Moving Home

[Shifty1303]

Hi all,

Need some advice!

Got to move my 55gal to my new place which is a 2.5hr drive away. Never even considered the possibility before so not sure where to start or how to go about it.

How do you guys move home with your aquariums?

Shifty

 

[Hunterprey]

I normally just keep the ornaments, filter medias submerged under tank water while moving.

Put fish that get along well in the same pail and save as much tank water as I can in pails.

I set the tank 1st after the move. I've moved fish tanks about 3 times and never lost a fish.

 

[Zante]

I moved my 400 litre aquarium over a similar distance.
 

• Catch all the fish and bag them. If you have a polybox use it for the more deliate ones, although it'd be better to box them all.
• If you have a sump put any filter media in a bucket full of tank water. It would be better to have an aerator in there, but for a couple of hours it should be fine. If you have a canister filter just disconnect it. If you have an internal filter or a HOB put it in a bucket of water.
• In other buckets put all ornaments, wood and rocks and keep them wet. Not necessary, but they have their own bacterial population and every little helps.
• If you have any plants you can choose to chuck them and start afresh with new ones, or to keep the ones you have. If you want to keep them, put them in a bucket with water.
• Keep any water you can. Not necessarily all of it, but if you keep as much as possible the environment will be a little more stable and reduce the stress for the fish.
• The substrate: what I did was to chuck the lot and put new substrate when I got to the new place, but you might want to keep it. If you do, another bucket is your friend, and keep it wet, the substrate too has lots of bacteria in it.

 
Once you've emptied the aquarium you just load the lot and drive off. Remember all the buckets must have a lid or the water will slosh out of them.
 
Once you reach your destination you set up the aquarium with the substrate, plants, ornaments, rocks and wood and keep it running for a couple of hours at least to get the water at the right temperature and have everything settle in a bit. Once you're happy that everything is running correctly you can reintroduce the fish.
 
Since you'll be keeping them bagged for quite a while (mine were for 8 hours) you understand how it is important to bag them well and pack them well.

 

[Byron]

I moved more than 300 fish and much in the same manner as Zante.  I would offer two suggestions though.
 
First, do a good water change the day prior to the move, 50-60% of the tank; clean into the substrate if you intend using the same substrate.  Then when you bag the fish the following day, you will have relatively fresh water.  The older the tank water, the more polluted, and this can make a big difference when bagging fish in the water.  And lots of air in the bag.
 
Second, I wouldn't fuss about the water itself.  Moving two hours likely means your source water will be much the same as it is now, so fresh water in the newly-setup tank will be better than using old water.  Definitely keep plants, wood, rock, and filter media in the tank water as Zante described.
 
Empty everything out of the 55g before moving it; any weight in the tank is almost guaranteed to cause a break in the seal somewhere, as lifting the tank will shift it.
 
Byron.

 

[fluttermoth]

A couple of things I'd like to add too...
 
Don't feed the fish for two or three days, so you keep waste in the bags to a minimum.
 
Don't worry too much about the fish; if you've bagged and packed them correctly (ask at your LFS if they have any of the polystyrene boxes they get their fish deliveries in that you can beg/buy/borrow), they'll be fine for twelve hours or more; don't forget, that's how they get to your LFS in the first place, and many people buy fish online and have them delivered. Make sure they're warm (you can buy heat packs, or use a hot water bottle, if the weather's cold) and dark, and don't keep on unwrapping them and checking on them! 
 
If you can add the fish to the tank in a darkened room and gradually accustom them to the light again, then so much the better.

 

[RCA]

All of mine have gone into foster care for now, I go to the house each week, more if required to monitor everything.  I set the tank up with new substrate but using the existing filter and decorations.
The shut down of the tank is in my signature link below or you can also go straight to the video.
I agree with others that you must fully empty the aquarium for fear of it cracking.

After 3 glorious years ><)))*> Goodbye Juwel Vision, Planted Aquarium Breakdown

 

[Shifty1303]

Thanks guys. Really helpful! I got a polystyrene shipping box from my lfs along with some bags and have arranged to borrow 100l worth of water containers from them for a small deposit. Gonna move it in a fortnight! Will there not be an issue with the filter media not having water flow through it for two and a half hrs? Surely bacteria will die in still water?

