I have a 10 gallon tank and am moving about half an hour away.

Would it be less stressful for the fish (mollies, platy's) to just take out 3/4 of the tank water and move or put the little guys in separate bags?

Also, should I try to save some of the old tank water for them?

12/12/2007 6:36:34 AM

I have never been a fan of leaving them in the tank because it seems like the gravel and stuff always sloshes around and can hit them, which definitely won't make them less stressed. But I don't know the official best way to move them. I always put my fish in those plastic disposable tupperware things to move them without any gravel or anything. Do save some of the water, though.

12/12/2007 7:23:18 AM

I bought a 10 gallon tank with 4 fish and the seller did what you suggested with removing water.

Don't try to move it with any more than 1/4 of the water in there without help. Those tanks are incredibly heavy when the smallest amounts of water.

Also the slightest pressure will crack the glass so be careful!

12/12/2007 8:15:31 AM

I have moved my cichlid 4 times in 5 years and he's always done pretty well. One of the moves was from Greensboro to Asheville and he was fine with what I did.

He lives in a 29 gallon tank. What I did every time was completely empty the tank and put about 5 gallons of his water in a plastic bucket. He goes in the bucket and the bucket goes in the floorboard of the car between the seat and the glove compartment so I can watch him to make sure water isn't splashing out everywhere. Once I would get to my destination, he and his tank would be the first thing I set up. He got about 24 gallons of new water after every move which is the ONLY time I've ever changed his water that much, and he got a bit shocky when we moved to Asheville, but that was about a 4-hour ordeal and not recommended.

I would suggest saving as much of the old water as you can, which will be easy with a 10 gallon tank. It's easier on them to go back into water they are used to, but if you can't, they may be OK anyway. I have a really hearty fish who I've had since early 2002. He's moved with me from Burlington to Hendersonville and a few places in between and has done fine every time.

12/12/2007 8:17:24 AM

use water from the tank, put them in large enough bags so they have a little room to move. put them in a cooler or box, and cover to make it dark.

12/12/2007 8:36:20 AM

thanks for all the advice!!!

12/12/2007 9:07:34 AM

^ Agreed. I have moved 55, 75, and 90 gallon tanks and have had no trouble however I did lose some from shock after awhile. Best thing to do is try to keep as much old water as possible and to setup the tank and introduce them just like you would if you got them from a fish store. Don't move the fish in the tank as even a few gallons of water movement on a small tank will cause it to crack.

I also did another water change later that same week as the bacteria in the water from moving will die off and can cause a spike in your system causing algae blooms, death or other. I'd recommend doing a water change at least once in the near future so that the water is fairly clean. What's nice about moving is you get to clean your tank more thoroughly than normal.

12/12/2007 9:14:03 AM

everytime i've moved my goldfish in the past (several times), i followed the advice of some people on koivet.com and used a large cooler, several trashbags inside each other, only water from the tank, and a battery powered air pump (or regular pump w/ converter in the car). it's worked well each time, and if they start sloshing you can close the lid on the cooler for a bit. i usually use 3 of the clear lawn trashbags and tape the outer 2 open around the cooler and leave the 3rd inner one loose so i can close it if i have to.

12/12/2007 11:26:20 AM