How do you move a tank of fish?

[wishes]

Hi there. I am moving from Washington State to attend vet school in New York this fall. I have a 40 gallon fresh water fish tank and I am not sure what to do with my fish when I move.
I would really love to take them with me, but I'm not sure if there is any good way to move fish such a long distance (I could drive them or ship them). Do any of you have advice?

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[HorseyVet]

Hi there. I am moving from Washington State to attend vet school in New York this fall. I have a 40 gallon fresh water fish tank and I am not sure what to do with my fish when I move.
I would really love to take them with me, but I'm not sure if there is any good way to move fish such a long distance (I could drive them or ship them). Do any of you have advice?

I've moved tanks all over the place.

First off, shipping is very expensive. I have never shipped my own fish, but I have ordered fish before and unless they are anabatoids it is very expensive b/c it is alive and b/c the the amount of water you would need to ship will be very heavy.

You should divide them up into plastic baggies with a lot of water. It is good to use your tank water b/c it has cycled bacteria etc. Make sure there is a lot of air as well as water in the baggies. If possible see if you can find a place that will inject pure oxygen into them. The oxygen will exchange with the water by simple slosshing around. Do not use zip-loc type baggies.

If you have a day trip, they'll probably be alright as is. If your trip is much longer (which I'm guessing it is), then you will need to change the water at some point. If possible haul your original tank water with you (I recommend this if your species are very sensitive). You can also just declorinate some water from where ever and use that. Again if your fish are sensitive the change in water hardiness, etc from one water system to another may be shocking. You can also add a number of products that will inc the amount of "good" bacteria, improve slime coat etc. Let me know if you would like my recommendations on these.

How often you need to change your water will depend on how big your bags are etc.

Also, don't feed them for sometime (depends on the species/size) before traveling. This will reduce toxic waste build up.

You can keep more than one fish per bag depending on the species.
Be careful about anything with barbs (cories, loaches) etc. that might puncture your bags...these need to be at a minimum double bagged and housed in a pastic container of sorts.

If you give me a list of what you have I can tailor this advice better.

 

[wishes]

Thanks HorseyVet . I figured most people would tell me just to flush them so I feel a little better now!
This is what I have:
#6 tetras (3 black skirt & 3 flame all about 1.5 inches long)
#1 corey cat fish (about 1.5 inches long)
#1 african dwarf frog (about 1 inch long)
#1 angel fish (about 6 inches from point to point)
#1 plecostomus (about 12 inches long)
I think that the trip will take about 4 days which is why it will be a little tricky. I am most worried about "Moe" the plecostomus because he is so big and I hear that they do not tolerate stress very well. "Moe" is about my favorite fish I have ever had. The angel fish is mean and killed his tankmate so I don't like him quite so much.
None of my fish are particularily old. I think the oldest are about three years.

 

[HorseyVet]

Lol…..here goes a really long post. I apologize up front if I’m repeating things you already were aware of.

(I’m sure you knew this) Flushing is a super no-no. Not only is it a cruel means of fish disposal, but sometimes the fish do survive and then become biological problems elsewhere. If you need to euthanize/dispose, a small plastic baggie in the freezer is best. Some people swear by the garbage disposal method, which is pretty instant, but I really never could do this.

Of everything you have I’d be worried about the tetras and angel fish the most. They are a little more water quality sensitive and can be a lot more general stress sensitive.

If you’re not in love with them, you might want to give/trade/sell them back to a fish store. Pretty often non-corporate pet stores (no Jack’s Aquarium, Petsmart, etc) will do exchanges or store credit etc. I’m going to list some more supplies so you could try to use to money from the fish to buy things, not that I’m going to list $100’s of dollar of fish stuff. Some places though only take fish as a credit for more stock. Anyway, I’d consider giving whatever fish you’re not devoted to back to a pet store. They’re normally used to this and b/c they often take back customer’s fish who did not get along with the rest of the tank.

The clawed frog may also be somewhat sensitive, but IMO they have a lot of individual variance as to how much they can take. If you do take the frog, make sure that you fast him, have a lot of water, and change his water more frequently than the fish. They are poop machines and will foul the water much more quickly.

Corys have barbs, so again you might decide that it’s not worth dealing with transporting this fish. If you want to, double bag him and put the bag inside a cup/container so that if he punctures it all his water will sort of stay where it is. Again, corys have a lot of variance as to when/if they decide to shoot those barbs. You may want to do a few test runs of bagging him to see what he does. Otherwise, they are fairly hardy. BTW corys are schooling fish so if you take him, get him some friends in NY.

