Help moving tank and fishes

[Sirkavu]

hi Guys,

Hope you’re all well!

I am moving house this week and I have a 180L tank with 12 neon tetras, 3 adult mollies and 1 juvenile, 1 plexo and 12 amando shrimps.

How can I move the tank and this he’s safely?

I was thinking on buying small plastic bags to transport the fishes, each breed on its own bag, save around 20% of the water (if I can haha) so I can put I back in the tank once I set it in the new house, and transpor the tank empty.

What do you suggest?

I was thinking that this is also a great opportunity to re scape the tank as I really want to hahaha

Thank you

 

[ian_m]

Put fish in plastic bags in plastic buckets, I've used Ziploc bags in the past.

Put substrate & plants in buckets or large sealable plastic boxes to make them easier to move.

Transport the tank empty, wrapped in blankets or some other protection.

Empty water from filter to make it easier to carry.

At new place reassemble tank, using fresh dechlorinated water. I would use Prime as that will both dechlorinate the water as well as remove any ammonia generated from fiddling around with the substrate.

Add fish, slowly as water warms up.

I would add Prime every day for next couple of days to neutralise any ammonia until the filter fully kicks back in in processing ammonia.

 

[Sirkavu]

Hi @ian_m - thank you very much for the above

Should I use anything for the bags with fishes? For them not to stress?

Also, I only plan to change the plants. I can leave the substracto as it is and still carry the tank just without the water - me and my cousins now do that - we are only travelling 10m by car

If I just remove water and plants, will I still have problem with the ammonia?

Thank you again ))))

 

[Keith GH]

Sirkavu

I would not feed the fish for at lest two days before shifting. Your feeding a very small amount and slowly back to normal.
Filter keep it going with the water in a bucket up until the last second and restart it immediately on arrival.
we are only travelling 10m Which do you mean 10klm or is it 10 miles.

Keith

 

[ian_m]

If I just remove water and plants, will I still have problem with the ammonia?

Only possible ammonia problem if you completely remove and put back the substrate. I would leave the plants in place, cover substrate/plants surface with cling film to prevent water loss from plants (in this weather!) and stop dirt/bits falling into tank getting into substrate. Just make sure you can really lift the tank with substrate as will be very heavy.

I have transported fish in bags in buckets many mile no issue. Bucket is only there to catch any slight leaks.

 

[Andrew Butler]

@Sirkavu Just remember how busy moving house day can be and how much there is to do.
I think you could struggle moving the tank with the substrate still in as you will never get all the water out so that will quite likely 'swash' around and move your substrate with it.

Only an idea but you could always empty the tank completely then set it up without any substrate or plants for a few days, just to give you chance to get sorted then empty it back out again and get the substrate back in / planted up.
You can pick up large water storage containers cheap enough which if you find the right ones could serve to either house your fish while you do this or change everything; skip out refilling the tank when you get there and leave your fish in one of the large water containers with the filter running for a few days while you get your tank back up and planted. - Just me thinking aloud though.

 

[Fiske]

@Sirkavu Just remember how busy moving house day can be and how much there is to do.
I think you could struggle moving the tank with the substrate still in as you will never get all the water out so that will quite likely 'swash' around and move your substrate with it.

Only an idea but you could always empty the tank completely then set it up without any substrate or plants for a few days, just to give you chance to get sorted then empty it back out again and get the substrate back in / planted up.
You can pick up large water storage containers cheap enough which if you find the right ones could serve to either house your fish while you do this or change everything; skip out refilling the tank when you get there and leave your fish in one of the large water containers with the filter running for a few days while you get your tank back up and planted. - Just me thinking aloud though.

Sound advice. In a tank this size I'd remove the substrate as to not stress the silicon in the seams of the tank. I did move a 60L tank once with gravel and around 2-3 cms of water. It weighed a ton.
What substrate are you using?
If you drain your filter for water, make sure it is plugged up to keep moisture in, and don't let it get too cold; most bacteria should survive fine for quite some time. Set up the tank with water and filter for your fish on arrival, until you are ready to scape it up. In my experience with house moves that could easily be several days later. Plants will do ok in buckets for several days, with water of course.
When you do your final scaping, be a bit diligent with waterchanges and careful with light for the first few weeks.

 

[ian_m]

most bacteria should survive fine for quite some time

My filter and tank was left for over 3 days with no power (know was 3 days from our house alarm log), one winter, when RCD tripped due to substation neutral fault. Came back home to very cold house, tank at 15'C. Restored power and all was fine.

