best way to move a betta

[Sahabo]

So we are moving at the end of this month, only 15 minutes away, but we have to do it in two stages. On the evening of the 30th, we are loading up the Uhaul and spending the night at a friend's house. On the evening of the 31st, we are unloading the Uhaul at the new apartment.

So, what's the best way to keep the temperature steady and keep distress to a minimum over a 24 - 36 hour period? What's the recommended way to move a small tank (5 gallons) with plants, driftwood and one betta? Styrofoam cooler? Plastic bag? Extra heater? What about oxygen? I'm trying to plan enough in advance to minimize stress for us all.

Thanks!

By the way, sorry I haven't been participating as much lately on the forums...life has been wicked busy/crazy!

 

[kimo]

Easiest way to move the fish is:

get a few 1 gallon zip-loc plastic bags from grocery.

Put all cycled gravel in 1 or 2 of them w/water to cover.

Half fill one bag and put the Betta in that. Zip the bag only while moving in car. When parked, at a rest stop, etc., unzip bag making sure it doesn't spill.

Take another bag and put all live plants in it w/ just enough water.

Use the 5g tank to hold, fish gravel, plants.

You shouldn't have any problems with stress on the fish. Every Year I go in the motorhome for a 5 month stay in CA from TX (1820 miles over 2.5 days each way). I always take along a few fish for when I'm out there. I also transport 20-100 fish for sale there too. Have never lost one fish (or had disease break out) even though temperatures where down in the 40's one night and I forgot to close the vent above.

Fish are tough... if you understand their needs.

 

[meegosh]

I'd say you could probably leave the gravel in there with water enough to cover it. I did that with my 10g (26lbs of gravel) and had no problems. I just slid the tank onto a piece of 3/4" plywood and put it in my truck. Once I got to the new house I slid it off the board onto the stand. Works perfectly for me, no stress on the seals since you just slide it on and off.

The other suggestions are perfect. Definitely keep any gravel and filters wet. Good luck on the move!

 

[JohnPaul]

A few thoughts I'll throw in:

1. If you currently keep your betta in a heated tank, you might consider over the next week or two starting to lower its water temperature down to room temp. Basically it sounds like that throughout the two days of your move he is going to be at room temp for the most part, so better to adjust him to that now--rather than make it one more additional stress on him in the midst of the other stresses of the move. (If you normally keep him at room temp then obviously there is nothing further you need to do.)

2. Don't feed him (at all) for 48 hours before you move. He is likely going to be an a confined space and in a minimal amount of water, which means any ammonia he excretes can build up to toxic levels much faster than it would in a normal size aquarium. Assuming he is normally kept well-fed (as I am sure he is), he can easily go 4-5 days without eating without any negative effect. Ammonia poisoning during his move is a far greater danger than starving to death! So a 48 hour fast right before the move will help a lot.

3. Rather than actually transport him in a plastic bag, I'd suggest transporting him in one of those clear plastic mini-"tanks" that stores like Petco or PetSmart sell, i.e. one of these. You can snap the lid down (and even use apiece of tape to keep the "flap" in place), yet there are slits in the lid so that there is still fresh air circulating. If possible, I would put the beta in there, and then put that inside a small styrofoam cooler (packed with extra newspapers or other packing material if needed) to help insulate against rapid temperature swings. Then cover it *loosely* with a light blanket or something of that sort--you don't want an airtight seal, just something to keep out the light since fish get less stressed during transport if you keep them in the dark.

 

[An t-iasg]

I moved a 5-gallon tank recently. I drained as much water as I could and left the substrate in there. I covered the top with saran wrap. This would work for a 5 or maybe 10 gallon tank. With larger tanks, I wouldn't risk the weight of the substrate straining the glass and seams. But with a 5 gallon tank, it will be fine. Just be careful to put the tank on a flat surface to support the edges and corners equally. We put ours in the backseat on a small wooden board, and then carried the board carefully so we minimized the stress to the tank frame.

For moving the betta, I put mine in a 1 gallon round critter keeper (same type of container that JohnPaul linked but it's round). I then put this critter keeper in a small bucket. I used the bucket's handle to carry the critter keeper. I used a small heater in the critter keeper: 2-5 Gallon Mini Aquarium Heater

My drive was about 7 minutes. It was in the winter and we blasted the car heater for the trip. When we got to the new house, I left the betta in the critter keeper and put this small heater in with him. He stayed here (2 days and one night) until I got his new tank ready. Maybe you can keep Corwin in a critter keeper with this heater at your friend's house for a few days until you get his tank set back up and the water is at the correct temperature.

