Moving fish questions.

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Ruutah

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
134
Location
Tampa Bay Area
So I'm moving at the end of the week, and I've looked all over the web for answers to this but is bagging really the best way to move fish?

I've picked up a 30gallon tote, and a handful of 80oz leftover containers. The plan was to put a betta in 2 of them and a gourami in another and the red tail shark I picked up that is still being quarantined in another. That would leave a gourami, 2 cories, 2 otocinclus, albino bn pleco, 6 guppies, and 9 fry out in the rest of the tote.

I've got an inverter I was going to use to run a 200w heater and an air pump to keep the water moving via sponge filter and air stone for the RTS. The fry would stay in the mesh breeder box for protection. Figuring on 6-8 inches of water in the tote and just floating my plants in there with them.

Am I missing anything? Should I do something different? Or should I just bag as many as I can?

The tanks are getting broke down and the substrate rinsed and dried for the move. Or at least rinsed well. Mostly sand anyway. Though I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to separate black dirt from black sand ?.

Sent from my LG-H343 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Fish to be moved:
2 betta
2 gourami
2 cory cats
2 otocinclus
Albino bristlenose
6 guppies
9 guppy fry
Red tail shark




Sent from my LG-H343 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
I've used an ice chest to move fish in place of thr tote with good success. The only other thing that I would do is to try and keep my biological media in with the fish while moving, or as a minimum in tank water the whole time.
With the substrate getting fully cleaned and dried, if you don't keep the biological media alive, then you'll be having to do a gish in cycle during restart, as compared to dealing with a mini cycle.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Yeah forgot to mention keeping the filter media in with the fish in the tote. Was originally going to use a 20g cooler, but went with the 30 to make sure I had room for everything.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
 
I think bagging each fish individually is the best way to go. Keep your biomedical and sponges in tank water. Also try to keep as much of your tank water as you can. I put mine in 5 gallon buckets with tight fitting lids.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
I'm bringing a 150% wc for both tanks from the tap water they're used to. I figure I'll do 10% changes till it's cycled out.

Sent from my LG-H343 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
IMO tank water is best. When I moved about a month ago I used 20g of my tank water. I even changed my nasty 4 year old gravel to sand. No mini cycle occurred. Maybe just luck?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
So move is done. Lost 4. Move took 24 hours longer than it should have. 2 male guppies and my otocinclus.

I think my 2 dwarf neon gourami were fighting. I've separated them and started the worst looking one of the pair on a melafix treatment regimine as he has a patch of scales that look ruffled, and a few sores. The other just has a patch of ruffled scales.

I've started trying to acclimate them to the new water, but its hard stuff. I've got to the check it out, the albino pleco is starting to turn pink.

Sent from my LG-H343 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Sorry to hear about the losses. Longer than planned moves can be hard.
Would you have access to ro or distilled water to mix with your new water ro help "soften" the new water a bit?

Sent from my SM-G930P using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Back
Top Bottom