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Planning a Long Move. Questions.


CalmedByFish
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I'll surely have more posts on this topic, but let's get me started!

I'll be moving all my aquariums from the Northern U.S. to the Southern U.S. in November. My time and effort will have to go to myself and my kid, who has a lot of special needs. So the fish need to be set up for travel in a way that's low maintenance. To focus on my kid before and after traveling, the fish will be packed up 2 days in advance, not put into tanks for a couple days after arrival, and some will use their travel containers as temporary tanks... so this is not a "just put the fish in bags" situation.

Here's what I've figured out so far, with some questions. I'd appreciate answers and ideas.

The fish will be in their travel containers a minimum of 10 days, 4 days of which will have unstable temperatures as I'm on the road.

There will be at least 7 separate containers of water (5 animals, 2 plants). One container needs to be tall enough for an angelfish. The others can be wider than they are tall, and just need to be light enough to carry. Do you know of specific tall or short containers that are sturdy and seal well? 

4 of those containers shouldn't dip below 65 degrees, though it may be as cold as freezing en route. Suggestions for warmth? (My only thought is to tape heat packs to the sides of the containers.)

I have enough pumps and air stones to give each of the 5 animal containers several hours per day, if I use them in both the car and the hotels. Is that enough aeration?

The 2 containers of plants will have bacteria on the plants. Do I need to give that bacteria some air stone time?

None of my sponge filters are short enough for the travel containers. How about if I float the sponges in the same containers with the fish, so bacteria is present?

The dude I bought my platies from bagged each fish separately, with a small piece of "Poly Filter" to absorb ammonia. Every bag of water smelled from-the-tap clean when I opened it.  I intend to put a chunk in each animal container, but let me know if you have instructions about Poly Filter, or an idea you like better.

Since the animals will be in these containers for 10+ days, I think it wouldn't be smart to fast them for a day before putting them in. Maybe just a snack the day before, and a snack every 3-ish days? 

I'll travel with water conditioner, a net, and a cup for scooping water out. What other "oh no" supplies might I need?

Okay! Enough for this post! TIA.

 

 

 

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You've clearly thought about this a lot!  I did something far less ambitious recently, but that worked well for holding transporting two fish (a betta and a young bristlenose pleco) for about 4-5 days, including a10ish-hour drive.  I'm just sharing this in case any of it is helpful, though I realize not directly translatable to what you've got to do.  

I found a roughly 7 quart tupperware (with a locking lid) at home depot that had tall sides.  I've tried searching for the exact one online but haven't quite found it yet.  I'll post it if I find it.  I don't know how big your angelfish is, but I would say the container is at least 10 inches tall.  It fit perfectly in the floor well of the passenger seat too. 

What about packing the fish and plants in the same containers, so the plants can oxygenate the water and consume nutrients?  When I bought the fish that I transported, I didn't have access to my old aquariums for cycled filter media, so I bought prime and a bunch of plants at the same time and kept them (including the rockwool pots) in the container with the fish.  I think your idea about floating the sponges in with them is a good idea to keep up your biological filtration.  

I think the fish will be okay to go longer without feeding (depends on the type and how many, and if they're juveniles ,of course).  Like if you were going on vacation or if you were quarantining, you could not feed for at least 4 days (probably up to a week, though I have never made it that long without caving and feeding fish) and they might be ok.  plus, if you're keeping them with the plants and using your own established tank water, there may be plenty of micororganisms in the containers for them to eat. 

How I did it for the drive was I bought an airstone and heater, and I bought a power inverter for my car.  Now, the one I got was relatively cheap, I didn't really have time to research them, and the heater was I think a 75 or 100 watt heater (overkill for the container of course but I was planning to use it for a real tank when I got home).  And this power inverter couldn't handle running the heater and the air pump at the same time.  a nano heater might have worked.  In my circumstances, I could more or less maintain the temperature at high 70s, so I just ran the air stone.  I sat the container on a heavy blanket and wrapped the sides and top to insulate it.   

Of course, a powersource and heater for 4 separate containers is going to be difficult.  So I like the idea of heatpacks, I think that would work.  I don't know what your space situation was like.  But something I just learned that betta breeders do to heat multiple small tanks is to place them inside a larger container that is partially filled with water that is heated and voila, multiple heated tanks.    

