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It may not be today or tomorrow or next week or even next year but one day you will find it necessary to move your aquarium. Whether its a short distance from one side of a room to the other or a greater distance for instance if you are moving home, you still need to plan how you are going to do it. Its not like moving most other pets because as well as moving the fish you have to move their environment as well.

  1. Plan Ahead. If you can, prepare the new location. Work out exactly where the tank is going. Have the stand in place if appropriate and any pieces of aquarium equipment ready to be installed again. For instance, make sure there is an electric socket within reach of the heater and filter cables. Have an extensio lead handy just in case any of the existing cables are too short.
  2. Remove the fish. For short distances use large plastic bags. Carefully bag the fish, seal the bags and preferable place them in a cool box or similar container. This will help to maintain the water temperature.

    For long distances or when moving large fish use extra large plastic bags which are sealed but with an attached battery powered air pump. It is very important that the temperature is maintained. In cool climates heating pads might be used. In a vehicle, keeping the interior heater on high can be quite effective. Rapid temperature changes will stress the fish and probably cause weakness, disease and death in the future.

    Shaking, sharp movements and loud noises will all stress fish so it would be wise to surround the plastic bags with towels or blankets to insulate them as much as possible from the sources of stress.

  3. Remove all the electrical devices from the tank. This includes heater, filter, air stone and lighting. Pack everything including the cables into a box, double check that you have all the cables and then seal it. You don’t want to arrive at your destination only to find that you are missing one or more cables.
  4. Drain the water from the tank and store it in suitable containers. It is very important to preserve the water because your tank is cycling i.e. it has all the correct bacteria in it to remove ammonia and nitrite from the aquarium.
  5. If it is a large tank then you should remove the ornaments and substrate as well. In large tanks the substrate can weigh a very large amount and moving the aquarium with it still there could cause it to spring a leak or even break if it is glass. Store it in several sealed plastic bags. Do not take the opportunity of rinsing the ornaments or the substrate because they contain all of the right nitrifying bacteria for cycling already – you don’t want to wash them away. Also, make sure everything is kept moist.
  6. If the aquarium is going to travel some distance then it goes without saying that it should be protected with bubble wrap or cardboard, particularly around the corners.
  7. In an ideal world after long distance moves the tank should be setup in advance so that the fish can go straight into the tank when they arrive. Alternatively, it may be necessary to use a separate holding tank while the main aquarium is being prepared.
  8. In the new position, setup the tank as before using the original substrate and water. Let the temperature stabilise and then float the bags of fish in the water for about 20 minutes to equalise temperature. Then gently tip the fish into the tank and you’re done.

Related posts:

  1. Buying Your Freshwater Aquarium Tank
  2. Freshwater Aquarium Fish Should Be Carefully Selected
  3. Freshwater Aquarium Filter Systems are Essential
  4. Thank You For Subscribing To The Freshwater Aquarium Secrets Online Mini-Course
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Filed under: Freshwater Aquarium Fish • Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance • Freshwater Aquarium Tank

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