Moving aquarium?

[Ricky]

Does anyone know how to move an aquarium? I don't want to upset the balance
and put all these fish through the stress of cycling. It's only a 10 gallon
tank. Can I move part of the water at a time and move the fish back in? I
don't want to do this, but it look like I will have to, and soon. Help
would be appreciated.

--
Richard W. Ayers
SuryaPlexus
Managing Life through Yoga
203-879-3473

[Iain Miller]

"Ricky" > wrote in message
om...
> Does anyone know how to move an aquarium? I don't want to upset the
balance
> and put all these fish through the stress of cycling. It's only a 10
gallon
> tank. Can I move part of the water at a time and move the fish back in?
I
> don't want to do this, but it look like I will have to, and soon. Help
> would be appreciated.

There has been a ton of stuff posted on how to do this.......do a search of
Google.

It would help if you let us know how far you need to move it!

rgds

I.

[0rion]

"Ricky" > wrote in message
om...
> Does anyone know how to move an aquarium? I don't want to upset the
balance
> and put all these fish through the stress of cycling. It's only a 10
gallon
> tank. Can I move part of the water at a time and move the fish back in?
I
> don't want to do this, but it look like I will have to, and soon. Help
> would be appreciated.
>
> --
> Richard W. Ayers
> SuryaPlexus
> Managing Life through Yoga
> 203-879-3473
>
>


ten gallons is no problem at all if you're prepared (it's a pain in the ass,
just not a problem)

i'm assuming a move that requires transportation time of less than an hour
by car, that you are willing to do the pain in the ass part, and that you
have access to wherever you're moving into before you move the tank.

1 five gallon bucket at the place you're moving into
1 five gallon bucket at home

three to five days prior to moving the tank, vacuum the gravel very well and
do a partial water change, i'd say 1-2 gallons (this should be a normal
cleaning regimen).

the day of the move, have about five gallons of clean, dechlorinated and
aquarium-treated water ready at the place you're moving into. you can
optionally have mixed this half-half with some clean tank water (from the
middle of the water column, not the gravel-vacuum output) so that the fish
are less shocked by any potential changes in chemistry when they get to the
new location.

back home:

empty about a quarter of the tank into a bucket , making sure to vacuum from
the middle of the water column and not from the gravel. this is so that the
fish have a place to go, yet there is enough water in the tank so that they
dont get hurt and so you still have some liberty in catching them without
getting a net full of gravel

take the hood off, lighting/filter/everything. take it apart. now is a very
good time to consider cleaning out the inside of the pump with a q-tip and
pipe cleaner.

remove all decorations from the tank, clean them off (they might be dirty)
with non-chlorinated water, and put them in a clean plastic
bag/bucket/towel. you can optionally save these in either the fish bucket or
a second bucket if you dont want to wash them.


this should leave a completely empty tank 75% full with fish frantically
looking for territory landmarks... now start netting them carefully and
putting them in the half-full bucket of clean water.

once you're done netting the fish, let the water settle a little bit. it'll
be pretty stirred up from removing decorations and catching fish. MAKE SURE
YOU HAVE THEM ALL! :)


then use the vacuum to take more clean water out, filling the fish bucket
(bucket ) up to a few inches below the top. it should be full of crystal
clear tank water by now. this should give them enough room to swim if they
didnt have it already.


i only have experience with cartridge+biowheel filters. we have an option
with the filter: either take the filter cartridge out and throw it away so
that you can use a new one at the new location, OR use the same one and keep
it moist in existing tank-water during travel (not the fish bucket though,
yuck, use something else). the bio wheel if you have one should be removed
and left floating in the fish-bucket


the remaining 50% water in the tank CAN be used at the new place, but this
requires moving more water around and an extra bucket in the car which all
turns out to be an unnecessary hassle since you have pretreated,
temperature-stable water at the new place (verify that the temperature
change isnt an extreme difference). never lift up a tank that has water in
it, even if you can lift it. the tank at half full will weigh 40-50 lbs,
supported by glass and plastic.. not smart. use the vacuum and an empty
bucket to remove all but the last inch of water from the tank, and throw it
away. this should leave the tank with a small layer of gravel and just
enough water to cover it up, just a few pounds (its a 10 gallon tank, so who
cares).


