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Author Topic: How do I transport my fish and large aquarium?  (Read 1883 times)
Manya
Guest
How do I transport my fish and large aquarium?
« on: July 08, 2009, 12:48:39 PM »
I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 5 fancy goldfish and about 70 pounds of gravel.  I'm going to be moving out to a new apartment soon, and I have absolutely no idea how to go about moving everything!  I have an old fish bowl, but I'd hate to keep 5 goldfish (even though they're still small) in such cramped quarters for two days while I begin the tank's cycling process again.  Also, I have no idea how to get all the water out of the tank!  I have a gravel siphon and vacuum, but it's not made to completely drain water from the tank.  The tank is too heavy for me to lift by myself even without water inside, so I'm at a loss of how to empty it, with the last dregs of water at the bottom plus 70 pounds of gravel.

If anyone can help me out on the moving process, I'd really appreciate it!
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Esba
Guest
Re: How do I transport my fish and large aquarium?
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2009, 07:13:29 PM »
I have a 40 gallon goldfish tank. I can drain half the tank in 5 minutes or the whole tank in 10 minutes using the gravel siphon tube similar to what you have. I just remove vacuum end to make it more powerful and easier to drain the tank. Once the vacuum end is removed all that is left is the big tube, which i fill 1/3 with water from the tap or tank while keep one finger on one end to keep the water from draining out. Then i put one end in the tank and the end clipped to a large bucket. The water drains out really fast and i can empty the tank in no time flat this way.

As for moving the fish, you can buy a 10 gallon plastic container ( or a cheap 10 gallon tank at walmart for about $12 bucks) or bucket at the store and put the fish in there and stick your aquarium filter in it to help clean the water.  This will allow you to move the fish from the current place to your new apartment without much of a hazzle.  You can use your old aquarium water in this temporary container so it doesn't have to cycle again. The fish should be able to live happily in there for a while until you set things up at your new place.
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asorvia
Guest
Re: How do I transport my fish and large aquarium?
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2009, 10:07:21 PM »
when i moved out of my dorm, i had three tanks: a 9 gallon cylinder, a 40 gallon rectangular and a 180 gallon saltwater tank. in total, i had 29 fish to move, and the largest tank had corals,clams,live rock and a squirt (and other sedentary invertebrates) living in it.
the way i managed it was by taking my cylinder tank and removing all decorations from it. i then filled it 3/4 with water from the 40 gallon ( after moving the fish that had been living in it into a 5 gallon bucket with an airstone and their gravel.) and putting those fish from the 40 gallon tank inside of it. i drained the 40 gallon completely, then put in my car with the five gallon bucket and the 9 gallon cylinder riding shotgun. i reset my 40 gallon fast at my new room (i had treated water in buckets already there) and moved all the fish in the 9 gallon into their 40 gallon tank. the 5 gallon bucket got dumped into the cylinder (after i cleaned it out), and the fish were in there. i drove back to my dorm, drained the 180 gallon saltwater tank and transferred all the moving things into the 5 gallon bucket (i had cleaned it out too, previously) and carefully fished out the giant clams, sea squirt, anemones and corals and put them in separate buckets (some non-aggressive stuff went together-its not like the clams were going to start killing each other). i used a total of three five-gallon buckets to transport them all, (two invert. buckets, one fish) put two in shotgun but the tank wouldn't fit. i got a friend to take the tank and a bucket of stuff for me, and i set everything back up when i got to my new room.
it is possible to move stuff like that,its just that you need a ton of alternate containers for things.
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Bon Bon
Newbie
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Posts: 42
Re: How do I transport my fish and large aquarium?
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2010, 08:08:57 PM »
Get a cheap plastic tub with lid but not air tight. Preferably the clear plastic so the fish don't get bored with black walls around them. Helps if the type that has wheels for you and easy grips. Make sure the plastic tub is safe for the fish. Some have weird sharp edges inside and may be toxic. Put the same water from the tank into the tub and put the fish in. Small filters can still be used by hanging the filter over the tub and keep it running until you ready for moving.

Get a long tube, in some case a clean garden hose, and put one end in the tank and suck on the other end until the water flows into the tub or sink or bathtub or wherever you are trying to empty the water into. I have done this many times and it helps from breaking my back with transferring the water. A clear tube is best so you can see where the water is in it as you first start sucking the water out. Careful not to suck out the little pebbles at the same time. Scoop all the gravels out to a bag or another tub or tubs. A nice sturdy dolly  would help with the tank itself in moving it. Make sure the tub is secured from the tank as  you empty the water out. I used a large plastic bowl to scoop my fish out instead of net so I won't hurt their little tails and fins.

Time to get wet.
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