The pleco would obviously need a bag to accommodate his size, but aside from that should be tolerant of the stress and water quality. You should get him a piece of PVC pipe that he can mostly fit inside. It allows them to have something to hang onto as well as a nice dark place to feel safe, which will minimize stress. You could also invest in a piece of wood for him to hang onto. Not the pretty african hardwood, b/c it’s too hard for them. It would give him something to do, but may slightly increase his waste production. Chances are finding a piece small enough might be hard so don’t freak out if you can’t find one. I think the PVC pipe is a must though.

If you take the tetras I’d group them all together in the same bag for schooling-securities reasons.

For all bags you should add some Elodea/Anacharis. This will help give some hiding places and add to water quality through the plant’s metabolism and the “good” bacteria that can live on it. It’s very cheap. Just make sure you buy it from somewhere where you know it won’t contain snails, parasites, etc. Also break off any brown, dead pieces before adding it to the bags.

You can get good fish bags at a pet store. Usually if you buy something there and ask for bags they’ll give you some. Make sure you have lots of extras.

You could buy some Stress Zyme (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) which contains bacteria and add it to bags each time. It is a little pricy, but well worth it, and you can use it to help cycle your new tank once you get to NY. I prefer Tetra’s AquaSafe as a declorinator/slime helper. Some people believe in dosing everything that travels with methylblue etc., but everything I have every heard/been taught advises against this. Medicate later if you need to.

If you don’t have water testing chemicals, you may want to buy them. It’s good to know what kind of water you are starting out with. If your water is very hard, I’d start to transition the fish to less hard water in their tank b/c you’re likely to be using distilled water for changes along the way and when you first set up the tank until you determine what the water quality is in NY. I realize this would involved a LOT of buying of bottled water. You’d probably be ok not worrying about it, but if you wanted to play it really safe you’d want to address hardness issues. Personally, for freshwater fish, I wouldn’t worry about it.

I could probably say a lot more, but I’ll wait and see what/if questions you have from this.

Hope this helps.

 

[wishes]

Flushing is a super no-no. Not only is it a cruel means of fish disposal, but sometimes the fish do survive and then become biological problems elsewhere.

Don't worry! I would never really flush my fish. I was only joking about that...

Of everything you have I’d be worried about the tetras and angel fish the most. They are a little more water quality sensitive and can be a lot more general stress sensitive. If you’re not in love with them, you might want to give/trade/sell them back to a fish store.

Funny, for some reason I thought the Tetras would be easiest to move because of their small size. I will probably try to move them. I will definitely consider trying to trade the Angel fish. He is very pretty and someone might want him. Honestly, he is a little too aggressive for my tank anyway.

The clawed frog may also be somewhat sensitive, but IMO they have a lot of individual variance as to how much they can take.

I want to move him, but I don't want to kill him. This particular frog seems fairly hardy, but he likes to hide and I don't see him all that often. I have tried several times to introduce other Clawed Frogs into the tank, but they have all died and I really don't know why. This frog is doing great though.

Corys have barbs, so again you might decide that it’s not worth dealing with transporting this fish...BTW corys are schooling fish so if you take him, get him some friends in NY.

I did have another Corey, but he was really old and just died. He had a tumor on his dorsal fin. I'd like to get another Corey because I know they are social. Do you think it would be better to get a second one now and transport them together?

The Pleco would obviously need a bag to accommodate his size, but aside from that should be tolerant of the stress and water quality. You should get him a piece of PVC pipe that he can mostly fit inside.

Great. He already has a nice cosy PVC pipe. He is starting to outgrow it though so it could be that I will have to invest in a bigger one.

As I said, the Pleco is my favorite, but also the one I am most worried about. I'd also like to take the Corey Catfish and the Clawed Frog if I can. I am less attatched to the others, but I will probably try to move the tetras. Do you recommend bags over another type of container (such as tupperware with a lid and airvents). At one point I had thought is might be better to try and move them in the tank somehow. Also, how often would you recommend changing the water. The trip should take four to five days. It seems as though it would be very tricky to move the fish from one bag to another.

Thank you so much for your help!!

 

[StealthDog]

Here's a conversation from The Krib about moving tanks.. It's got some good tips:

http://www.thekrib.com/Misc/moving.html

They mention styrofoam packing boxes that any good fish store should have. I know at my pet store (Petco), we just throw these boxes out after we unpack our fish. We'll give them away to anyone who asks- fish bags and rubber bands, too. Might be a good thing to call and ask for.

Good luck!

