Transporting an aquarium (fish and all)

[Elly]

I am going to college in the fall and I plan on taking my fish with me. It’s a 4 hour car ride and I am not sure how to safely transport them all without over stressing them. Any suggestions?

[Crazedpuffer]

Keep gravel and a small amount of water in the tank.Enough to totally cover the gravel in water and be about half an inch above it. Put decor in another bucket with water. See if you can get bags from your LFS like they use and bag the fish up.

[celestialdude]

Yes I used to do this all the time since I was a kid. It’s easier for small tanks, just remove 2/3 of the water and transport it.

For larger tanks, yeah, Crazedpuffer has the right advice.

[Elly]

Any suggestions as to how to keep their temp. regulated during the 4 hour car ride? And should I put half of their aquarium water in a tupperwear so they aren’t stressed by the water change too? I don’t know if they have hard water or soft water over there and I might have the opposite… Should I bag all the fish together? Or bags with each kind; ie: frogs in one, guppies in another, neons in one, etc.? What do I put the bags into to transport them so they don’t roll all over the car?

[ste12000]

Hi Elly, i would bag each type of fish individually and only put 25%water and make the rest of the bag oxygen. This is more important on long journeys as the oxygen inside the bag can be used up quickly. Wrap each bag inside a towel or clothing to keep a bit of heat in and then place all the fish bags inside a cardboard box and pad it with newspaper or clothes to stop the bags rolling around. Tape up the top and enjoy your journey…Your fish will be fine and should settle in their new home quickly, they are all hardy species kept in all types of water worldwide.
Goodluck with college.

[Crazedpuffer]

I’d put the baggies in a cooler.

[Elly]

Thanks!! This is all VERY helpful!!!

[ste12000]

No problem..if you need any more advice im sure there are plenty of people on here who will help you… just give us a shout.

[Jimbo]

Hey. I need to do this in a few months as we are moving house. I’ve got 3 tanks to move! I suggest trying to find some 25 litre (or liter to you americans :lol: ) buckets with lids. My lfs said try a home brew shop but I couldn’t find one locally so bought 2 off ebay. 1 was sold as a live bait bucket for sea fishing and has a battery powered air pump with it which attaches to the side. I’d suggest maybe investing in one of these as they come in very handy, the air pump especially for power cuts etc. You can then keep the fish in one, with the air pump and then more water and ornaments etc in the other. How big is your tank by the way? Try and save as much water as you can as you already mentioned the new water at the college may have different parameters. Also, I read to completely empty the tank, including gravel to avoid strain on the glass joints. Very time consuming and tiring though admittedly, I don’t know whether to do this yet. Good luck with the move!

[Jimbo]

Ahhh, I see your tank sizes now in your signature. :lol:

[katkin]

I’m moving soon too (50+ fish in 4 different tanks) and was planning to get some polystyrene boxes, and fish bags from the lfs. although, I’ve just found out that I’ll be without my tanks for 3 days! I thought it was just going to be overnight. Yikes.

Jimbo, where did you get the sea bait bucket thing?? I think I might have to invest in one and see if I can rig up a small heater to run off the car lighter. I already have a couple of brewing buckets, thanks to my other half liking home brewed beer at christmas!

Good luck
K

[Jimbo]

eBay. http://sports.search.ebay.co.uk/_Fishing_W0QQcatrefZC12QQsacatZ14104QQsassZkangaroo180902

A great invention in my opinion!

[erijnal]

I know this thread is almost a month old, but here’s what I did with my 10 gallon tank:

1. Removed all fish and shrimp, bagged them. I tried keeping the numbers down in the bags so that they wouldn’t be stressed due to overcrowding.
2. Drain the tank as much as I can, and saved about 5 gallons of it in gallon jugs. The reasoning behind this was that when I refill the tank, I have about half of my own water mixed with the new water source, which will help acclimate the fish. Future water changes won’t be traumatic on the fish.
3. Cover the tank with aluminum foil. This keeps the inside humid so that any live plants left inside won’t die.
4. Keep the tank on a wooden board during the ride. This helps to ensure that the tank remains on a solid base during the ride and won’t crack due to a sudden shifting of weight

I’ve transported the glass tank a total of four times now, and each time has been a worry and stress-free experience, with no casualties.

[Author]

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