# Moving 10 minutes away--seeking advice



## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

I am moving 10 minutes away and am seeking advice on how best to transfer my 125 gallon tank as well as the fish to my new house. I have about 15 full grown male hap cichlids, a school of small synodontis, two clown loaches, and two plecos.

The general plan would be to drain most of the water, catch the fish and put them into some sort of containers/bags, transfer the tank and 130 lbs of sand to the new place (hopefully 4 big guys can handle it), get the tank setup right away, and put the fish back in. I think I could have this done fairly quickly, catching the fish will probably take the most time.

My basic question is about the fish transfer. How many fish can you put into each container and what are the best containers to use? I will have to purchase these so ideally it is something economical.

Any advice on how to best handle this move will be welcome. Thanks in advance.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Usually I would suggest 5G buckets from a home improvement store but the size of the Haps will limit the number you can put in each bucket. Large rectangular storage totes would give them more room but filling them more than halfway will make carrying and transporting them (sloshing) more difficult. New garbage cans will work if they fit in your vehicle, again only filling them halfway.

A cheaper option may be to buy some large enough fish bags online or from your LFS. Bag the large fish individually, 1/3 water and 2/3 air and put them in a moving box or tote. The square bottom style bags that fish shippers use would be ideal and you fit more fish comfortably with fewer bags. See if your LFS will loan you styro boxes. The advantage to using fish bags is less danger from the fish injuring each other physically.

If you have the time available, you could always make multiple trips with the fish, keeping them in a couple large totes/cans at the old place and making multiple trips to the new place. If it was me, I would buy fish bags and move them all in one trip.


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## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

Thanks. Would you be able to provide a link to the bags you are recommending? Thanks.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

PM sent.


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## katherine7 (Jan 25, 2016)

binnyskyle said:


> I am moving 10 minutes away and am seeking advice on how best to transfer my 125 gallon tank as well as the fish to my new house. I have about 15 full grown male hap cichlids, a school of small synodontis, two clown loaches, and two plecos.
> 
> The general plan would be to drain most of the water, catch the fish and put them into some sort of containers/bags, transfer the tank and 130 lbs of sand to the new place (hopefully 4 big guys can handle it), get the tank setup right away, and put the fish back in. I think I could have this done fairly quickly, catching the fish will probably take the most time.
> 
> ...


That's right You could make many trips with the fish, keeping them in a few large boxes at the same place and making many trips to the new place.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Bagging the fish is one more stressor you don't need with a move...I'd use fish buckets. Surely you have at least one?


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## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

I have a few 5gal buckets that I just use for fish, but can't you only put a few fish in each bucket? I am going to need to bag/bucket all the fish at once and move them all at the same time.

I guess I could buy a bunch of buckets, you can get 20 from Home Depot for $55.


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## sirdavidofdiscus (Dec 8, 2006)

As for moving the tank 2 average size guys in good health should be able to move a 125 no problem. My son, 15 yrs old 5'6" weighing 135 lbs and myself, slightly less than 50 yrs old 5'6" weighing 175 lbs moved 2 125's from my truck to my basement without much trouble. 
Go with 5 gallon buckets for the fish like the others mentioned.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you are only 10 minutes away and have 2 buckets...put 6 fish in each bucket each time and make 2-3 trips.


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## malawicuz (Feb 6, 2016)

I've done this very recently with 28 malawis, 2 cuckoo catfish, 8 clown loach and....somehow 2 kribensis?? lol all happily in a 250l tank.
Go to Tesco or wherever, buy 10/15 5l bottles of spring water and empty them. Syphon your tank water into these and I literally put every single fish into a 10l bucket covered with cling film and a towel so it's pitch black. Set the rocks up and filters and what not and just poured them straight in........no problems at all. Everyone's happy and not ignoring me as they do when something's up.

Now many fish perverts will say this is wrong in every way but it's worked perfectly for both me and a fellow keeper of central American cichlids so....... there's my 2 pence lol


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## RobsFishTank (Nov 11, 2014)

Multiple trips won't work, guys, unless there is some sort of holding tank. All of the fish need to be removed in order to move the tank.

When you buy the buckets, don't forget that you'll need quite a few for the sand.


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