~megan

 

[wishes]

Here's a conversation from The Krib about moving tanks.. It's got some good tips:
http://www.thekrib.com/Misc/moving.html
They mention styrofoam packing boxes that any good fish store should have. I know at my pet store (Petco), we just throw these boxes out after we unpack our fish. We'll give them away to anyone who asks- fish bags and rubber bands, too. Might be a good thing to call and ask for.
Good luck!
~megan

Thanks StealthDog. There is alot of good advice on the website. I am a little confused about the styrofoam containers everyone is talking about. Do the fish go in them loose or do you put the bagged fish in them?

 

[HorseyVet]

Funny, for some reason I thought the Tetras would be easiest to move because of their small size. I will probably try to move them. I will definitely consider trying to trade the Angel fish. He is very pretty and someone might want him. Honestly, he is a little too aggressive for my tank anyway.

Yeah, size really doesn't serve as a guide for this. Sure, in the same amount of water as a larger fish, the tetras will make less waste and have fewer water quality issues. My guess is that they'll be fine.

Angels are cichlids so they can be nasty. But like the others in the family, they definately can have different and interesting personalities.

I want to move him, but I don't want to kill him. This particular frog seems fairly hardy, but he likes to hide and I don't see him all that often. I have tried several times to introduce other Clawed Frogs into the tank, but they have all died and I really don't know why. This frog is doing great though.

It probably wasn't you that killed them. They often come into the pet store with issues. You might have been getting some duds. It happens.

I'd like to get another Corey because I know they are social. Do you think it would be better to get a second one now and transport them together?

I'd wait until after you move. You can't tell if the new fish will add stress b/c he is new or take away stress b/c the species is social. IMO it's just better to wait and to not add any new dimensions untill later.

Great. He already has a nice cosy PVC pipe. He is starting to outgrow it though so it could be that I will have to invest in a bigger one.[/QUOTE]

lol, don't let that $1.75 at the hardware store break the bank.

Do you recommend bags over another type of container (such as tupperware with a lid and airvents). At one point I had thought is might be better to try and move them in the tank somehow. Also, how often would you recommend changing the water. The trip should take four to five days. It seems as though it would be very tricky to move the fish from one bag to another.[/QUOTE]

Unless your keep everything very still (which you usually can't in a car), bags are probably the best. There is a tremendous amount of sloshing/wave action in soild containers. I would definately take the tank down and put everything in bags. Save your substrate or just leave it in the tank with a little tank water and give it a good rinse when you get to NY. Don't wash with soap or anything. You should be able to retain some of the good bacteria and make re-cycling your tank faster.

You will want to have the bagged fish in a soild container though to give them support. Use styrofoam if the weather is cold. We're moving into summer though so I don't think you'd need to worry about temp too much.

How often you change the bags really depends on how much waste the fish are making. If you used enough water you may be able to get away with 1 water change. To be sure though, I'd really buy some water testing chemicals and just check the water in each bag during the trip and change as needed. If you don't want to do this I'd change the water once per 48 hrs for the cory and tetras and once per 24 for the pleco and frog. However, you will need to allow more oxygen into the bags about twice a day. Just open the bag and close it again. Maybe do this more often for the frog.

For water changes, you don't need to atually transfer the fish from one bag to another. Just have the fresh water prepared, allow as much water as you can to leave the bag without dumping the fish, and then add the new water. It's a lot more low stress than netting etc.

 

[wishes]

How many days should I fast eveyone for? I assume I should also not feed them on the road (not that they would eat anyway). I'm not sure how long they can go without food and be okay for.

 

[birdvet2006]

I've always transported my fish in coolers. It has worked well and there are coolers of various sizes (from 6-pack of soda size on up to huge chests) to work with.

I might be moving my 50-gallon tank at some point. I have HUGE fish in there, like a 1.5 foot pleco that I've had forever and similar other catfish. It's amazing how attached you get to the fish (especially the ones you've had for over 5 years).

 

[wishes]

I've always transported my fish in coolers. It has worked well and there are coolers of various sizes (from 6-pack of soda size on up to huge chests) to work with.

I might be moving my 50-gallon tank at some point. I have HUGE fish in there, like a 1.5 foot pleco that I've had forever and similar other catfish. It's amazing how attached you get to the fish (especially the ones you've had for over 5 years).

It is so nice to hear that there are others out there who are attatched to their fish too! How do you move your big Pleco? (Especially from Scotland. You're on your way back to the U.S. soon right?).
Also, I am confused about the styrofoam coolers. You get them at pet stores right? And then do you bag your fish and put the bags into the cooler or do you just put your fish into the coolers loose so they can swim around?

