Basics : Moving
In acclimating fish into a new environment, you have one immediate concern, which is to match the water parameters such that their new water is the same or only slightly better than where they came from. Your longer term goal is to keep the water in this condition (same or slowly improving) and this is mostly accomplished with the nitrifying bacteria in the filter (move the old filter with the fish). Getting the fish to this new home is the topic of this article.
The tasks involved in a fish move depend on various things. If the water conditions will be different, then some extra care is needed to acclimate them. If the destination tank is the source tank (tank is moving as well), then extra time & activities are involved in the tear-down and rebuild.
The duration and type of transport factors into the packing methods used. Typical transports are mail/courier, or in a point to point: bus, plane or private vehicle. In any move, your concerns are pollution, oxygen, temperature, and indirectly; time. Various packing methods are used such as fishbags, coolers, styrofoam & cardboard boxes, and I discuss techniques for unpacking. There is also a section below on tank prep, in case you don't have a waiting tank for their arrival, and what you can do instead.
While you might not be able to do the same thing, it is always instructive to see how the professionals do it.
Details...
MAIL / COURIER
These use a variety of air & ground transports, and the waiting time between them can be disastrous to live fish. Millions of fish have been lost from sitting on an airport runway due to a missed flight, or from sitting in an unheated or non-air conditioned pickup station. Any Custom's inspections will add transport time, delay and increased risk. Many shippers avoid live transport during peak cold and hot weather periods. When using mail/couriers, have packaging indicate LIVE FISH on all sides, get tracking codes and pack to allow for delays.
BUS LINES & AIR
Many people use bus lines for fish transport. Properly packed for transit, the box is loaded by the shipper and unloaded by the receiver at arrival, with very little delays. The trip duration is well known so this method has minimal risks involved. Single point to point air flights are relatively risk free as well. Complications generally start with transfers and Custom inspections.
PRIVATE VEHICLE
Using your own car or truck, there are a few different approaches, all depending on your preferences, fish load, trip duration, number of stops, ambient temperature etc. Basically you can pack & ship the fish like luggage in sealed boxes, or you can use vented containers with dc-powered air pumps. In either case, you can schedule daily water changes as needed. Private vehicles provide more control & flexibility if needed.
POLLUTION
This takes several forms. Any waste products from the fish will be adding ammonia to the water, which can accumulate to toxic levels. The CO2 from their respiration becomes carbonic acid which drops the pH (acidifying the water). If one of the fish dies in transport, this will quickly foul the water for the others in the same bag. For each of these, there are work-arounds.
It can take fish several days (if not weeks) to starve to death. Generally the larger the fish, or the lower its activity level, the longer it can go without eating, so hobbyists should have no concerns about not feeding the fish for the average trip duration, and for at least 24 hours before they are packed. This will greatly reduce the ammonia build-up in the shipping container. Note that algae eaters will not be affected by taking away their food if they have algae available to them, so expect large algae eaters to pollute their shipping containers more quickly than your other fish.
CO2 build up, and the pH dropping as a consequence, is not a major problem unless it goes to an extreme. The lower pH works to our advantage keeping any ammonia in the water in a non-toxic state. Keeping the fish in the dark will reduce their respiration rates, reducing the rate at which the CO2 builds up. If the containers can be kept from jostling too much, the fish might sleep through part of the trip. The fish-load in the containers will have a direct effect on the rate of CO2 accumulation, so with larger fish, or those from high pH environments, a lower fish-load per bag is usually used. Small fish which naturally come from soft acidic water can be more densely packed.
The biggest problem with high CO2 and low pH comes when the bag is opened and the CO2 dissipates (resulting in a pH which bounces up). After the trip, this transition period after opening the shipping container is usually the most critical to their survival.
OXYGEN
The rate of O2 depletion is a function of temperature (cooler water holds more oxygen), metabolism (active fish use the oxygen up faster) and fish load. For an estimate of their O2 requirements, cube their length, so a 2" fish needs 8 times more O2 than a 1" fish. When filling a shipping container, divide your fish by size into separate bags. Larger fish get a bag to themselves, or are more lightly packed together. Try not to mix fish of different sizes, as their susceptibility to low O2 will vary. If your trip duration or fish-load will exceed the O2 available, then plan rest stops to re-oxygenate the water, or keep the water continuously re-oxygenated by using a dc air pump (plugs into your cigarette lighter). Keeping the fish in the dark (low stress, lowered metabolism) will reduce their O2 usage.
TEMPERATURE
As your objective is a stable temperature, your packing method needs to reflect your ambient and trip duration. The greater the air to water difference, the better you need to seal & insulate your container. Using the average tank temperature of 77F or 25C, a drop or increase of a few degrees would be acceptable (a drop will keep their metabolism lower, but tropical fish don't like dips in temperature 'chills').
For keeping warm or for keeping cool, more insulation is better. In terms of best to worst, sealed styrofoam boxes are best, followed by paper lined coolers, styrofoam lined cardboard boxes, then paper lined cardboard boxes, fish bags, plastic containers and lastly; glass containers (aquariums are not very suitable for transporting fish).
To compensate for rising or falling temperatures, heat packs or ice packs are often used. Heat packs are usually not reusable, relying on a chemical reaction. The pack should not make direct contact with a fishbag. One method is to place the pack under a full fishbag in the centre of the container. This fishbag has no fish in it. The surrounding fishbags are heated/cooled by contact to the centre bag. Another method is to tape the pack to the underside of the lid. If the shipping container is not flipped on its top, then the bag will heat/cool the air in the fishbags, transferring the temperature gradually to the water.
During very hot or cold weather, use direct transport (no transfers), or hold off until the weather is less hostile to shipping fish. Having more water will delay the effects of temperature change, but the additional water will decrease the amount of O2 you start with, and add weight (which is a major expense in air freight).
PACKAGING
Lets assume you are using sealed shipping containers. Pet shops get regular deliveries, usually in styrofoam boxes which are often thrown away (or returned to supplier). Contact the local pet shops and see if there is one which can spare a few boxes (get more than you think you will need). Also ask if you can purchase some fish bags from them. You are looking for the large bags used for Koi and larger fish. If your container will hold 8 bags, then ask for 20. Double bagging will consume 16 fish bags. Unless you are already proficient at making fish bags, you will scrap a few, and your fish might puncture a few as well. To give you an idea of their value (and what you might be charged for them) fishbags cost the store between 9 and 20 cents a bag, so don't expect them for free and don't get over-charged. When planning how many bags you need, don't forget your filter media. The aged sponge from a filter is bagged handled and shipped just like fish, but in their own bag (unless you have a cycled tank at your destination).
Besides the above mentioned pollution, O2 and temperature considerations, there are some mechanical aspects to respect. Lets start by assuming you have a variety of fish species in different sizes. By species, fish have the same susceptibility levels, so ideally they should be bagged this way. If you had a mix of species, then as the O2 dropped one fragile fish might die, and then it would foul the bag during transport. If they all have the same susceptibility your chances are much better than they all survive together longer.
Different sized fish will produce waste and consume O2 at a different rate, and will have a significantly different susceptibility to the changing water parameters, so they should not be packaged together. Also during transport, fish may bang into each other, and mechanical damage is more likely to occur with a difference in sizes.
Certain fish can damage each other more easily, or can be easily damaged by others. Any fish which has hard rays (the first spines of the dorsal and/or anal, and/or pectoral fins which are hard) can damage others. The most obvious examples are most catfish (pectorals and usually the dorsal fins start with hard rays) and most cichlids (often having hard rays on dorsal and anal fins). The larger the fish, the greater the potential damage is, to other fish and to the fishbag. Scaleless fish such as loaches and botia, or other creatures such as African dwarf frogs and small fish are more susceptible to this type of mechanical transport damage when inappropriately mixed with larger fish. Fish which have a broad side (Discus, Angelfish, Silver dollars, Monodactylus etc) are also much more susceptible to transport stress and mechanical damage. Small individual bags are often used for these fish.
