Expert: Richard Hight - 7/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: I am moving soon, and I have three tanks of fish to move with me. US 20 gal, 10 gal, 40 gal.  I have 10 African ciclids in all, 2 plecos, and 2 fiddler crabs. I am moving a distance of about 400 miles by car/van, what measures do I need to take to ensure my fish survive the move?

ANSWER: Hi Heather

The most important thing to remember is to make your aquariums the last thing you take down and load, and the first thing you unload and setup at your new home.

Do NOT feed your fish 24 hours before you leave. This will minimize waste they produce.

1) Go to your local Walmart or Sporting Goods store and get about 4 styrofoam bait buckets. The ones I used were about 3 gallons each and came with battery operated air pumps. If you can't find ones that come with battery operated pumps, you'll need to buy these separately. Put 4 fish per bucket and a separate one for the crabs.

Styrofoam is very important here because it insulates the fish and retains the temperature better than plastic.

2) Fill these buckets with fresh clean water and treat with a water conditioner. Let them sit beside your tanks for at least an hour before you are ready to put your fish in them. This will equalize the temperature.

3) Remove all the decorations from your tanks, especially heavy rocks etc. Leave the gravel in your tanks.

4) Make sure you have adequate room in the vehicle you are moving in to set your aquariums on a flat surface and on heavy duty furniture pads. The 3 aquariums you have will not make it safely in a car. A van or small Uhaul truck would be the best choice. Mine were on the floor in the back of a large Uhaul truck.

5) When all of your other belongings are loaded and you are ready to hit the road, place your fish in the styrofoam buckets. Put the covers on them and start the air pumps. Drain all of the water out of your tanks, but leave about ¼" of water covering the gravel. Place some of the tank water in a large plastic bag or container and put your filter media in there. IMPORTANT: If your filter media dries while on the road, this will kill the beneficial bacteria colonies causing your tanks to cycle all over again. This is also why you want to keep the gravel wet.

Load the tanks in your vehicle and make sure they won't bump around and break. (I broke one of mine strapping it in and had to buy a new one when I got to my new home) Put your fish in the vehicle and if they are exposed to bright daylight, put a light cover over them. Make it as dark as possible in the buckets because fish are less active in the dark and will be less stressed and produce less waste.

6) When you arrive at your new home, decide where you are going to put your tanks and get your tanks setup as quickly as possible.
Fill with water, replace the decorations, get your filters and heaters going and let everything run for about an hour before putting your fish in their new water. Use new carbon cartridges in your filters.

7) IMPORTANT: The water in your new town will have a different chemistry than the water in your current home. You'll need to acclimate your fish to the new water just as you would when you bring them home from the fish store.

I moved over 1000 miles and my fish were on the road for 2 days and they all survived. Your fish will be on the road for less than a day and should all be fine as well if you follow these steps.

Be careful and take frequent breaks while on the road. Don't push yourself trying to get there in a hurry. This will insure that you and your fish arrive at your new home safely. I was driving a large Uhaul truck pulling a car on a trailer behind it. I stopped every 2 hours for about 15 minutes.

I really hope this helps you and let me know if I can be of further assistance. Good luck!

Richard




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Another question came to mind regarding the water quality in the area I am moving to. It is my understanding that the water there is harder and has higher mineral levels than where I am now. Will my fish adjust to this or will I need to get special water at a pet store or can I treat it myself with water conditioners?

Answer
Hi Heather

GREAT question! Test the pH of the new water, if it doesn't vary that much from your current water, your fish will be fine. Most tropical fish will be just fine in a pH of 6.5 to 8.0. Most African Cichlids require a pH of above 7.5. My Brichardi have a pH of 9.0

As far as mineral content, I didn't really check this closely when I moved. My pH had a difference of .5 If you're moving from a place with city water to a place with city water and you use a good water conditioner such as StressCoat or AquaSafe, your fish should adjust to it with no problems. Just make sure to acclimate your fish correctly to the new water and all should be well.

Best way to acclimate your fish when you move...

Pour some of the traveling water from the buckets into large Ziploc bags. Float the fish in the bags in the new tank water for about 15 minutes. Then take a ¼ cup of the tank water and pour it into the bags about every 15 minutes. Repeat this step until the amount of water in the bag has doubled (usually about an hour)

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard