Moving with fish

[MiniMellow]

So in a couple months time I am moving up north, about 5 hours away. I have done some research and i'm going to pack my fish in some bags 2-3 per bag, in a Styrofoam box and heat packs, i estimate that they will be in the bag for 12ish hours. The only thing i'm not sure about is the water.
They is not much difference between the water quality. Where i am currently at the water is soft and the Clark is 2.72 and where i'm moving to is also soft and the Clarke at 0.63.
How much water should i keep from both tanks (one is 60 litres and the other 48) ? The water has to go in the car so the less the better but i want to ensure that the fish have the best chance at surviving the journey and re acclimating.
And one last thing is how to travel the filter media, should i travel it like the fish to help the bacteria survive?

 

[AbbeysDad]

You only need enough water for the fish and media in bags. Be sure there is air in the bag. Think of it like receiving shipped fish.
Experts agree that it takes fish weeks to acclimate to different water chemistry (and yours is not so different).
When your tank(s) is/are setup and at the proper temperature, just float the bags for temperature, then just plop and drop the fish into their new home. If this was fish store (or shipped) water, you'd pour through a net and then put the fish in the water. In your case, assuming you had a healthy tank, you could just pour the fish in water and all.

 

[mikey11]

i wouldnt use any old tank water.....only whats in the bags with the fish, other then that fill the tank with all new water.....make sure your filter media is in a bag of its own with old tank water and make sure the filter media never dries out

 

[Byron]

I concur completely with AbbeysDad, and mikey11.

When I moved back in 2000, I expected it to be not more than a few hours, but as luck would have it, it was 10 hours, and during cold weather. I had expected on the tanks arriving close to when I did (I brought the bagged fish and plants and one full canister filter in my warm car). But no such luck. Still, even with the fish getting chilled, and being in bags with too little water and air for so long, I only lost 12 out of some 300.

 

[MiniMellow]

That's a relief that i don't need any extra water but just to be safe i'm going to get some of those cheap big bottles of water and fill them up just to be on the safe side., and yes i forgot to mention about the re-acclimation before releasing them back into their tanks. Also does anyone have any experience with the breather bags or are just normal fish bags best?