moving tank

[giffmastaflex]

I'll be moving my 55 gal tank out of my room to get new carpet in and I was wondering what is the easiest way to move a fish tank from a second floor to the first, and once the carpet is in ill be moving the tank back up. Has anyone done this? How do I transfer the fish? Should I use the same water? How much time will I have once the fish are in a 5gal bucket to get my aquarium running again? Should I get a small tank for it?

 

[Zimmanski]

I'll be moving my 55 gal tank out of my room to get new carpet in and I was wondering what is the easiest way to move a fish tank from a second floor to the first, and once the carpet is in ill be moving the tank back up. Has anyone done this? How do I transfer the fish? Should I use the same water? How much time will I have once the fish are in a 5gal bucket to get my aquarium running again? Should I get a small tank for it?

If it were me, I would go get some of those cheap Rubbermaid storage tubs(the square ones) and put fresh dechlorinat ex water in them then add your filter and your fish to them, then drain your main tank and move it into the hall and when they're done in your room move it back and add your fish and filter back

 

[CharlieKlein]

Agreed, but use tan water in the buckets. How long will they need to be in the buckets? I would guess it is best to leave the water in buckets, at least like 25% so you don't have to recycle the tank

 

[Mommaof4boys]

Id definitely use water from the tank, hook up the filter, heater, and an air stone in there until the room is finished and then set everything back up. Just be careful, make sure.the water temp is good and try to save some water from the tank to add back in and keep as much wet as possible to save bb. Especially your.filter media! Good luck!

 

[Zimmanski]

Agreed, but use tan water in the buckets. How long will they need to be in the buckets? I would guess it is best to leave the water in buckets, at least like 25% so you don't have to recycle the tank

As long as you keep the filter media wet there would be no reason to recycle the tank, that's why I said get the square tubs, very very little BB is actually in the water compared to the filter media. You can use tank water if you really want to, but not really necessary. Sounds like a lot of extra heavy lifting to me
Edit: I do agree with momma though, a heater would be great, an airstone if you really want it but the filter should add plenty of surface agitation for the o2. They shouldn't be in there long enough to deplete the oxygen levels enough anyway, carpet installations generally go pretty quick

 

[giffmastaflex]

Well how would I set up the filter on the gallon tubs, should I get the sponge filters for the plastic tubs?

 

[Zimmanski]

Well how would I set up the filter on the gallon tubs, should I get the sponge filters for the plastic tubs?

You can get like 20 to 30 gallon Rubbermaid tubs for under $20, then just set up the filter you have on your 55 on the tubs. I'm assuming you have either an HOB or canister filter.

 

[giffmastaflex]

I have the filter that hangs over the tank, will the tub be strong enough to hold it?

 

[Zimmanski]

I have the filter that hangs over the tank, will the tub be strong enough to hold it?

Should be strong enough, you can always put something underneath the back of the filter if the tub bows a little. Like a shoebox or something

Edit: also after looking at your stock list on your profile you may want to get 2 tubs or so since the fish you have may get aggressive if confined, but I also don't know how big they are

 

[giffmastaflex]

The fish are still pretty small the largest fish is the catfish which is like 4 inches

 

[giffmastaflex]

I forgot to mention I have live plants, what should I do about those? Should I just leave some water in the tank with them or should I take it out and put it in the rubber tub with the fish

 

[Zimmanski]

I forgot to mention I have live plants, what should I do about those? Should I just leave some water in the tank with them or should I take it out and put it in the rubber tub with the fish

You can do either, but remember every inch of water in a 55 is like 3 gallons I think, so every inch adds 25lbs. When I upgraded to a 75 from a 55 I just put my plants in the kitchen sink filled with dechl. water. Just keep them wet, you don't want them to dry out but nothing really special is needed

 

[giffmastaflex]

So they don't need to be completely submerged?

 

[Zimmanski]

So they don't need to be completely submerged?

Mine were just floating in the sink, like I said they just have to stay wet so the leave don't dry out

 

[giffmastaflex]

Well I have a huge water Lilly with some other smaller plants, my concern is I don't want to ruin the growth of the Lilly

 

[Zimmanski]

Well I have a huge water Lilly with some other smaller plants, my concern is I don't want to ruin the growth of the Lilly

Well I don't know specifics about your Lilly but really all an aquatic plant needs when doing something like this is just make sure they don't dry out and no stems get broken. Being in the sink or a bucket won't cause harm for a day. People ship plants in water filled bags stuffed in a box all the time so it shouldn't cause any issues. Your plants may take a bit to get settled again when you replant them but its nothing to worry about