helen2289 Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 hi all we are moving next weekend and of course that means moving the fish as well. we have a 525litre a 200litre a 65litre and also a 29litre (that is currently empty) we are unsure of the best way to move the fish without causing to much upset- any tips and hints would be very helpful thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 When we moved I saved as much of the water as possible from the tank in buckets with lids. It was also the first thing we moved in, that way we had heaps of room to manouvere around in the new place. I caught the fish and bagged them, 3-4 small fish to a bag, the larger fish had a bag to themselves (allow LOTS of time for catching & bagging!!) packed the bags into a large polystyrene box and filled any gaps with screwed up newspaper so they didn't move around in the box. Then I emptied the tank of as much water as I could but left the gravel and plants in, secured it to a piece of mdf to make it easier to carry and support the base. It worked well for me. It was a long process (mainly because the little buggers were hard to catch and the fact that we had to travel about 50kms to the new house) longer than I had planned but everyone survived and everything went smoothly. My tank was only a 155 litre though.. I imagine your mission will be much larger than mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 If you are moving containers of water, don't bag the fish, just throw them in the container with the water. Saves a lot of mucking around. You can use the empty tank as a holding facility at the other end too. How far are you moving? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen2289 Posted October 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 its only about 10 mins down the road so we are lucky. we have to take the stones and everything else out of the tank as the tank empty is heavy enough to move (we are planning on having 4 people to do this!) the main thing that i am worried about is the fish not making the move. we also have a pleco (named Frankie!) that is 37cm so he might have to get a bucket to himself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Get some of the large plastic bins with lids from the warehouse. the fish will survive quite happily in them and when you get to the new place just throw in the filters and heaters and plug them in until you have time to sort them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoll Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 I agree totally with the lidded plastic buckets! When I moved I had to transport two oscars and two plecs... as well as a bunch of angelfish and assorted small fish, but they were no real issue in comparison. Large fish are perfectly capable of spreading water over an entire large room in the three seconds it takes to put the lid on the damned container! Just make sure that the containers are given a good wash and scrub in running water beforehand to clean off any solvents or chemicals. What I also found useful is I transferred water from the tanks into the 20 litre water containers I use for settling water and transported it over. That way the fish will have at least a reasonable quantity of water to live in until it can be topped up to full. Gavin.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Always allow more time than you think it will take to move the fish! Also warn your helpers in advance that it can be a stressful process so please forgive you if you get a bit snappy by the end of it all! :lol: I have moved bucketloads of fish all over town and have never lost a single one in the process (thank goodness). Just prepare as much as you can in advance at the new place, so as soon as you get the fish there you can concentrate on getting them out of their buckets and back into the tank. If you are going to use heaters in plastic buckets, make sure they can't touch the sides. Safety first! I normally just throw towels or blankets over the buckets to insulate them while I'm preparing the tank. Also of course it helps if you can transport the fish in chilly-bins so they already have some insulation. Good luck, and don't panic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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