cover up the fish bucket with a plastic bag, use masking tape around the
edge so that the bag doesnt come off, and this should prevent splashes. if
you're concerned about a long drive, poke holes in the center of the bag...
it should be unnecessary though. unless you have some extremely sensitive
fish, small temp fluctuations and movement shouldn't harm them. i doubt you
have any hard-to-keep fish in the 10. carefully move the tank into the car,
followed by the bucket of fish, and then use a bag or something for the rest
of the stuff (food treatment medicine). if you have a stand, that goes in
last and keep it away from the bucket and tank because they're usually
bulky. dont let the tank bounce around in the back seat, hold it down with a
seatbelt or a pillow.


move to the new place


when you arrive, get the fish bucket out of the sun/hot car and leave it
somewhere where it won't be disturbed too much while you set up everything
else. take the plastic bag off the top and make sure the fish are ok.


move the stand in. get it set up and make absolutely sure it's where you
want it. get the bucket of water that you had at the new place and leave it
near the stand, out of the way. bring in the tank, carefully put it on the
stand, and make sure it's level. it should be close to an outlet so that you
dont have to drape cords around all over the place, and remember it can't
easily be moved after you set it back up.


get the bucket of water that you had waiting and pour it into the tank. it
should be ~half full. put in any decorations or driftwood, and make sure
everything is neatly arranged the way you want it.


now net up the fish one by one and put them into the half full tank. after
they're all in, gently pour the other five gallons into the tank and set up
the hood. (dont forget to take out the bio wheel). insert your old cartridge
or a new one depending on which option you chose, and plug in your
filter/lighting after making sure it's not wet


if you did it right you should have a minimally disturbed tank with lots of
little particles floating around. your filter will take care of that within
a few hours. closely monitor the tank's chemistry and the fish health for a
few days. i've done this a few times with a 15 gallon across town and i've
never lost a fish, so i wish you good luck.

[Paul]

