Moving with Fish - how can we make sure they don't die??

[CherryBlossom]

Inspired by the post "moving w/ cats"

My brother just got into Stanford Law School (we are soooo beyond excited for him!) and he'll be moving up to norhtern CA in a few months. He wants to take his 55 gallon saltwater and 40 gallon freshwater aquarium with him. He's going to have his own apartment so space is not the issue, it's the moving. In the thank he has fish that my dad bought and spent A LOT of money on. I cannot even begin to tell you all how much money and time has spent on these tanks. While I don't care for the fish that much, I do not want them to die during this time. I honestly have no idea how he's going to do it. I've read that you can't put them in those bags that they are held in when you first purchase them for more than an hour or so... and clearly the tank cannot be moved w/ them in it. I've also read that most fish will die in transport. So what's the best way to do this??? I kind of want to just tell him not do it and to leave the fish there... but if that happens I know that somehow I will end up w/ the responsibility w/ cleaning/caring for them... no way, I am already stuck w/ the task of using the siphon to clean the bottom of the tank and I find that to be annoying. They are NOT my fish! But I don't want to die either... I guess another option would be to donate them to some aquarium/school/pond.

what to do? what to do?

oy vey.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

How far is he moving? I've moved fish and it's a HUGE pain. One of the primary issues is the water WILL be different. The fish I had were in city water, moved to well water, and then again back to city water. They're fresh water Betta Fish which are more durable so they survived the moves. (I don't know anything about salt water aquariums).

I always keep the cups that the pet store sells the Bettas in, so that helped a lot and I put them in there for the move. Another option is a tupperwear container for each fish. It's sooooo important to reacclimate the fish, just as they were when first purchased. This takes HOURS and HOURS of time.

Why isn't your brother syphoning the tank? Does he have time (eta - just saw he's going to law school??? um, donate the fish!)? A fish store is the best place to donate fish. NOT a pond!!! They will all die and/or be eaten by frogs!

 

[Autumnovember]

Cherry---

FI used to have a 300 gallon saltwater fish tank and had to move the fish to his new home so when I see him today, I'll find out. He's a pro with saltwater tanks...sit tight, I'll find out =]

Totally understand how important it is to him to keep the fish alive not only considering they're living, breathing things but also because of how expensive they are.

Do not take on the responsibility of that tank---believe it or not, the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain and not saying that you aren't knowledgable on the subject, but you have to really know wtf you're doing when you have a tank. There are SO many variables that come along with maintaing that if one thing goes wrong you actually have 50 problems instead of 1. I really thought FI would have a heart attack at some point from all the stress that tank caused.

He COULD sell the fish back to a saltwater fish store and get some money back on them including the live rock too.

 

[kenny]

I think moving is very stressful for fish.
Two things come to mind.
Water quality and oxygen.

During the actual transport put fish in the largest bag possible and add lots of pure oxygen before sealing the bag.
Lay bag on its long side to maximize the surface area of the water that is exposed to the oxygen.
You may get a fish store to supply oxygen, or a medical office.
You may even arrange to stop at a fish store or two on the way to get fresh oxygen if the drive is long.

Buy a real reverse osmosis water filter.
Mine was around $300 at Home Depot, and it was not that hard to install - should be a piece of cake for Stanford material.
When he leaves the apartment he can take it with him.

The last thing would be maintaining a stable and proper temperature, but I can't imagine any way to do that in a car besides adjusting the car's AC and heater to the temp that keeps the fish happy.

Another possibility is shipping fish by air.
It may reduce the time they are out of an aquarium.

When he arrives and sets up the tanks see if he can get some bacteria-laden filter material from a pet shot to speed up the time it takes to season the new water and filter.

 

[kenny]

They also make battery-powered air pumps if you want to put an airstone in the bag.
Of course the bag would have to have an opening at the top and be placed inside a vase or pitcher thingie.

http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Air-B11-Aquarium-Pump/dp/B000256502

I'd also try to save and move as much of the original water as possible.