A "warning" about this heater: It can warm up rapidly. Check the temperature once in a while with a thermometer (there are no degree adjustments on the heater). I unplugged it for a little bit when the temperature reached 82 degrees. Also, don't place the critter keeper with heater under an incandescent light - this will add to the heat in the critter keeper and probably make the water too warm.

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks everyone! Excellent suggestions I'm planning way ahead to make things go as smooth as possible.

 

[Karackle]

Well you've gotten some excellent advice, I just wanted to throw in that I too moved a 5 gallon tank leaving the substrate with just enough water to cover it in the tank, covered also by saran wrap. I bagged my fish, put them all in a bucket to keep the bags upright and loaded up the car for my 40 minute drive. Everyone arrived safe and sound Good luck!

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks Karackle!

Just wondering... do you think I'll need to feed some ammonia to the substrate/plants during the 24-36 hour period to keep the beneficial bacteria alive?

 

[An t-iasg]

You did get some ammonia, right? Don't worry about the substrate or plants. I had my substrate barely covered with water and the plants were in plastic bags with just damp paper towels. I think I left some of the plants in the bag for three days. There was really no water to hold any ammonia. But I would make sure the filter sponge is well-submerged in some tank water and add 1 to 2 drops of ammonia per day that it's not in the tank with Corwin.

 

[Karackle]

No problem! And like An t-iasg make sure to keep the filter media submerged, i forgot to mention that part. It's also probably not a bad idea to add a little ammonia, or maybe just sprinling a little food in there as an ammonia source would work for a day? Given that corwin is the only inhabitant (unless i missed something) of a 5.5g tank, he's probably not producing TOO much ammonia anyway, so food break down could be a good enough source to do the trick But someone else feel free to weigh in if I am mistaken.

 

[kimo]

Don't need to add any ammonia for that short of trip. Just keep everything wet.

 

[Sahabo]

SO my betta survived the move. He wasn't happy to be in the kritter keeper, but he was warm with the heater. He seems to be easily stressed and he "blew" his tail, which I thought was finrot again, but turns out to be something that can happen when a betta is stressed and chunks of the tail just fall off or disintegrate in a matter of minutes. I've heard this sometimes happens when bettas get shipped due to stress.

However, once he got back into the 5 gallon, he perked up right away and his tail started growing back. He may be stressed easily, but he also seems to bounce back just as easily. Now he just looks like he got a really bad haircut But at least he's happy and healthy. I was able to keep everything cycled by feeding the filter a small amount of ammonia during the move.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Now that the move is over and life is calming down a bit, I'll have more time to post again!

 

[new2betas]

SO my betta survived the move. He wasn't happy to be in the kritter keeper, but he was warm with the heater. He seems to be easily stressed and he "blew" his tail, which I thought was finrot again, but turns out to be something that can happen when a betta is stressed and chunks of the tail just fall off or disintegrate in a matter of minutes. I've heard this sometimes happens when bettas get shipped due to stress.

However, once he got back into the 5 gallon, he perked up right away and his tail started growing back. He may be stressed easily, but he also seems to bounce back just as easily. Now he just looks like he got a really bad haircut But at least he's happy and healthy. I was able to keep everything cycled by feeding the filter a small amount of ammonia during the move.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Now that the move is over and life is calming down a bit, I'll have more time to post again!

So glad the move went well for everyone involved, Heidi! Glad to see you back on the boards, too!

 

[An t-iasg]

I'm glad everything went well. I have read before about the "blown" tail - some breeders warn that may happen in shipping. Some other sites state that the betta may bite his own tail when stressed. I'm sorry poor Corwin's tail got damaged again, although as you said, he bounces back quickly also. I'm sure he (and you!) will like your new home!

 

[JohnPaul]

Grats on the move. Just be careful to keep your water extra clean and the tail should grow back good as new.

 

[Karackle]

Glad to hear the move went well and your guy made it, though sorry to hear he got so stressed! But they do seem to perk up pretty quickly don't they? so that's good! And congrats on the new place!

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks everyone We are enjoying our new home very much. Corwin's fin is well on the mend with new growth visible.

Seems like I've got a lot of catching up to do on all that's happened on AA while I've been out of commission!