0rion wrote in message ...
>
>"Ricky" > wrote in message
om...
>> Does anyone know how to move an aquarium? I don't want to upset the
>balance
>> and put all these fish through the stress of cycling. It's only a 10
>gallon
>> tank. Can I move part of the water at a time and move the fish back in?
>I
>> don't want to do this, but it look like I will have to, and soon. Help
>> would be appreciated.
>>
>> --
>> Richard W. Ayers
>> SuryaPlexus
>> Managing Life through Yoga
>> 203-879-3473
>>
>>
>
>
>ten gallons is no problem at all if you're prepared (it's a pain in the
ass,
>just not a problem)
>
>i'm assuming a move that requires transportation time of less than an hour
>by car, that you are willing to do the pain in the ass part, and that you
>have access to wherever you're moving into before you move the tank.
>
>1 five gallon bucket at the place you're moving into
>1 five gallon bucket at home
>
>three to five days prior to moving the tank, vacuum the gravel very well
and
>do a partial water change, i'd say 1-2 gallons (this should be a normal
>cleaning regimen).
>
>the day of the move, have about five gallons of clean, dechlorinated and
>aquarium-treated water ready at the place you're moving into. you can
>optionally have mixed this half-half with some clean tank water (from the
>middle of the water column, not the gravel-vacuum output) so that the fish
>are less shocked by any potential changes in chemistry when they get to the
>new location.
>
>back home:
>
>empty about a quarter of the tank into a bucket , making sure to vacuum
from
>the middle of the water column and not from the gravel. this is so that the
>fish have a place to go, yet there is enough water in the tank so that they
>dont get hurt and so you still have some liberty in catching them without
>getting a net full of gravel
>
>take the hood off, lighting/filter/everything. take it apart. now is a very
>good time to consider cleaning out the inside of the pump with a q-tip and
>pipe cleaner.
>
>remove all decorations from the tank, clean them off (they might be dirty)
>with non-chlorinated water, and put them in a clean plastic
>bag/bucket/towel. you can optionally save these in either the fish bucket
or
>a second bucket if you dont want to wash them.
>
>
>this should leave a completely empty tank 75% full with fish frantically
>looking for territory landmarks... now start netting them carefully and
>putting them in the half-full bucket of clean water.
>
>once you're done netting the fish, let the water settle a little bit. it'll
>be pretty stirred up from removing decorations and catching fish. MAKE SURE
>YOU HAVE THEM ALL! :)
>
>
>then use the vacuum to take more clean water out, filling the fish bucket
>(bucket ) up to a few inches below the top. it should be full of crystal
>clear tank water by now. this should give them enough room to swim if they
>didnt have it already.
>
>
>i only have experience with cartridge+biowheel filters. we have an option
>with the filter: either take the filter cartridge out and throw it away so
>that you can use a new one at the new location, OR use the same one and
keep
>it moist in existing tank-water during travel (not the fish bucket though,
>yuck, use something else). the bio wheel if you have one should be removed
>and left floating in the fish-bucket
>
>
>the remaining 50% water in the tank CAN be used at the new place, but this
>requires moving more water around and an extra bucket in the car which all
>turns out to be an unnecessary hassle since you have pretreated,
>temperature-stable water at the new place (verify that the temperature
>change isnt an extreme difference). never lift up a tank that has water in
>it, even if you can lift it. the tank at half full will weigh 40-50 lbs,
>supported by glass and plastic.. not smart. use the vacuum and an empty
>bucket to remove all but the last inch of water from the tank, and throw it
>away. this should leave the tank with a small layer of gravel and just
>enough water to cover it up, just a few pounds (its a 10 gallon tank, so
who
>cares).
>
>
>cover up the fish bucket with a plastic bag, use masking tape around the
>edge so that the bag doesnt come off, and this should prevent splashes. if
>you're concerned about a long drive, poke holes in the center of the bag...
>it should be unnecessary though. unless you have some extremely sensitive
>fish, small temp fluctuations and movement shouldn't harm them. i doubt you
>have any hard-to-keep fish in the 10. carefully move the tank into the car,
>followed by the bucket of fish, and then use a bag or something for the
rest
>of the stuff (food treatment medicine). if you have a stand, that goes in
>last and keep it away from the bucket and tank because they're usually
>bulky. dont let the tank bounce around in the back seat, hold it down with
a
>seatbelt or a pillow.
>
>
>move to the new place
>
>
>when you arrive, get the fish bucket out of the sun/hot car and leave it
>somewhere where it won't be disturbed too much while you set up everything
>else. take the plastic bag off the top and make sure the fish are ok.
>
>
>move the stand in. get it set up and make absolutely sure it's where you
>want it. get the bucket of water that you had at the new place and leave it
>near the stand, out of the way. bring in the tank, carefully put it on the
>stand, and make sure it's level. it should be close to an outlet so that
you
>dont have to drape cords around all over the place, and remember it can't
>easily be moved after you set it back up.
>
>
>get the bucket of water that you had waiting and pour it into the tank. it
>should be ~half full. put in any decorations or driftwood, and make sure
>everything is neatly arranged the way you want it.
>
>
>now net up the fish one by one and put them into the half full tank. after
>they're all in, gently pour the other five gallons into the tank and set up
>the hood. (dont forget to take out the bio wheel). insert your old
cartridge
>or a new one depending on which option you chose, and plug in your
>filter/lighting after making sure it's not wet
>
>
>if you did it right you should have a minimally disturbed tank with lots of
>little particles floating around. your filter will take care of that within
>a few hours. closely monitor the tank's chemistry and the fish health for a
>few days. i've done this a few times with a 15 gallon across town and i've
>never lost a fish, so i wish you good luck.
>
>

how ridiculous. I buy fish that come from 700km away in a small plastic bag.
and I too have never lost a fish.

[0rion]

"Paul" > wrote in message
...
>
> how ridiculous. I buy fish that come from 700km away in a small plastic
bag.
> and I too have never lost a fish.
>

they probably come in padded, temperature stable boxes and their bags are
filled with oxygen for the trip. distance means absolutely nothing because
they're shipped next day air. you aren't moving a fish tank, you're buying
fish from people who want to minimize cost and maximize profit. next time
you move your fish tank i hope you try the small plastic bag method. be sure
to fill the tank with tap water straight away when you get there, too.


putz.

[Flash Wilson]

On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 00:29:34 GMT, Ricky > wrote:
>Does anyone know how to move an aquarium? I don't want to upset the balance
>and put all these fish through the stress of cycling. It's only a 10 gallon
>tank. Can I move part of the water at a time and move the fish back in? I
>don't want to do this, but it look like I will have to, and soon. Help
>would be appreciated.

I moved a 70l tank - http://www.gorge.org/fish/moving.shtml
describes. HTH.

--
Flash Wilson
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