Best way to transfer established tank

[Connershawzz]

My father is giving me his (I think) 30 gallon tank. He has a bala , an African cichlid, and a pleco.
He hasn’t had time to maintain it how it should be so he’s letting me take it over. It’s about a 25 minute car ride. I was thinking just bring it down to like %30 water and gently driving them with a blanket over them then just treating it as a water change once I get it up into my place. It’s due for a water change probably has been 10 months since he’s done one. Any suggestions?
Not the best photo , he’s not the best with phones lol

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. I think your plan of attack is sound. The tank is still going to be a bit heavy, so be careful lifting it. You don't want to have a problem with the seals on your way home. There's still quite a bit of water in the tank. When you get it home and set up, you'll want to add the new, treated tap water slowly. Don't fill it to the top right away. If the fish are used to living in water that isn't changed out regularly, filling it with all that clean water will be a shock to them. A sudden change in water chemistry is more times than not, fatal.

10

 

[Magnum Man]

if you we going to do that, I'd probably drop the water level down to just a couple inches, and maybe remove the hard scape, and about half the gravel, so the tank is not so heavy... you wouldn't want to struggle with it, or damage the tank in moving it...

 

[Connershawzz]

Ok , thank you for the replies , ya my buddy and I had my 36 gallon at 50 with full substrate and had to move that across my place. It was not fun one bit. So maybe I’ll take out the hardscape and leave a few inches and just gently man handle it. I’ll be posting before and afters. Hopefully the afters aren’t of a shattered tank!!

 

[Naughts]

I wouldn’t move a tank with any water in it. The weight and movement puts the seals at risk.

It’s due for a water change probably has been 10 months since he’s done one.

You will need a strategy to avoid old tank syndrome. Mine would be to start small water changes now, building up over a few weeks, then moving it.

 

[MaloK]

I would remove all decor, fish and water completely to avoid sloshing of the water loaded with substrate during transport. The ride is short enough for the substrate not to dry off.

Bring as much water than you can to rebuild the tank but still use the occasion to give a good vac to the substrate at the same time.

Put fish and filtering media in bins with covers and tank water for the move. You should have everything back online in an hour or so.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Yiu should not bother moving the take as it is way to small for a Bala which should get to almost a foot or more. You did not mention the species for the other two fish so I cannot comment on them re size. Some plecos stay smaller and some get pretty big. You need a much larger tank because of the Bala. If you cannot give the fish he tank size and companions it needs, put it up for adoption. Post it on monsterfishkeepers.com or check locally for dstores that do or help with adoptions for larger fish.

Here is what Seriouslyfish.com says about Balantiocheilos melanopterus

Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑​

Given its potential size this species is clearly unsuitable for the general community aquarium. Though normally quite peaceful it will also eat very small fishes and can upset slow-moving or more timid tankmates with its constant activity and vigorous feeding behaviour.

It’s therefore only appropriate for very large tanks containing robust, similarly-sized tankmates that enjoy the same conditions. There are a number of suitable choices but recommendations include Hypsibarbus wetmorei, Barilius, Cyclocheilichthys, Osteochilus, Barbonymus, Mystacoleucus and larger Garra species.

Although it is gregarious by nature this is a shoaling rather than schooling species which develops a distinct pecking order and therefore should always be maintained in a group of five or more. If only two or three are purchased the subdominant fish may be bullied incessantly whereas solitary specimens can become aggressive towards similar-looking species.

from https/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/balantiocheilos-melanopterus/

The suggested minimum tank size for a group of Balas is 220 gals.

 

[Ceez]

Transfer the fish to a 5 gallon bucket. The substrate and filter will have most of the good bacteria. Drain the tank and take everything home. Set the tank up and add dechlorinator. Add water back and try to match the temp it was before disassembling the tank to move it. Add fish back along with the water from the bucket. Leave the lights off for a couple of days and you should be fine

 

[Colin_T]

Never move an aquarium that has water and gravel in. You will probably break the base. Always remove the water and gravel from an aquarium before you move/ transport it.

Because the tank hasn't been water changed for a while, the fish won't tolerate a big water change.

Get some large plastic buckets with lids that haven't been used for chemicals or anything toxic.
Drain the tank water into the buckets and keep at least 75% of the aquarium water (more if possible).
Put the fish in the buckets of water and keep them in the shade until you go.
Caution, Bala sharks jump so keep the lid on the bucket.
Take the gravel out and wash it off if you can then put it in buckets to take to your house.
Ornaments can go into a separate bucket.

Clean the filter media/ materials in a bucket of tank water and then put the clean media into another bucket of tank water.
Wash the filter case out under tap water.
Put heater, light and filter case somewhere safe so it doesn't break.

Take the aquarium outside and rinse it out with tap water. Dry it then put it in the car on a blanket or piece of foam.
You can tape the coverglass on the top of the tank where they normally go.

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When everything is in the car, put the buckets of fish in the car and go to your place.
Set the aquarium up using the cleaned gravel and old water.
Add the filter, heater and ornaments.
Add the fish.
Top up the aquarium with dechlorinated water.
Put the cover on and turn everything on.
Don't feed the fish for 24 hours.


Over the next month or so you should do a small 10% water change every day for a week. Then do a 20% water change and gravel clean every day for a week. Then do bigger water changes after that.

The small water changes will slowly dilute the toxins in the water and let the fish get used to the new water and there will be less chance of them dying from a sudden change in water chemistry.