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I'm moving tommorrow and I need to transport my fish and tank over 7 hours away. They will be in an airconditioned car but what should i keep them in? Do i have to completely empty the tank of all water or should i leave some at the bottom? I have Danios and Barbs. Thanks.

My daughter-in-law successfully transported four marine fish yesterday on a seven-hour trip from Rhode Island to New Jersey (normally not that long, but the traffic was terrible.)

She got a cheap tyrofoam cooler and put it in a plastic laundry basket so that she could carry it more safely. (Styrofoam cracks easily.) Then she lined the cooler with a plastic garbage bag so if something went wrong with the cooler in transit, all the water wouldn't run out. (Just be careful not to let it crease up too much when you put the water in, so a fish doesn't get trapped under a crease.)

She filled the cooler about half full of tank water, added the fish, and also an airstone with a battery pack running into the cooler to keep things aerated (although the aquarium shop that talked her through the move said the fish would have been ok without it.)

The fish arrived with no problem at all and acclimated quickly to their new location. (She also kept the filter material wet, so that was ready to go.)

FYI, I wouldn't suggest transporting your fish in the tank, or transporting a tank with water in it -- they can break too easily.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Last edited by lmuha at 26-Jun-2005 16:47

OK first thing, don't worry, moving is really easy, really

First since the trip is going to be 6 hrs, I'd go ahead and get a bubble box These are great to have around the house in case of emergencies...So run to Wal-Mart (this is where i've gotten mine) and go to the sports department, yes the sports department...and in the "fishing" area, they have what is called, "The Bubble Box". It is about 5 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 2 inches deep...they are normally used for keeping live bait alive I suppose, but are so much cheaper than the airpumps in the pet department, only about $5, and run for about 72 hrs on 2 D batteries. It also comes with the airline and stone

Also get yourself either a couple of styrofoam icechests (I'd go 1 for each tank, unless you can combine the fish in the tanks, I'm thinking you only have 1 tank, maybe?) If they are smaller tanks, go with the smaller icechests

Now that you have your supplies (don't forget the batteries) you're ready



Tomorrow morning when you are close to being ready to leave, start draining your tank(s) into the icechest(s), and move your fish into the appropriate icechest. (rinse these first--sorry I forgot), hook up the bubble box, shut the lid.

You will need to try and keep at least 50% of the water if that is reasonable (if you are moving a 500 gallon tank, I don't think I'd try and move 50%)...finish draining the tank, and remove the substrate and place it in another container, but leave it damp, maybe even put some damp newspapers over it to help keep it damp (the a/c in the car will take moisture out of anything that does not have a lid or protection).

Place tank where it will ride securely for the trip, if you have some extra blankets or pillows you might want to use them to coushion the tanks...then you can put some towels, or whatever in the tank to coushion the inside...that is where my substrate rode the last time was coushioned insided, along with the pumps, hood, lighting, etc, just be sure that the stuff inside don't bounce around too much, that is why I wrap things in towels or whatever to coushion it

When you get to your location, the first thing you are going to want to do is unload and set up the fist tank...

A couple of other important tips: don't feed the fish today or tomorrow, keep the lights off on the tank the day before and day of the move, try and keep the temps level for the fish

Stay calm and don't panic, things will go well...use the water you saved to help fill the tanks when you get there, and bag the fish and float them as though they were coming to a new home, because like you it is new to them

if you need more help let us know, and good luck it will all be fine

heidi




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What if I was good to you, what if you were good to me
What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me
What if it was paradise, what if we were symphonies
What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you
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"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

in line of that...im wonderin...can u leave the substrate in the tank...i still have the box of my tanks..so..im wondering if its possible.

it really depends on how deep your substrate is, and how heavy it is...along with how many people are going to help you carry the tank...

I have left the substrate in the tank while moving, but it does really create an unnecessary weight you might not want to deal with along with added stress to the base of the tank, which could cause for the seal to break at a later time...

Does any of that make sense? If possible remove it, on larger tanks, heck the tank itself is heavy enough, and who wants to bottom to bust out, right?

heidi




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What if I was good to you, what if you were good to me
What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me
What if it was paradise, what if we were symphonies
What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Wow -- I didn't know about "bubble boxes" -- it would have made my daughter-in-law's trip even easier ...

I'm writing that one down for next time!

I have a couple of "The Bubble Boxes" lying around for the "just in case" and hurricane season is fast approaching so I better get them easily available with new batteries...

But really they are so much cheaper and run for a lot longer than most other airpumps

heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle