VISITOR'S QUESTIONS
2... Moving House
You must prepare plans before hand so that stress levels
for you and your fishes are kept to a minimum. It’s a good idea to carry
out a number of partial water changes prior to your move, paying particular
attention to gravel cleaning, this will ensure a minimum of debris disturbance
when you come to dismantling and reassembly of your aquarium.
Your aquarium and its inhabitants should be moved as
a separate operation, so that your full attention is concentrated on
this task. Gather together enough containers which are clean and suitable
for the job, they should not have been in contact with anything that
would be harmful to your fishes or the nitrifying bacteria that is present
in your filters and aquarium. These containers should have lids to prevent
any spillages. If you are friendly with a reputable aquatic retailer
you may be able to get the loan of suitable insulated containers specifically
for the job of transporting fishes, either way attempt to insulate against
heat loss in whatever containers you use.
When the time comes disconnect the electricity supply
to equipment in the aquarium and remove all these items, making them
safe for transportation. In the case of the heater, allow sufficient
time for this to cool before removing it from the water.
Remove any rockwork and decor and store in appropriate
container.
Remove any plants and store in a container that has
aquarium water it, so they don’t dry out and die.
Now that your tank is empty you can carefully net your
fishes, do not stress them by frantically chasing them all around the
aquarium, take your time, then gently put them in the container that
you have set aside for them. To protect them as much as you can you
could add stress coat to the water at the recommended dose.
siphon as much of the aquarium water as you can into
appropriate containers, with lids or stoppers to stop spillages. Remember
they must be clean and free from chemical contamination, including soaps
and detergents.
Remove the gravel and place in an appropriate container.
This, as well as any filter media, should be covered with aquarium water
to preserve any nitrifying bacteria present.
Your empty tank can now be rinsed out in readiness
for you move.
It is up to you now to transport all of this stuff
without delay, and try to preserve heat to the containers where necessary.
On arrival at your destination no time should be wasted
in setting up your aquarium to its previous state. The site of your
aquarium should have previously been planned and you should now set
up your aquarium in the manner in which you did initially.
It’s quite likely that you did not save all of the
aquarium water, and this will give you the opportunity to Top up and
bring the aquarium water up to the correct temperature. Remember to
treat the Topping up water with dechlorinator, it will also be a good
idea to add stress coat to the water as well, this is available at aquatic
retailers.
When you are satisfied that the aquarium water is at
the correct temperature you can acclimatize your fishes to it by adding
a little at a time to the container that is housing them for the move.
When the temperature is equalized you can carefully net your fishes
and gently put them back into the aquarium.
I hope this is of help to you, I cannot guarantee complete
success in such an operation, but if you make the necessary preparations
and follow the guidelines, then problems should be kept to a minimum.
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