Frequent Moves

[MadCatter]

Okay, so I'm in no rush, but I wanted to ask some questions before I WAS in a rush.

My current living situation:
Middle of Nebraska, dorm room with two 10 gallons (One is a freshwater planted tank, with currently just 2 cories, and a CAE, the other with an F8 puffer and a Freshwater Moray -Gymnothorax Tile) and a 5 gallon (feeders).

My boyfriend and I have also started up a 10 gallon nano marine tank, and he has a 20 gallon planted - both of which he/we plan on bringing with us to Arizona.

At the end of the school year, I will be moving my tank to wherever I happen to be living for the summer (could be just across town, or it could be 8 hours away to my parents house in Illinois). At the end of the summer, I plan on moving to Arizona for school (transfer). At least one of these trips will be a 1-3 day overnight trip, depending on where I'm leaving from.

I plan on keeping my fish with me if possible, but I'd be willing to sell/donate to the LFS all but the puffer and the eel. I see my biggest concern with heat (Midwest summers are extremely hot and humid), and air. I can get ahold of an outlet converter for my car for a relatively inexpensive price - could I just use a T to provide air to my two tanks the way I have it set up now? What would I do with the fish at night? I assume they'd have to hang out with me in the hotel so I could continue to provide them with air - but then would my plants (Assorted Anubias, Crypts, an Amazon Sword, and Marimo Balls, and java moss), be okay in my car at night without any air pumps? The tanks would be emptied to about 1/3-1/4 water remaining. I assume the plants would be okay, considering they get shipped over a couple days in a dark box.... I'm more concerned about the eel and puffer fish.

As for the saltwater tank... which would be traveling in my boyfriend's car to AZ, how do you go about taking care of the LR, as well as any fish that might be transported? The same as I am planning for the puffer and eel?

Would it be wise to buy a sealable 5 gallon bucket to fill with the tank water, so that the tank is immediately useable once we arrive? I'm not as concerned with keeping water for my planted tank, as I can gradually increase the water level over a week or two, but it would be stressful on the fish to do that in the brackish and marine tanks.

Sorry for the novel! I appreciate any advice Again, no hurry just yet, but I'd like to start investing in any necessary equipment now, so that I'm not struggling to get stuff at the last moment. It's amazing how fast the year is going for me already!

 

[blabadie]

hmmm

 

[TerraDreamer]

Boy, I don't know. I'm seeing a recipe for disaster being written. I can't really offer advice, but I fear your tank(s) bacteria crashing. Can you not re-home your current fish and purchase new fish upon arriving in Arizona?

 

[MadCatter]

Boy, I don't know. I'm seeing a recipe for disaster being written. I can't really offer advice, but I fear your tank(s) bacteria crashing. Can you not re-home your current fish and purchase new fish upon arriving in Arizona?

I plan on rehoming everything other than my puffer and the eel. All filter media will be kept in the original water. I'm also hoping to bring as much of the original water as possible (50% or more)

 

[Tolak]

Use a large cooler for transporting the fish. Aquariums are not designed to be moved with water in them, if it breaks during transit you will have a real problem. Since you are planning on running an air stone, why not cycle a couple of sponge filters while you have the time? This will provide bio filtration during transit. The cooler will retain heat, has a lid to prevent sloshing water & jumping fish. Fish are much more calm in the dark, less activity means less waste produced. The cooler will stabilize temperature as well. When you are done you can fill it with ice & beverages, then celebrate a long move succesfully completed.

Fast the fish for at least 24 hours before the move, again, less waste being produced. The plants should be fine for a couple of days, I'll pm a couple of salties to bring their attention to this topic as I have no experience with marine aquariums.

 

[MadCatter]

The cooler is a good idea... that way I don't worry as much about the tanks. It would have to come into the hotel with me at night due to even the nights hovering around 90-100 degrees on occassion. I'd have to crack the windows any time I leave my car... I lost a pair of shoes last summer due to my car melting the soles off the bottoms x.x


Thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah the wonders of travel with a tank. Get a car inverter, prefferably one at least 300watts. You'll want to power an airstone for the fish and a small powerhead on any saltwater container with livestock in it. Powerheads are key for saltwater critters, without it they suffocate and perish. Beyond that since its summertime, keep the AC on in the car but not too cold. Try and keep the air temp in the car in the 75-80 range which will feel warm to you, so strip down . I'd invest in a rubbermaid bin for the LR cause you dont want to stack it for risk of it tumbling around too much. Also, before putting the LR into your transport container, have a 5g bucket full of pre-mixed saltwater. Take the rocks out of your tank one at a time and shake them in the 5g bucket to get all the big detritus deposits off. Last thing you need is an ammonia spike in your transport container

Just remember, flowrate is key for saltwater. Beyond that, most organisms can survive for a couple days without light. They'll be stressed and un-happy but will likely make it.