 

[CherryBlossom]

yeah these are all great suggestions to keep in mind as we move forward. The fish store told us there's no way to keep them in the bag for a 6 hour drive. the shaking and moving would send them into shock and most do not survive the drive. I think tupperware is a good, maybe we can poke holes in it... but I think the issue over and over is the shaking and moving of the drive.. unless one of us actually flew w/ them.. and we'll have to call around to airlines to see if they would allow that.

I'm going to do some digging around on the net and see if there's a specialty mover out there for that, he said he would be willing to fork over some money in order to do it right, and I feel like this is something that a professional should handle

the sad thing is that at the fish store they told us that most fish don't make it during moves and end up dying during the move or a few days after

 

[CherryBlossom]

How far is he moving? I've moved fish and it's a HUGE pain. One of the primary issues is the water WILL be different. The fish I had were in city water, moved to well water, and then again back to city water. They're fresh water Betta Fish which are more durable so they survived the moves. (I don't know anything about salt water aquariums).

I always keep the cups that the pet store sells the Bettas in, so that helped a lot and I put them in there for the move. Another option is a tupperwear container for each fish. It's sooooo important to reacclimate the fish, just as they were when first purchased. This takes HOURS and HOURS of time.

Why isn't your brother syphoning the tank? Does he have time (eta - just saw he's going to law school??? um, donate the fish!)? A fish store is the best place to donate fish. NOT a pond!!! They will all die and/or be eaten by frogs!

we live in Southern CA - so moving is it LEAST a 5 hour, most likely 6 1/2 hour car ride :/

we have a bunch of containers to put them in, I am scared of the sloshing around while we move. I wonder if there's a way to build something or put them that will stabilize them as the car moves.

Good point about the pond, you're right

 

[CherryBlossom]

Cherry---

FI used to have a 300 gallon saltwater fish tank and had to move the fish to his new home so when I see him today, I'll find out. He's a pro with saltwater tanks...sit tight, I'll find out =]

Totally understand how important it is to him to keep the fish alive not only considering they're living, breathing things but also because of how expensive they are.

Do not take on the responsibility of that tank---believe it or not, the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain and not saying that you aren't knowledgable on the subject, but you have to really know wtf you're doing when you have a tank. There are SO many variables that come along with maintaing that if one thing goes wrong you actually have 50 problems instead of 1. I really thought FI would have a heart attack at some point from all the stress that tank caused.

He COULD sell the fish back to a saltwater fish store and get some money back on them including the live rock too.

any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Also ask him about the freshwater fish!!

 

[CherryBlossom]

I think moving is very stressful for fish.
Two things come to mind.
Water quality and oxygen.

During the actual transport put fish in the largest bag possible and add lots of pure oxygen before sealing the bag.
Lay bag on its long side to maximize the surface area of the water that is exposed to the oxygen.
You may get a fish store to supply oxygen, or a medical office.
You may even arrange to stop at a fish store or two on the way to get fresh oxygen if the drive is long.

Buy a real reverse osmosis water filter.
Mine was around $300 at Home Depot, and it was not that hard to install - should be a piece of cake for Stanford material.
When he leaves the apartment he can take it with him.

The last thing would be maintaining a stable and proper temperature, but I can't imagine any way to do that in a car besides adjusting the car's AC and heater to the temp that keeps the fish happy.

Another possibility is shipping fish by air.
It may reduce the time they are out of an aquarium.

When he arrives and sets up the tanks see if he can get some bacteria-laden filter material from a pet shot to speed up the time it takes to season the new water and filter.

yeah you're right on all points. We already have a great filtration system throughout our house because the hardware was making our skin sooo dry, and since we had it put in my hair is sooo soft and nice. I love it! We also have that marine bacteria stuff, we use that regularly for up-keep of the tanks, and ideally I would make him buy new aquariums prior to moving and have him set up everything up before we get there. I don't care if this costs him money, a tank is not that expensive. He's already spent hundreds if not thousands on them, what's another a few hundred dollars.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Be sure the Tupperware is new. Never wash any fish product in soap bc it will kill them. Just rinse with hot water and poke holes in top. If you have cats, be sure they don't find fish! My bettas had a 2-3 hr ride.

