Moving your fish to about 8 hours away

[flipz]

Hey everyone. Ok, first off to setup this question, my friend has a 20 gallon tank with a black tip shark and a green spotted puffer in it. if you have read any of my posts you probably know that by now. haha. anyways, she is in college and was asked by her professor to study endangered turtles up in very north michigan, just south of the U.P. From where we are this is about a 6.5 hour drive, and she was wondering the best way to move the fish.

We have made many moves with them before, ranging from a 10 minute drive, to a 3 hour drive. But nothing this far. The reason they are moved so much is because during summers, or holidays when she has to leave the dorm and they shut off the power, they need to be moved. In the past we have always just drained the water way down, and carried it like that, and set it up in the front seat. Well I have been doing some reading and apparently that is EXTREMELY bad on the seals, and will cause a leaky tank. I've done it many times before with no problems, but she will be in the middle-of-nowhere michigan so she can't risk getting there with a leaky tank.

The 2 suggestions I've read are to bag each one, put a bag buddy tablet in there (to get it oxygenated), and move it that way. Also making sure to bag up some of the substrate and the filter in different bags so that the nitrogen cycle stays once the tank is setup again. If I do it this way should I put some of those bag buddy tabs into the bags with the substrate and the filter?

The other suggestion was to get a rubbermaid container and use it just like the tank. Fill it up with the tank water and substrate, put the fish in there (I would probably get 2 seperate ones. One for each fish.) and then just stick a bubbler in there.

I was wondering if anyone thinks one of the ideas is better than the other. Or if they have anymore suggestions? I'm leaning towards the rubbermaid one, but she's leaning towards bagging them.

As I said this will be about a 6-7 hour drive.

Thanks as always for the responses!

-brent

 

[Menagerie]

My fiance and I moved this past winter. It took two full days of driving--plus the fish were not set up ASAP when we reached the house~~We were exhausted! Our fish were placed in coolers lined with black plastic bags (then the bags were gathered at the top). We used a battery operated air pump and off we went! They all made it. Keep extra batteries on hand

 

[flipz]

I bought her one of those power convertors for the fishes first move a year ago that turns your cigarrete lighter into regular plugs... so we won't need the battery operated ones... but thanks! The way you did it is probably just how I would... just don't need the batteries.

As always menagerie, thank you.

-brent

 

[Menagerie]

You're welcome, Brent!

 

[iheartmyfish]

menagerie,
thanx for the info! im that "friend" im a worrying mother when it all comes down to my fishies, so this is a big issue to me. and of course, only the answer is acceptable, because my fishies get the best
thanx again!

 

[Menagerie]

With a handle like yours, of course your fishies get the best! Good luck with the move and the research!

 

[flipz]

don't listen to her... she's crazy. 8O haha. j/p. she's the best.