Moving a 20 Gal Tank 9.5+ hours

[bivalvelover]

Hoping this is the right place!

at the end of August I will be making a 9 or so hour trip. It’s normally 9.5 hours, I expect it to take longer due to UHaul speeds, but not exceeding 11 hours. I want to clarify the tank and it’s habitants will not be in the uhaul- nor will I as I’m a non driver and can’t handle the physical strain of a UHaul.

When I move my tank will have been established for about 3 months. my tank is a planted tank. It includes 7 Cory Cats, 2 snails, and 3 mussels.

Here’s my questions;
1) Is there a way to leave enough water in the tank to sustain the mussels?
I’d like to avoid the risk of causing them to die by moving them out of the tank, into a bag, and then back into the tank. However I fully understand if that’s not doable. That’s the hard part about bivalves, lol.

2) would the fish be best in bags or a bucket?
I’ve only seen them transported in bags, but I my research I saw buckets mentioned. How do I ensure they have enough oxygen for that length of a trip? Should each fish be bagged on their own? Should I place them in a specific container in addition to their bags?

3) how do I ensure the plants live?

4) should I keep any tank water?
I don’t want I end up accidentally restarting the cycling process! Should I keep any of it in a container to add back to the tank once I get to my new apartment?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[FranciscoB]

A bucket will be just fine for the fish (best are those that are completely smooth inside, not corners or ridges). A battery operated air pump (or using power outlet in car) will be useful to have an airstone going during the trip. Having a volume of freshwater (not with fish or plants) for one or two water changes during the trip would be a very good idea. Making sure the temperature in the bucket & bag does not get too cold or too hot, would ensure survival, and that the water change water has the same temperature and general characteristics. Do not even consider feeding during transit, and best is to not feed 1-2 days prior to trip.
The plants can simply be carried in a plastic bag with aquarium water-soaked absorbent paper or cloth, and a little water. The bag with plants will be the best place to transport your filter media (not the filter itself), which should be put to use at your new residence. Careful about letting sand/grit get into the media, which can damage filters later.

Regarding the mussels. I assume these are freshwater mussels, family Unionidae. They are somewhat more delicate. For that reason it is best not to transport them in the same bucket as the fish; if one dies or spawns due to stress, water quality will quickly deteriorate.
Most important for mussels - In most states, there are laws and regulations against collecting, maintaining in captivity, and moving them across state lines. A number are endangered species, and even common ones can be strictly regulated. You should check on that, both for the purpose of the trip, and in general for keeping them. For this you may need to know the individual species you have. Regardless, regarding keeping them in aquaria - Please know that even if they take a long time to eventually die (months or longer), they will almost always die in captivity unless you are specifically well set up to care for them. The overwhelming majority of people, even long-term aquarists, are not. Many people think their mussels are "thriving", only to eventually and inevitable die due to improper conditions ranging from food to water characteristics.
Good luck!

 

[sharkweek178]

1) Is there a way to leave enough water in the tank to sustain the mussels?
I’d like to avoid the risk of causing them to die by moving them out of the tank, into a bag, and then back into the tank. However I fully understand if that’s not doable. That’s the hard part about bivalves, lol.

Moving the tank with water in it risks rupturing the seals.

 

[bivalvelover]

A bucket will be just fine for the fish (best are those that are completely smooth inside, not corners or ridges). A battery operated air pump (or using power outlet in car) will be useful to have an airstone going during the trip. Having a volume of freshwater (not with fish or plants) for one or two water changes during the trip would be a very good idea. Making sure the temperature in the bucket & bag does not get too cold or too hot, would ensure survival, and that the water change water has the same temperature and general characteristics. Do not even consider feeding during transit, and best is to not feed 1-2 days prior to trip.
The plants can simply be carried in a plastic bag with aquarium water-soaked absorbent paper or cloth, and a little water. The bag with plants will be the best place to transport your filter media (not the filter itself), which should be put to use at your new residence. Careful about letting sand/grit get into the media, which can damage filters later.

Regarding the mussels. I assume these are freshwater mussels, family Unionidae. They are somewhat more delicate. For that reason it is best not to transport them in the same bucket as the fish; if one dies or spawns due to stress, water quality will quickly deteriorate.
Most important for mussels - In most states, there are laws and regulations against collecting, maintaining in captivity, and moving them across state lines. A number are endangered species, and even common ones can be strictly regulated. You should check on that, both for the purpose of the trip, and in general for keeping them. For this you may need to know the individual species you have. Regardless, regarding keeping them in aquaria - Please know that even if they take a long time to eventually die (months or longer), they will almost always die in captivity unless you are specifically well set up to care for them. The overwhelming majority of people, even long-term aquarists, are not. Many people think their mussels are "thriving", only to eventually and inevitable die due to improper conditions ranging from food to water characteristics.
Good luck!

Thanks so much! I have researched my mussels and they are safe to transport across state lines I am very careful with how I dispose of my tank water because of them.

And I thank you for your advice on their fragility in captivity- I have definitely noticed that in my research and talking to other people. Luckily, mine are currently doing well as far as I can tell. It’s unfortunate they don’t have the same behaviors as fish to tell how they feel about their captivity!

regarding the plants, some of my plants are attached to driftwood. How do I go about moving that without them drying out and dying? What about my plants which are in the sand of the tank?

 

[bivalvelover]

Moving the tank with water in it risks rupturing the seals.

Heard . What about leaving the substrate in it? Will that risk damaging the seals?

 

[sharkweek178]

Heard . What about leaving the substrate in it? Will that risk damaging the seals?

I believe that's a risk too.

