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I'm about to take over my boyfriend's mother's aquarium. He lives about a five minute drive away. The aquarium has fish in it and I have never moved fish. Can anyone tell me how to do this without killing them all???

Thanks so much for any help.
Rach

Depending on how big it is...

The general idea:

Drain water to a low level, being sure to save as much as is feasable/practical. Net the fish and put them in a dark container with a good fitting lid, and set them aside for now. Take the filter media out of the filter, and put it in with some water you've taken out from the tank, along with all your gravel. The idea is to keep the gravel/media wet with tank water as to minimize the death of nitrifying bacteria, thus preventing any toxin spikes when it's set back up.

Remove the top/lights being careful not to bust 'em. Heaters too, powerheads if any, etc etc, you get the idea. These items do not need to be moist. Once the tank is stripped, go ahead and move it, keeping the tank level and supported from the bottom edges and be sure not to twist it, as this will cause stress and possibly a leak later on.

Move it all carefully, set it back up and do the reverse. Set up your heaters (be sure not to plug it in until it's sat in the water for 15 minutes) and powerheads etc, the moist gravel and the water you saved. Fill the rest with fresh water matching temperature as best you can. Outfit your filter hood/etc and begin to acclimate the fish back over.

It's pretty simple, really, just lots of buckets and doing it efficiently

Personally I would empty the tank completely. Put the gravel in buckets and keep moist with tank water. Moving tanks with some water, gravel(susbstrate) and decor can cause leaks and other problems especially in older tanks.

Also unplug your heater before you start removing your heater, etc...actually do it first, this way it doesn't crack/break the heater when the water level gets too low...

I find bagging the fish in ziplocks and putting them in the icechest gets the best results...easier to acclimate at the end, keeps temperature a little more constant...

Best place to get buckets I've found is your local donut type shop...go early in the morning, and just ask...most the time they will be happy to give them to you...

Best of luck, Heidi

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

Thank you everyone for your help. I am proud to say that my new (old) aquarium has been successfully moved and all the fish are well. Thanks so muc!

Rach

g'deal