Uh oh supplies - I found having airline tube made it easier to do water changes while I was on the road - scooping works just fine of course but with the airline tube, could put the container next to the sink and let it drain while I multitasked.  That or a turkey baster would help you be able to spot clean any waste.  

Good luck to you! 

  

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On 10/3/2021 at 7:58 PM, SWilson said:

What about packing the fish and plants in the same containers, so the plants can oxygenate the water and consume nutrients? 

I'm concerned that if I can't run the air stones during dark hours (because kid), the plants might take the oxygen from the fish. Thoughts on that?

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I can’t think of any containers better than bags for travel.  Anything else is going to slosh around more plus risk spilling water.  If there is a way to bag them and keep the tops open before hand, that would help.  Or put them in containers where it would be easy to bag them immediately before the trip - open tops for 2 days, on the road 4 days, open tops once at destination.  Maybe deli containers if you have a way to keep them upright.  Packed in coolers with insulation around them for instance.  Heat packs inside the coolers but nothing actually against any bags/containers you end up using.

I got a Betta that had been bagged in a breather bag, packed in loose, fluffy, cotton type insulation (I think it was the house insulation that’s made out of old cotton clothes/denim), then was inside a foam lined box for shipping.  He arrived in better condition and less stressed than any other fish I’ve gotten shipped.  Since you won’t be shipping and should have little risk of tipping over, you could do deli containers that you open and pop in air stones for each overnight.

Keep the whole lot of containers packed in a cooler with the lid barely cracked and your car should be warm enough if you’re comfortable or you could by some long lasting heat packs that go in the cooler.

I have deli lids (from a dart frog vender) that has fabric covered holes in the lid.  It would slow down spillage (not fully prevent it) but still allow gas exchange.  The sloshing in the car would keep the water stirred and circulating but more sloshing equals more stress for the fish.  Their containers come in 2 sizes, 16 oz and 32 oz.  An adult angel would be a crazy tight fit for even the 32 oz.

You might be able to find other containers and just punch holes in the lids.  I have some square plastic buckets from those soft mints that I re-use for assorted fish stuff.  I don’t put fish directly in them since they still smell of mint even after being washed multiple times.  But one would be barely big enough for travel for the angel (lined with a fish bag, of course).

Stopping for the night - open the cooler and bucket, open the bag (if closed), aerate overnight if possible.  You could probably use bags to line the containers and when stopped overnight, at least open them, fold them down the outsides and snap the lids back in place for fish to breathe.

Good luck with the move.  It sounds like an epic adventure.  Adventures not always what they’re cracked up to be.

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On 10/3/2021 at 8:12 PM, CalmedByFish said:

I'm concerned that if I can't run the air stones during dark hours (because kid), the plants might take the oxygen from the fish. Thoughts on that?

I think you’re right.  I would put plants in a separate container from fish unless you can run the air stones overnight.  If you can run airstones, plants would help to cushion from sloshing during the drive and provide hides, comfort, and familiarity for the fish.  The ACO USB air pumps can run 2 to a plug and should each run 2-3 air stones with valves and appropriate arrangements of tubing.  You won’t have much water depth which is often the limiting factor in running air pumps.  The ACO air pumps are also incredibly quiet and very unlikely to disturb anyone’s sleep.  I would keep the containers packed and padded in the cooler.  The air pumps will push plenty of air into the cooler(s).  The cooler lids will stay cracked with airlines running into them.

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On 10/3/2021 at 6:12 PM, CalmedByFish said:

I'm concerned that if I can't run the air stones during dark hours (because kid), the plants might take the oxygen from the fish. Thoughts on that?

I'd have to agree with @lefty o on the buckets, and the blankets can provide sound insulation as well. With the lids and not filled all the way, you won't have to worry about ammonia spikes in a little container. Also, do not feed while travelling, as @Odd Duck suggested.

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On 10/3/2021 at 8:25 PM, Odd Duck said:

I can’t think of any containers better than bags for travel.  Anything else is going to slosh around more plus risk spilling water.  

Keep the whole lot of containers packed in a cooler 

Since I'll need to use some of the containers as temporary tanks after arrival, they'll need to be fairly large and solid, instead of bags. I've seen some rectangle-ish totes that have lids that lock down, so spills shouldn't be worse than drops. (Hard to find though.)

