Transport Fish

Tropical fish owners who must move with aquariums are often concerned about how to transport their fish. Aquariums cannot be moved when full because they are heavy and could break. A safer strategy is to transfer fish to smaller containers, empty the tank and then refill it at the new location. Fish can be transported short distances that don't require them to be out of the tank for more than a few hours.

Steps

Preparing to Move Tropical Fish

  1. Change 20 percent of the water in the fish tank every day for 5 days. This will ensure that the tank will be filled with clean, mature water.
  2. Clean the tank and the ornaments with a scrubbing pad designed for use in aquariums. It's not necessary to remove these for cleaning or to clean the substrate.
  3. Don't feed your fish for 24 to 48 hours before the move. Your fish will survive a couple of days without food, but they may not survive being moved if the water in the bags are contaminated with waste.

Bagging Tropical Fish

  1. Remove the ornaments from the tank and place them in a bag filled with water from the tank. This will preserve the beneficial bacteria that has grown on the ornaments.
  2. Fill fish bags 1/3 full with water from the tank. You can buy fish bags at a pet store or aquarium supply store.
    • If you fill the bags more than 1/3 full, there won't be enough air in the bags to keep the water oxygenated and your fish will die.
  3. Net the fish and place them in the bags.
  4. Make sure that there is as much air as possible inside the bag.
    • You can inflate the bags by blowing into the tops. However, you shouldn't put your mouth directly on the opening because this will fill the bag with carbon dioxide. Instead, keep your mouth 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) away from the opening so when you blow air from your mouth it will encourage air near the opening to enter the bag.
  5. Close the tops of the bags tightly with rubber bands.
  6. Place the bags in an insulated cooler and close it. The cooler will keep the temperature of the water fairly constant during transport. The darkness will encourage the fish to be less active.
    • The jostling of the cooler during the move will help agitate the water so it will mix with the air in the bag.
  7. Pack the bags in tightly so they don't fall over, because this may leave the fish without water deep enough to swim in. If you don't fill the cooler with bagged fish, add something to take up the remaining space.
  8. Put fish that have spiny fins or might bite through a bag in a clean plastic bucket. Fill the bucket 1/3 full with tank water and close it with a tight-fitting lid.

Breaking Down and Setting Up the Tank

  1. Break down the tank as late as you can before moving it. Set it up at the new location as soon as possible so your fish won't have to stay in the bags or buckets longer than is necessary.
  2. Remove 80 percent of the water from the tank and save it in fish-safe clean buckets or bags. Remove the water from the surface. Don't siphon it from the bottom, and leave the last 20 percent in the tank, since this will be the most contaminated with waste. You will put the water back into the tank at the new location so your fish will have mature tank water.
  3. Empty the tank of the water and the substrate. Moving the tank with anything inside it will stress the tank's joints, causing leaks.
    • This is a good time to wash the substrate.
  4. Return the substrate and saved tank water to the tank at the new location. Place the ornaments inside and start the pump.

Returning Tropical Fish to the Tank

  1. Pour the buckets of fish into the tank or catch the fish and transfer them in a net.
  2. Float the bags of fish in the water long enough for the temperature of the water in the bag and in the tank to equalize. Then empty them into the tank.
  3. Take care not to stress the fish for a few days. Keep an eye on the quality of the tank water, feed lightly and don't add new fish.



Tips

  • If you have to move more than a short distance, your fish will probably not survive. It's best to give them away. You may be able to transport fish as cargo in an airplane, but they will have to be professionally packed.
  • When washing/cleaning fish gear (decor, tank, substrate, buckets), never use soap, just rinse with water. Sometimes it's okay to boil new/adopted decor.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish bags
  • Rubber bands
  • Insulated coolers
  • Plastic buckets with tight-fitting lids
  • Tank cleaning pad

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Sources and Citations

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