Moving My Tanks

[theotheragentm]

I hate moving. Even in college, when everything fit into one car, I hated moving. Well, I'm headed into escrow. That means the fish tanks must go. I've helped move friends' tanks before, but any suggestions would be appreciated. I understand about keeping bacteria alive by keeping things wet.

20 gallon. Pool filter sand. Dwarf Crayfish and Guppies. Java Moss ball. Few stems. Although not mean to be moved with anything in it, I think I'm going to risk it. I'll remove the Guppies, drain it pretty low, and move like that.

55 gallon. Pool filter sand. Lots of different fish. Snails. Shrimp. Rounding the fish up into buckets is definitely going to happen. I know I can't lift this with 50 lbs. of substrate so that's coming out. Plants are coming out as well. How do I catch all the shrimp?

100 gallon goldfish barrel. This is actually a pretty simple one. Catch the fish, drain the barrel, remove the lilies, remove the substrate, and go.

Any other tips you guys recommend?

 

[Zagz]

I know what it is like to move tanks. I moved 12 of them. As for the shrimp I would recommend lowering the water level some and removing the ornaments carefully so as to not let the water get too cloudy and then start the impossible task of removing the shrimp one by one. Good luck.

 

[An t-iasg]

theotheragentm - I'm so sorry to hear about this.

Is there any way you can get new substrate for the 20 gallon tank? That way you can just throw out the pool filter sand and replace with new substrate. I just moved my tanks last month and I got the fish out (put them in a critter keeper), put the water in jugs, wrapped the plants in a damp paper towel and put them in a baggie. I threw away the substrate at the old house and got a new bag to use once the tanks were over at the new house. Even in your 20 gallon, that would be a lot of weight to move it with the sand in there.

 

[theotheragentm]

You know, it's not the substrate I'm worried about actually. It's the crayfish. I don't think I can catch 30+ of these little guys, especially when a dozen or so are smaller than a thin fingernail clipping.

 

[Zagz]

If you are careful with the 20 gal and support it evenly while moving you should be ok. I understand how difficult it can be to catch little critters.

 

[Phoenixphire55]

I have to move 4 tanks with a total of 24 animals sometime in the next 6 months and I've moving a few hours away. Eek! It'll be stressful. Good luck on your tank move.

 

[mom2reds]

Goog Luck I hope everything goes good we are going to be moving in the next year and 1/2 somewhere( my husband is trying to go to med school) so we don't know where yet but I will need ya'lls experiance I have just two tanks to move a 100 gal. and a ten gallon. Please post how everything went so I can refer to it for what I need to do.

Good luck

 

[theotheragentm]

I thought I'd let you all know why I have to move. I don't feel so bad about having to move the tanks.

I do, however, have to figure out where I can put the tanks as the house was built before ground faults were required by code. Some rooms have it now, but others do not.

 

[An t-iasg]

That is gorgeous! I've never seen 180 degrees of a rainbow myself. That's out west - California?

 

[theotheragentm]

Yup. Sunny Southern California just after a rain. My current house is actually closer to the coast, but it doesn't have a view like this. I have all my aquarium projects on hold for a while as I am now quite in the hole money-wise. Man, homes are expensive in California. I just couldn't pass up this view.