Air has a lot more O2 in it than water, so a closed fish bag should be mostly air. The amount of water you need is to cover the fish, provide enough of a buffer between it and the other fish in the bag, and minimize the sloshing back & forth during transit. This typically results in about 1/4 to 1/3 of the bag being water, but this ratio increases for breathable bags (which allow O2 and CO2 molecules in and out).
To close a bag with lots of air (don't blow in it), hold the bag upright, and with your hand inside, open the sides of the bag to their maximum. Then quickly grab & close the bag at the top. Twist to hold in the air, and then release a bit of air to have enough bag material to close it (knot or fold and use an elastic, etc). If you are planning mid point re-oxygenation or water changes, then twist, fold and use an elastic. If they are sealed for the trip, a knot will suffice. The fishbag should have enough air pressure inside that you cannot poke your finger in past your first knuckle.
Ideally, the bag you are sealing is already double bagged, however it's a little more difficult to seal double bags. If starting with a sealed single bag, slide it upside down into another bag and seal the outer bag (the knots will not interfere with each other this way). If using elastics and planning mid-point access, then leave the inside and outside bag's opening at the same place.
If you really can't get the hang of sealing a bag with lots of air, then try using an alternate method which does not involve your breath (which has less O2 and more CO2 than you want). A bicycle air pump or the device used to start a fire in a fireplace (can't recall the name) should do the job, though you might need a 2nd set of hands to help you.
If using a cooler or cardboard boxes, be sure to line the interior with an insulating material, such as foam, styrofoam sheets, newspaper etc. Placing your shipping containers on top of some old blankets will cushion the fish away from much of the transport vibration. Due to the weight, the boxes must be kept low, and they should be the last item into a transport and the first item out.
It should be noted that sick fish do not travel well. If you need to move them, they get their own bag. Some discretion should be used regarding what is worth moving, and donate extra or easily replaced fish to your friends or any pet shop which has supported you or keeps well maintained tanks. Certain fish are known to be very difficult to transport, such as Monos and Bala sharks.
UNPACKING
This is a tricky part of the operation, and I will not pretend that there is any single best way to do it. Amongst experienced hobbyists, there is still debate over floating vs. dumping the fish directly into the new water. Both methods have pros & cons, and the condition of the arriving fish will sometimes dictate the best method to use. Some of the following methods and observations are more applicable to a commercial operation, but the theory scales down to a single fishbag.
A typical unpacking proceeds as follows. In a room with very dim lighting, open the shipping container, wait a few minutes and then begin inspecting to determine if any fish need immediate care, otherwise wait a few more minutes for them to adjust to the light. Open and roll the bag back. Place it in the aquarium they are going to. Check the water temperature difference. The greater the difference the longer they need to float. I typically add some Ammo-lock to neutralize any ammonia, a few drops is enough. While floating the bag, periodically (ie: 10 min.) add a portion of tank water. This will begin adjusting the water chemistry in the bag towards the water in the tank, and will help dilute toxins and add O2. Another method is to set up a drip line between the destination tank and the fish bag(s). A pail can also be used (empty the fish bags into a pail and then use the drip line).
The arrival conditions to consider include:
Heavily fouled water will be very acidic and toxic. Airing this bag may cause the pH to rise sufficiently enough to have the ammonia in the water quickly go toxic, poisoning the fish. In this case, it's better to subject the fish to a sudden pH change by doing an immediate 2/3 water change in the bag, rather than a 20 minute float to adjust temperature.
Very cold water is difficult to adjust upwards slowly without stressing the fish. In this case, I find I have better luck dumping them directly into the tank's warm water. I'd read about a fish's ability to adjust to sudden temperature rises so I've put this into practice on occasion. In my worst scenario, a shipper had forgotten a small box outside (in below zero temperatures). The fish (Platys) were in water which was very cold, and they were not expected to survive. They were dumped into 77F and surprisingly there was no mortality. More than a 10F difference and I dump the fish in directly, if the temperature was below their acceptable range and if the temperature had dropped relatively quickly.
Very hot water is dropped slowly. I will often pour hot water into their destination tank (empty of other fish), to meet the bag temperature part way.
Gasping at the surface is an indication of low O2. Open the bag, add some water and an airstone. Consider dumping them if you see dead fish in the bag, or if they do not show a rapid decrease in stress.
