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If things go right,we plan on moving across the southeast within the next few months. We have had some of our fish in excess of three years. They are part of the family. How do people transport fish across country, especially if there may be a delay in getting the tanks set up? We have moved locally a couple of times and never had any problems, but this is different.

Barb

An excerpt from Dr. Foster and Smith:

"Moving your aquarium can be an arduous task, but with a little planning, the correct handling, and the proper supplies, your fish should make it to their new home with minimal upset. The following guidelines enable you to walk through the process mentally, alerting you to any precautions you need to take to help ensure a smooth transition.
Preparation
*Discontinue feeding your fish two days prior to the move
*Establish a checklist of items you'll need at you new destination, such as pre-mixed saltwater
*Acquire several clean 5-gallon buckets that have not housed chemicals or detergents
*Designate a space in the moving truck closest to a door for easy access to your aquarium and equipment
*Your aquarium should be the last thing you pack, the first thing you take out and set up
*Move your fish seperately from the aquarium
Moving fish and other livestock
When moving less than one hour from your home, bad your specimens incividually the same way your pet store does. (You may even be able to purchase or ask for the bags there.) Once bagged, keep the fish in the dark to relieve stress.
If moving a distance of 1-6 hours away, again bag the fish. But this time, you'll need to add pure oxygen to the bags, supplied by you local fish store. Call ahead of availibility, and agree upon a time. Live plants can be transported in bags, too, whith some of the original aquarium water. Wrap leaves in wet newspaper to prevent drying out, or make sure the plant is completely submerged. Maintain water temperature for you fish and other specimens by placing them, in their sealed bags, within a sealed cooler.
Moving the Aquarium
When taking down the aquarium, save as much of the water as you can. Use 5-gallon buckets with lids to transport water. Reusing your water cuts the cycling time considerably once you restart the system, and decreases the likelihood of a toxic ammonia spike. Pack your pumps, heaters, and other equipment the way you would pack fragile appliances.
Remove the gravel and water and place in 5-gallon buckets to alleviate the stress on the aquarium seams resulting from the bumps and bouncing during transport. Keep your filter media and sponges immersed is some of your aquarium water, as well, to minimize disruption of the bacteria colonies within them. This too helps reduce cycling time.
For moves further than 6 hours, take our your gravel or substrate and big it with some aquaurium water. Either clean or discard your filter media, but if you do this please remember that your system will have to be treated as new when starting it up again. This necessitates a complete cycling, and only a few hardy species of fish will be able to withstand the cycling process. You should make temporary arraangements for you other fish until the aquarium has properly cycled.
My move is scheduled to take several days. What am I going to do with my fish?
Some pet stores, for a fee, board fish during a lengthy move. Some will even pack and air-ship them for you once you've arrived. You could ask a friend to board them. Some owners choose to sell their aquarium inhabitants and start over when relocated."
Home at Last
Whether your new destination is withing your existing home, or a new location all together, you'll need to work quickly to get your aquarium operating again. Fill it with as much of the old water as you were able to save. Top off with freshwater or pre-mixed saltwater, add a bacterial additive to accelerate cycling, and then get your filters, heaters, and other equipment running. Add your plants and decorations, and test your water parameters. If acceptable, add your livestock after proper acclimation.
By following the suggestions above, your chances of success are great. Plan ahead, and move efficiently. Your fish depend on you!"

I think this is more info than you needed, but I figure I'd post the whole thing anyway since a lot of people come in here with questions about moving/aquariums.

Best bet if you are moving across country is to have a reliable LFS board them, and ship them when you move in and get everything settled. Some places will do this for free, others for a small charge. We do this where I work, and it works great. See if you can make arrangments with somewhere.

Good Luck

HTH

~FF~

Last edited by ferretfanatic at 02-Nov-2004 13:04

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Wow, you seem to know your stuff! I would not have thought of half of that. I agree that the best thing would be the ask my lsf to board and ship them. Moving is stressful as it is.
Thanks.

Barb