lorrainel Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 i finally got my new tank up and running with all my fishies settled in and now i have to move the whole tank in 2 wks time! are there any precautions i have to take? I've got a jebo r362 now all cycled with my babies all nice and happy + growing big (esp the loaches + bristlenoses!) and i'm just worried about them surviving the trip across town. takes about 10 mins drive to the new house, but should i drain the whole tank and put them in buckets or just half drain the tank and move the whole lot? its a planted tank with driftwood and: 4x clown loaches (smallish) 3 baby bristlenoses 2 x dwarft neon gouramies 4 glass catfish 5 neon tetras anyone out there with experience in moving (successfully!!) tanks pls let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 You cannot shift a tank with water still in it. Too much stress on the glass (unless it is a very small one). What size is it? Put the water into containers along with the fish. A move of that distance will not be a problem as you just set it all up again at the other end. Leave the gravel and plants in it, unless it is too heavy. The plants will cope out of the water for a couple of hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainel Posted July 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 well its 620mmx 370mm x 435mm + has no joints. will the stuff in my filter die if its out of the water? should i just have lots of buckets so i can transport the filter media soaked in water + take as much of the original water as i can to the new house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 if your filters are small enough fill a bucket with tank water (with lid) and just chuck the whole filter in there, lid on and move it. if the media dries out or is subjected to other 'trauma' the bacteria colonies will be damaged, you wana keep as much of that as possible to help it get back on track. also if you can keep your substrate wet that will help too. bag clowns and BN all seperatly, one in each bag as they have spines and can hurt each other. clowns arent so bad but BN put out their spikes when stressed. you could transport in buckets with lids if you had em though. good luck moving, make sure everything is well planned cause you dont want unexpected interruptions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 For that distance, don't strip the filter down. Buckets of aged water waiting, pre warmed at destination, half your own tank water and DON'T forget to turn of the power before you empty the tank, if you don't, you'll stuff up your heater. Remember, it has been done before and now you have no excuses. Even the fish could travel that distance in a bucket, but I'd prefer to use three bags for them. Use two nets to catch them too, cuts down on the stress. If a clown gets it's barbs under it's eyes caught in the net, leave it in the net, in the bag, and go have a coffee, by the time you come back, it'll be out on it's own. If you try to remove it you can damage the net, and you also run the risk of damaging the fish as well. Clowns, gouramis with the B/N's, and the glass fish and neons. Third water, two thirds air. Travel them in the dark in a polystyrene box. Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Yep, all the things they said ^^ plus: At this time of year the biggest stress (for the clowns especially) may be if they get cold. So if you can put the bags of fish in chillybins, have the pre-warmed water waiting, and make everything as quick as possible, it will all help. Now might be the time to buy an extra heater. You can put it in a tub of dechlorinated water at the new place to help the water come up to temp while you organise the rest of your move. And after the move you'll always have a spare heater if the old one fails at any time. EXTRA HEATER CAUTION: if you're using a heater in a plastic bucket, never let the heater touch the sides! The bucket will melt with resulting chaos! One way to catch clown loaches without using a net is to put a length of black plastic pipe in the tank. When the clowns hide in the pipe you just cover both ends with your hands and lift the pipe out and into your bucket (or bag) for transporting. I never net my loaches any more since I learned this trick. The easiest move I ever had with my fish was the time when I had to go to work on Moving Day. My Dad and my boyfriend at the time had no idea how to move the fish so I gave them clear instructions then went off to work. When I came home (to the new place) the tank looked like all the plants and decor had just been randomly dumped in there (which they had). But all the fish were healthy and happy, and I hadn't suffered all my usual anxiety! Good luck with the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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