The cooler idea makes me wonder if there might be insulated coolers with lock-down lids. If so, that would be an insulated, large enough, solid container. If I could get a half dozen small ones, or even just a medium-size one for the angel, that would be great. I gotta find out if those exist.

 

On 10/3/2021 at 8:35 PM, Odd Duck said:

I would put plants in a separate container from fish unless you can run the air stones overnight. 

The ACO USB air pumps can run 2 to a plug and should each run 2-3 air stones with valves and appropriate arrangements of tubing.   I would keep the containers packed and padded in the cooler.  

Unfortunately, I can't be confident that I can run air stones overnight. My little human might even be such a handful that I have to leave the fish in the car and cross my fingers.

I have 2 air stones on 1 ACO pump right now. How would I do more than 2 per pump? Is it that little metal strip that has about 4 outlets on it, each with their own screw-like adjuster?

You guys might really be on to something with this cooler idea... somehow...

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On 10/3/2021 at 8:59 PM, CalmedByFish said:

Since I'll need to use some of the containers as temporary tanks after arrival, they'll need to be fairly large and solid, instead of bags. I've seen some rectangle-ish totes that have lids that lock down, so spills shouldn't be worse than drops. (Hard to find though.)

The cooler idea makes me wonder if there might be insulated coolers with lock-down lids. If so, that would be an insulated, large enough, solid container. If I could get a half dozen small ones, or even just a medium-size one for the angel, that would be great. I gotta find out if those exist.

 

Unfortunately, I can't be confident that I can run air stones overnight. My little human might even be such a handful that I have to leave the fish in the car and cross my fingers.

I have 2 air stones on 1 ACO pump right now. How would I do more than 2 per pump? Is it that little metal strip that has about 4 outlets on it, each with their own screw-like adjuster?

You guys might really be on to something with this cooler idea... somehow...

They do make coolers that lock down well, but typically you won’t like the price for those that lock down solidly, like Yeti’s.  You can get much cheaper ones that have a lid that latches although it won’t latch and seal as solidly as a Yeti style.  Yeti style coolers are also taller, which would be good for your angelfish since it would allow a bit more depth.

My ACO USB air pumps came with a converter block that plugs in but has 2 spots for the USB cords to plug in.  So 2 cords means 2 pumps per converter block, which means at least 4 air stones from one outlet.  They still draw so little that you could plug in more than one into one of those triple outlet things that plug into a regular outlet or you could use about any power strip/surge protector and run many of them since they have minimal draw.

This pic of the Nano pump shows the USB ports (one red, one blue).  Each nano pump comes with one but you would only have to use 1 block per 2 pumps (with 2 cords).  Bring the rest as back ups, of course.

How old is your daughter?  Would she mess with the cooler if they were in the bathtub or a shower enclosure (would necessitate an extension cord)?  Or put them between the wall and the bed with luggage in the way to minimize her chance of reaching them?  You could even drape the blanket over them since you would have air pushing into them so there would be some degree of out of sight, out of mind.

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I just bought my hubby 2 coolers on sale at Walmart 2 days ago. I also have a large cooler on wheels from there that was much cheaper than yeti (I’m on retirement budget) but the lid does snap closed firmly and could be taped for extra measure.  I dont know when the in store only sale ends or if they will have it in your area but all the coolers were on sale for great prices. 

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I moved with my tank last year and it was only about 2 minutes down the road, but the tank was by far the most stressful part of the move, and I honestly would t do it again. In my opinion it would be way less stressful to just sell/regime your fish and restock at your new home. The water also could be very different from what you currently have and your fish may not fair well in it anyway. Of course this is just my $.02 and it depends on how attached you are to your specific fish. I wouldn’t give up my dog to make moving easier.

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You can put lots of air stones or air lines on one air pump if you have the little splitters and valves! I have three bubbly things being fed out of this one pump:

It will help if you loosen your air stones so there’s not too much resistance.

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My main piece of advice would be to try to put your fish in 🔘 round 🔘 containers if possible, whether that’s bags, buckets, or coolers. Sloshing is minimized in round containers, but in square or rectangular ones, the waves will bounce off the walls and reverberate much more strongly.

Here’s an idea: Fill a large rectangular cooler with shredded newspaper, cloth, packing peanuts, etc. Then put the fish in either round, hard-sided containers with air stones, or breather bags. I don’t think air stones will be necessary with breather bags. Set each bag or container upright in the cooler and put the packing around it. This will cushion and insulate the fish at the same time.