 

[Olddodger]

Hi Guys/Gals,

Having moved 6 times in 7 years, with fish, a bird, and two cats, I know how it goes.

I've done it a couple of different ways, and had some success with cichlids and plecos.

Method 1 (useful for a 2-3 day road trip)

Buy a 10 gallon (or larger) Coleman Cooler and one DC-AC inverter (at Radio Shack or similar). On the day of the move, drain your aquarium water into the cooler, and transfer the fish. In the car, set up the inverter to run ONE powerhead set up with aeration to circulate the water. Do not feed.

At your destination, set up your tank, allow to "brew" for 24 hours, and then place your fish AND the water into the new setup.

This has worked for me several times with zero casualties.


Method 2 (if flying)

Ok, this is a bit tricker, and a bit more in preparation.

You'll need some fish shipping boxes (basically thick styrofoam cubes). You can usually find these at fish specialty stores.

When you are ready to receive the fish at your destination, have your friend drain the tank into multiple shipping bags (the thick ones, and you can get about 3 small fish to each bag. The big fish need to have their own). Have them pressurized with O2 (usually available at the fish store) and tied off. Place 4 bags to each shipping cube. It should be a tight fit.

Take the cubes out the airport. Find an airline that flys DIRECT to your destination if possible (easy enough to look up on the internet). Take the cubes to the CARGO area/desk for that airline, and ask for the same day shipping service (every airline calls it something different, but Northwest calls it VIP Cargo). The cargo will be placed on the next available flights to your destination. It should only take 6-8 hours, depending on where you are shipping. For example, I shipped my kitty on NWA from Fort Lauderdale to Minneapolis, and total transit time was only 5 hours from drop off to pickup.

Now if you don't have a buddy to help, you can accomplish this yourself, and drop the fish off at the airport on your way, but you NEED to have a tank set up when you get to where your going (or set one up REAL quick when you get there).

I have had a few losses this way, but only 1-2 fish (still a bummer), and that was due to not having the tank set up properly.

Best,
Oldie

 

[birdvet2006]

It is so nice to hear that there are others out there who are attatched to their fish too! How do you move your big Pleco? (Especially from Scotland. You're on your way back to the U.S. soon right?).
Also, I am confused about the styrofoam coolers. You get them at pet stores right? And then do you bag your fish and put the bags into the cooler or do you just put your fish into the coolers loose so they can swim around?

LOL, I don't bother moving pets to and from Scotland at all! All "my" pets are back home in California, receiving care/love from my parents (and me intermittently on breaks). My parents only really will part with my bird and the fish...(though my dad recently told me he wants to keep the bird and give the cats to me! Ha, that won't work).

I may be moving my 50 gallon tank up north to Sacramento (8 hour drive, roughly). Depends on if I find a bottom-floor place or not. I can't imagine moving the whole thing up a few flights of stairs, even though the tank is acrylic (the gravel is heavy!). Not to mention the weight of it all when put together and filled with water (we've had it on our 2nd story HOME, but not an apartment...).

As for the coolers - I use the plastic Coleman type (or imitations) and fill them with water directly (being sure to close the drainage tap!!). I put the lid on top, and when not in actual transit (I've never moved them more than an hour away) I start up an air pump and put air stones into each cooler. Pump in some Stress Coat (or NovAqua) and anti-ammonia stuff (AmQuel) and I'm all set for a while. I've been able to keep fish alive for a couple days in coolers (never tried longer than that), and water changes would be important (due to waste build-up).

 

[wishes]

As for the coolers - I use the plastic Coleman type (or imitations) and fill them with water directly (being sure to close the drainage tap!!). I put the lid on top, and when not in actual transit (I've never moved them more than an hour away) I start up an air pump and put air stones into each cooler. Pump in some Stress Coat (or NovAqua) and anti-ammonia stuff (AmQuel) and I'm all set for a while. I've been able to keep fish alive for a couple days in coolers (never tried longer than that), and water changes would be important (due to waste build-up).

Don't the fish slosh around too much while driving? It seems like there would be less sloshing if they were bagged, but I am nervous about bagging my Pleco for such a long trip because of his size.

 

[birdvet2006]

Don't the fish slosh around too much while driving? It seems like there would be less sloshing if they were bagged, but I am nervous about bagging my Pleco for such a long trip because of his size.

No, I don't fill the coolers to the top - I leave a bit of room for sloshing (and it's not a big deal for sloshing - water movement/current is usually a good thing). I try to use coolers that aren't too small so that I don't need to fill them to the top with water.

