question on transporting fish

[sairie]

hi. i've had my tank for a few months. it's a 10 gallon and i have 4 fish. at the end of april, i'm moving back home, which is an hour and a half drive from where i live now.

how do i transport my fish?

also, once i move over there, i want to change my gravel to black gravel or either to black sand. i'm still deciding on the whole sand/gravel thing.. but i def. am not keeping what i have in there. any suggestions welcome.

thanks :]

 

[heresmike]

You could put them in plastic bags like when you get from the fish store, and make sure they have plenty of air in the bag. They will be fine for hours like that.

I like the look (and other qualities) of sand. Just make sure the black sand is safe for freshwater. There is another recent thread "Gravel vs. Sand" that you might want to check out.

 

[sairie]

should i put them all in the same bag, or seperate?

i think i'm leaning towards the sand after reading that thread... how do i get it in the tank? lay it in there and then pour the water in? can i put the fish in before the sand settles?

heh, so many questions... thanks in advance q:

 

[heresmike]

If you have a big enough bag, they can go in one, but don't make them too cramped. Might be best to split them up.

Yes... wash the sand very well first, lay it in the tank, then put a plate (like a platic plate that can float) on top of the sand, then pour the water on the plate. As the water level rises, the plate should float up with it. Always pour onto the plate. That way, the sand will not get disturbed and you should be able to add the fish right away.

I hope you are thinking of keeping your bio-filter active during tranport.

 

[sairie]

*dumb look*

how do i keep it active?

 

[crazie.eddie]

DO NOT PUT THEM IN ONE BAG. You should seperate them. Being in a small confined bag with other fish will stress them even more. Plus maybe become aggressive.

To keep the biofilter active, put the filter media, gravel, biowheels, etc. in a bag full of your tank water. I would also save as much as the original water. The new location may have different water parameters and with the stress of the move itself, may get ever more stressed with new water parameters.

I would only go with sand if you're using a Wet/Dry filter. HOB or canister filters bay get damaged if a grain of sand gets in there.

 

[Bol]

10g tank, 90 minute drive....

Personally, I'd probably do this:

Get a fairly large cooler, one that's about ... 10 gallons . Get it fairly warm (at least room temperature).

Get a large, heavy duty garbage bag (or three or four regular garbage bags), and rinse out the inside.

Use the garbage bags to line the cooler, and ... well, basically, transfer your tank into the cooler, including some, if not all, of the gravel.

You may want to either keep the car warm, or tuck in a heat source of some kind. Either a chemical pack that they sell for hunting or camping, or in a pinch, get a couple of burgers or burritos, and tuck them between the bags and the cooler (i.e. on the outside of the water).

If you're really concerned, I think they make battery powered air pumps, and you could run a stone.

 

[babyfish]

Do not leave the filter in water as the beneficial bacteria will definatley die from lack of oxygen, empty out the filter and place it in a plastic bag with air like the fish. You can usually pick up some transport bags from your lfs, they shouldn't charge you too much for them
Bag your fish up seperatley with lots of air in the top(don't forget to tie the corners of the bags with an elastic band to prevent the fish getting stuck in them).
Put fish into a large box that is well padded with newspaper and put more newspapers between them to hold them steady,more newspapers on top and shut the box so that the fish are in the dark(less stressfull).
48 hours before your journey stop feeding the fish, this will mean less waste in the bags for the journey(less stress again)

 

[crazie.eddie]

Do not leave the filter in water as the beneficial bacteria will definatley die from lack of oxygen, empty out the filter and place it in a plastic bag with air like the fish.

I would have to disagree. In order to oxygenate water, you just create some current or movement. Benificial bacteria do not require allot O2, but will still require it. I'm sure driving in the care will cause the water to move around, so no worries there. I would not place the filter in a plastic bag without any water becuase this will dry out and DEFINITELY kill the bacteria.


As I stated before, I would save as much of your original tank water as possible. This way when the fish arrive in their new location, they will not have to undergo acclimation to new water.

 

[heresmike]

Do not leave the filter in water as the beneficial bacteria will definatley die from lack of oxygen, empty out the filter and place it in a plastic bag with air like the fish.