As for the plants, this may sound crazy but you can transport them in wet paper towels inside plastic baggies and have tankwater sealed in a bucket for when you stop to sleep. Most of those plants you mentioned will last a couple days without light.

Two last pieces of advice. Do not exceed the inverter's power supply capability by plugging high-powered equipment like grow lights or heaters into it. You'll likely pop the fuse and be up the perverbial creek. And lastly... Dont forget towels

 

[MadCatter]

Ah the wonders of travel with a tank. Get a car inverter, prefferably one at least 300watts. You'll want to power an airstone for the fish and a small powerhead on any saltwater container with livestock in it. Powerheads are key for saltwater critters, without it they suffocate and perish. Beyond that since its summertime, keep the AC on in the car but not too cold. Try and keep the air temp in the car in the 75-80 range which will feel warm to you, so strip down . I'd invest in a rubbermaid bin for the LR cause you dont want to stack it for risk of it tumbling around too much. Also, before putting the LR into your transport container, have a 5g bucket full of pre-mixed saltwater. Take the rocks out of your tank one at a time and shake them in the 5g bucket to get all the big detritus deposits off. Last thing you need is an ammonia spike in your transport container

Just remember, flowrate is key for saltwater. Beyond that, most organisms can survive for a couple days without light. They'll be stressed and un-happy but will likely make it.

As for the plants, this may sound crazy but you can transport them in wet paper towels inside plastic baggies and have tankwater sealed in a bucket for when you stop to sleep. Most of those plants you mentioned will last a couple days without light.

Two last pieces of advice. Do not exceed the inverter's power supply capability by plugging high-powered equipment like grow lights or heaters into it. You'll likely pop the fuse and be up the perverbial creek. And lastly... Dont forget towels

Ah SkiFetch, always here to help Towels are the one thing I could never forget (I had a filter problem once in the dorms..... lost 4 gallons of water overnight.. Whooo!). The paper-towel idea doesn't sound too crazy, since thats how I have had my plants transported to me by mail, just figured letting them stay completely in the water would be less stressful (perhaps I could be nice and allow some time with the sun I'm sure it's the only time they'll get that much light).

Any ideas on powerful, yet inexpensive inverter? (remember.. college student on a budget. The only thing I've got going for me is time to save up, but some of those things are rather pricey).


Thanks for all the advice everybody


Also.. I like how I've put more thought into how to transport my fish, and not how I'm going to move all the rest of my belongings, that wont fit into my tiny little mazda protegé!

 

[steelhealr]

What will be the driving conditions for the SW nano tank? Driving time, car, etc? SH

 

[smmetz]

This is about as cheap as a power inverter will get:

http/www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MPI-150&cpc=SCH

I have used that site several times. The shipping is not a bargain there, but the prices make up for it.

It should be planty of power for an air pump and a powerhead. The water pumps in hang-on-back filters are only 5-15 watts, so powerheads should be the same. I am not sure on air pumps, but they can't be too bad either.

 

[CFC]

If you move to Arizona i'm afraid it is very unlikely you will be able to keep the eel alive without the use of an aquarium chiller to keep the temperature down or have air conditioning on constantly to keep the room cool, Since you are a student i'm guessing money is tight and those options arent really possible. I have sad experience of losing several Gymnothorax eels during heat waves and thats just with the one week of 30c+ heat we get here over the summer in England. These eels really dont handle temperatures above 27c and preffer a cooler aquarium with temperatures around 24-25c.

The AZ heat will also be a problem for the nano reef tank but i am not qualified to comment on that so will leave that to someone else.

 

[MadCatter]

If you move to Arizona i'm afraid it is very unlikely you will be able to keep the eel alive without the use of an aquarium chiller to keep the temperature down or have air conditioning on constantly to keep the room cool, Since you are a student i'm guessing money is tight and those options arent really possible. I have sad experience of losing several Gymnothorax eels during heat waves and thats just with the one week of 30c+ heat we get here over the summer in England. These eels really dont handle temperatures above 27c and preffer a cooler aquarium with temperatures around 24-25c.

The AZ heat will also be a problem for the nano reef tank but i am not qualified to comment on that so will leave that to someone else.

I think that my biggest hassle is keeping him cool enough while transporting. The dorms I would be moving into are nicer than the ones I'm in right now, and would have air conditioning included in housing bill, no matter how much it was used.


As for transporting, if I didn't want to invest in a chiller, could I utilize ice in some way when I'm out of the car (so long as I don't let it get too cold, or am not away from the car for too long)?

 

[steelhealr]

The nano reef can go up to 85 degrees..perhaps even a tad higher for brief periods, but, not for long. Nano reefs usually generate more heat that regular FW systems, so, being in AZ without excellent A/C or a chiller might be a problem.

I don't see a problem transporting the tank if the car can be kept cool. However, one stop for a burger and it could be toast. SH