Moving 3 hours away

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magpie

magpie

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2016
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Oregon
I got rid of my larger tank but plan on moving my 20 gallon.

Where we are moving is a 3-hour drive.

I have a Styrofoam cooler to put the fish in.

Do you think I need to use an air pump for that length of time? I have read of people who don't do it because the water gets jostled around enough to oxygenate the tank. Opinions?

Do you think the water will stay warm enough?

Any other advice?

The only fish I truly care about in regards to this move is my Schouetedeni puffer, so if you think I should do anything special just for him I am happy to.

Thanks in advance!
 
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Water should stay warm. Would still use an air pump in case fish can't be unloaded right away. Or the consumption goes up by all the fish.

I worry too easy so i say get one in case.
 
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OK, I've read of battery powered ones. Do you actually get that at an aquarium or pet store?

Thanks! I'd rather be safe than sorry
 
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If you have an overstocked tank, (especially with fish from fast moving rivers) then I'd get some aeration. However, three hours is really not long in terms of temperature or oxygen in an insulated and properly stocked tank.

As kno4te kno4te noted however, there's the risk of it being longer than 3 hours. A battery pump would be cheap and it's always around in case of a power loss or the need for a sudden hospital tank.
 
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magpie said:
OK, I've read of battery powered ones. Do you actually get that at an aquarium or pet store?

Thanks! I'd rather be safe than sorry
Click to expand...
Got mine from Walmart or any fishing/bait shops near you. Like bass pro shops/sports authority/dicks sporting goods etc.
 
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My method of fish transportation is often bicycle + backpack. Yes really. When I picked up my second Florida Gar not too long ago, it was a 2 hour bike ride, and the fish was perfectly fine. Never had any complications. So a three hour car ride shouldn't be any problem at all, so long as temperatures don't reach extremes. However are you planning on keeping the fish in the tank under transport? Water in square containers especially can behave rather erratically where momentum is concerned. Depending on various factors, it might be wiser to put the fish in seperate plastic bags, and empty out the tank.
 
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I wouldn't transport them in the tank. Thw tank water can become too dirty from any substrat swishing around in the move. Empty some water into a tote and put your fish in that with a lid.

Then empty and fill your tank once you moved. If you have a sponge filter you can even use that in the tote and keep the fish in it until you have time to set it back up.
 
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I agree, putting you bio-media in the tote with the fish is a good idea (even a handful of substrate), it will save the population of beneficial bacteria and they will use up ammonia produced by the fish while traveling. Unless the tank is already set up in the new house, it will probably take a lot longer than 3 hours, so a battery operated pump is a good idea, but be aware, they are obnoxiously loud.
There are also fishing bait buckets available with pumps built in.
 
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I was going to move the tank empty.

My plan was to put the fish in a styrofoam cooler with filter media in tank water in a separate bag but I could put the media with the fish if that would be better...

I'll grab a pump for sure then. If I can find a bait bucket with the pump built-in that's not too expensive I might do that.

Thanks all!
 
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