I would have to disagree. In order to oxygenate water, you just create some current or movement. Benificial bacteria do not require allot O2, but will still require it. I'm sure driving in the care will cause the water to move around, so no worries there. I would not place the filter in a plastic bag without any water becuase this will dry out and DEFINITELY kill the bacteria.


As I stated before, I would save as much of your original tank water as possible. This way when the fish arrive in their new location, they will not have to undergo acclimation to new water.

Sorry but I would have to disagree with you. The bacteria needs oxygen to stay alive and will not get it if submerged in water w/o being aerated.

I agree with babyfish, leave the filter media wet and put in an airtight bagwith plenty of extra air. It will not dry out, and will have plenty of oxygen.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

I always bag my media WITH water, and the bacteria has ALWAYS survived.

Tip: When you bag the fish, put the bag upside down in a second bag. Small fish can get crushed in the corners of the bag if they roll around, this will prevent that. A double bag is also a precaution against leaks.

I've moved many times, and many fish. I always bag the fish - number in a bag depends on size of fish, aggression of fish, and size of bags, and then put those bags in a styrofoam cooler. I bag the filter media in the same way. I've never lost a fish on a move doing it this way.

If you really want to get fancy, bring the fish to the fish store and ask them to bag them for you using their oxygen tank. Fish can last up to 48 hours professionally packed.

 

[mrV]

Filter materia should be transport not in water but it should be kept in moist. So if you put your filter materials inside some plastic bag and keep it closed, then materia is wet all the time and it doesn't dry. Also bacteria get oxygen easily.

You should also save same old bottom materials and put it inside some porous bags (e.g. made from old pantyhose). When moving keep gravel also in moist and after you have set up your tank again, put these "pantyhose" packets into your tank for few days. It contains good bacteria for a seed.

I would save as much of your original tank water as possible.

I wouldn't save none. It only contain harmul bacteria, fish waste etc.. So, why bother to save it?

This way when the fish arrive in their new location, they will not have to undergo acclimation to new water.

To avoid this, you must do water changes more often before moving. Do water change daily before you move so tank water is quite pure and fishes are "acclimatize" fresher water that is somehow same as your tap-water. Remember to use water conditioners too. It helps to reduce stress!

aggression of fish, and size of bags, and then put those bags in a styrofoam cooler.

Styrofoam box is very good purchase too!

ask them to bag them for you using their oxygen tank.

It depends on what kind of fishes. Don't ever add oxygen to cories, labyrinth fishes etc. that can breathe air above surface.

Also if you have diff. cory-species, they may not be packed in the same packet! Cories may produce toxic compounds. So, cories always are packet in their own packages without other cory-species or fishes.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I wouldn't save none. It only contain harmul bacteria, fish waste etc.. So, why bother to save it?

If that were so, then I guess you would just throw your fish in your tank as soon as you take it home from the store. Have you ever heard of benificial bacteria that breaks down the waste in water into ammonia?

You save as much water as possible so the fish will basically have the same tank conditions as when they left.

To avoid this, you must do water changes more often before moving. Do water change daily before you move so tank water is quite pure and fishes are "acclimatize" fresher water that is somehow same as your tap-water.

Same as your tap water? Again, I take it you just throw your fish in your tank as soon as you take it home from the store.

Don't ever add oxygen to cories, labyrinth fishes etc. that can breathe air above surface.

WHY NOT? I would like to know where you get your information. Please provide a link so I can be better educated.

I would really like to know where you get your information from. Just curious.

 

[mrV]

If that were so, then I guess you would just throw your fish in your tank as soon as you take it home from the store.

No, you shouldn't and it's based on harmful bacteria in water New fishes may become sick, because they do not have resistance to these new bacteria.

Have you ever heard of benificial bacteria that breaks down the waste in water into ammonia?

Yes, I have. But have you ever heard that those bacteria don't live in water, they live only on surfaces?

WHY NOT? I would like to know where you get your information. Please provide a link so I can be better educated.

