Moving soon...how to safely move my fish as well?

[Jyynx]

We're moving into our house next month, and with that my fish need to come with me. I currently have a 55, 50 and 70 gallon...soon more. All tanks are stocked with fish. (Tanganyikans, Community tank and Malawi, respectively).

Will I have to cycle the tanks again once I move them? I have a system in place on where to house my fish while I move the tanks, but it requires moving fish into temporary tanks while I move/cycle. If I move all of the filter material, will that help at all?

Any suggestions appreciated, I don't want to lose any fish

[JonasBygdemo]

We're facing this problem soon. Someone told us that the tanks should be the last thing to get moved, and she said that she put the fishes in a bucket, moved the tank, started with Nitrivec (filter bacteria), and put them in. the filter should survive, so I don't think you need to cycle the tank again.

[Still Loving Loaches]

It would depend on how far you will be moving.

My fairly expert fish-keeper daughter recently decided I needed a cichlid tank and she moved a well-established tank from her home to mine, about a 45-minute drive away.

I'm a very cautious person when it comes to cycling new tanks, so I was rather surprised when she showed up with young electric yellows in a bag and the filter in a bucket of water and gravel also in water. We put the gravel back in the tank added slightly warm water from the tap treated with water conditioner, added the filter and heater, then floated the fish for about 15 minutes before adding them to the tank.

Each has done very well and the tank looks great a month later!

[NDininno]

I just moved recently from an apartment to a house. The drive was 35 minutes and I just got a bunch of buckets and drained tank water into them. I have 3 clowns, 1 flying fox, 1 dwarf clown pleco, and 4 black khulis. I put the clowns together in 1 bucket and separated all the others. Unfortunately I could not catch the 4 khulis, so I had to leave an inch of water in the tank and transport that way. It was really f-ing heavy. I drained my filter most of the way and put that in a bucket. I also put my driftwood in a bucket. That didn't fit but it did not dry out fully on the way. All my fish survived and are doing great. I did not refill with bucket water(except 1 bucketfull)
We moved the fish first. I moved 2 saturday's ago and moved the fish the friday night before. I thought it would make things easier if they were already set up instead of trying to move fish after a long day of moving furniture and whatnot. Personally I thought it would be better\safer to be tired and sore moving furniture than tanks and live pets. Also, it gave them time to settle before the furniture came in.

One note though. If I could do it over, I would put the clowns in baggies. The only reason I say this is because when I opened the bucket they all freaked out and tried to flee, causing them to hit the sides of the bucket over and over swimming in circles. I was scared they'd get injured so I just poured them in instead of risking injury trying to net them.

[Diana]

This question has come up so often...

BEFORE THE MOVE
A) Water chemistry.
When fish are moved to water that is different from what they were used to this can cause problems. If there is any way you can find out ahead of time what the water is like at the new location you can start acclimating the fish before the move. Test GH, KH, TDS and pH.
If the GH or KH is up to 2 degrees higher at the new place, this is OK.
If the GH or KH is no more than 1 degree lower at the new place, this is OK.
If the TDS is within 15% higher or 10% lower at the new place this is OK.
If the pH is within .2 either way, this is OK. The pH could vary even more, and is not likely to be a problem if the other tests are well within the safe limits.
If any test is beyond these numbers, then alter the aquarium water a little bit in that direction with each water change for a couple of weeks before the move. If the water is really way off you might need to bring some water with you from the old location, or buy reverse osmosis water at the new place and add minerals to make it into a transition sort of mix.
B) Disturbing the debris.
Start cleaning the tank ahead of time. A few really deep, thorough gravel vacs in the couple of weeks preceding the move can really help. Clean the filter several days or a week before the move. Allow the beneficial bacteria several days recovery time before the move. Do not clean the filter on the same day you move.
C) Assemble what you need.
Buckets, towels, packing material, ice chest… Several suggestions follow.

