Adopting a tank. (now with pix)

[Enki]

My friend is moving and has decided she doesn't want her tank, no fun for her anymore, and she is going to have her hands full with regular human babies soon, less time for fish. She has offered it to me and I am picking it up tomorrow.

It is a regular 10 gallon glass, currently stocked with 1 angel and 1 pleco, I haven't seen this tank in a while so I am not sure how big they are, but they are both at least 2 years old, so decent sized. I am bringing them home for a while, until my other friends 50 is done cycling, then she is going to take the angel and pleco, and I will have a QT!

I only need to move them 30-40 blocks, not far. I was thinking I could siphon out 3/4 of the water, save most of it, put the almost empty tank on my front seat, drive home, place tank in prepared spot, replace water plug in, and I'm done.

It seems to me being moved in a half empty home without being netted and bagged would be less stressful than being netted, bagged moved and unbagged. Does this plan sound OK?

 

[PK Tester]

I'm a newb to aquariums...but...3/4 would bring you down to oh lets say...2.5 or so gallons. Thats still 25 pounds of pressure unsupported on your silicone. Can silicone handel that without breaking or shortening the life span ? Not sure just trying to help as much as possible

 

[AdamsZoological]

It would be worth the extra time and effort to drain the tank and I believe less stressful for the fish, being tossed around inside the tank while traveling, plus that fact thats not alot of water for 2 fish that could possibly be a rather large size.

BTW, just curious, what size tank will the Angel and Pleco be moved to? A 10 gallon is MUCH too small for either on those fish.

I'm SOOOOOOO sleepy so sorry for any spelling mistakes I might have made here.
I've got a tank of my own I've gotta move today.............. need rest.

 

[tkos]

Yeah, you should either think about a new tank or give away the angel and pleco.

I moved my fish in large ice cream containers. I filled them halfway full, put in a few live plants and they survived for 5 hours like that. I had a 10 gallon tank and left the rocks and about 2 inches of water in it to keep everything wet so I wouldn't loose my good bacteria. And I put the filter media in that water as well.

Make sure to get some new water all ready in the new apartment so that you can get those fish back into their tank when you get home. But introduce the fish slowly back into their new home.

 

[TankGirl]

I am in agreement on netting and removing the fish. They are definitely not appropriate for that size tank, and that angel is probably too tall to drain the tank much, anyway. Also, if you remove the fish and leave the gravel, decorations and a small amount of wate left after syphoning, I would still get a 2x8 board or something under it to carry it, to protect the seals. I usually use Igloo coolers to transport fish, since I seem to have a lot of them around.

Kudos to you for setting up a Q-tank!!

 

[Enki]

Thanks for the feedback! The angel and the pleco are hopefully going to move to a new 50g my friend is setting up. She is still cycling it with danios and tetras, but will probably take these guys when ready. If not her, then it will probably be to the LFS for them. I don't have anywhere to fit them, they certainly would not like my african cichlid tank, and my other friend with a 50 is overstocked right now.

They will remain in the 10 for a couple weeks though, I don't feel comfortable just passing these fish off before taking some time to evaluate their health.

 

[Enki]

So the tank is here and set up pretty much as it was before.

The fish have been in this tank for about 5 years.

OMG it was filthy.

I did not want to kill the bacteria, so I was not able to clean it as well as I would have liked.

I feel terrible for the angel, he seems to have a hard time moving around. His fins are so long they seem to be creating a lot of drag. Can I trim the fins? Should I?

 

[TankGirl]

I'm afraid the fins need to be left alone. It does not seem like it is anywhere near big enough to be 5 years old, if that is a 10-gal. My angel is a little over a year old and measures 5 1/2 inches tall.

Congrats on safely transporting the tank, though!

 

[Enki]

The tank is a weird size, 18" x 18" front, 8" deep. The angel is about 2 inches tall in the body, maybe. The pleco is about 4-5 inches. I hope my friend is ready for these guys soon

 

[TankGirl]

That is a weird size, but luckily it is relatively tall, which is good for the angel. I am sure once they move out of there they will be happier, but if they have been in there 5 years a few more weeks is certainly not going to matter one way or the other. It is just good to know there there is a plan in the works for them.

 

[tabitha]

hey good job rescuing them!! i'm glad you were able to moe the tank ok.. when you said 10 gal i did not think of it as tall. at least its all right for the angel but he will be so happy in the 50 gal.. and im surprised the pleco isnt bigger than it already is..