Fish should go into dimly lit quarantine tanks for a couple of days inspection.
TANK PREP
Ideally, there is a waiting tank at your destination. This might mean reducing your collection to free up a tank, or moving part of it into temporary containers, so you can move the tank there a few days earlier. Also consider purchasing a new aquarium. The glass box is typically not a major expense. Add some new gravel, heater and something to keep the water moving, and you will greatly simplify the move. Fish, filters and canopy all travel together.
Whether at the destination, or the source or in transit, the more temporary containers, the easier the move. You can arrive and put your fish in a bathtub, but metal bathtubs cool quickly and there is the danger of residual soaps and detergents. Pond equipment suppliers have black preformed tubs in a variety of sizes. For future usage, a 250 gallon free-standing tub costs about $170 cdn. Even food safe 55g drums or smaller are options for temporary storage. Keep in mind that with a smaller surface area, you will need more filtration or aeration to compensate. While fish are in temporary containers (couple of days), do not feed or feed sparingly. If you have brought their filtration system and kept the sponge media intact (bacteria alive), then feed, but sparingly while monitoring water parameters.
Assuming you have only one aquarium, and you need to move it, the procedure is very similar, whether moving to another floor or across the country. Moving it across the same floor provides a few other options.
Prior to the move, plan & inventory your equipment needs. Pails work well for short trips (for plants, ornaments, rockwork, gravel etc). For serious quantities, milk crates work better, line them with garbage bags. Fishbags and styrofoam boxes are ideal for plants (with or without bags). Arrange it so your tank maintenance is relatively up to date before the moving date (gravel vacuum, clean the algae on the front glass, clean the filters so the water is flowing well, remove, clean & replace ornaments and rockwork at your discretion.
Decide if you need moving crates for your tank(s). Moving companies often require them for insurance purposes. Tanks are fairly sturdy when completely empty. Protect their sides from scratches, and provide a method of transport which does not flex their base (crate or a plywood base). Ideally, your tank will not travel empty, but will be filled with smaller tanks or materials (linens, tablecloths, towels etc). If filled with clothing, watch for zippers or other pieces of metal.
If packing up the contents of the house, make sure your fish moving supplies are all accessible (includes fishnets, lots of towels, plastic trowel to remove gravel, hoses, wrapping foam for heater and canopy etc). Your water change routine should be aggressive enough so that your tank water approaches the quality of your tap water (low DOCs, low NO3, stable pH etc). This better ensures that any subsequent water changes en route will be less of a shock to them. Stop feeding a day before the move.
OK, tank is clean, fish are healthy (but hungry) and it's moving day. Consider subcontracting the next part out if you are also supervising a house move, but otherwise, start by unplugging the heater and filter, and remove the filter's sponge (place it in a container with tank water, unsealed for now, seal before departure).
At this point, there are 2 strategies you can follow and which works best depends on your containers and when you will be moving out. If the fish are moving as soon as they are packed, or the delay is short, then partly fill your fish bags and place them in your shipping container(s). Net the fish out and distribute them into the fishbags (I fold the bags over as I go along so I don't double load a bag). Seal the bags, pack the boxes, seal them and off you go.
If you are not moving for some time (several hours), then you need a suitable temporary home for them (ie: spare empty tank). Draw water from the main tank into your spare tank and move the fish in. If the temporary tank is small, consider filling a pail with tank water to be used for the fishbags later, but this will need to be kept heated as well.
When catching the fish, remember that everything is coming out, so it might make the catch easier if you remove some rockwork, ornaments and plants. Just be sure to be finished removing all the water you need before doing this, and use your discretion if it raises too much detritus into the water. I usually leave anything which is deep in the substrate till the end, to avoid any noxious gases being released from the substrate.
After the fish are out, remove the rest of the rockwork. Clean it now or be prepared to have more work cleaning it later. I usually take a garden hose to the gravel and repeatedly fill the tank while stirring and then drain the muddy water. The objective is to reasonably clean it up. I pile the gravel up on one end, sometimes raising that end up to help drain the water (if the tank is well enough constructed for this draining method). When I'm satisfied, the gravel moves into containers. The tank is then rinsed, and remove any residual algae, hard water deposits etc. These are all easier to do when a bit wet.
