Moving In January

[Rlon35]

A few questions about moving....and substrate.


I have a 55g tank, fully planted, with various fish and plant species. I was thinking about trading in the fish and just transporting the plants. The move will be about 10 to 15 hours. Should I attempt to transport the fish as well (I do have a battery operated air pump)? How do I transport all of these freakin' plants, by the way? This is an overwhelming premise!

My final question concerns substrate. I want to keep half my plain gravel, for biological purposes, but I want to include a more plant friendly substrate. If I was to use a great substrate, under a level of my gravel, what proportion of my gravel should I save (i.e. just a thin layer?)??? What kind of substrate would be ideal for under the thin layer of gravel???

 

[aaronnorth]

Transport the fish in bags, the LFS should give you some for free, leave a decent sized air pocket.

the plants can also be transported in fish bags (no water)

The substrate wont contain as much bacteria as your media, so make sure you save this, and whn setting up the substrate, squeeze some mulm under the substrate to 'seed' it.

JBL aquabasis, tetraplant, flourite, laterite are all suitable.

Also transfer some of your tank water, because if the water at your new house has a fair amount of difference in parameters, then it could shock your fish.

Good luck

 

[Rlon35]

The substrate wont contain as much bacteria as your media, so make sure you save this, and whn setting up the substrate, squeeze some mulm under the substrate to 'seed' it.^^^^^^^

Great feedback as always, and yes I planned on saving my media in some water, but what the heck is mulm???



Also transfer some of your tank water, because if the water at your new house has a fair amount of difference in parameters, then it could shock your fish.^^^^^^^^

I planned on bringing at least 10 gallons of my water, but, since I know nothing of the local water there, I planned on filling the rest with RO water. I am glad you brought up flourite, as I thought that was the clear choice. I am surpised about the fish in plastic bags advice though...I thought they'd be better off in a bucket with air pumping in it.

 

[hellohefalump]

I have moved house four times with my 100gal. I always lose a few fish, but not many. This is how I do it:

Three days before the move, I setup my RO unit/water butt at the new house.

Next day, when RO butt is filled I fill up a couple of smaller tanks in the kitchen of the new house with half RO/half tap water (this is how I always do my water at water changes so it's what my fish are used to). I turn the heaters on, making sure the thermostat is set at the correct temparature. Put a powerhead or airstone or something that makes water movement so the heat spreads around the tank.

Next day, when tanks are heated up, move fish/plants/filters into them. Like this:

First, I drain the tank halfway. Then I take out fish that are easy to catch and put them in bags with plenty of air.

Then I take out any decor/plants. Plants can be wrapped in wet newspaper and put into plastic bags or a bucket.

Then I remove most of the water in the tank and catch the rest of the fish. Use two nets - one to chase, one to catch. Put them in bags with plenty of air.

Drain some water into a bucket and put filter media in it.

Put it all into holding tanks at your new house.

DAY OF THE MOVE:
Finish emptying the tank, remove substrate and put it in buckets.

move the tank, fill it up, put in substrate, heat it up.

next day, or when tank is the right temparature, move all fish/plants/filters in. Aclimatise fish, as you would adding any new fish to a tank. Float it, add bits of water slowly etc.

mulm is the brown stuff that comes out when you squeeze your filter sponges.

the trouble with buckets is the fish jump out. Bags are alright as long as they're not in for too long.

 

[Rlon35]

the trouble with buckets is the fish jump out. Bags are alright as long as they're not in for too long.
^^^^^^^^^^

What is too long?

 

[aaronnorth]

buckets lose fish to jumping, and water splashes out, they will be fine in bags, that is how they are transported from the otherside of the world to your LFS

by too long she means time, they will run out of oxygen but if you dont put too many fish in a bag then oxygen levels will be fine, or you can open the bags up to let fresh air get in.

Mulm is the gunk that collects on your cponges in your filter media, squeeze some of it off beneath the substrate.

 

[Rlon35]

buckets lose fish to jumping, and water splashes out, they will be fine in bags, that is how they are transported from the otherside of the world to your LFS

by too long she means time^^^^^^^

Yeah, I know. Sorry I didn't phrase it properly, too slangish. How much time do fish have in bags, more or less? I know they are shipped in bags, but I have never heard of how long the can be safely kept in closed bags. Don't worry...last question...

 

[aaronnorth]

I would imagine they will survive 10-15hr, might be better to ask in trpical discussion.

 

[hellohefalump]

I'd say about 10hrs, but I'm not sure. When they're transported across the world the 'air' inside is pure oxygen, not normal air that we breathe, so they go for longer.

The other advantage to using bags, is you can pack them into polystyrene boxes (see if your lfs has any to spare) and close the lid - making it dark, which makes the fish calmer/less stressed. The polystyrene helps prevent heat loss aswell.

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

Moving is a right pain in the bum for aquariums. I did it wrong but only removing the water and covering up the plants with newspaper in the aquarium above the substrate. In the end all the newspaper got swished around in the last lot of water that was left in. Was a nightmare to clean up - but did so in the end.

So my advice would be to...
- bag the fish, mine were fine for at least 6 hours in their bags.
- Bag the plants
- Bag the filter media
- Bottle the water
- Remove the substrate, into buckets, plastic boxes

Then do the opposite when you get to your new place.

It might sound like a daft suggestion when your moving as you don't have enough time to start with but ... prepare well and also do the tank if you can on a totally separate day to your big move! When I moved, I had to rush replanting and setting it up as my friends and family were building all the furniture in my house and I was getting funny looks!

 

[Mikaila31]

I was at a fish auction and all the fish where in bags. The auction lasted 8 hours and all the fish remained in there bags for this time. They where all layed out on tables and there where about a hundred people going through well over a hundred bags for the 8 hours. Every thing from guppys to adult discus. There where very few dead fish, I brought home 20 fish who are all still alive to this day.

Just keep them some where dark during the drive as this will greatly reduce stress. Also fast them before moving that way they won't produce too much waste while in the bag. Other than that they should be fine. The biggest thing you should worry about is stress.

 

[susankat]

I have shipped fish to where it would take 3 or 4 days. As long as its very few fish per bag and you can put some o2 in it. they will be fine.