HOW TO MOVE AN AQUARIUM

Moving can be very stressful on your aquatic animals and should be done with extreme caution. You should expect that you may lose a couple fish during the transit so make sure you prepare yourself properly.  When using  mover services, breaking down and setting up the aquarium is the one thing you will be required to do yourself, another option you may want to consider is giving away or selling your current aquatic union and getting a new one. There are two primary sources of getting the job done when it comes to moving an aquarium.

Moving your tank.

Moving your fish.

 

Moving The Fish Tank

When it comes to moving your tank, if you’re moving a short distance you may be able to save the bacteria colony, but remember you have to account for the time involved in breaking down, packing, and setting up the aquarium again, and generally this takes a few hours.  The first thing you will want to do is remove the fish and get a secure container for them to be in.

Make sure your tank is empty, especially if you are traveling out of state and if you are using cross-country movers and are not able to take the tank yourself.   If you are traveling a short distance and moving yourself you may leave a little water left in the tank to save the bacteria colony. It’s a good idea to move it yourself if you can.

Take the tank apart, your aquarium plants can survive if the roots are able to stay  wet, and the filter can be placed in a container that is free of chemicals. If long distance moving, clean or throwaway the filter.  Pump, heaters, lighting, etc all can be packed with other fragile items.

It’s a good idea to move the tank yourself when you can.

When you reach destination, reassemble your tank as if it were a new tank, giving it about a week to make sure everything is functioning properly and the filter system is working, etc. you can now place your fish back in the tank.

Move the Fish

When it comes to your fish you want to stop feeding them a couple days before the move, it’s a good idea to get some plastic bags for the fish and make sure to store them in cooler water. When moving your fish, you will need to have a place to store them and keep up with them during the move. Some options you can do would be a temporary bowl or pet store boarding. Some pet stores will even pack and ship your fish for you at an additional cost if you are traveling long distance.

Packing fish yourself is not a good idea, but if you have to do this you can place them in a plastic bag with half water and ½ air or Oxygen, or a sealed bucket is another option. Make sure to keep the fish separate.  Make sure to keep and maintain the temperature for the fish  nice and cool for them to survive in. Fish usually won’t eat during the move because is a stressful time for them, so don’t put food in the container as you do not want to contaminate the water that they are in. Also fish usually can last up to a week or so without food especially if they have been fed well prior to. Allow enough time for them to be able to adjust to their new homes.

Remember when you are using relocation movers, the best option for your fish is to move the aquariums yourself if at all possible.

Let your fish slowly adjust by taking water from the new tank and placing it in their temporary bowls and keep doing this until they have adjusted properly to their new tanks.  Your fish and aquatic friends should be enjoying their new home in no time.