Moving... A Long Way!?

Of course it is! There is an article in the Articles section about moving house (Where else would it be?)

By the way Bristol to Portsmouth doesn't really qualify as a "a long way"!

Congrats to your partner on the job 

With just the Edge it won't be difficult. You'll just need a smallish lidded bucket (for the tank water) and a couple of plastic bags (fish and filter media). You can start doing research now on the water in Portsmouth. The main thing to remember is if the water is very different you'll need to acclimate the fish carefully. The easiest would probably be to take as much tankwater as possible then you don't have to worry about drip acclimating the fish while sorting things out at the other end. Then just do several small water changes to gradually change from Bristol water to Portsmouth water.

Also if you go to your lfs and ask they normally keep the large polystyrene boxes that the fish are transported to the shop in. They may charge you a small amount but it will help insulate and protect your fish during transit.

The Edge has a built in stand doesn't it? That little square thing that's smaller then the actual tank? It should be OK to put the tank on that on the floor so long as the floor isn't to wonky.

It occurred to me while I was wallpapering and had the modem unplugged in case I caught the cable - be very careful moving the tank off the stand. They are not supposed to be moved with water in as it will slosh around and that can damage the corner seals or even the glass itself. You would be safest taking a lot of water out then refill it once it's on the floor.

Strictly speaking, you should completely empty the tank. But as it is so small, you should get away with leaving just enough water for to keep the fish covered, and lift it very carefully with 2 of you. If you have enough buckets, you can put the water back in when it's moved.

You used to be able to get buckets with lids 30 years ago, I had some for soaking nappies in. Disposables were awful back then  Now that you mention it, I haven't seen any for a long time......


Wilkinsons sell 25 litre homebrew bins if those would be any good.

And the advantage with a brewing bin is that it must be food safe so will be safe for fish. The danger with things not intended with food use is that might not be fish safe eg some things can be impregnated with anti-bac.

Can the filter be unhooked from the tank and run in the bucket? If it can, when you empty the tank to move the stand you could just leave everything running in the bucket till you're ready to bag the fish. But if you can't run the filter anywhere but the tank, you'll have to put the water ad fish back in the tank till you're ready to bag up.


For 3 hours in a bag they'll be OK - but make sure the bag has one third water and two thirds air, and tie the bag up tightly. That ratio of air:water should ensure the livestock has enough oxygen for 3 hours. The other consideration is - they will be excreting ammonia in the bag, and also carbon dioxide. The CO₂ will dissolve in the water and make it slowly more acidic. Ammonia is les toxic the more acidic the water is. That's the reason for keeping the bag tied tight, so the CO₂ doesn't gas off as ammonia builds up.
Have I mentioned not to feed them for at least one day before the move to reduce the amount of ammonia they make?
Don't forget you'll need another bag with water for the filter or at least the media - again a 2:1 air :water ratio.


Re the brewing bin - my husband used to make homebrew and had a brew bin like that. And I knew that Wilkos sell homebrew equipment as I've bought wine making stuff from there 


Fingers crossed for you next weekend!

Can the filter be unhooked from the tank and run in the bucket? If it can, when you empty the tank to move the stand you could just leave everything running in the bucket till you're ready to bag the fish. But if you can't run the filter anywhere but the tank, you'll have to put the water ad fish back in the tank till you're ready to bag up.

I *think* that's possible though I'm not 100% sure. I think I can just slot it all out and thread the cable through the unit but my boyfriend was the one who set the whole tank up. That would make life a lot easier if it were possible. Would be funny watching my fish sitting in a bucket! If this were possible do you think the bucket would be OK with a heater stuck to the side?

For 3 hours in a bag they'll be OK - but make sure the bag has one third water and two thirds air, and tie the bag up tightly. That ratio of air:water should ensure the livestock has enough oxygen for 3 hours. The other consideration is - they will be excreting ammonia in the bag, and also carbon dioxide. The CO₂ will dissolve in the water and make it slowly more acidic. Ammonia is les toxic the more acidic the water is. That's the reason for keeping the bag tied tight, so the CO₂ doesn't gas off as ammonia builds up.
Have I mentioned not to feed them for at least one day before the move to reduce the amount of ammonia they make?
Don't forget you'll need another bag with water for the filter or at least the media - again a 2:1 air :water ratio.

Thanks again Sue, all great advice! Will remember not to feed the fishies too. I still haven't actually looked at what the water is like either.. Really need to get on that! I tell you, I wish I'd finished work about a week ago so I had time to sort everything out, it's been a little bit stressful considering how little we've actually done! Glad for your knowledge as always Sue - even of homebrewing!!

And thank you Ciders! I'm really not looking forward to this whole moving part, particularly the tank as I'm so clumsy and tend to lose my temper with inanimate objects quite easily so I can imagine the frustration already!!

Yeah we found a lovely flat in the centre of Southampton (we decided on Southampton in the end since we really liked it there). Unfortunately the flat is if anything slightly smaller though, so my dreams of a new tank may already be over!! Still... I went into MA earlier and drawled at the clown fish for a while... wish I could get a marine tank! They also had some gorgeous corys in that reminded me of Resa, I can see why she loves them so much!