DAY OF THE MOVE part 1, PACKING
A) Do not feed the fish in the morning. (Less waste to add to the water)
B) Unplug, turn off all equipment.
C) Fill the containers the fish will be in about 25% water from the tank. Remaining space is for air. Separate the fish by species, and do not put too many in one container. If it is an aggressive species separate each fish. Add a stress relief product, such as Stress Coat. A product that locks up ammonia is great, too.
1) A 5 gallon bucket could hold 1.5 gallons of water and up to 6” of fish. Put the lid on right away! Longer trip = less fish per bucket.
2) Plastic bags similar to fish store bags can hold 2-6” of fish (larger fish = larger bags) Tie off the corners so the fish will not dive into the corners and get trapped. Double bag any fish with spines. Put the bags in a Styrofoam box or ice chest for insulation. Breather bags are available from Kordon. Follow their directions (full bag, proper stocking levels, proper packing)
D) Plants in separate buckets, bags or plastic storage containers. Cooler is better than too warm. About 65* to 75* is optimum for most tropical plants. Plants with stiff leaves may not need to be underwater if the container is sealed and humid. Plants could be wrapped in damp newspaper or paper towel and packed in plastic bags in boxes.
E) Filter media with nitrifying bacteria should be kept in a humid place, but does not need to be underwater. Cool is better than too warm, but not freezing. About 60* - 75* is optimum, cooler is OK. If the trip is less than an hour you could keep the media in the filter, just drain the water. For longer trips a separate container will allow the bacteria more oxygen. For example, dump all the media into a bucket with a few inches of water and seal it.
F) Substrate also has a lot of nitrifying bacteria, and can be heavy. Buckets intended for heavy stuff would be best. Do not leave it in the tank.
G) Driftwood could be kept damp in a garbage bag. Large rocks might be best carried one at a time. You will probably loose the bacteria on the rocks, but this is not enough to worry about.
H) All other equipment: Pack it so it won’t break. Wrap the tank and stand for protection.

DAY OF THE MOVE part 2, MOVING
A) A short move, a few minutes to a couple of hours is best done in one day. If you can choose to travel in mild weather, this is best. If you run the air conditioner or heater make sure the plants, fish and bacteria are away from the vents, in a location with a stable temperature. You can get a 12 volt air pump to help the fish. Try a store that specializes in equipment for boaters, they use such pumps to keep bait and catch alive. This will run off your car battery. Drill a couple of holes in the lids of the buckets and put an air line into each bucket with a gentle bubbler in the water. Keep the fish in the dark, it is less stressful.
B) A longer move (overnight, stop at motel) must be planned more carefully. Keep the fish, plants and bacteria in moderate temperatures. Air pump is even more important than for a short move. If you are really worried bring some water for water changes, and re-bag the fish every other day.
C) Longer than this you might consider shipping the fish to a friend or to an aquarium service company or a store near the new location. Then you will have more time to get the aquarium set up, and the fish will have a shorter travel time.

DAY OF THE MOVE part 3, ARRIVAL
A) Get the fish, plants and bacteria into a location with stable temperature.
B) Prepare as much new water as you will need.
C) Set up the stand, and be sure it is level. Add tank, and equipment. (Do not plug in anything.)
D) Put substrate in the tank. Fill with water just below the substrate.
E) Add rocks, driftwood and plants. Mist the plants a lot.
F) Fill the tank but run the water in slowly onto a plate or sheet of plastic. Slow and gentle, it will seep into the substrate and not cloud the water.
G) Add Nitrospiros sp. of nitrifying bacteria, this replaces the nitrifying bacteria that may have died during the move.
H) Turn on and test the equipment. Adjust as needed.
I) Net the fish out of the buckets. The water the fish were moved with has a lot of ammonia and stress hormones. Do not add this to the tank.
J) Lights off the rest of the day. Feed only if the fish seem settled in well.

FIRST WEEK
A) Test daily for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to be sure the bacteria have recovered. Water changes as needed.
B) Feed lightly for a few days if needed. If the fish and bacteria are well settled regular meals are fine.
C) Add plant fertilizer at ¼ the regular rate for a while. The plants need time to reestablish before they need or can use the full dose of fertilizer.
D) Monitor all the equipment to be sure it also has made the move OK. Heater and CO2 might need some adjustment.

[Jyynx]

Thanks for all of you suggestions/tips! Luckily my drive is only about 25 minutes away, so all should work out.

[Diana]

25 minutes is a very short move. Things should go pretty well as long as the fish and bacteria are the top priority. Devote the day just to the fish and don't try to get other things done.