if it isn't a long drive, and your tanks are small enough, you could just drain most of the way and leave a little bit of water.

11 hours ago, Chels said:

Following, since I may be moving in a couple weeks and the when I moved right after getting my shrimp I totally bungled it the first time. Great topic! 

Glad to help! I'll keep the thread updated as I move. 
 

 

4 hours ago, jayc said:

Invest in a battery operated air pump for the fish and shrimps. That way, you can put them into a bucket that has a lid. Using a lid will stop any water splashing out during the trip. You can make a small hole on top of the lid to fit an airhose, so the lid closes properly.

I have this USB powered air pump for emergencies...

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-Mini-USB-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Oxygen-Air-Pump-Mute-Energy-Save-Compressor-/153725741661

I can plug them into any USB battery pack or even directly into USB ports in cars.

 

Make sure your glass tanks are safely supported by placing them on soft padding, like old blankets, carpet or similar. Placing them into a car, van or truck unsupported might crack the base of the tank.

It's important to keep your Beneficial Bacteria alive for the move. Any gravel you have should be in a bit of tank water, just enough to keep them moist. If you have sponge filters, remove the weighted part and place the sponge into the bucket with the fish and airstone.

Filter media in an external filter can be removed and placed in bucket with tank water. Never let it dry out. An airstone in this bucket for the filter media is also a good idea since BB are living organisms that need oxygen.

Don't feed the fish/shrimp 24 hours before the move - this reduces ammonia produced for the trip.

I suppose everything else is common sense. Some people might have a long trip to make and have to do a pit stop. Don't leave the fish in a bucket in a car on a super hot day for too long.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Jayc! Great advice. Since I'm not moving far at all, I'll just plug in my regular air pump at each end, and not bother for the drive. I'll definitely use everything else though!

Cheers!

[piste]

I can only speak to the short moves i have done...which I think would apply to anything up to a day's travel.  I just drained the tanks down to about 20% of capacity....more if needed to lower the weight so I could carry them....then just unhook...move...hook back up at destination and that's about it.  I mean it all depends on specifics....so long as them temps are allowed to stay in what a human would typically be comfortable at....good to go.   Good luck!  Oh...and just try and minimize agitation of the tank and water as much as possible when carrying.

[Kenneth Beasley]

Hello. You've probably traveled by now. The only thing I did when I move was I bought a 5-gallon cooler and place my fish there for over 3 hours of land travel and they were all okay.

[Dasperedyn]

It is necessary to clean the container beforehand. Keep the roots of algae and other plants moist, and transport them in bags with a certain amount of water. If the transportation is not long, place the fillers of the filter in a complex, clean, sealed vessel.  Keep the filler moist, but do not immerse it in water entirely. Heaters, pumps, and other elements must be carefully packed. Before transporting the aquarium, it must be packed in a separate cardboard box of the appropriate size. If you are unsure that you can cope independently, contact acelinemoving.com.  When I moved, I used their services.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Dasperedyn

[Crabby]

On 12/23/2022 at 10:41 PM, Dasperedyn said:

It is necessary to clean the container beforehand. Keep the roots of algae and other plants moist, and transport them in bags with a certain amount of water. If the transportation is not long, place the fillers of the filter in a complex, clean, sealed vessel.  Keep the filler moist, but do not immerse it in water entirely. Heaters, pumps, and other elements must be carefully packed. Before transporting the aquarium, it must be packed in a separate cardboard box of the appropriate size. If you are unsure that you can cope independently, contact acelinemoving.com.  When I moved, I used their services.

I ended up doing something very similar. Didn’t go the whole way with a cardboard box for the tank (used very thick blankets instead) as it was a very short transportation and thus I could cut some corners. It all went perfectly though. It’s been almost 2 years since and all my tanks are still doing well.