AquariumFish.com :: Aquarium Fish Magazine :: The monthly magazine for both novice and expert aquarium hobbyists.
Home Community Classifieds Magazine Species Profiles Species Profiles Contact Us
FishChannel Forums
Rules-Read First    Home       Members    Calendar    Who's On
Welcome Guest ( Login | Register )
        

Home » Freshwater Forums » A Place for Beginners » Moving day/ Tank upgrade


Moving day/ Tank upgrade Expand / Collapse
Author
Message
Posted 8/25/2008 9:20:53 AM
New Member

New MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew Member

Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/25/2008 9:10:41 AM
Posts: 10, Visits: 15
This is a two part question...

1st off... Im moving and I am not sure how to transport my fish with the least amount of stress to them. Its not a very far move, so I dont think that they will be out of the tank for longer than 2 hours. How should I go about setting up the tank when i install it in my new house?

Next question

I currently have a 10 gallon tank with 2 german blue rams, 4 Rasboras, and a dwarf albino pleco ( not to mention all the unwanted snails). I am shopping around for a 20 -29 gallon tank, but How should I go about cycling my new tank? should I use old water form the 10 gallon? Should I move the fish individualy so all at the same time? Which ones first? I obviously care the most about the rams because I have had them the longest and hear that they are relatively hard to keep. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you all very much

Napalm

Post #154114
Posted 8/25/2008 10:10:53 AM


Senior Member

Senior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior Member

Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 10:18:27 PM
Posts: 1,208, Visits: 1,393
I would remove the fish as near to moving as possible - preferably right before.  Place them in spacious bags, individually is best, and blow air into the bags through a straw.  This is to provide them the most oxygen possible for the trip.  Then, place the bags in a cooler and pack with styrofoam or another suitable packing material, to minimize sloshing and shifting of the bags. 

Alternatively, you can use a cooler or large insulated box by itself.  I've done this while transporting some large angels and a pleco.  Simply fill the box or cooler with tank water and seal the top (short trips only, remember, like with bags).  Wrap any packaged fish with towels to prevent spillage or drips.

When this is finished, drain your tank.  Just use a siphon and empty it.  I leave a half inch or so of water in the bottom, but that's mostl to provide an added humidity boost to my live plants.  I also wrap the tank well in towels.

You don't need to take the water from your tank to your new house.  The bacteria that complete your nitrogen cycle live in your filter (either bag this or wrap in a damp towel to prevent it drying out) and in your gravel.  So using new water isn't a problem.  Simply add water back in and acclimate your fish properly.  There are several posts on this topic; search the forums for "acclimate" and you'll get a wealth of info on the right way to do this.

Drive safely and cautiously.  Use your brakes sparingly and slowly, to prevent jarring your animals and tank.  Be careful with turns as well - just drive like your car is full of glass and you'll be all right.  :) 

And set up the tank first thing.  Do not keep the animals in the bags for longer than those two hours.  Remember, don't plug in your heater until it's submerged.  Remember to acclimate properly and watch for signs of stress.  And there you have it.

As to the second question.

Your current setup is overstocked.  I wouldn't keep anything but those two rams in a 10g if you want to keep them there.  And rasboras need groups of at least six and are too active to house in a 10g, in general.  In addition, the pleco, although it's a smaller species, needs something larger than ten gallons.

That said, the sooner you can upgrade, the better.  I'd recommend at least the 29g you mentioned, for the pleco.  You can house the fish you have, get two more rasboras, and have room for a few more animals.

Seed the new tank with a filter cartridge from the old tank.  The filter cartridges are full of beneficial bacteria, so take it from the old tank, put a new one back in there, and slip the cartridge into the filter of the new tank, in front of the tank's own cartridge.  The water flow will help the beneficial bacteria migrate onto the new filter hardware and cartridges.  I'd wait a week then check to see how it's going via ammonia/nitrite/nitrate testing.

