hi all. I was wondering what is the best way to move an aquarium. I don't mean just to another part of the house. I mean like 11 hours away. I was just gonna put pillows around it and on the inside bottom. Is this alright? I don't want to it break!! cause then I'd have to buy a new one and that probably wouldn't happen. THanks!
Best way to move aquarium?
- Thread starter ilovegreyhounds
- Start date
Empty the tank completely. Clean it up, put all the substrate and filters in a bucket with some tank water to keep them damp, fish in coolers. Wrap the tank with a blanket, and secure it in the vehicle or moving van. Make sure nothing will shift and smash into it from the sides, or fall into it from above.
completely tear it down. yeah, pillows are good, but most importantly, make sure there is nothing near it that can shift and break the glass or weaken the seals.
as for the fish, (did you even ask?), five gallon buckets and a battery operated airpump works well. most fish stores also sell oxygen tablets that disolve in water releasing 02 for the fishies.
try to keep the temp stable, and you should be fine. if you have some plants, i might throw them in with the fish to keep them a little calmer. covering the transport container so theyre in the dark is good too.
two years ago i moved a 55 and a 20 in the dead of winter.. didn't get above 10 deg F all week... what a headache, but i pulled it off.... only lost one, but that was because the poor guy got crushed (don't ask)
good luck on the move.
as for the fish, (did you even ask?), five gallon buckets and a battery operated airpump works well. most fish stores also sell oxygen tablets that disolve in water releasing 02 for the fishies.
try to keep the temp stable, and you should be fine. if you have some plants, i might throw them in with the fish to keep them a little calmer. covering the transport container so theyre in the dark is good too.
two years ago i moved a 55 and a 20 in the dead of winter.. didn't get above 10 deg F all week... what a headache, but i pulled it off.... only lost one, but that was because the poor guy got crushed (don't ask)
good luck on the move.
When I moved mine 8 hours away, I drained all the water leaving just the gravel in the tank and rested it on the back seat of my car. The fish were all put into 1 gallon ziplock bags containing tank water. I placed all the bags into a large plastic bin and poured some tank water into the bin. The bags shouldn't leak very much. Don't worry about providing any oxygen for the fish...they will be fine.
I would stop feeding them about 3 days prior to the move so they are not excreting as much waste. Then when you get to your destination, you can use the water in the plastic bin and the bags as your starter water for the tank and then fill the remainder of the tank with new water. Make sure during the process though, that you keep you filter media wet (don't want to lose all that good bacteria). Leaving about an inch of water in the tank with the gravel I found also helped keep the beneficial bacteria colonies alive.
As long as the tank is secure while driving and nothing can fall onto it or into it, it should be fine. Just don't try to move it with more than an inch or so of water in it. Some people here will probably say that you should completely drain the water and gravel from the tank but I think it's ok to move with a little water in it. That bacteria is pretty important especially if you have to put all your fish back into the tank at the same time. You don't want your tank to have to cycle again while it's full of fish. Could get ugly.
P.S. The reason I added some water to the plastic bin was to stabilize all the bags containing fish. They had a tendancy to fall over but with some water around them, they were much more stable. I left the bags halfway zipped also. To let some oxygen in. If it's cold where you live, make sure you keep the car warm during the drive. Good luck with the move. It's really not that bad moving a 29 gallon. Same size I have.
I read about this method online at someone's website a while back but don't remember where. Maybe someone else knows or perhaps you can google it.
I would stop feeding them about 3 days prior to the move so they are not excreting as much waste. Then when you get to your destination, you can use the water in the plastic bin and the bags as your starter water for the tank and then fill the remainder of the tank with new water. Make sure during the process though, that you keep you filter media wet (don't want to lose all that good bacteria). Leaving about an inch of water in the tank with the gravel I found also helped keep the beneficial bacteria colonies alive.
As long as the tank is secure while driving and nothing can fall onto it or into it, it should be fine. Just don't try to move it with more than an inch or so of water in it. Some people here will probably say that you should completely drain the water and gravel from the tank but I think it's ok to move with a little water in it. That bacteria is pretty important especially if you have to put all your fish back into the tank at the same time. You don't want your tank to have to cycle again while it's full of fish. Could get ugly.
P.S. The reason I added some water to the plastic bin was to stabilize all the bags containing fish. They had a tendancy to fall over but with some water around them, they were much more stable. I left the bags halfway zipped also. To let some oxygen in. If it's cold where you live, make sure you keep the car warm during the drive. Good luck with the move. It's really not that bad moving a 29 gallon. Same size I have.
I read about this method online at someone's website a while back but don't remember where. Maybe someone else knows or perhaps you can google it.
I didn't mention my fish because I only have 2 platies left. I cannot move the fish because I might not be able to set up my tanks for several months. I still don't know what I am going to do with them..I won'y kill them because that's mean. I am giving my betta to a friend that has had a betta before.
THanks for your replies!
THanks for your replies!