Thanks again all.

Side note.. Is maintaining a 400l hard work? I know the higher the volume the better for stability of water chemistry etc. How do you do weekly maintenence on that behemoth?

 

[Shifty1303]

Oh also.. Forgotten how to assess max stocking capacity too. My tank has been intentionally under stocked as I'm away so much. Now I'm moving it with me though I want to get it back to max capacity. Can you guys suggest how many I can stock these current groups up to please?

13x panda cory
7x praecox rainbow (love these fish!!)
8x black ruby barb
1x snakeskin barb (chums around with rubies so wouldn't want more snakeskin)
1x glowlight tetra (poor thing the last survivor of his kin. Been delaying getting him friends due to minimising bioload in my absence)

 

[Byron]

Will there not be an issue with the filter media not having water flow through it for two and a half hrs? Surely bacteria will die in still water?
 

 
This used to be advocated, but no longer.  There are studies suggesting that in the absence of oxygen, aerobic nitrifying bacteria can change their metabolisms in more than one way; cells may go into a state of rest, and some are even believed to be able to convert from nitrifying to denitrifying bacteria.  My canisters are turned off during water changes, which admittedly is only perhaps 30-40 minutes, but there have also been power outages.
 
But having said that, if this were me, I wold never move a filter without rinsing it under the tap before setting it up again.  This will deal with any sludge, and the live nitrifying bacteria stuck on the media will survive in most cases.
 
Bacteria are not the timid delicate creatures we used to assume they are.  Read more here:
http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4780&utm_source=PFK_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February_10_2012&utm_term=Think_you_know_filter_bacteria?_Dream_on&hellip;&utm_content=html
 

Side note.. Is maintaining a 400l hard work? I know the higher the volume the better for stability of water chemistry etc. How do you do weekly maintenence on that behemoth?
 

 
Water changes are essential to a healthy aquarium, if it contains fish, and the more fish (in terms of numbers and size), the more water needs changing.  I do 50-60% of each of my tanks every week, from a 10g up to the 115g/435 litres.  This is only "easy" with a "Python" water changer.  This connects to the tap and there is a valve so you can either drain or fill the tank.
 

Oh also.. Forgotten how to assess max stocking capacity too. My tank has been intentionally under stocked as I'm away so much. Now I'm moving it with me though I want to get it back to max capacity. Can you guys suggest how many I can stock these current groups up to please?

13x panda cory
7x praecox rainbow (love these fish!!)
8x black ruby barb
1x snakeskin barb (chums around with rubies so wouldn't want more snakeskin)
1x glowlight tetra (poor thing the last survivor of his kin. Been delaying getting him friends due to minimising bioload in my absence)
 

 
If you decide not to continue with glowlights, I would just leave the last one.  But if you want this species, I would suggest a group of 10-15 for a 55g.
 
You could add a few more of the rainbows and black ruby barbs.  I would suggest increasing the groups to roughly 10-12 if you want, or they could stay as they are.  I probably wouldn't add to the pandas at 13 now.
 
Byron.

 

[Zante]

Side note.. Is maintaining a 400l hard work? I know the higher the volume the better for stability of water chemistry etc. How do you do weekly maintenence on that behemoth?

 
If I have to be honest I have severely fallen behind with maintenance. I should be able to do a water change next weekend, but the tank hasn't had a water change since the beginning of February. I had a minor operation and I'm not allowed to lift any weights, and you know water is heavy.
 
The fish seem to be fine though, even with 20 discus eating whatever I drop in the tank. It is heavily planted, and I have a forest of pothos growing out of the tank, but the nitrates must be past 250 in there. Strangely enough hardly any algae growing in there, must be the low Ph.
 
Normally though I make 50% weekly water changes. If you organise yourself it's not hard.

 

[Shifty1303]

"If you decide not to continue with glowlights, I would just leave the last one.  But if you want this species, I would suggest a group of 10-15 for a 55g.
 
