Moving house and tank tips

[Cromid]

Hey guys, as the title suggests I’m moving home soon, in about 6/7weeks, and I have a 200l community tank and a smalller nano tank that I’ll need to move. Both are heavily planted and really, I’m stressed out just thinking of how I’m going to break down the tanks, remove the plants, catch and bag the fish, then move to the new place and rescale and re home them without the fish dying in the mean time.

With the rest of the house move too, I really don’t know how to approach this.
I’m not moving far, it’s 5minutes from my current place, but since I’ll have an entire house worth of stuff to move, will the fish be ok in bags for an extended period?
will the plants be ok in bags for an extended period.

Any tips you have to methodically approach this would be really appreciated!

Here’s a pic of the tank to give you an idea of what I’m working with!

 

[Colin_T]

If you have a couple of days to move, do the furniture one day and the tanks the next. If you have to move everything in one day, do the fish last.

See post #2 of the following link for info on moving house with fish tanks.

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

 

[Cromid]

If you have a couple of days to move, do the furniture one day and the tanks the next. If you have to move everything in one day, do the fish last.

See post #2 of the following link for info on moving house with fish tanks.

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

Thanks Colin, this is helpful. One thing that I’m most worried about is how long I could keep the fish in bags/buckets whilst I rebuild the tank. The odds are I won’t be able to have it rebuilt and ready for the fish to go in on the same day as I move it.

 

[connorlindeman]

Thanks Colin, this is helpful. One thing that I’m most worried about is how long I could keep the fish in bags/buckets whilst I rebuild the tank. The odds are I won’t be able to have it rebuilt and ready for the fish to go in on the same day as I move it.

They can stay in the bags for a few days, i think.

 

[Colin_T]

Thanks Colin, this is helpful. One thing that I’m most worried about is how long I could keep the fish in bags/buckets whilst I rebuild the tank. The odds are I won’t be able to have it rebuilt and ready for the fish to go in on the same day as I move it.

If you move the fish in 45 litre plastic rubbish bins, you can have an airstone bubbling away in there and put a heater in too but set it to about 22C so it doesn't overheat the water. Don't feed them in the bucket and they will be fine for a few days in that.

If you have lots of fish, spread them out over a few 45 litre bins.

Make sure the containers are clean, free of chemicals and are used purely for the fish.

Don't feed the fish on the day of the move or the day before you move. The fish will be hungry but won't produce as much waste and the water in the buckets will stay cleaner for longer.

 

[itiwhetu]

I always bag my fish up and put them into polystyrene boxes, keep them in the dark and they will be fine for 48 hours. I always move my tanks first and then everything else. At the end of the day the furniture can sit overnight on the back of a truck, but the fish can't.

 

[Cromid]

If you move the fish in 45 litre plastic rubbish bins, you can have an airstone bubbling away in there and put a heater in too but set it to about 22C so it doesn't overheat the water. Don't feed them in the bucket and they will be fine for a few days in that.

If you have lots of fish, spread them out over a few 45 litre bins.

Make sure the containers are clean, free of chemicals and are used purely for the fish.

Don't feed the fish on the day of the move or the day before you move. The fish will be hungry but won't produce as much waste and the water in the buckets will stay cleaner for longer.

Awesome thanks for this Colin!
I can easily source some boxes and I have a few spare air stones n pumps so that’s good to know I can keep them in there for a couple of days or so if needed.

 

[Cromid]

If you move the fish in 45 litre plastic rubbish bins, you can have an airstone bubbling away in there and put a heater in too but set it to about 22C so it doesn't overheat the water. Don't feed them in the bucket and they will be fine for a few days in that.

If you have lots of fish, spread them out over a few 45 litre bins.

Make sure the containers are clean, free of chemicals and are used purely for the fish.

Don't feed the fish on the day of the move or the day before you move. The fish will be hungry but won't produce as much waste and the water in the buckets will stay cleaner for longer.

Quick query Colin, due to a family funeral im having to leave my place for a few days, before I move home properly next Monday.
Because I don’t think I’ll have time to break down both my tanks when I come back from the funeral I was hoping to do my smaller one today, and the main big one on Sunday/Monday.

My big tank 180L is stocked heavily, with 1 Pearl gourami, 5 dwarf neon rainbowfish, 18 rummynose tetra, 12 cardinal tetra, 2 Bolivian ram and 9 peppered cories.

Would it be far too overstocked and going to cause an issue if I were to break my smaller tank down today and add the 8 harlequin rasbora I have in until I come back and break the main tank down on the Sunday?
I don’t want to be stressing trying to break down both on the same day If I can help it, but I don’t want to cause an issue for the fish/water over those days and not sure keeping the rasbora in a tub for a week is advisable. Obviously I won’t be feeding since I’ll be away too, so this will obviously cut down on waste.

What’s your thoughts?

 

[Colin_T]

Sorry about the loss of your family member

The harlequins should be fine in the bigger tank with the other fishes. Just give the big tank a good feed about 30 minutes before moving the harlequins across so none of the fish are hungry and say "food" when the harlequins are added. You can also feed the harlequins an hour or so before moving them across.

 

[Cromid]

Sorry about the loss of your family member

The harlequins should be fine in the bigger tank with the other fishes. Just give the big tank a good feed about 30 minutes before moving the harlequins across so none of the fish are hungry and say "food" when the harlequins are added. You can also feed the harlequins an hour or so before moving them across.

Thankyou Colin! Always super helpful thanks for your advice!
Got them in and settled fine and broke down my smaller tank, now just a few more days before I have to do the whole process again

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

45 litre plastic rubbish bins

I love your English!!

 

[Colin_T]

I love your English!!

What's wrong with 45 litre plastic rubbish bins?
I had a couple of them and a 72 litre one that I used for fish, including going collecting. They have a lid and can be put on the back seat of a car and a seat belt put around them to stop them falling over.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

What's wrong with 45 litre plastic rubbish bins?
I had a couple of them and a 72 litre one that I used for fish, including going collecting. They have a lid and can be put on the back seat of a car and a seat belt put around them to stop them falling over.

nothing, I just love to hear the word "rubbish". living in the US we don't say that much. sounds, fancy