The problem I have with bags is - you can't fill them with oxygen (like I used to as a PETsMART associate), and if you blow them up per os (via mouth) then you're adding in CO2 (only good for aquatic plants!). If you had some way to use compressed gas (either O2 or room air), it might work. At least with the coolers, there's room air to dissolve some O2 into the water so the fish don't die (and aerators help).

 

[keppsu1]

I moved my african clawed frog from PA to GA with no major problems. We left him in his tank, but just removed a lot of the water (left enough for him to float and be semi-comfortable). He didn't seem to mind his trip in the back of the Ryder truck (we just kept him close to the door so we could check on him periodically). Now I will say that he was a hardy fella, so if you know that your frog is sensitive, the associated "sloshing" may not be suitable for him.
The trip was an overnighter.
Good luck.

 

[Olddodger]

No, I don't fill the coolers to the top - I leave a bit of room for sloshing (and it's not a big deal for sloshing - water movement/current is usually a good thing). I try to use coolers that aren't too small so that I don't need to fill them to the top with water.

The problem I have with bags is - you can't fill them with oxygen (like I used to as a PETsMART associate), and if you blow them up per os (via mouth) then you're adding in CO2 (only good for aquatic plants!). If you had some way to use compressed gas (either O2 or room air), it might work. At least with the coolers, there's room air to dissolve some O2 into the water so the fish don't die (and aerators help).

Many of your smaller aquatic stores will have a tank of O2 for just such a thing. If you can find a friendly place they might fill up the bags gratis. It might be worth asking/calling around.

I agree on the water level. Leave some space, and the sloshing isn't too bad, but cooler tops are really quite flexible. I would hang a power head (powered from the inverter) from the top with the aeration tube, and then I would clamp the top down. There was plenty of give to allow the powerhead cord/air line to work, and the rest of the top was seated.

As back-up, I usually threw a tarp/towel como under the cooler, and that sopped up any spill.

I moved a pleco that was a BIG daddy several times. I don't think he really minded at all...he just went about hoovering the sides/bottom of the cooler.

Speaking of hoovering the tank, the one of things I miss from living in New Orleans was all the free live crayfish that you could pick up. Toss a couple in, and they would pretty much clean up the bottom of the tank in a couple of days (I had an Oscar...notoriously messy eaters). Problem was, crayfish molt after a couple of weeks, and the Oscar knew it, and would just hang out for his opportunity, even if I had plenty of hiding places in the tank.

Oldie

 

[birdvet2006]

I moved a pleco that was a BIG daddy several times. I don't think he really minded at all...he just went about hoovering the sides/bottom of the cooler.

Oldie

Thanks for the tips, Oldie!

The thing I hate about moving my fish are the catfish barbs - they get stuck in the nets! I even use fine mesh nets if possible, but I have HUGE catfish (OK not as huge as a red-tail, but pretty big nonetheless). I have one 5-line Pimodella that I've had since 1997, and an unidentified thing similar in size (looks sorta Synodontis-like to me). They bark when disturbed, especially the Pimodella. I hate having to cut barbs from nets (probably because I hate touching the fish at all!).

 

[Olddodger]

Thanks for the tips, Oldie!

The thing I hate about moving my fish are the catfish barbs - they get stuck in the nets! I even use fine mesh nets if possible, but I have HUGE catfish (OK not as huge as a red-tail, but pretty big nonetheless). I have one 5-line Pimodella that I've had since 1997, and an unidentified thing similar in size (looks sorta Synodontis-like to me). They bark when disturbed, especially the Pimodella. I hate having to cut barbs from nets (probably because I hate touching the fish at all!).

Hi Birdvet.

Yep..its funny how attatched you get to fish. I had a Jack Dempsy that I bought for $1.99 or so, and he was the smallest in the tank at the pet store.

Over the years, he grew to be a MONSTER. When he finally went to the big tank in the sky, he was easily bigger than my hand, or about 8-9 inches or so and about an inch think. He ate like a pig, and the only thing I could keep with him was a pleco.

He was actually pretty creepy at times. He would just float there...watching you...ALWAYS watching you. If you moved, he moved. He would have a big stare contest with the cat....they would just sit and stare at each other. Finally, the cat would make some squeaky sounds and just run away. I think the cat was afraid of him.

But the strangest thing I've ever seen was a buddy in undergrad that had an a little octopus. THAT thing was creepy. It would pull itself up and just sit on the corner of the tank with it's tentacles draped in the water, eyeballing everything that walked past. Definate Alien vibe.

Good luck!

Oldie