 

[Sirkavu]

Hi @Keith GH I meant 10 minutes hehehe maybe even less

Only possible ammonia problem if you completely remove and put back the substrate. I would leave the plants in place, cover substrate/plants surface with cling film to prevent water loss from plants (in this weather!) and stop dirt/bits falling into tank getting into substrate. Just make sure you can really lift the tank with substrate as will be very heavy.

I have transported fish in bags in buckets many mile no issue. Bucket is only there to catch any slight leaks.

Hi Ian, so this means I can put them in bags, with the water from the tank? Or even in a bucket and my girlfriend can have the bucket with her, closed?

What substrate are you using?

I am using Tropica Aquarium soil.
I will be moving it with my cousing and we both can manage the weight. I doubt he will be more than 50KG. I only have 10KG of soil there. If I think we can't do, I remove everything

Re plants, I will get rid of half of them due to algae and will change the rocks to dragond stone. @ian_m recon this is ok? If I just take half the plants and once I set up I put dragon stones and some new plants?

 

[ian_m]

Hi Ian, so this means I can put them in bags, with the water from the tank?

That's what I have done. The bags stops the water sloshing around during transport. Just leave a large air space above each bag. I wedged the buckets in the footwell of the car, covered buckets with old bed sheets, to stop further sloshing and keep dirt/mess out and make it dark and drove my mates fish the 20 odd miles to new house. Fish were left in car most of the day, finally getting back in the tank in the evening, no worse for wear.

Other thing I can recommend is, if tank is "complicated", is move tank and set up at a friends house well before the intended move date, getting all sorted. Then move, no fish worries, worry about other things eg curtains, hot water, "what on earth is that stain" and retrieve the tank at a later date.

Re plants, I will get rid of half of them due to algae and will change the rocks to dragond stone. @ian_m recon this is ok

Reducing what you take to your new house is a good way forward. When I last moved I either went to the local tip or charity shop almost daily for week before the move date.

 

[Fiske]

Hi @Keith GH I meant 10 minutes hehehe maybe even less


Hi Ian, so this means I can put them in bags, with the water from the tank? Or even in a bucket and my girlfriend can have the bucket with her, closed?

I am using Tropica Aquarium soil.
I will be moving it with my cousing and we both can manage the weight. I doubt he will be more than 50KG. I only have 10KG of soil there. If I think we can't do, I remove everything

Re plants, I will get rid of half of them due to algae and will change the rocks to dragond stone. @ian_m recon this is ok? If I just take half the plants and once I set up I put dragon stones and some new plants?

If it's just a quick ride, and the fish get into a tank with an active filter fairly quick, a closed bucket is fine.

With Tropica soil I wouldn't worry to much about ammonia. Give it a quick rinse (preferably in tank water, or else tap) if it is very dirty. If you move fishes with tank water, which would be best anyway, and keep your filter alive, so to speak, it should be able to handle it. I have done rescapes that were just as drastic, just reusing filter + a bit of 'old' water, and it have turned out fine. Just be diligent with waterchanges for a couple of weeks, and keep an eye on the tank.

10 kgs dry or wet ? I'd worry about the seams anyway, but to each his own.

 

[Sirkavu]

That's what I have done. The bags stops the water sloshing around during transport. Just leave a large air space above each bag. I wedged the buckets in the footwell of the car, covered buckets with old bed sheets, to stop further sloshing and keep dirt/mess out and make it dark and drove my mates fish the 20 odd miles to new house. Fish were left in car most of the day, finally getting back in the tank in the evening, no worse for wear.

Great to know the above Will do the same hehe

Other thing I can recommend is, if tank is "complicated", is move tank and set up at a friends house well before the intended move date, getting all sorted. Then move, no fish worries, worry about other things eg curtains, hot water, "what on earth is that stain" and retrieve the tank at a later date.

Reducing what you take to your new house is a good way forward. When I last moved I either went to the local tip or charity shop almost daily for week before the move date.

I have moved 70% of my stuff already and the tank will be done on Saturday morning when everything is done only tank left. And yeah, been to the local charity shop few times

 

[Sirkavu]

Hey guys,

Just to let you know that all went ok. I didn't managed to take the neon tetras away of the tank, even after 10am chasing them, it was jnot gonna happen

So I took all the others and put in a small bucket and carefully transferred the tank to the van and drove for 10m, which could have been 4/5 minutes but I had to go veeeeeeeery slow.

Got to new home and, I think because of the stress, one neon tetra died but it was the sick one, so I think he was just fragile and end up giving up.

Got home, put everything together and the new water, made sure I treated the water, and until today, a week later tomorrow, everything looks fine. Fishes are happy and no problems.

I was treating the water every 2 days, just in case I would have problems.

Thank you again for the help