Moving House.

[SarahMarsh]

Hello.
 
I think we may have to move house soon. We have terrible landlords.
 
My tank has been doing really well. I still have my original fish. I dont want to lose any but just dont know where to start with moving the tank.
 
My mum has another tank. Should I do a transfer to that one? But I wont have access to the new place until moving day.

 

[Abyss]

How big is the tank?

 

[Far_King]

Hi,
 
What sort of fish are we talking about here?  How many?  How large is the tank?  What sort of substrate is in there?  Is it planted?  Are you likely to be moving far?

 

[Abyss]

Best thing to do for the fish would be to get a large poly box or two from your local fish shop. Some give them for free, others charge around £2.50 each.
 
If the fish are non aggressive and small, and will be okay together for a period, simply fill the poly box with water and transport that way. Making sure it is clean first. When you get to your new house, get an air pump going in the box, leaving the lid on as much as you can.
 
You can also transport them in bags (from eBay or LFS) if you prefer or feel it is necessary. But keep them in the poly box for temperature and to keep them calmer in the dark.
 
Set up your tank again. Make sure this is the first thing you do for the sake of the fish.
 
Try and minimise the amount of time your filter is off, and always keep it wet as this helps.
 
You don't need to bring any additional water. Fill the tank up and bring it to temperature. Use warm water to make this process quicker, as long as the new house doesn't use a copper tank to warm water. Start filtration, pumps etc. You can then acclimatise the fish by placing small amounts of water in the poly box at regular intervals until conditions and temperature are brought more or less together. Alternatively, you can use bags to place the fish in your new set up and acclimatise that way, just like you would when you bring them home from the shop.
 
Unless it is a massive tank with obvious logistical issues, moving tanks isn't really a big issue if done right.

 

[SarahMarsh]

https/www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157083909040188&set=a.10157083908120188.1073741873.741555187&type=3&theater

Thankyou. That sounds ok. We are looking at a flat just over the road at the moment.
 
I hope that picture above works. Im not technical enough!
 
Thankyou for the tip about the filter, I wouldnt have thought of that.
 
I think it is a 25l.
 
I have 5 Zebra Danio.
7 Mollies
and 3 Platys.
 
There are no real plants and has gravel.
 
Im just worried becuase I left the tank running for a few weeks before I added these fish and I wont be able to do that again this time.
 
While Im typing, could I put a bottom feeding type fish in the tank too? I think its pretty much full though.

 

[Far_King]

As said above, just a plastic tub with a lid for the fish will be fine.  You're not moving far and they won't be in there long.

 

[Munroco]

Im just worried becuase I left the tank running for a few weeks before I added these fish and I wont be able to do that again this time.
 
It won't matter this time because your filter is allready matured. Thats why you had to wait weeks the first time. I would just follow Abyss' adsvice and things should be good.

 

[Essjay]

Do you mean 25 litres or a 25 gallon long tank (as opposed to a standard shaped 25 gallon)?
 
If it is 25 litres, I'm afraid you are already overstocked so adding a bottom feeder is not a good idea. Plecs grow quite large (even the smallest) and are unsuitable for small tanks, while corydoras may be smaller but need to be in a shoal. Both types of bottom feeder will make a 25 litre tank even more overstocked than it already is.

 

[SarahMarsh]

Oops I measured again and I think its 15 uk gallons. Which would make it a 69 litre.. i think.. unless that sounds huge.
 
Thankyou, Im less worried about moving now. Doesnt sound too bad as the filter can just go straight back in with no waiting time.

 

[Far_King]

If it's about 2ft long by a foot deep and a foot and a half tall, that would be approximately correct.  If you give me the measurements I'll work it out for you.

 

[SarahMarsh]

Legnth 61cm - Depth 30cm - Height 38cm (so thats 24 inches long - 12 inches deep and 15 inches high)
Thankyou, that would also help with adding treatments etc...

 

[Far_King]

Ta.  That's approximately 70 litres or 16 UK Gallons.

 

[Essjay]

....that would also help with adding treatments etc...

 
 
Always use litres when working out how much to add. You can never be sure whether a treatment uses American gallons or Imperial (UK) gallons, though it's almost certain that those treatments made by American companies will use American gallons. It's the UK or European made products that could be either. Since there's only one type of litre, it is safer to use that unit to work out how much to use.