Moving Soon...looking for suggestions.

[ToeKnee]

I'm not one to tempt fate toooo much, but can't refuse a perfect
opportunity to change things.

Due to impending arrival (in 8 months) of our second child, we are
moving from our too small town house to a larger single family about a
mile away, same water, same almost everything... just bigger... room
for the 200g I want.

I will be moving three active and one Q. tanks. The only one I am
concerned with is the 45gallon.

Currently it has been settled in for almost two years. Mixed
substrate (gravel /black sand) Anacharis & Water Sprite (the only two
that have survived, although the panda's are eating the heck out of
the Anacharis.) A bubble wand and Magnum 350 canister with dual
BioWheels.

It is inhabited by:
1 9"pl*co
5 panda cories
2 c. aeneus
3 clown loaches
6-7(?) yellow (colored) swordtails (not sure how many there are this
week)
Not to be confused with X. clemenciae
3 female guppies that were added at 4 days old to be food....
no one ate them :-(

My wife's tank is the male guppy tank... 20 gallons, dozen or so
guppies, 5 c. aeneus, and SNAILS... tons of them we cull them for the
clowns..


Here is the question of the day... When I get the big tank to the new
house, it will be "dry" I intend to drain and clean the tank...
including the sand. I will be removing all the buried snail shells,
rotted bits of plant, finding all the lost lead plant weights, etc and
removing the gravel.

I have considering putting in a UGF if only for the plants to really
have something to grow into. The biggest issue I have with live
plants is the Loaches... Constantly rooting round the stalks at ground
level and uprooting everything. I know it won't stop them, but the
hope is that it will help.

So the question is to change or not. What to change? I'd like more
plants, but the loaches and panda's seem against them, what with the
loaches uprooting them, and the panda's eating them.

I'm hoping to stir up some good conversation here, looking for all
ideas, good, bad, ugly, ridicules...

TIA!



--Tony

[Daniel Morrow]

"ToeKnee" > wrote in message
...
> I'm not one to tempt fate toooo much, but can't refuse a perfect
> opportunity to change things.
>
> Due to impending arrival (in 8 months) of our second child, we are
> moving from our too small town house to a larger single family about a
> mile away, same water, same almost everything... just bigger... room
> for the 200g I want.
>
> I will be moving three active and one Q. tanks. The only one I am
> concerned with is the 45gallon.
>
> Currently it has been settled in for almost two years. Mixed
> substrate (gravel /black sand) Anacharis & Water Sprite (the only two
> that have survived, although the panda's are eating the heck out of
> the Anacharis.) A bubble wand and Magnum 350 canister with dual
> BioWheels.
>
> It is inhabited by:
> 1 9"pl*co
> 5 panda cories
> 2 c. aeneus
> 3 clown loaches
> 6-7(?) yellow (colored) swordtails (not sure how many there are this
> week)
> Not to be confused with X. clemenciae
> 3 female guppies that were added at 4 days old to be food....
> no one ate them :-(
>
> My wife's tank is the male guppy tank... 20 gallons, dozen or so
> guppies, 5 c. aeneus, and SNAILS... tons of them we cull them for the
> clowns..
>
>
> Here is the question of the day... When I get the big tank to the new
> house, it will be "dry" I intend to drain and clean the tank...
> including the sand. I will be removing all the buried snail shells,
> rotted bits of plant, finding all the lost lead plant weights, etc and
> removing the gravel.
>
> I have considering putting in a UGF if only for the plants to really
> have something to grow into. The biggest issue I have with live
> plants is the Loaches... Constantly rooting round the stalks at ground
> level and uprooting everything. I know it won't stop them, but the
> hope is that it will help.
>
> So the question is to change or not. What to change? I'd like more
> plants, but the loaches and panda's seem against them, what with the
> loaches uprooting them, and the panda's eating them.
>
> I'm hoping to stir up some good conversation here, looking for all
> ideas, good, bad, ugly, ridicules...
>
> TIA!
>
>
>
> --Tony

I would recommend that when moving the tank try to keep as much of the
original water as possible and pour it into (from buckets? Definitely do NOT
move the tanks while they have water in them!) the tanks at their
destination. Keep the biowheels damp and relatively (luke warm?) warm at the
very least until they are installed at their destination, and keep the
biowheels out of the tank water for as LITTLE time as possible to prevent
the good biological bacteria from starving or going into shock or dieing. Go
ahead and put in a ugf as it can't hurt except be prepared to cap off the
intake/outtake tubes at the gravel surface or so. The ability to cap off the
intake/outtake tubes makes adding a ugf harmless and they might come in
handy in the future if you ever decide to offer good root level water flow
and maybe even additional biological (but the biowheels should be able to
handle anything you can throw at it at the very least within reason)
filtration.

