Moving to a new house and taking all our tanks (5)

[JayLB]

So we are moving in 6 weeks to a new house. The house is literally a 5 minute drive, BUT we are not sure how to move all our fish and multiple tanks.

We are upgrading a 55 to a 125ish during the move, to accommodate our growing discus. But of course we still have to move the discus.

Plus we need to move a 66 Fluval shaker full of tetras, Cory’s, pea puffers and plecos and other nano’s, 2 20’s with are a quarantine tank and betta tank, and finally a 9g betta tank.

How do we do this crazy move without stressing the crap out of the fish, and moving these huge tanks safely.

I’ve attached some pictures for reference.

 

[Colin_T]

Post 2 has some info

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

 

[Naughts]

As you are only moving locally, is there anyone nearby who could house the two biggest tanks for a couple of days either side of the move?
This will let you go at a slower pace to ensure everything is set up properly for the new discus tank and and the fluval 66 and the fish aren't injured or spooked.
Hopefully the quarantine tank is empty which just leaves the two betta tanks to deal with on the day which would be a lot more
manageable and straightforward.

 

[JayLB]

Post 2 has some info

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

Awesome. Thanks!!!!

 

[Boundava]

So I have moved with fish twice. First time was a 75 gallon and some smaller (5-20) nano fish tanks. I took advantage of the black storage bins at Home Depot, they comunup to 50 gallons, though I chose the 27 gallon size for transport. I was moving Cory, tetras, rainbow fish and honey goirami alomg with a lot of plans and a slew of nano fish/shrimp. The new house was 20-ish minutes away but we couldn't set up the tanks immediately so the black totes were temporary homes until the tanks were back up and running. There are HOB that can hang off the rim of these, or sponge filters. We were making a big upgrade in this house and had to wait for the basement to be refinished, so the fish were in the totes for 6 months.

A couple of years later I had to move again, but fortunately I was moving into a house that was already ours so I could set the tanks up in advance. However the fish had to be removed from the tanks and sit in the same totes for a week while the tanks, substrate, plants and driftwood moved and was set up in the new home. Once the tanks were set up we moved the fish and watched to make sure the cycle was still there. This house was 40+ minutes away with many RR tracks... Lots of slow driving and angry honking from other drivers, lol.

 

[bgiresh]

The black storage bins from Home Depot seem like a lifesaver for the finned crew.

 

[Boundava]

The black storage bins from Home Depot seem like a lifesaver for the finned crew.

Yes they were. Very sturdy compared to other bins.

 

[MohZail]

Moving with fish tanks can be tricky, but it's doable. When I moved, I faced a similar challenge. I found that using sturdy containers with lids for the fish and draining the tanks partially helped keep them safe and stress-free.

 

[Myrkk]

I moved my 200litre tank last August and boy was it stressful. If I had to do it again I think I would try and find someone to take the tank for a week or two around moving to reduce the stress. Our move went horribly wrong and I ended up with the fish in bags for over 9hrs, how I didn't lose any fish I don't know. They were very stressed for a long time after though.

We took the tank in our own car and allowed the removal people to take the furniture it sat on. TIP, if you have removal people doing the move, make sure they put the furniture / tank at the door of the truck. That was one of our issues, they put all the tank furniture at the back of the lorry so it was the last thing you could get to.

 

[MaloK]

This is how I would go. I moved tanks before but a lot further.

Dismantle Lightning, heaters, air powered gears and filters, in this order, put media in small containers with each tank respective water.

Lower the levels of your tanks by filling your totes that you are going to use to move the fishes, move the fishes to the totes.

Lower as much you can the water level of the tanks just above substrate. Remove all heavy rocks that could do damage if your forced to apply the brakes suddenly.

Dispose the tanks in the lorry truck. ( I would rent a lorry alone just to move my tanks ) It's peanuts for 5 a minutes ride.

Dispose the tanks on the floor of the lorry on wool blankets or carpets you have.

Go slow... Put the 4 flashers on... traffic can wait...