Moving House

[pmb_67]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything by searching or browsing...

To put it simply, I have the dubious pleasure of moving house in a week or so's time and want to know how best to get my fish to their new home with as little stress as possible (and losing as few as possible - like zero? - too). Does anyone have any good tips, hints, tricks, etc.?

I have one specific question - I have a fry tank, which contains some nicely maturing platies; to be fair they're reaching the point where they need a new home, and my main tank is at/near its stocking limit - might be time for a donation to the LFS? Anyway, I was wondering if it was safe to empty around two thirds of the water, leaving a couple of inches for the kids to swim around in. I reckon I can carry the tank with that little water, so would this be less stressful than netting & bagging them all up? (Which I'm assuming is the conventional route).

All advice welcome!

Thanks,

Paul

PS A couple more specifics - I'm moving about a 20-30 minute car journey, so that'll be how they make the trip assuming I can find a willing car-owning friend! Don't really think a bus or the tube is the best method for tranporting these guys...

 

[Chri$]

I'd say bag them.

Things could get messy regarding carrying the tank around especially if you have to make a car journey

 

[Tolak]

Only move a tank when it is completely empty. That means all water, decorations & gravel. They are only designed to hold water in a static position, moving while filled will stress the seams. These tend to give out at the most inconvenient time, causing a really nifty flood with a tremendous amount of water damage. I saw a glass 5 gallon water bottle break on a dock years ago, instant 30 foot circle of water. I also helped drain a 72 gallon into a parking lot a couple of months ago, we created our own creek across the lot, then down towards the street.

For a half hour trip, get a sturdy cooler. Drain some tank water into the cooler. If you are moving to a place that has the same water supply, you don't have to save any water. If it's a different water supply try to save half. Drain the tank down to a few inches, this makes catching the fish easier. Catch the fish, & put them in the cooler. Drain the tank the rest of the way, put gravel & decos in a bucket. Put your filter media in a container with water, you have to keep the media wet.

I moved a 15" plec with a 36 quart cooler a couple of months back, gift from the guy with the 72 gallon. It was a half hour drive, plec was fine. You can also use a large bucket, a towel over the top keeps them from jumping, and keeps it darker, which calms the fish. If you choose to bag, 1/3 water, 2/3 air. Fish do good in a bag for longer than you would think, I buy & sell fish at auctions on a regular basis. These fish are in bags for 12+ hours, losses are rare.

When you get to the new place set up & level the stand, add gravel, decos, water, & fish.