You don't need to use tank water, all new water will be fine. 

Now, what you do when moving the fish is based on your level of experience.  If you've kept many tanks before and are used to the nitrogen cycle, and can devote time and effort to meticulously testing your water, you can move the rams first.  It's generally better to move the more peaceful species first so they're not stressed by bolder, more established tankmates.  However, in this situation, it might be to your advantage to place the hardier species - the rasboras - first.  If you lose them to improper/incomplete cycling, they're not expensive to replace.  And they're hardier than rams tend to be.  I'd add three (buy new ones for this) and place them in the tank, then add the four from your tank in a week if all goes well.  Or add the plecostomus in a week.  When you're certain that you've cycled the tank, and waited long enough for the bacteria to have grown and adapted to handling a higher bio-load, then you can safely add your rams.

That was a long post.  Good luck.

In the Mountains   Of the Mountains   For the Mountains
 
Post #154115
Posted 8/25/2008 11:46:23 AM


Senior Member

Senior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior MemberSenior Member

Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 3:49:00 PM
Posts: 1,872, Visits: 4,649
I move my fish into and out of my dorm room/aparment every semester by using 5 gallon buckets that the dining hall gave me for free. You can get them all kinds of places, like bakeries and some restaurants, and who knows where else. I rinsed them out very, very well and they've worked wonderfully, especially as my fish are too big for most bags to work well. Other than that, I follow the general scenario that Nikita already gave, and haven't had a problem with travel yet. Good luck!

20 gallon long
Lionhead - Kiko
Calico Lionhead - Little Bean
29 gallon
Fantail - Oliver
Black Moor - Damian
Calico Ryukin - Serafina
2.5 gallon
male betta - Pirate
10 gallon planted
minnow, betta, guppy
Post #154123
Posted 8/25/2008 11:54:02 AM


Junior Member

Junior MemberJunior MemberJunior MemberJunior MemberJunior MemberJunior MemberJunior MemberJunior Member

Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 10:48:37 PM
Posts: 462, Visits: 1,069
Home Depot sells 5 gallon buckets as well, they are 3 or 4 bucks here, probably cheaper in the US.

*****************************************
Post #154125
Posted 8/26/2008 6:05:46 PM


New Member

New MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew MemberNew Member

Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/28/2008 7:59:27 AM
Posts: 43, Visits: 38
Actually, here is another way, get your fish in a bucket like the fish commenters said, and then cover the opening with a dark colered blanket so they cannot see. This helps for them because, they don't know what is going on. Yes, they are opposite from humans. When we can't see, we overreact but when fish can't see, (some fish are blind though) they are less stressed out. I didn't move with fish, but when I bought my micky mouse swordtail, I put it in the cooler and put a dark blue jacket on the bag so no light comes in the bag.  I was out shopping for some time so I left my fish like that. The swordtail is living fine right now thanks to that. Good luck moving! :) 

__________________________________________ 

"The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them."

Post #154242
« Prev Topic | Next Topic »


Reading This Topic Expand / Collapse
Active Users: 1 (1 guest, 0 members, 0 anonymous members)
No members currently viewing this topic.
Forum Moderators: Admin, Animal Network Admin, Suprafa, urchin, FishChannel Moderator, David Lass, Community Moderator

Permissions Expand / Collapse

All times are GMT -8:00, Time now is 11:11pm

shopanimalnetwork.com | Dog Fancy | Cat Fancy | Horse Illustrated | Reptiles | Remember Our Pets
Disclaimer: The posts and threads recorded in our messageboards do not reflect the opinions of nor are endorsed by BowTie, Inc., Animal Network nor any of its employees. We are not responsible for the content of these posts and threads. Site best viewed with IE 5+
Copyright ©2008 BowTie, Inc. All rights reserved.
Our Privacy Policy has changed. Privacy Policy/Your Cailfornia Privacy Rights. Terms of Use ° Guidelines for Participation


visit our messageboards contact us