We are moving across country and I want to take my do jo loach and chocolate placosthimus ... how can I do it?

Question

I have a Do Jo loach and a Choco Placosthimus that I just don't want to part with. I have had them forever, and I really want to take them with me. I live in CA and we are moving to GA in the fall. What would you recomend I do to accomplish this safely? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME SOUND ADVISE ... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!

Answer 1

You could either ship them in advance to someone you know on the other end or you could have someone in ca ship them to you once you get there. Be sure to label the box "Live Fish" and have them fill the bag directly from their tank. Make sure that the weather will not be drastically different in either place otherwise, it may be wise to include a heating pack or a small bag of ice. But if you are careful, you could just take their tank with you with just enough water in it to accommodate them and pay careful attention to them. You could, at various stops, add a little water,( and remove a little water) for the oxygen, but be careful not to do this too much as you will kill the ecosystem in the tank.

Answer 2

I moved from Calif to Pennsylvania with 20 fish in my aquarium and this is how you do it: Drop the water level to about four inches, buy a battery operated pumb for air to be pumped in while traveling (if by car) If you stop overnight you can add a little water to the tank and drain some out in the morning. The pump you can get thru a pet store. Once you get to where you are going, fill up the water the rest of the way with about the same temperature that is in the tank-it willl be "filthy" probably but once the filter is hooked up again--in a few hours it will clear it up. I also did this when setting up my tanks in my store 20 miles away when I took the fish from my home to the store and never lost a fish-it really works!!! I remember one customer the day I set up the one tank-after bouncing in the car for that long, the "bacteria" (dirty water) really was stirred up and you couldn't see through it and the customer had a fit. A few hours later she came back and admitted she thought I was just making up stuff but she realized the tank was clear and there was about 25 danios swimming in it lol

Answer 3

The best bet: a cooler large enough to fit your fish comfortably. Be sure that when you're "packing" your fish up, that you add the appropriate water chemicals, and also make sure the water is a suitable temperature. The cooler will act as insulation, in order to maintain this temperature. Add an air pump with sufficient power to supply enough oxygen to your fish. DO NOT FEED your fish prior or during your moving trip. When fish are stressed out, it's not wise to feed them for about 24 hours or so. Add a plant, or your fishes favourite ornament to make them feel more at home. Try to carry the cooler with you, or to place it somewhere it won't get shaken up too much. I have moved my many fish tanks many times, although not across country, across province, and across city. I have had no deaths using this method at all.
Good luck!

Answer 4

When I moved, I gave all of mine to new homes. However I do understand how you feel.

You do understand no matter how you try to pull this off, you could loose them?

Best bet: Bag them and let someone fish sit them until you get to your new location, and get your tank up and running. Then have the 'fish sitter' bag them and fly them (cargo) to you in a ice chest.

If your fish sitter can handle a month, it would be better for the guys. The don't need to put through two moves back to back.

If you have someone in GA that has a tank, you could send them ahead and you could catch up with them.

As for driving with them I wouldn't suggest it. Too long of a drive, plus you need time to set up the tank at the new location.


Oh yes, don't forget to double bag the pleco!!!

Answer 5

first let me say this ....I'm not sure if this will work but Ive moved from CA to WI like this.......i got a foam cooler and hot/cold bags...warmed the bags put them on the bottom of the cooler...put the fish in plastic bags......each one in its own bags and put a lot of this stuff called STRESS COAT.....i also bought a battery operated air pump and i would put new air in every 1 1/2 hour and i would put the tube from the air pump in the bag for a few minutes before i closed the bag.you could also try putting them in a bucket with some of their tank water and the air pump and stress coat.you should ask you local pet store they may be able to tell you.

Answer 6

You can have a family member or friend who lives in GA to set up a 10 gallon tank and you could Fed Ex. them in plastic bags filled with air and water over night to your friend or family. They should be okay.

This is prob the safest way.

If you don't have any one in Georgia then you could leave them with a friend or family member in CA and they could Fed Ex them to you once you arrive.

If you are driving.... place them in plastic bags and air and drive. But each night open up the plastic bags and allow for them to get fresh air. a friend did this on his move from CA to Arizona (not as far as you are going) and all of his fish lived.

Answer 7

I don't think you can, are you flying? or driving? I don't think they would survive a drive, and if your flying, I once took a fish and put it in a thermos and took it with me, I blew bubbles through a straw every now and again. But it may be more humane to give them to a friend than risk their lives.

Answer 8

you should be fine moving them, get an airator thats battery operated. you may be able to devise a power source to run the filter and an airator

Answer 9

Well, you can take it with you, just bring a small tank