How do I move fish on a two hour car ride?

Question

We are planning on moving two hours away in May and would like to take our Oscars with us. How can we travel two hours in a truck with them?

Answer 1

Best way I've found is to use a well-cleaned, second hand picnic cooler. You can add water straight from the tank, put the fish in and go. If it will fit over the side of the cooler, you can just put the filter right on the cooler when you arrive and have a "temporary tank" until the regular one is set up - even let it go until the next day if you have to (just keep the lid down as far as it will go so they can't jump out.

Some other reasons I like a cooler - it keeps the water temperature insulated, the lid can be down so the water doesn't splash out, and you can stack other things on top.

To move the tank, draw off most of the water except for an inch or two to keep the substrate wet - this will keep your biological filter (the bacteria in the substrate) alive so you won't have to cycle the tank again. Removing most of the water will make your tank easier to carry and less likely to get a leak from the torque of lifting and moving a heavy tank. If you want to take another 5 gallon bucket (with lid) of water, you can keep any larger rocks and your filter media in the water to keep that much more bacteria alive.

When you arrive, set up the tank, add the water from the 5 gallon bucket, add some of the water from the cooler and the fish. You can add the rest of the old water or not, and fill the rest of the way (slowly) with water from the new place. If the water chemistry is very different, I'd use more of the old residence water or take a good while in adding new water so your fish have time to acclimate to the new chemistry. The tank water may be a little cloudy from sloshing around during the move, but your filter should take care of that. The sloshing will aslo keep your fish's water in the cooler oxygenated.

Answer 2

Make sure the tank water is high quality the day of your move (do your normal water change a few days before). Get a large food cooler and fill it with 3-4 inches of tank water (not so much that you can't carry it without splashing) to transport the fish. They'll like having some aquatic plants to hide in, too. If you are worried about temperature fluctuations, bring a water thermometer, and a bag of ice cubes in another cooler, which you can float in there if it gets too hot.

Answer 3

Do it the same way they travel hours upon hours in a truck to get to your local pet shop. In a large bag inside a styrofoam container. No doubt if you go to your local shop and explain the situation they probably will save you a few of the large bags and styrofoam boxes in which they receive fish. They will make the trip with no problems that way.

MM

Answer 4

when my brother move from Leeds to Burlington witch is about an hour and a half away he put his Oscar in a bucket of water and put clingfilm on the top with hols in it and it works fine so you could try that

Answer 5

NO they have to have oxygen!!!!!!!!!!!


Umm get a small hamster like cage there plastic and there kinda deep just put fish sake water in it and make the water level deep enough for the fist to live in and do NOT give it food and just hold it in ur laop or some place steddy and it should be fine

Answer 6

i would suggest putting them in a bucket and arraite the water really good with a air pump/ stone.

Answer 7

I say u should Put them in a water tight container.

Answer 8

get a big tupperwear container.. I moved from NY to AR.. it took me 23hrs total driving.. My fish made it!

Answer 9

carefully, and i suggest saran wrap over the lid to help keep splashing down.

Answer 10

put them into bags, two hours shouldn't kill them.