Moving a fish tank

[trennamw]

What's the best method?

I'm moving next weekend, just about 15 minutes away. Tank is a 29 gallon with assorted tetras, danios, rasboras, pygmy loaches, ghost shrimp, and otos.

I have a 5 gallon bucket without a lid, and several plastic totes with lids.

When I move it, I do plan to add some plant-friendly something to the substrate and add a ton of plants to the tank. Still researching that, to be kind to both the plants and the animals.

 

[Angela1108]

A lot of fish stores will give you plastic bags. With the covers with lids fill one with the tank water and keep all the filter substrate in it and with the rest fill and keep as much of the water as you can and bag the fish- if there are bumps in the road the bags are softer. When I bought the 55 gallon from my friend this is how we did it. Making sure the filter stays wet and the bacteria colonies alive is key. even half the water and the old filter you shouldn't have to worry about a mini cycle or starting a new cycle


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[kfelton22]

Ditto to previous post. Try not to let your substrate and filter media dry out. If you have to remove most of the water to carry the tank, at least leave a couple of inches in the bottom to keep the substrate moist. This will keep the bacteria amongst the substrate moist, along with the bacteria in your filter media. If you let everything dry out during transport you will have to recycle the tank completely once you set it back up. The bags seem to be a good idea. You can bag the fish and put the bags down in a bucket to carry them easily. If you can't find bags, then just the 5 gallon bucket with lid will do as well.

 

[kfelton22]

Also, if you can, keep as much water from your tank as you can.. at least 25%. Transport it in lidded buckets or totes. This will help prevent a mini cycle from the major influx of new water.

 

[trennamw]

Thanks for all that! I do have a few bags, but I have so many tiny fish I'm more confident netting them into a bucket or two, than into the bags.

Given that I'll be planting while the tank is apart ... Are they ok in a bucket for about 2 hours?

I'm kind of thinking about sort of drip acclimating too ... Have the tank at 50% old water, 50% new ... Drip new water in to their bucket till it is 50/50, net them back into the tank? I worry about the Otos. They're good ones, bought from the better LFS and drip acclimated several months ago, I haven't lost one in this tank.

I'll keep the substrate nice and soggy, it'd be really gross if the fleet of Malaysian trumpet snails died in there ...


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[Angela1108]

It should be ok. It if you get them all I to one bucket I would say get one of those tiny airstone bubbler things just in case


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[Angela1108]

Into one bucket^

Sorry my autocorrect attacked


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[trennamw]

Yeah I'm wondering how many fish can go in a bucket ... And whether a tote would be better because there is more surface area for the water. And the tote would be dark ... Which seems less scary?


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[Angela1108]

Are they smaller tetras or some of the bigger ones.

We used water coolers for most of our water. I know Walmart and places like that the little styrofoam ones are just a couple bucks. I wouldn't fill it a the way but maybe each half and divide the fish into 2? Though it isn't for too tooling so overcrowding for a little bit shouldn't be too bad


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[trennamw]

I have ... from biggest to littlest ...

3 White Skirt Tetras
6 Kyathit Danios (basically zebras, with orange fins)
10 Harlequin Rasboras
6 Glowlight Neon Tetras
4 Pygmy Multi Striped Loaches
3 Otos
a few ghost shrimp

Ice chest is making sense for the fish, the friend helping me move the tank has a good one. I'm concerned about them experiencing temp changes while I plant the tank after the move. I expect they'll be out of the tank for 2-3 hours.

 

[Angela1108]

A good cooler should really help with that. Plus it will be a gradual change. Just don't like crank the heat up or anything so of isn't a huge jump.

I also say if possible maybe do the fish tank first or last alone and not with the rest of the furniture/move so that way it limits out of tank time


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[Angela1108]

So nothing too big. I think a cooler should work done for them


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