Moving 16 hours and i have biowheels?

Question

Ok so the moving days fast approaching heres the plan thus far taking into account all the suggestions:
Gonna pack the fish seperately in bags with 1 gallon of water (min) and 1 gal of air (min). Then theyll all be backed into coolers or styrofoam containers. Then we drive 16 hours set up tank float and cut em loose(heard from a fish store that when the air hits the ammonia some kind of reaction takes place that will kill them during the drip cycle). Oh yeah were gonna ziplock the rest of there water and double bag it so we have all the water we can tow with us (75 gallons... hope no one wants the ziplock bags from walmart were buying em :)). Now a point not covered. The canister filter can carry its own stuff BUT what about my biowheels? How do i keep those things alive without assigning someone er condeming someone to shaking it for 12-16 hours? Your input is very welcome. Also where can i get some O2 without a perscription?

Ok time to mention the fish and sizes:
Foxface bout 4in
Tang 3-4 in
lionfish 5 in
shark 9 in
eels 1 foot 11/2 foot
grouper 5 in
assorted star fish
I said 1 gallon but thats the minimum im gonna buy the biggest bags I can for the fish and i already have bag buddies for the fish. As for not feeding them the big guys i think i cna get away on but the foxface and especially the tang may get overly stressed from no food (plus they have the algae on the live rock cant remove that) and contract ich again. Hope these details bring out even more great answers.

Answer 1

As long as the bio wheel doen't run out of food and air it will be fine. Food isn't a problem for 16-24 hours, but air could be. Open he bag from time to time to let air in or pack it in much the same way as the fish. Ran into the perscription bit at the health supply store eh? Some here do that too. Check for industrial gas supply places / welding supply shops. They carry such things as CO2, nitrogen etc and usually also carry O2 for welding applications. Just tell them you need a tank for your small oxyacetylene torch if you have trouble getting it for your fish. A welder may also be a supply if you have a tank available. Wal-mart sells air tanks in the auto section for refilling tires, you can fill that with O2, but it leaks fairly quickly so don't do it more than 24 hours or so before you need it.

Hope that helps and best wishes for you and you fish for a safe move

MM

Answer 2

OK, here's the way the pros do it for auctions that last up to 12 hours. Some of them actually bag up their fish late the night before using O2 and a sedative:

Do not feed your fish for 2-3 days before the trip. That way almost all of their waste will be out of their systems before being put into the bag. The less waste (ammonia) they excrete into the bag during the trip, the better.

One third water, two thirds air (not half and half). Actually, you only need enough water to cover the fish if the bag is on its' side, allowing the fish to remain upright.

Large fish (4" or bigger) should be bagged separately. Small fish (1-2" can be bagged 3-4 per bag). If you are using two gallon bags like your question indicates, you can double the large fish and triple the small ones.

If you can't get O2, go to the pet store and ask for "Bag Buddies", they are small tablets that have a mild sedative that slows down the fish's metabolism and something that adds some O2 to the water. If you have time, you can order 100 of them for $5 from "Jehmco.com." They will ship next day if you like. I use the Bag Buddies all the time when I take fish to auctions. One tab per bag.

As a last resort, during the trip, if the fish look like they are having a tough time breathing, use an eyedropper and put one drop (ONE DROP) of peroxide into one gallon of DECHLORINATED water and add it to the bags that are having difficulties. Only do this once, as more peroxide will harm the fish's gills.

The bio-wheels will be fine for that length of time in a bag with just enough water to cover them.

As far as the O2, a welding shop is probably the best place to go. Many of the people who sell at the auctions use it and I know they don't need perscriptions to get it.

If you have further concerns, email me, I will be glad to help if I can.

Answer 3

Moving a tank SUCKs but here is some info. The most important thing next to the fish is your Filter. Your canister filter is carrying all the great bacteria we want in our tanks. This includes the bio wheels. So store the bio wheels like you would a fish. Ziplock them with water, the bacteria it has will not die, besides the ride will move the water enough to coat the wheel every few seconds. I personally have always set up a bunch of sponge filters before a move and just had them attached to power heads and let them run for days. then Ziplock them and dump in the new tank. To establish a bacteria colony..... Hope they make it, just remember most fish come from Asia and if they could deal with days of shipping 16 isn't that much, Good Luck!!!!