Setting up a moved tank is the same as setting up a new tank with a few notes. The gravel gets one rinse before usage. This rinse can be inside the aquarium and the water is then drained. This is to dislodge and remove any dead aerobic bacteria, and excess anaerobic bacteria which developed during the transport. By mixing hot & cold water when filling the tank, I try to match the temperature of the fishbags plus a couple of degrees. That usually puts me in the right ballpark. Aerate/filter heavily to drive off excess gasses from the 100% water change. Float the fishbags and begin putting portions of tank water into the fishbags to balance parameters. At this point, if I do not already know it, I'm checking the pH and gH of the new water to see how it compares with the original tank water, and the water currently in the fishbags. Fish will to a degree, adjust to differences in gH and pH, but extremes are problematic, especially when adjusting from very hard to very soft water, or to a pH which is higher than source tank and above 8.0 pH, or to pH which is far below source tank and below 7.0 pH. While the short term adjustment is from the fishbag parameters to the destination tank, the more important change (in my opinion) is from the source tank to the destination tank. It is the source tank parameters which the fish will be most adapted to at a cellular level, not the day spent in the fishbag.
If moving the tank within the same floor level, consider rolling/pushing it there. Disconnect all electricity, and allow about 20 minutes for the heater to completely cool down. Then drain as much of the water as possible, keeping the majority of the plants submersed and the fish not scrapping the substrate. Using carpets or nylon refrigerator pads (or rollers) on hardwood, or plastic mats (used for snow sledding) or plywood sheets on carpets, or anything which will allow the tank stand to slide, push the tank to its new location. Have more than one person helping as the aquarium will still be top-heavy and can be tipped.
PROFESSIONALS
Over many years, professional shippers have been fine-tuning their delivery methods to minimize stress and reduce mortality on long trips. While it might not be practical to use all their techniques, there are many things we can easily copy.
Typically one to eight bags are inside a styrofoam box. Fish are double-bagged, often with an opaque plastic between the two bags (shields light, increases insulation, improves puncture resistance). Bags often have some material inside (black ammonia absorbing pellets, Terbang leaves for softwater fish, plastic strips for hardwater fish, cotton sheet material for shrimp to hang on to, etc). Fish in trans-shipped boxes (crossing oceans) usually travel tranquilized, which reduces their O2 requirements, keeps them calmer, and allows much higher packing densities. As soon as they are landed and given a water change, they wake up. At this point, they must be redistributed to a lower fish load per bag.
The exterior of the outside bag might by wrapped in newspaper (extra insulation). The styrofoam box is sealed shut in box-tape (along every seam). Bag orientation depends on fish species and size. The creases around the knot will trap very small fish such as baby Kuhlis, but are generally a lower risk than a crimped corner so bags are often travel upside down. Many fish bags are available with rounded corners to they do not need to be upside down.
The styrofoam box is inside a cardboard box, sealed along all creases. Box indicates all transport details (airports, waybill, destination etc), box orientation (this way UP) and that LIVE FISH are the contents.
Another packing method is to individually bag each fish inside a plastic fishbag only slightly larger than the fish itself. In this case, I think breathable plastic is being used as there is almost no air in the bags. This technique probably started with male Bettas, but has since moved to many other fish. Examples that I've received in this manner are Bettas, Rams, Discus, Monos, Severums and Killifish. Despite its inhumane appearance, the mortality has been very low. Unpacking these fish is a little problematic as there isn't enough water to float the 'pouch' (and it would float on its side, forcing the fish sideways). For these, I take a shallow pail, and add approximately the same amount of total water that will be in the pouches, (and I try to match their water temperature. I stand them up (like cards on a table), cutting them open. I then dump them into the pail (the first few don't have enough water to swim upright, but they are fine by the time I'm halfway through the pouches).
With the growing international demand for tropical fish, I'm sure I'll be updating this page as new methods come into use. If you have any methods you would like to share, please send them to me.
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