Moving House... Need Advice :)

[ReddSamurai]

basically i move in 3 weeks and im comfortable with how to transport the fish and the tank.
But do i leave the plants in the tank or take them our? theres a fair bit, at least 50% of the base has plants planted 
and if im going to be removing most the water what do i do

 

[Zikofski]

there are three factors i would ask my self
 
1. do you want to re-scape
 
this would be the perfect time to re-scape if you wanted a change, if you don't want to change but haft to uproot everything take a picture of the before so you remember where it all went
 
2. Can you move the tank without taking out the substrate and plants (is it to heavy)
 
for my tank its impossible to big so yes i would haft to remove everything but if your tank is small enough and light enough to move without removing the stuff then why not keep it in
 
3. How long will the move be, from taking water out to putting water in.
 
plants obviously will dry out if you take them out you can wrap them in bags with a little water in or wrap them in paper towel or even a wet T-towel or cloth if your move will be short within minutes then you can probable do this quickly maybe wet them as you go if your going some distance i would want to take a spray bottle with you with some water and every now and then spray the plants with water, keep them in the dark and try keep them cool to prevent drying and evaporation to much
 
i hope this has covered the important things i would consider with moving plants

 

[ReddSamurai]

thanks for the info, i rescaped 3 days without even thinking about it
think if i take out 95% of the water it will be 30/40kg which should be easy with two people.
but then like you said its a case of keeping the plants wet and the driver to drive steadily 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

You need to be careful moving a tank with something in it though, even if it's just gravel. There are plenty of examples where people break tanks or get cracks during or after moves so if it were me I'd take everything out and start again. However my tank is close to 300 litres so is a bit bigger than yours, which I assume is the 125 litre in your signature.
 
Whatever you decide, be careful and good luck!

 

[fluttermoth]

Agree with Lunar Jetman; I've also seen many tanks crack in moving.
 
Always totally strip tanks if you'r going to move them. Tanks are just not built to cope with the extra stresses of being moved with any substrate/water in. Wrap the plants in wet newspaper and then in bubble wrap; that's how they're usually sent through the post so they'll be fine

 

[TwoTankAmin]

if its just a move and not shipping is involved the wet paper and plants isn't necessary. We ship plants like that because water weighs a lot and minimizing the amount makes it cheaper to ship. When I bring plants to a convention or deliver them in person I just put plenty of water in the bag and then knot it far enough down that the plants are all kept wet as the water sloshes about.
 
I have moved tanks both ways, but not huge distances. Of course its a lot easier moving a tank with gravel and plants when its a smaller size tank. As noted there is a risk, so you have to decide what you want to do. Safest is to empty the tank but it is a lot more work.
 
Bear in mind that tanks need to be supported completely around the entire bottom rim. They usually need to be pretty level as well. Lack of support or not being level will both cause tanks to crack or shatter. Basically not supporting or being tilted causes the pressures on the glass to change from an even distribution to not so, and when the glass can't take the pressure, it cracks or shatters.
 
What is even more freaky is that glass can actually bend. The first time I looked across the front glass of my 45 gal tank from the end and saw it was bowed, I almost freaked. But a bit of research showed me glass does have a little give and this bowing is normal.

 

[ReddSamurai]

my plan i have in my head is to pinch some big fish bags from work and hopefully a polystyrene box to put the fish in and take as much of the water as possible.
then put the filter media in a bag with the tank water(if this is a bad or good idea let me know)
take all the plants out and put them in some of the bags with some tank water.
take all the gravel out, put the tank in its original box with the polystyrene corners.
 
Possible idea for what i can do when i get to new place...let me know what you think
i have a 51L tank thats not being used so what i might do is full it with the extra tank water i take and then put the filter from the tank they are in, in there
and then put the fish in there while i sort the bigger tank out...does that sound like a good idea?

 

[fluttermoth]

my plan i have in my head is to pinch some big fish bags from work and hopefully a polystyrene box to put the fish in and take as much of the water as possible.
then put the filter media in a bag with the tank water(if this is a bad or good idea let me know)
take all the plants out and put them in some of the bags with some tank water.
take all the gravel out, put the tank in its original box with the polystyrene corners.

Sounds good
 
 

Possible idea for what i can do when i get to new place...let me know what you think
i have a 51L tank thats not being used so what i might do is full it with the extra tank water i take and then put the filter from the tank they are in, in there
and then put the fish in there while i sort the bigger tank out...does that sound like a good idea?

No, I wouldn't unpack them and catch them twice, too stressful. Keep them bagged and in the dark while you set the tank up, add your substrate, plants, etc and then all your saved water. If you can get your heater and filter up and running at that point, I would do that, add the fish and then top up gradually; then it'll be just like a big water change to the fish.
 
Other wise, add new water until you can get the filter and heater going, and then add fish (floating them in their bags as you would if you'd just bought them), then the new water.

 

[ReddSamurai]

oki doki , should i not feed them the day before i move aswell?

 

[fluttermoth]

I would give them at least two days without food beforehand; maybe even three, depending on how long you think the move will take you.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I would suggest before you begin that you do a decent water change on the tank. Start with clean water.
 
The plants wont care, so you can bag them in dechlorinated tap water.
 
Fasting the tank won't help with the bn for sure and perhaps not the gouramis either as they are omnivores and there is veggie matter and algae in your tank. Bn are hardy, so you can purge them in a separate holding tank for 36 hrs and you should be fine especially if they will be in the bags a day or less. I would suggest you bag the bn and gouramis individually with plenty of water. Use bigger sized bags and only fill them 1/2 way with water. Air is just as important.
 
If its needed and you can find a heat pack, tape it at each end to the underside of the styro lid. Place some newspaper pages between the heat pack and the bags. The bags should not be able to move about inside the styro. Use packing peanuts or crumpled up newspaper to prevent it. This will eliminate most or all of the need to acclimate for temp plus it should keep the fish at a relatively constant temp end to end on the journey.
 
The bio media wont care much about the trip since it is too short term. Chuck it in a bag with some tank water or dechlorinated tap water and it should be fine. Leave some air in the bag. Traveling will keep the media wet, it need not be fully submerged all the time. Drift wood and decor should be kept moist as should the substrate since there is good bacteria on it.
 
I would completely set up the tank in its new spot and make sure conditions are proper in the tank and then add the fish. It is possible the move will cause some level or recyling to be needed, so I suggest you test for ammonia for the next few days to be on the safe side.

 

[ReddSamurai]

another problem has occurred, if you have any suggestions let me know
 
basically i need to be out of the current house by the end of this month, where as my next tenancy starts in june.
so theres going to be a day or two gap where i have to take them home(i can probably leave them at a friends which is closer) and then back.
but whats the best way around this? to cause less stress, im at a loss at the moment.

 

[fluttermoth]

Oh, you'll be alright.
 
Keep as much water as you can each time, and don't bother with planting or feeding while they're at your friend's house. Just get your heater and filter up and running and float the plants. I wouldn't bother putting the substrate in, and keep the lights off.
 
It will be stressful, but keep the fish dark and warm, and packaged with plenty of air when they're bagged, and they should all be fine

 

[Zikofski]

personally if you can find a large bucket with a lid? do you have a internal filter or even go and buy an internal filter cheap one maybe? or just change the water reguarly 3 hourly/6 hourly maybe do some tests finding a bucket strong enough large enough for them to be carried in the lid will help keep it dark and stress less this is what i would do if bags where not good enough again so many ways right and wrong ways to go about this