That's my recommendations and 2 cents worth - good luck and later!

[FishNoob]

In article >,
says...
> I would recommend that when moving the tank try to keep as much of the
> original water as possible and pour it into (from buckets? Definitely do NOT
> move the tanks while they have water in them!)

I've been using 5-litre bottles (the kind you buy spring water in)
for water changes - it works very well. It allows me to measure
easily how much water is going out/in, they don't spill, once I've
taken the water out I can screw the lid on and carry them away - plus
once they're empty and rinsed I can refill them from the tap and let
the water sit in them (under the cabinet the tank is on) to come to
room temperature for the next water change (along with empty bottles
for taking the water out that time).

I started using them because we didn't have a bucket, and the basin
was a) too small and b) difficult to move without spilling - but it
works great :-). They'd be ideal for taking the water when you move
house too.

--
FishNoob

[scrappy]

The biggest help I can offer here is that if possible and since it's a
close move.... move your tanks either before or after the big move. We
moved a year ago and I was able to move one tank before the move, it worked
great. Unfortunately the other tank was too big for me to move alone and I
couldn't get anyone to help me. As much as I prepped the tank and all the
parts for moving it was one of the things that got damaged. Not the tank
itself but the lid got broken, parts of one of the filters got lost or
broken, etc. I did bring 5 gallon pails of the water from the tank on
moving day so that I only put in less than 75% of the new water. And I had
the new water sitting in buckets here for a few days so that it would be
close to room temp. I brought the fish over the night before, I purchased a
new plastic storage container and filled it halfway with water. I put a
biowheel filter and an airstone in it once I got them to the new house and
then added water as soon as I got it here. All survived the move... but it
was hectic and an added stress that I didn't really need on moving day to
have to worry about. Since you also have a little one it sure would make it
alot easier on yourself.
"ToeKnee" > wrote in message
...
I'm not one to tempt fate toooo much, but can't refuse a perfect
opportunity to change things.

Due to impending arrival (in 8 months) of our second child, we are
moving from our too small town house to a larger single family about a
mile away, same water, same almost everything... just bigger... room
for the 200g I want.

I will be moving three active and one Q. tanks. The only one I am
concerned with is the 45gallon.

Currently it has been settled in for almost two years. Mixed
substrate (gravel /black sand) Anacharis & Water Sprite (the only two
that have survived, although the panda's are eating the heck out of
the Anacharis.) A bubble wand and Magnum 350 canister with dual
BioWheels.

It is inhabited by:
1 9"pl*co
5 panda cories
2 c. aeneus
3 clown loaches
6-7(?) yellow (colored) swordtails (not sure how many there are this
week)
Not to be confused with X. clemenciae
3 female guppies that were added at 4 days old to be food....
no one ate them :-(

My wife's tank is the male guppy tank... 20 gallons, dozen or so
guppies, 5 c. aeneus, and SNAILS... tons of them we cull them for the
clowns..


Here is the question of the day... When I get the big tank to the new
house, it will be "dry" I intend to drain and clean the tank...
including the sand. I will be removing all the buried snail shells,
rotted bits of plant, finding all the lost lead plant weights, etc and
removing the gravel.

I have considering putting in a UGF if only for the plants to really
have something to grow into. The biggest issue I have with live
plants is the Loaches... Constantly rooting round the stalks at ground
level and uprooting everything. I know it won't stop them, but the
hope is that it will help.

So the question is to change or not. What to change? I'd like more
plants, but the loaches and panda's seem against them, what with the
loaches uprooting them, and the panda's eating them.

I'm hoping to stir up some good conversation here, looking for all
ideas, good, bad, ugly, ridicules...

TIA!



--Tony

[Daniel Morrow]

Mid posted.


"scrappy" > wrote in message ...
The biggest help I can offer here is that if possible and since it's a close move.... move your tanks either before or after the big move. We moved a year ago and I was able to move one tank before the move, it worked great. Unfortunately the other tank was too big for me to move alone and I couldn't get anyone to help me.

I hate that about moving which is why I don't move!

As much as I prepped the tank and all the parts for moving it was one of the things that got damaged. Not the tank itself but the lid got broken, parts of one of the filters got lost or broken, etc. I did bring 5 gallon pails of the water from the tank on moving day so that I only put in less than 75% of the new water. And I had the new water sitting in buckets here for a few days so that it would be close to room temp. I brought the fish over the night before, I purchased a new plastic storage container and filled it halfway with water. I put a biowheel filter and an airstone in it once I got them to the new house and then added water as soon as I got it here. All survived the move... but it was hectic and an added stress that I didn't really need on moving day to have to worry about. Since you also have a little one it sure would make it alot easier on yourself.
"ToeKnee" > wrote in message ...
I'm not one to tempt fate toooo much, but can't refuse a perfect
opportunity to change things.

