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Moving

2K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  PRichs87 
#1 ·
So I will be moving back from from college and I have to bring back 2 tanks with me: 29 gallon community and a 6 gallon betta. Here are my plans for moving home, please help me what I am not thinking of.

29 Gallon:

I have 2 5 gallon buckets, but will probably purchase a 3rd. I am going to put all of my gravel and as much water into one of my buckets. My fake planets and pot with my filter material into another and if I purchase a third I would be putting just water into that one.Do you all think that about 10 gallons of water saved from my current tank would be enough for the fish to be ok when I get home?

All fish will be bagged and put into a styro foam cooler that I have so the water stays as stable as possible. I am only moving 3 hours, so I am not worried about the fish during the trip, just not having my tank go through a major cycle again! I will be sealing the top and keeping them in the front seat next to me while I drive.

6 gallon: Save water in bags (hopefully 3 gallons), put my betta into a small container with a hole cut in the top so he can breathe.

Get Home:

Set up my Tanks ASAP, this will be my first priority when I get home. Acclimate fish as necessary. I am hoping to get some sand put into my 29 gallon tank for my loaches, so they can bury themselves into it, so I figure this is a great time to add that since I already have to tear down my whole tank.

Can anyone see any holes in my current plan that I haven't thought of?

Thanks!:lol:
 
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#9 ·
+1, when I moved my 55G, I took three(3) 5 gallon buckets with me full of water,fish, gravel and filter media...and I didn't lose any fish and everyone made it safley....

water does'nt hold your beneficial bacteria, your filter and decor do, hence wanting to keep it alive(wet).
 
#3 ·
iamntbatman mentioned an important point.... the water parameters may be different so just in case I'd take as much water as possible. Or test it before hand. Either way your method seems good other than that.
 
#4 ·
Your post pretty much describes what I'm gonna be doing 4 days from now. I was planning on putting my 3 goldies into the buckets (they're 1-2 inches)... or is it a better idea to bag them? I've brought them home during winter/spring breaks and always bagged them because I couldn't take the buckets with me those times.

My friend is also asking me to do him a favor and bring his 5 goldfish home too.

I'm riding in the backseat so I was gonna put my fish into one bucket and his in the other. One bucket will go behind each seat (hoping the buckets will fit). And I'll occasionally stir the water for O2.

Major difference between you and me is travel time. Mine is 8 hours :shock:

Question though: how are you transferring the gravel into the buckets? What's gonna be your method of keeping the debris out?
 
#5 ·
That all sounds good. If you're buddy buddy with anyone at the fish supply store near you, you may want to hit them up for one of thier transfer boxes. They're cardboard boxes with the styrofoam insulation. They may even give you the giant bags. The neat thing there is you'll be able to transport more water with the fish that way, with less worry of the cooler busting.

And like the others have said. Be sure to keep your filter media and anything that goes back in, wet. I have transported gravel and all manner of other stuff, in five gallon buckets with tank water, then used it all at the destination.
 
#8 ·
They all use them. I got mine from Care-a-lot. In my area they seem to be the most fish friendly. The guy said they usually send them back BUT if one is damaged, it gets written off. So he gave me a good one and wrote it off. That being said, if the "specialist" at one of the stores you listed is amicable it can't hurt to ask. In my case I just asked. ***the key to asking for free stuff is to ask on the day they have that all out. So figure out what day they get fish shipments. If they don't have to work for it, it goes much smoother. The bags should be easy enough to get a few of as well.
 
#12 ·
:shock:how big is the piece of decor????:shock:

what if you bought a huge styrofoam cooler as someone else mentioned? there's gotta be someway that you can keep that sucker wet.
 
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