Moving aquarium

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Nostromo

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
46
Location
Lexinton S.C
We are moving this month, I have a 55 gallon aquarium which is fully cycled, I have 2 Bolivian Rams, 6 Black Phantom Tetras and 4 Roseline Sharks .We live in a second story apartment and moving to a house total distance will be 20 miles from apartment to new house. I need to know how to move everything and transport everything including fish I don't want to lose any fish as they are all healthy with no issues. I don't want my aquarium to crash and lose all my beneficial bacteria and have to start the whole cycle all over again as it took me a long time to get my aquarium cycled to begin with. I need to know what to do once I get to my new house how to set everything up and the correct way to go about it. I will need to scoop up all the gravel out of my tank and put it in a bucket in order to be able to carry the tank downstairs. Any help or advice in how to do all this greatly appreciated.
 
We are moving this month, I have a 55 gallon aquarium which is fully cycled, I have 2 Bolivian Rams, 6 Black Phantom Tetras and 4 Roseline Sharks .We live in a second story apartment and moving to a house total distance will be 20 miles from apartment to new house. I need to know how to move everything and transport everything including fish I don't want to lose any fish as they are all healthy with no issues. I don't want my aquarium to crash and lose all my beneficial bacteria and have to start the whole cycle all over again as it took me a long time to get my aquarium cycled to begin with. I need to know what to do once I get to my new house how to set everything up and the correct way to go about it. I will need to scoop up all the gravel out of my tank and put it in a bucket in order to be able to carry the tank downstairs. Any help or advice in how to do all this greatly appreciated.
Make sure you have the spot picked out in the new house before anything else so no time will be wasted. You will need 2 clean buckets before you start. In the 1st bucket, put all your decorations first so there is nothing left in the tank but the fish and water. Using a 5 gal bucket, fill the bucket 1/3 full of tank water (oh, unplug your heater a half hour before starting) and put your fish and dispose of the water in the tank except for about 3 inches. If you use a hob filter in the leftover water in the tank. Don't waste time with a siphon hose to get water out. Scoop it out with a small bucket or pitcher as quickly as you can. Then as soon as you move. Take a small bucket and put in some water with declorinator and pour a about a pint in the bucket with the fish...oxygen will be getting low. If you have an airstone and pump for the fish bucket that would be perfect. Set the tank up leaving the 3 inches of water that were originally in the tank. Add the correct temperature of dechlorinated water a bucket or pitcher at a time until full and set up and restart the filter, wait a half hour before plugging back in the heater. In the meantime, put your fish bucket next to the tank and add about a pint of the tank water to the fish bucket every 5 minutes until you have done this 4 times over a 20 minute period. Now you can add the fish ono by ono to the tank with a net. When done, use the water from the fish buck to finish filling the tank if needed. The moving around of the tank and gravel will make the tank dirty for awhile until things settle and thr filter has done some work. But you can then after the fish calm down a day later, you can resume vacuuming and normal water changes. Do a lot of testing as your new tap water may be different. Good luck.
 
Make sure you have the spot picked out in the new house before anything else so no time will be wasted. You will need 2 clean buckets before you start. In the 1st bucket, put all your decorations first so there is nothing left in the tank but the fish and water. Using a 5 gal bucket, fill the bucket 1/3 full of tank water (oh, unplug your heater a half hour before starting) and put your fish and dispose of the water in the tank except for about 3 inches. If you use a hob filter in the leftover water in the tank. Don't waste time with a siphon hose to get water out. Scoop it out with a small bucket or pitcher as quickly as you can. Then as soon as you move. Take a small bucket and put in some water with declorinator and pour a about a pint in the bucket with the fish...oxygen will be getting low. If you have an airstone and pump for the fish bucket that would be perfect. Set the tank up leaving the 3 inches of water that were originally in the tank. Add the correct temperature of dechlorinated water a bucket or pitcher at a time until full and set up and restart the filter, wait a half hour before plugging back in the heater. In the meantime, put your fish bucket next to the tank and add about a pint of the tank water to the fish bucket every 5 minutes until you have done this 4 times over a 20 minute period. Now you can add the fish ono by ono to the tank with a net. When done, use the water from the fish buck to finish filling the tank if needed. The moving around of the tank and gravel will make the tank dirty for awhile until things settle and thr filter has done some work. But you can then after the fish calm down a day later, you can resume vacuuming and normal water changes. Do a lot of testing as your new tap water may be different. Good luck.
Oh, when you take the gravel out, instead of scooping the gravel, place the container down on it's side and brush the gravel into the container with your hand. There will be less scratching of the bottom glass that way.
 
I would thoroughly rinse substrate in tanks water..Catch fish first after taking out deco and rocks.It does not need to be kept wet as bacteria will not die in hours...Damp is more then ample.
I would bag or use a brand new [unscratched] bucket to move fish in.A scratched bucket can lead to problems with fish rubbing on side of bucket.
The roselines will be hardest to catch. Be gentle with them, they do not catch or ship well.
Remove gravel careful to not scratch front or sides of tank and then rinse it in bucket with old tank water you will dispose of.
Keep filter wet and do not disturb it .
Place gravel in tank when placed where you want and gently add water with dechlorinator . If you use prime or the like double up on it to deal with any spikes from all the crap in sub..News paper or a bowl placed on sub where water is poured will go a long way to how long the tank may look cloudy IMO. Start filter ASAP.. Trying to add water close to temp needed will speed up process also..
Bring to temp and drip acclimate fish to tanks water.
It would be nice if you knew if the water parameters are the same as where you live now compared to where you are moving . Chances are they are not .
 
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