You could tape the cooler shut when you need to child-proof it, but I would wedge something in the lid so it’s never totally closed (unless the outside temp gets super cold). I think you need at least some air to get in there, whether it’s just diffusing in for the breather bags, or being pumped in through airline tubes.

I poked around on Amazon and found this gallon plastic jar your angelfish might be relatively comfortable in!

https://www.amazon.com/CSBD-Gallon-Plastic-Storage-Containers/dp/B07MZ9ZWTN/ref=psdc_2237239011_t1_B01LZFR2IF?th=1

Hopefully we can find a way for your fish to be cozy!!

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Not sure this will help but FWC(Florida wildlife conservation) if you come to Fl don’t mess with them they write tickets and can write one on the road water air, and maybe space since Kennedy space center. Back to the point they ship small water and flive fish sample in coolers with the little clip in the front and taped close with duct tape. I think you could get the coolers( and thing that will hold what you need) and tape it closed and bring extra tape.

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I just moved 450 miles with one fish and that was an ordeal. He's not doing well now since the move. I rehomed all my other fish and tanks as I didn't have the space in my car for them nor anyone to help me with any part of the move. I'd definitely suggest getting a few nano air pumps and a charger for such a long move. I also kept a digital thermometer in his travel jar and a heat pack close by. Be careful with too much water as it finds its way out when sloshed around (my plant container popped open and spilled water all over the back seat and my dog - what a mess). I'd look for tall containers rather than wide ones for your plants. Good luck! 

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I moved 6 breeding pairs of discus, I don't even remember how many African cichlids, 2 breeding pairs of angelfish, and 3 plecos from Raleigh, NC to NM back in the 90's. USB was not an option, and nobody had invented square bottom bags yet (or if they had, I didn't know about them).

I have had tanks that were planted, with fish, and no airstone.

While I have heard stories of people losing fish due to plants taking up all the oxygen, I have yet to meet anyone who can validate this happening. 

Finally, I just recently heard the worst case scenario for a fish lost in transit (a dozen fancy guppies shipped to a local club member) and the two bags of fish were lost for 2 weeks. 

I have physically laid eyes on the fish, two weeks later they still look great, and their tummies have filled back out.

Those fish were shipped in breathable bags, wrapped in paper (I guess they don't actually breathe, unless wrapped in paper?), and shipped in a cardboard box with styrofoam panels for insulation. There was a 4.5" clump of water sprite in each of the 4 bags, a trio of guppies in each bag. Bags were 100% filled with water, so fish had maximum space, and oxygen freely moves into the membrane as long as it is wrapped in paper.

I have no idea how much these bags are, and I don't think they would be practical for any sharpfinned fish... I can only speak on the guppies.

🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡

My experience moving, and packing up 3 tanks (smallest was 55 gallons) in my VW van to move cross country, was buying coolers, putting fish and plants inside the coolers together, driving as many hours as I could, parking for an hour at an RV campground so I could run an extension cord to my van and run the filters for an hour.

Then close up the coolers to prevent leakage, and start driving again. At night I got hotel rooms on the ground floor, and ran the extension cord out the window of the room, out to my van, and plugged in the filters and the pump for the air stones overnight, so the next day I could do it again.

Since almost all vehicles now have a USB outlet, you can put coolers of fish in the passenger floorboard, close the coolers while driving but charge the external battery/ies, and then whenever you stop, attach the USB pumps to the battery and run the airstones.

I wouldn't bother with taking the coolers into the hotels, if it's possible to drip below freezing get the foil reflective space blanket (semi expensive) or the foil reflective insulated front windshield mat (generally $3) to put over the coolers with your fish and plants together inside the coolers, and activate a boot warmer or glove warmer (or as many  as you need) and put between the coolers to generate indirect heat for the fish. The reflective cover should keep the heat in, without cooking your fish.

Moves with kids are difficult enough, moves with kids who have more challenging needs to be met, need you to not be stressed about fish.

Maybe a combination of ideas will work best for you, as a disabled parent of a couple of kids with more challenging needs, I empathize with the struggle to balance time with resources to accomplish a move.

[If you have at least a couple of weeks before the move, feed fish more often to give them a little buffer, and then don't feed 24 hours before netting, and then feed lightly after a week. This is very effective, unless you have fry. If the plants go in with the fish, then the fish have food living on the plants.