You could add a few more of the rainbows and black ruby barbs.  I would suggest increasing the groups to roughly 10-12 if you want, or they could stay as they are.  I probably wouldn't add to the pandas at 13 now.
 
Byron"

So Byron do you mean 10-12 of each of barbs and rainbows including 10-15 tetras? If I don't stock up tetras could I get even more barbs and rainbows? Or was it a case of stock tetras OR barbs/rainbows?

 

[Byron]

So Byron do you mean 10-12 of each of barbs and rainbows including 10-15 tetras? If I don't stock up tetras could I get even more barbs and rainbows? Or was it a case of stock tetras OR barbs/rainbows?
 

 
I was thinking of all species included at these numbers.
 
But to your question on even more barbs and rainbows, I would say no.  But I have looked at the Snakeskin Barb, Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus, and I would urge you to increase these.  I missed them previously, sorry.  This is a very beautiful barb, and will be even more so with more of its own.  Here's what it says on SF:
It’s a schooling species by nature, and ideally should be kept in a group of at least 8-10 specimens. Maintaining it in decent numbers will not only make the fish less skittish but result in a more effective, natural-looking display, plus males will also display their best colours as they compete with one other for female attention.
 
I can appreciate that it may "appear" to be "happy" with the black rubies, but we cannot know this, and I would seriously doubt it.  See the green citation in my signature.

 

[Shifty1303]

Ok thanks. Why not even more barbs or rainbows?

As for the snakeskin barbs I cannot find them for want nor money. the one I have has always been alone after arriving with some pentazona barbs about five years ago. There has never even been a tank of his kin in a store I could return him to.

In this case, with you recommending no more barbs or rainbows and me preferring not to stock up glowlights, can you recommend another suitable active species for this tank I could add? Either a shoal or centrepiece pair etc?

Regards

 

[Byron]

Ok thanks. Why not even more barbs or rainbows?

As for the snakeskin barbs I cannot find them for want nor money. the one I have has always been alone after arriving with some pentazona barbs about five years ago. There has never even been a tank of his kin in a store I could return him to.

In this case, with you recommending no more barbs or rainbows and me preferring not to stock up glowlights, can you recommend another suitable active species for this tank I could add? Either a shoal or centrepiece pair etc?

Regards

 
I have never seen the Snakeskin Barb, and I can well understand your finding an odd one in with this or that.  I have done that myself especially with wild caught fish.  I remember once glancing into a tank of rummynose tetra in a store, and spotting four pencilfish.  I asked the gal how much they were, and she suggested they were Siamese Algae Eaters...in the end she gave them to me for the same price as the rummys since "no one knows about these."

     The barb is such a beauty, if you ever do find more, grab 'em.

 
This changes things a bit.  I was suggesting previously that this barb be increased, and with that, a 55g is pretty full.  Water quality is very important for the rainbow species here...not that it shouldn't be considered so for any fish of course.  You could increase the existing barbs and rainbows as I previously suggested, and then have a look at another rainbow perhaps.  I am not too familiar with this rainbow, and I am wondering if it is on the sedate side (my research indicates it is)?  I know the black ruby barbs very well, I've had them for several years now and have several fry in the group.  These are hyper-active fish, and this is not a good mix with any sedate fish.  So I will leave that to you as you have them in front of you.  Where I am going with this, is that any other fish species added has to fit in, and I could suggest some active ones (I have a group of Lemon Tetra in with my barbs, and this is a terrific combination, as the Lemons are also very active swimmers, charging all over the place).  The activity level of a species must be carefully considered in community tanks, not only for the physical space this requires, but for the damage it can do to more sedate and quiet fish which will usually not be seen but it is still there.
 
Byron. 

 

[Shifty1303]

Thanks Byron. The praecox (dwarf) rainbows are a great mix with the rubies. Very active and competitive at feeding time. Really beautiful fish too. What other rainbows would work? I love bosemani rainbows but I feel they are too big to get a big enough shoal in with my existing fish in a 200l. Lemon tetras sound great too. Any other suitable species you have experience of? I'm yet to see lemons in my lfs so may struggle with them but will certainly enquire.

Thanks!