Moving Aquariums... sigh...

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Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 31, 2011
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Lansing, MI
Ok, so, I'm in the process of closing on a house. As if it isn't stressful enough, I have the added challenge of moving my 30gal aquarium to my new house. I've never had to move an aquarium before, so I have a few questions...

1. What is the proper procedure for moving the aquarium in the first place?

2. I had been planning on moving the inhabitants of the 30gal into a new 125gal, and this seems like a good opportunity to do it. Is it beneficial to mix the old gravel in with new gravel in the 125 to help speed up the cycling process? And if so, how do I go about doing that without bothering the fish?

This seems like a huge undertaking! lol
 
1. put fish in a bucket or something with aeration in it. remove water/substrate/deco/filters etc.

2. yes it is very beneficial to use all that you can from your old tank in a new one such as substrate deco and especially filter media. it will speed up the process for cycling because it already has some BB on it.

its really not too bad moving tanks. i move tanks all the time going to school and back which is a 4 1/2 hour drive so its not too hard just make sure you use a dechlorinator when adding new water and pay attention to the simple things that you have to do to set up a tank.
 
Sounds simple enough, but wouldn't there be quite some time before I could move the fish from the bucket to the new tank (cycling time)? I'm worried about how they would all do in a bucket for much longer than the time it takes to transport them...
 
you should be fine adding the fish to the new tank if you add the old filter too. dont add any new fish to the 125 for a few weeks just to let things settle - keep as much of the water from your old tank and add new to top up.

you want to get the fish in the new tank out of the buckets asap - less stress on the fish!

good luck with the move!
 
You won't need to cycle the 125 as long as you add gravel from your current tank and the filter. Those two things contain enough bacteria to support the fish you have. Make sure you add the gravel from the 30 last though, since if you add it first, it will be buried in the new gravel. You might want to set up the 125 ahead of time, get it all heated and have the new gravel set and then get your fish and bring them in a bucket and have their gravel and filter in another bucket and throw the gravel and the filter on the new tank right away and add the fish after they acclimate.
 
i agree with what every one has said..

your 30 gallon already has enough bb to maintain your tank.

add everything from your 30 gallon to the larger tank when you set up including fish, you will just have more water than before but with the same BB.

go get 10 gallon buckets with lids..or totes, keep all your deco in the tank water

when i moved i put deco in one bucket, fish in another, and plants in the other
all filled with the old tank water.
 
Ok, that helps a lot to know that I don't have to worry about cycling. Thanks for the advice! :)

I'm sure it'll take a few weeks for me to choose what I want to do with all this new space anyway! haha
 
Kaosu said:
go get 10 gallon buckets with lids..or totes, keep all your deco in the tank water

when i moved i put deco in one bucket, fish in another, and plants in the other
all filled with the old tank water.
Click to expand...
Do you suppose all the fish will be ok in one bucket? It's only a 15 minute drive from where I already live, but I just really don't want to arrive at the new place with all my fish's fins torn up :eek:
 
..well i don't know what your stock is..but you could put them in different buckets.
 
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