Due to impending arrival (in 8 months) of our second child, we are
moving from our too small town house to a larger single family about a
mile away, same water, same almost everything... just bigger... room
for the 200g I want.

I will be moving three active and one Q. tanks. The only one I am
concerned with is the 45gallon.

Currently it has been settled in for almost two years. Mixed
substrate (gravel /black sand) Anacharis & Water Sprite (the only two
that have survived, although the panda's are eating the heck out of
the Anacharis.) A bubble wand and Magnum 350 canister with dual
BioWheels.

It is inhabited by:
1 9"pl*co
5 panda cories
2 c. aeneus
3 clown loaches
6-7(?) yellow (colored) swordtails (not sure how many there are this
week)
Not to be confused with X. clemenciae
3 female guppies that were added at 4 days old to be food....
no one ate them :-(

My wife's tank is the male guppy tank... 20 gallons, dozen or so
guppies, 5 c. aeneus, and SNAILS... tons of them we cull them for the
clowns..


Here is the question of the day... When I get the big tank to the new
house, it will be "dry" I intend to drain and clean the tank...
including the sand. I will be removing all the buried snail shells,
rotted bits of plant, finding all the lost lead plant weights, etc and
removing the gravel.

I have considering putting in a UGF if only for the plants to really
have something to grow into. The biggest issue I have with live
plants is the Loaches... Constantly rooting round the stalks at ground
level and uprooting everything. I know it won't stop them, but the
hope is that it will help.

So the question is to change or not. What to change? I'd like more
plants, but the loaches and panda's seem against them, what with the
loaches uprooting them, and the panda's eating them.

I'm hoping to stir up some good conversation here, looking for all
ideas, good, bad, ugly, ridicules...

TIA!



--Tony

[Tedd Jacobs]

"ToeKnee" > wrote in message
...
> I'm not one to tempt fate toooo much, but can't refuse a perfect
> opportunity to change things.
>
> Due to impending arrival (in 8 months) of our second child, we are
> moving from our too small town house to a larger single family about a
> mile away, same water, same almost everything... just bigger... room
> for the 200g I want.

i know what you mean. i was able to get my 75 gal. this last summer after a
spring move to a new home. :-)

i realize you're not asking for suggestions on 'how best to move' but... the
recomendation that someone here made to me when we were preparing to move
was to simply lower the water levels down to just enough to cover the fish
(few inches at best), then move the tank, water fish and all, with a towel
draped over it to keep the splash down. this was very successfull for us
and we had a move of about 5 miles. wish i could remember who to thank for
the idea. stop feeding a day or two before, vacume the gravel when you
drain, and slowly refill over the period of a couple of days while doing
minimal feedings. i say this simply because you didnt point out how you
were moving the tanks or fish, which can be a huge player in deciding what
to do with the tank once you get it there.

to answer your question: once you do get things transported over you'll be
better set to decide what you want to do and how to do it. given the
opportunity, i'd take the chance and do the change.



>
> I will be moving three active and one Q. tanks. The only one I am
> concerned with is the 45gallon.
>
> Currently it has been settled in for almost two years. Mixed
> substrate (gravel /black sand) Anacharis & Water Sprite (the only two
> that have survived, although the panda's are eating the heck out of
> the Anacharis.) A bubble wand and Magnum 350 canister with dual
> BioWheels.
>
> It is inhabited by:
> 1 9"pl*co
> 5 panda cories
> 2 c. aeneus
> 3 clown loaches
> 6-7(?) yellow (colored) swordtails (not sure how many there are this
> week)
> Not to be confused with X. clemenciae
> 3 female guppies that were added at 4 days old to be food....
> no one ate them :-(
>
> My wife's tank is the male guppy tank... 20 gallons, dozen or so
> guppies, 5 c. aeneus, and SNAILS... tons of them we cull them for the
> clowns..
>
>
> Here is the question of the day... When I get the big tank to the new
> house, it will be "dry" I intend to drain and clean the tank...
> including the sand. I will be removing all the buried snail shells,
> rotted bits of plant, finding all the lost lead plant weights, etc and
> removing the gravel.
>
> I have considering putting in a UGF if only for the plants to really
> have something to grow into. The biggest issue I have with live
> plants is the Loaches... Constantly rooting round the stalks at ground
> level and uprooting everything. I know it won't stop them, but the
> hope is that it will help.
>
> So the question is to change or not. What to change? I'd like more
> plants, but the loaches and panda's seem against them, what with the
> loaches uprooting them, and the panda's eating them.
>
> I'm hoping to stir up some good conversation here, looking for all
> ideas, good, bad, ugly, ridicules...
>
> TIA!
>
>
>
> --Tony