moving fish?

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quick061

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Nov 19, 2002
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ok here's the situation.

as a college student, when i bought a new aquarium for my bass (about a foot long now) i've set it up at my apartment. however, my bass is still at my parent's house in a 20 gal. and the time difference driving is about 4 hours.

so, i would really like some opinions as to the best way to move him (maybe her?) so that i can bring it up and acclimated to go into his new home which is a nice 80 gal.

i was thinking of just making a support to hold the bottom and siliconing a board to the top (with holes in it to keep oxygenation but reduce sloshing). that way i could just remove about 1/3 of the water, move the tank to the back of my truck and fill it back up for the drive. but i'm sure other people have had this delema before and want to know their take on the matter.
 
Use a rubbermaid container and close the top. If you have a battery operated airpump or something that would help. Dont try to move him in the tank.
4 hours is pretty long but in a larger container, say nearly the size of his tank and all his water, he'd probably do just fine. You could aereate manually, splash or natural movement while driving might be sufficient.
Take your time acclimating him to the new tank. BTW is the new tank fishless cycled? With gravel or media from your current tank you could do in a few weeks and move him into a freshly cycled home.
good luck
:)
 
its fishless cycling now but i have no plans to even bring my bass up until Jan. i figure that by the time i get him up here and time to fatten up/unstress for a week or two his new tank will be all ready.
 
Your fish should be o.k. for 4 hours. The rubbermaid container is a good idea. A couple other hints. Obviously, do a decent water change prior to the move. Do not feed for 2 days before moving him/her. Definitely try to get some kind of aeration device. You could splash the water with your hand, but that's an added stress when you keep reaching in there. Be careful of temperature fluctuations. If you could gradually lower the temp before the move and then gradually bring it back up after, that would be beneficial, although not necessary. Good luck, not that you'll need it, it will be fine. :)
 
Everything suggested will work fine. When I was 2 and my parents moved from CAlifornia to New york, my dad shipped his fish live on the airplane. Im not sure if any died, but the trip in itself was at least a 8 hours total time. With no air pump and in plastic bags in boxes. Yours will survive in such a large container with a battery airpump. You really will be fine. You may not even need the air pump? anyone? People ship fish ALL the time throughout the world. Yours will be fine.
 
I had a fish shipped to me in a plastic bag . It was on an 10 hr. flight from the Amazon. He got here in one piece and without an air pump. You'll be fine doing nothing to the water. ( It was a baby wild oscar.)
 
can I ask why you wanted a wild oscar?? is there any coloring difference? or do you just plan to breed them?
 
Tiger, red, and of course albino oscars have been bred for their characteristics. Wild oscars look totally different than their commerical cousins... The wild markings imo are much more striking/visually appealing. I have a breeding pair and I must say they are quite handsome:)
 
Sounds Nice. If I wanted an oscar, you convinced me it would be a wild one or perhaps a flowerhorn, they say they are also a nice fish.

As for moving, just make sure your truck (or car) temp is set correctly. If your in california right now, its 75 degrees. And in NY, its 20 degrees. You said your going to move in January. The east,north and here in the west, will be COLD! if your in the south..??? Just make sure your plastic container is inside and you have the tempature heat set to on!!!!
 
Just a comment on shipping fish in bags. Pure oxygen is usually pumped into the bag and therefore gas exchange occurs w/o agitation. Just in case someone got the idea they could throw their fish in a zip-lock and take it for a walk!:D
 
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