How to move my 75g and place my 180g there??

slowtan · May 18, 2004

I am upgrading my tank from a 75g to a 180g .. The problem is I have 3 big fish and full tank and the new tank is going to go in the same location as the old tank..

What is the best way to accomplish this??

kgrehm · May 19, 2004

Well you obviously have a bug task on your hands. We obviously know that we cant keep anything in the tank. And even after that its going to take a lot of man power. If i were you I would ask somone you know or a lps if you can put your fish there for a few hours or days. Then try and switch things out with a long of friends so that it may be easy and fast as possible.

wuvmybetta · May 19, 2004

Do it quick like a bunny! Remove as much water as possible into huge rubbermaid tubs, then put the fish in there with an airstone. Remove the gravel and put it in a tub too. Dismantle tank, set up new,fill with clean water then transfer fish slowly after acclimating them to the new water (remove some from tub and put it in the tank,replace wth tank water)

slowtan · May 19, 2004

wuvmybetta said:
Do it quick like a bunny! Remove as much water as possible into huge rubbermaid tubs, then put the fish in there with an airstone. Remove the gravel and put it in a tub too. Dismantle tank, set up new,fill with clean water then transfer fish slowly after acclimating them to the new water (remove some from tub and put it in the tank,replace wth tank water)

Quick like a bunny .. Is 3-4 days considered quick ..

1 day .. empty water , move fish , take out all filters and clean the filters
2 day .. take old tank out and put new tank in , assemble filters and start water conditioning ..

I have big fish and take can take some rough water and some stress of movement but it is still going to take a while to get everything good before I want to drop my fish in there ..

I think I am going to have to ask my lps if they will hold my fish for a week .. That way I can make sure the water cycles .. My plan is to try and re-use some of my old water but that just makes the move that more difficult.

I am already not looking forward to trying to catch and lift my fish or the whole tank moving process ..

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Stephen

Bol · May 19, 2004

I've got no experience with tanks that big, Stephen, but I'd probably have to agree with the LFS idea, if that's doable.

Unless you could get them to 'rent' you a 75g tank for a few days.

jumpman · May 19, 2004

Why would you want to clean the filters?? You want the bacteria colonies to be as strong as possible. The longer you leave the fish out the more bacteria will die.

I moved my 75g into my new flat all in one day including dismantling everything from running, actually I did a 20 on the same day and all my furniture but that's another story.

Its better for the fish the quicker you do it, and they will be fine in large buckets (especially with airstones) for a couple of hours indoors.

wuv is right, do it quick like a bunny! If you have a rabbit maybe they can help you move the tank? :lol:

ddm18 · May 19, 2004

I'd go with jumpman and wuvmybetta, it shouldn't be too difficult to do in one day, and quickly transferring fish into a big bucket and back will probably be less stressful for them than taking them all the way down to your LFS, leaving there just long enough to get acclimatised, and then putting them through the same thing again.

The easiest option, of course, would be to rearrange the whole room, put the new tank in a different place, and that way you can move the fish at your leisure.....

Dave

wuvmybetta · May 19, 2004

It can be done in an hour or two. Trust me, I've done it (like 4 or 5 tanks in one day once :crazy:

) Tear it down, remove the old tank and set the new one in it's place (in the meantime your fish are in buckets) DON'T clean the filters and DON'T clean the gravel and DON'T add any new fish for a week or so. It really won't take that long, just refill it with dechlorinated water that's the same temp. It will be like you did a large water change since you're keeping about 75% of the water from the other tank.

Nina7777 · May 19, 2004

Couldn't agree more with everyone.

You definately want to do it in a matter of hours rather than days. Obviously you will need more gravel but save all the old gravel in a large bucket with water and add that to the new tank. Also as already mentioned DO NOT clean your filters.

Your fish will be fine in rubbermaid totes for a few hours with airstones. They even come with covers. But the faster the better even though they are large fish you still don't want to put all the uneccesary stress of taking them to the petstore etc.

Bol · May 19, 2004

Hmm, for some reason when I read that last night, I was assuming that Stephen wasn't going to keep his old filters or gravel. Not good to post late at night, I guess.

If that's not the case, then I agree, setting everything up beforehand and working as quickly as possible would probably be the best bet.

On a side note, what do you use to net fish that large? A fisherman's net?

Nina7777 · May 19, 2004

On a side note, what do you use to net fish that large? A fisherman's net?

LOL I was wondering the same thing as i had trouble finding a net big enough to transport my bala's. Both 8"

wuvmybetta · May 19, 2004

I've found that a pillowcase works great for big fish! Fully submerge it then open it up,they can't resist exploring the new 'tunnel' and when they go in just close it up and lift it from the water,it's less stressful too

slowtan · May 20, 2004

Thanks for the pillowcase idea ..

I have a large net but I doubt the arowana or the clown knife could get into the net I have.

I guess I have to get a pillowcase that will hold water. It seems like the pillowcase would leave the fish in there w/no water and just wet. I know it is just for a couple seconds but I am just thinking .. HOW am I going to get them out of the pillowcase too..

know what I mean .. in the pillowcase sounds easy but going out

wuvmybetta · May 20, 2004

Submerge it in the prefilled tub and release them the same way they went in. Just open it up and nudge them out. Then of course you'll have to 'recase' them for the trip back into the tank.

ddm18 · May 20, 2004

slowtan said:
I guess I have to get a pillowcase that will hold water.

Why? A normal net doesn't hold water, there's no problem at all for the fish to be out of water for a few seconds. Also, the fabric of the pillowcase will probably be softer than the average net, so even better for the fish!

Dave