Have you checked w companies who directly deal with shipping fish? They may have some great advice. I have to say some of the worst advice I've received has been from regular pet store employees!

 

[VapidLapid]

transport them by boat; fish love to travel by water.

 

[Autumnovember]

Cherry---

FI used to have a 300 gallon saltwater fish tank and had to move the fish to his new home so when I see him today, I'll find out. He's a pro with saltwater tanks...sit tight, I'll find out =]

Totally understand how important it is to him to keep the fish alive not only considering they're living, breathing things but also because of how expensive they are.

Do not take on the responsibility of that tank---believe it or not, the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain and not saying that you aren't knowledgable on the subject, but you have to really know wtf you're doing when you have a tank. There are SO many variables that come along with maintaing that if one thing goes wrong you actually have 50 problems instead of 1. I really thought FI would have a heart attack at some point from all the stress that tank caused.

He COULD sell the fish back to a saltwater fish store and get some money back on them including the live rock too.

any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Also ask him about the freshwater fish!!

Apologies--I have not forgotten you!!! I need him next to the computer with me when I type it out! Today, promise

 

[davi_el_mejor]

We used a 5 gallon bucket for our fresh water fish on our move from Buffalo to Ct. In the moving truck it was an 8 hour drive. Not a single loss some of the fish were too large for the baggies, that's why we used the buckets.

We used their tank water and filled the bucket 2/3 full. Put the fish in and then the lid. I popped open the lid every few hours to check on them and swirled the top so more oxygen would dissolve in the water. When we got to the new apt. the fish tank was the first thing we set up.

Hope it all runs smoothly for your brother.

 

[manderz]

They also make battery-powered air pumps if you want to put an airstone in the bag.
Of course the bag would have to have an opening at the top and be placed inside a vase or pitcher thingie.

http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Air-B11-Aquarium-Pump/dp/B000256502

I'd also try to save and move as much of the original water as possible.

I totally agree with saving as much of the original water as possible. Makes their acclimation a little easier.

However, from what I've read, it's a bad idea to put an airstone in a plastic baggie while you are transporting or acclimating fish. It can cause water changes that can kill the poor fishies

 

[MichelleCarmen]

They also make battery-powered air pumps if you want to put an airstone in the bag.
Of course the bag would have to have an opening at the top and be placed inside a vase or pitcher thingie.

http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Air-B11-Aquarium-Pump/dp/B000256502

I'd also try to save and move as much of the original water as possible.

I totally agree with saving as much of the original water as possible. Makes their acclimation a little easier.

However, from what I've read, it's a bad idea to put an airstone in a plastic baggie while you are transporting or acclimating fish. It can cause water changes that can kill the poor fishies

Oh, and addition to the original water, be sure to put the filter media AND gravel (if possible) in some sort of packaging. The beneficial bacteria is held in there and the fish need that. The temp needs to be right to keep the bacteria alive.

 

[Autumnovember]

Ok, he says that you need to be sure to keep at least half of the same water that they are currently living in---you can get 5 gallon buckets and put them in there. Have the fish store do it because they can put something in there thats called "air stones" that will keep oxygen in there for the duration of the drive. He's saying that you have to be sure to keep the temperature very stable and not have it thrown off by more than 3 degrees at most. He also said that you can go to the fish store and they can bag them as well with the same water that they're living in and also use the air stones in there too. He had to go the 5 gallon bucket route for his 300 gallon tank when moving but he also has had fish live in the bags for up to a day and a half (of course with enough oxygen). If you have any other specific questions that you want me to ask him let me know.


ETA: just read everyones responses....so basically what everyone else has already said. He had no problems with the air stones.