moving day

[jackfrost]

hey all,

i just bought a house, and will be picking up the keys in the next week or so. I have about a month to move, so time isn't a huge concern, but here's my question:

I have a 75 gallon, with 3 Rosy Barbs, 5 zebra danios, and 4 dalmation mollies, and a placo. i was just wondering if y'all had any tips or advice for moving.

here's my plan: half fill a 5 gallon pail with existing aquarium water a bit of stress coat for the fishes. then empty the tank, and unload ALL the rocks (ugh ). i was thinking with the rocks out, i'll clean them up a bit. also, take the bio wheels out and put them in the aquarium water with the fish, so the bacteria doesn't die.

then, when I re-set everything up, but the biowheels in, fill with water, and let it run for awhile to dechlorinate a little and bring up to temp. any idea how long before I put the fish back in?

thanks for any thoughts.


dave

 

[TFo]

When you say rocks, are you talking about large rocks or the gravel? I wouldn't wash the gravel. I would just do a couple of water changes close to moving day and be sure to vacuum thoroughly. If it's really bad, do a couple extra changes.

I would also be sure to get 1 or 2 extra 5 gallon buckets for the substrate. You will want to keep it wet with aquarium water during the move. Lots of beneficial bacteria in there.

If you aren't going very far, you might try to move 25%-50% of the aquarium water as well. A large plastic storage bin from your favorite discount store should do the trick. You won't have to worry as much about the stress on your fish. It will be just like doing a large water change.

With this, you should be able to add the fish right away.