 

[Colin_T]

Make sure the tank is completely empty of everything before moving it, otherwise you will probably crack the base. Put a thick blanket or foam mattress under the tank to cushion the base. You can tape coverglass to the top of the tank. Just have the coverglass in their normal position and sticky tape them in place.

Put catfish in a round bucket and 3/4 fill it with tank water. Add an airstone that is run from a battery powered airpump (as mentioned above) or use a power inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car. Then run a normal air pump off that.
I used 45 and 70 litre plastic rubbish bins with lids (1/2 to 2/3s full of water) to transport fish around the state. Put them on the back seat with a seat belt around them. I had a 100 watt power inverter (available from auto stores) and ran a double outlet airpump off it. I used plastic multicoloured airstones with lead weights on them. I put the airline under the lid and it bubbled away the entire trip. You can also drill a 6mm (1/4 inch) hole in the lid and put a rubber grommet in, then feed the airline through the grommet. Or just drill a 3mm hole and put the airline straight through the lid.

If you are driving in warm weather, have the car's airconditioner on or the windows open. Buckets of water can heat up quickly in cars even in moderately warm weather. I have cooked fish in buckets of water that got to 30+C (86F+) in a car even though the outside temperature was only 25C.

Plants can go into bags or buckets of water. Nothing special needed for them, just keep them out of the sun while travelling.

Clean the filter a few days before moving so it is cleaner when you move. Put the filter media in a bucket (with lid) of tank water with an airline bubbling away. Have the bucket about 1/2 full of water. It doesn't have to be too full, as long as the filter media remains wet and aerated.

Gravel can go into buckets without water. Put a lid on the buckets to stop dirt getting on the gravel. Doing a few water changes and gravel cleans in the week before you go will get the water and gravel much cleaner for the trip. You can remove some or all of the gravel the day before so there is less to do on the day. Just keep it in buckets with a lid on, no water needed.

Snails can go in with the plants.

Mussels should be in a bucket of tank water with an airstone or a plastic bag 1/3 water, 2/3s air. Keep them on their own.

As mentioned previously, don't feed the fish for 24 hours before going.

Make sure you have a few spare buckets and a bottle of dechlorinator for when you get to the new place.

If possible, contact the water company (by phone or website) for the area you are moving to and find out what their water is like compared to your current water supply. See if they use chlorine/ chloramine, and what the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH are. If it's noticeably different to your current supply, try to take some tap water with you and fill the tanks with that and the water the fish are in during the trip. Then do small water changes over the next month or two to let the fish adjust to the new water chemistry.

There's more info on moving house with fish at the following link. See post 2.

Moving with fish?

Hi. I honestly didn’t know where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place. Currently I have (approximate sizes) a 5 inch long, 8 inch long and 11 inch long comet goldfish, a 4 inch long black Moore, 6 African cichlids, and a male betta. In January, I’m going to be moving from...

www.fishforums.net

 

[bivalvelover]

Make sure the tank is completely empty of everything before moving it, otherwise you will probably crack the base. Put a thick blanket or foam mattress under the tank to cushion the base. You can tape coverglass to the top of the tank. Just have the coverglass in their normal position and sticky tape them in place.

Put catfish in a round bucket and 3/4 fill it with tank water. Add an airstone that is run from a battery powered airpump (as mentioned above) or use a power inverter plugged into a cigarette lighter in the car. Then run a normal air pump off that.
I used 45 and 70 litre plastic rubbish bins with lids (1/2 to 2/3s full of water) to transport fish around the state. Put them on the back seat with a seat belt around them. I had a 100 watt power inverter (available from auto stores) and ran a double outlet airpump off it. I used plastic multicoloured airstones with lead weights on them. I put the airline under the lid and it bubbled away the entire trip. You can also drill a 6mm (1/4 inch) hole in the lid and put a rubber grommet in, then feed the airline through the grommet. Or just drill a 3mm hole and put the airline straight through the lid.

If you are driving in warm weather, have the car's airconditioner on or the windows open. Buckets of water can heat up quickly in cars even in moderately warm weather. I have cooked fish in buckets of water that got to 30+C (86F+) in a car even though the outside temperature was only 25C.

Plants can go into bags or buckets of water. Nothing special needed for them, just keep them out of the sun while travelling.

Clean the filter a few days before moving so it is cleaner when you move. Put the filter media in a bucket (with lid) of tank water with an airline bubbling away. Have the bucket about 1/2 full of water. It doesn't have to be too full, as long as the filter media remains wet and aerated.

Gravel can go into buckets without water. Put a lid on the buckets to stop dirt getting on the gravel. Doing a few water changes and gravel cleans in the week before you go will get the water and gravel much cleaner for the trip. You can remove some or all of the gravel the day before so there is less to do on the day. Just keep it in buckets with a lid on, no water needed.

Snails can go in with the plants.

Mussels should be in a bucket of tank water with an airstone or a plastic bag 1/3 water, 2/3s air. Keep them on their own.

As mentioned previously, don't feed the fish for 24 hours before going.

Make sure you have a few spare buckets and a bottle of dechlorinator for when you get to the new place.

If possible, contact the water company (by phone or website) for the area you are moving to and find out what their water is like compared to your current water supply. See if they use chlorine/ chloramine, and what the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH are. If it's noticeably different to your current supply, try to take some tap water with you and fill the tanks with that and the water the fish are in during the trip. Then do small water changes over the next month or two to let the fish adjust to the new water chemistry.

There's more info on moving house with fish at the following link. See post 2.

Moving with fish?

Hi. I honestly didn’t know where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place. Currently I have (approximate sizes) a 5 inch long, 8 inch long and 11 inch long comet goldfish, a 4 inch long black Moore, 6 African cichlids, and a male betta. In January, I’m going to be moving from...

www.fishforums.net

Thank you so so much!!