What can I say... Hmm... If there is too much oxygen, oxygen is toxic. Air, you breathe, contains only about 21% of oxygen and 78% nitrogen, 1% other gas like argon... If you want to know more, try to use google by using e.g. "oxygen +toxic +fish" etc...

Edit. This doesn't answer your question directly "why can't you use bottle oxygen with fish that can breathe air too" but as you can imagine, results are same, if fish breathe too much oxygen.

I would really like to know where you get your information from. Just curious.

Books are very good sources of information

 

[crazie.eddie]

Yes, I have. But have you ever heard that those bacteria don't live in water, they live only on surfaces?

Yes, they live on surface, but they are in the water, full of nutrients for them. Their nutrients are the waste from the fish.

What can I say... Hmm... If there is too much oxygen, oxygen is toxic. Air, you breathe, contains only about 21% of oxygen and 78% nitrogen, 1% other gas like argon... If you want to know more, try to use google by using e.g. "oxygen +toxic +fish" etc...

Hmm. Have you ever seen fish that lay eggs. They fan their eggs. Do you know why? Water movement oxygenates the water. WHen you use airbubbles in a tank, the airbubble is not injecting O2 in the water. The actually movement as the bubble rises and pops DOES oxygenate the water. Yes, fish cannot breath oxygen, they will die. But their body is built to take oxygen from the water. When fish swim around, they consume oxygen yet their actually movements also oxygenates the water. BTW, I did a search and could not find a SINGLE THING. All I can see are low DO (dissolved oxygen) issues. I found the following at TheKrib.com

Fish need oxygen, and some fish are more tolerant of low-oxygen water than others. Water with insufficient oxygen stresses fish. Note that as the water temperature goes up, the amount of dissolved oxygen in water decreases.

Please provide a link to where you get your information. Here is another source, which contains information from PetEducation.com regarding what happens with O2 when power goes out

One of the first things that happens when your power goes out is that the oxygen level in your tank begins to decrease. There are several things that speed the depletion of oxygen including:

* A heavy fish load
* Increasing temperature
* A heavy plant load
* Feeding the fish
* An increase in fish activity

Fish require oxygen, so if the tank is heavily stocked, moving some of the fish to a lightly stocked tank may help. If you have a heavily stocked tank and live in an area where power outages are common, a generator may be a wise purchase.

If that were so, then I guess you would just throw your fish in your tank as soon as you take it home from the store.

No, you shouldn't and it's based on harmful bacteria in water New fishes may become sick, because they do not have resistance to these new bacteria.

But earlier you said bacteria LIVE ON SURFACES? You are NOW contradicting yourself. BTW, when you buy fish from the store. Take a look where they get the water from to put in the bag with the fish. I guess, with your theory, just ask them to put the fish in tap water so your fish at home does not get any diseases.

Books are very good sources of information 

Could you please name of few books. I LOVE to do research. I like to be very knoweledgeable with aquarium fish. I consider this as a serious hobby. (Yes I do have a life and a girlfriend). I just don't like it when people give incorrect information.

Don't ever add oxygen to cories, labyrinth fishes etc. that can breathe air above surface.

Uhmmm. I'm not sure if you know this, but fish cannot take in O2 like we do, they do not have lungs, but gills. Their gills allow them to take in O2 from the water. Even if you took a fish out of water and kept it's skin moist, it would die, since it will not be able to breath. Basically, it's like them drowning with air. Just like us, if you stuck your head underwater that is very well oxygenated, we would drown, because our lungs are not designed to take O2 from the water. (I learnded dat frum mye skoolin)

BTW, I'm a moderator at another freshwater forum and I'm sure they can vouch for me there that I do not give any wrong information. I also used to work at an LFS at a time where I was "in between" jobs after a layoff. As I mentioned, I LOVE to do research and will be glad to read any TRUE information you or anyone will provide. I also have access to several aquarium books at the LFS I used to work at, also a library by my house, and a local bookstore so I am WILLING to look up the information provided to me so I can verify.

Sairie, I apoligize for this. If you have any questions, another good resource would be a privately own LFS, not those major LPS, like Petsmart, Petco, etc. Those are mostly highschool or college students who probably have never owned any fish.