Before shipping, I dechlorinate the water to add to the shipping bags, and run a strong airstone in the water, for 48 hours before shipping. Then add a minimal dose of something like StressCoat, to protect the fish during transit.]

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@Torrey That is seriously impressive! What an accomplishment! Thanks for the loads of ideas.

By the way, I do have fry. But my thinking is that they can be in fry-only containers, so I can give them a couple snacks and little water changes, while most of the others stay in the car. 

It just occurs to me: No matter how well I plan this, I'll probably have to edit the plan en route. 

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Th forum has provided lots of input on the mechanics, so I’ll leave that to others.

After 20 years in the Air Force, and another 10 in civil service I’ve moved interstate/internationally 12 times.  The one thing I’ve learned: moving is one of the most stressful things in life.  Up there with divorce, and loss of a close loved one or friend.  Planning is a good first step, but deciding on your priorities is a must.  When things go awry and you can’t do it all, make sure what you do is the priority.  

You have a lot on the plate, so best of luck.

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As a parent of a kid with special needs I can sympathize with how stressful is. The only tip I can add is to try and make some internal baffling for the traveling containers. I recently transported a bucket of guppies and the sloshing water wasn’t good for my nerves or the fish. 

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On 10/4/2021 at 6:03 PM, Patrick_G said:

The only tip I can add is to try and make some internal baffling for the traveling containers.

I've decided to use rectangular containers so I can use them as little tanks after arrival. Taking that shape into account, can you clue me in? Even 1 idea would be enough for me to get my thoughts moving.

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On 10/4/2021 at 5:33 PM, Ken Burke said:

After 20 years in the Air Force, and another 10 in civil service I’ve moved interstate/internationally 12 times.  The one thing I’ve learned: moving is one of the most stressful things in life.  Up there with divorce, and loss of a close loved one or friend.  Planning is a good first step, but deciding on your priorities is a must.  When things go awry and you can’t do it all, make sure what you do is the priority. 

Hear ya. When I was 18, I counted 21 buildings I'd lived in. And 9 since. A total of about 22 towns, in 3 states and 2 countries. 

Priorities: [Huge sigh.] I actually found a new home for all my other pets when I decided to make this move, realizing that my fish give me the best work-to-benefit ratio, by far. 

Everything you said is exactly right. It's rough. 

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On 10/4/2021 at 4:13 PM, CalmedByFish said:

I've decided to use rectangular containers so I can use them as little tanks after arrival. Taking that shape into account, can you clue me in? Even 1 idea would be enough for me to get my thoughts moving.

This is was more complicated than I’m thinking but if you can glue some half height pieces of plastic across the container it’ll help with the sloshing. 

20E7F55A-9844-40CF-BC01-607D656DF4CE.jpeg

Edited by Patrick_G
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On 10/4/2021 at 6:19 PM, CalmedByFish said:

Hear ya. When I was 18, I counted 21 buildings I'd lived in. And 9 since. A total of about 22 towns, in 3 states and 2 countries. 

Priorities: [Huge sigh.] I actually found a new home for all my other pets when I decided to make this move, realizing that my fish give me the best work-to-benefit ratio, by far. 

Everything you said is exactly right. It's rough. 

U know the drill then.

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A piece of coarse filter foam cut to fit diagonally across the square/rectangular container would really limit sloshing and if you stuck those foam pieces in your tanks before moving they would get seeded with BB’s.  Soft floating plants (wisteria, water sprite) would also tend to baffle the sloshing a little or at least minimize risk of a fish getting slapped against the side of the container.

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On 10/4/2021 at 11:08 PM, Odd Duck said:

A piece of coarse filter foam cut to fit diagonally across the square/rectangular container would really limit sloshing and if you stuck those foam pieces in your tanks before moving they would get seeded with BB’s.  Soft floating plants (wisteria, water sprite) would also tend to baffle the sloshing a little or at least minimize risk of a fish getting slapped against the side of the container.

Oooh genius. So this is like @Patrick_G's idea of baffling, but the sides of the sponge would go into 2 opposite corners, so I wouldn't have to glue anything. Right?

I only have a few handfuls of soft floating plants. Of these fish, whose bodies would be in most need of cushioning? Endler males, females, fry. Platy males, females, fry.

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