Moving Home & Transporting Fish - Advice Needed

[miketout]

I am due to move home shortly, roughly an hours journey from my current home.

I am looking for advice on the best way to transport my fish and aquarium. I have asked a couple of guys in local fish shops but neither seemed to be particularly clued up in this area, therefore I would appreciate your opinions from your personal experiences.

My tank is a Juwel Rekord 70. Although I will be upgrading to a monster at the new house as I am aware that my Silver sharks/clown loach will fast outgrow my 70ltr tank.

Current stock:
2 silvery sharks (still small)
1.5 clown loaches (one has gone missing in action)
2 Rainbow fish
2 dwarf gouramis
1 plec (small)
3 Mollies (2 babies)

What should I put the fish in ? Watertight container ? Large plastic bags?
Should the gravel/filter remain in some water to stop the bacteria from dying? If so, how long has it got (hopefully longer than the hour to drive from the old home to the new)?

Really appreciate your thoughts

 

[drw32]

Can you drain all but 1" of the water and move the tank without breaking it down? As for the fish, put them in a 5 gallon bucket. They will be fine for a while. About every hour, scoop out water (small bowl) and pour back in from about 2 feet high (several times) to keep aerated.

 

[Tolak]

Do not move the tank with anything in it. If it doesn't develop a leak immediately, it will at the worst possible time in the future. Aquariums are designed to hold water, etc, in a static position. I'll take some pics of the 72 gallon at work that was moved with gravel, a couple inches of water, & fish. The cracked top brace has been reinforced with a steel support fabricated by our machinist.

Don't feed the fish for 24 hours before the move. Empty at least half the water & remove any decorations to make it easier to catch the fish. Try to save at least half the water to mix with your water at your new location. Put larger fish in individual bags, smaller fish can go a few to a bag. I've bought & sold fish at auctions that have been bagged for 12+ hours, they do fine. Make sure to fill with 1/3 water, 2/3 air. A large cooler will help maintain temperature, as well as keep them in the dark, making them less active.

Keep filter media, and substrate wet, a large bucket will work for this. The bacteria will be fine for more than an hour if kept wet.