moving a 30gal tank to new house!!

[Christina717]

So my parents are deciding to move and I am not sure how to move my 30gallon goldfish tank properly to the new house. its about 20min away and I have 2 goldfish in it. I dont want to get rid of them but i do not know how to transport them either please help me!

 

[miles]

About the only thing you can do is drain the tank and take as much of the water with you as you can, and keep your filter media, substrate, and decorations submerged during the trip. The bacteria living on them will survive without food until you get the tank set back up, but if they dry out then they're dead and you'll have to cycle your tank again. You don't want to leave much water in the tank itself because it could end up cracking or breaking the glass as you're moving it. good luck!

 

[Retired_AF]

For that distance I would use a 5 gallon bucket with a cover to transport them. You can also keep your filter media at the bottom, saving it for your new setup. Put the fish in just before you leave (the tank is packed LAST).

A second bucket would hold your substrate. That way, everything stays wet. Oh, and use your old water during transport. The fish are already used to the parameters in it and that will reduce the stress during transport.

And lastly, have a filter ready to put on the bucket if possible for the time it will take to get the new tank set up. You may have to do some water changes pretty quickly if there is a delay in setting up the tank.

Do NOT transport the tank with the substrate or water in it. You risk cracking the glass.