Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping => General Fishkeeping Chat => Topic started by: Littlefish on December 06, 2019, 06:23:41 PM
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As I have mentioned previously, I started a new job at the end of July, which was quite some distance from home. My employers have been very flexible, paying for hotels and also allowing me to spend time working from home. Even with the use of timers for lights, and automatic feeders for the tanks that could have flake/dry food, it didn't take long for me to realise that I would have to relocate. Again, my employers have been great, with a good relocation package to pay for removals, etc. but the thought of moving all of my tanks/fish/amphibians is quite nerve wracking.
It has taken a lot of planning so far. I started a few weeks ago by combining as many of my current tank inhabitants as possible to free up tanks, and researching as many articles as I could regarding moving fish. Now the moving days are fast approaching.
The plan so far is that the removal men shift the furniture and empty tanks on Tuesday, and the garden furniture, containers and plants on Wednesday. I can then set up the empty tanks, and head back on the weekend to do several trips to start moving the gang. Then I will have time to review the situation, and book another move for the last tanks either just before Christmas, or between Christmas and New Year.
Last weekend I moved most of the kitchen stuff. This weekend I'll be moving the rest, along with the bathroom stuff, and some of the smaller tanks. I've got several battery operated air pumps for use during the move, and have got some polyboxes from my local MA to help keep the gang at a reasonable temperature during their travels. I've also got plastic stack boxes, and will be getting more on Saturday, for transporting the sand from the tanks, plants, and wood. I'll also be using stack boxes for transporting the axolotls because they are too large for bags. I thought it would be worth putting some mature media in the boxes for the trip, in the hope that this will also help.
The drive between locations should take around 2.5 hours on a good day. I'm guessing it will take longer with fish on board so I can try to keep the ride as smooth as possible, and avoid stressing the gang too much. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there are no major incidents, and I can't imagine how long it's going to take to then replant the tanks and get everything back to normal.
I just hope that we all survive this month. :-\
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I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for all your fish - and you :)
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Many thanks.
I'm very nervous about the move, but it has to be done.
I really hope that nothing goes wrong, and that I can enjoy having all the gang back with me before the end of the year. :)
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Hi @Littlefish
You will recall that you're moving to my neck of the woods. Although my wife and I are both retired, we are very busy. However, if we can help in some small way, please let us know. Even if it's just for moral support.
BTW, we went to the recently-renovated MA Ascot store today and it is quite something. As I understand it, this will be their 'flagship' freshwater centre. We've been going to the Ascot store for about 15 years. Being members of the Bracknell Aquarist Society, there's always lots of chat to be had with the MA staff.
Take care.
JPC
:fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1:
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Firstly... wishing you all the best will all aspects of your move @Littlefish fish related or otherwise.
This thread got me wondering if there was such a thing as a professional aquarium / fish removal service (I now don't like that word... makes it sound like the exterminator is coming). And it looks like there are two well reviewed ones in your area. They don't give any details online as to how they do it - and I'm sure it's latrgely how you are already planning to go about things - but it might be an option for you to consider, if you want some of the stress taking out of the equation as such.
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Thanks to all for their support.
@Matt I feel a bit guilty about stripping down the tanks that you designed for me, but I'm afraid it can't be helped. At least I still have the information to be able to replant them correctly again. I will say that you are an absolute genius for for considering & researching professional fish movers. I think I'll have a quick look at them now.
@jaypeecee I am quite sad to be leaving Cambridge as it is driving distance from several really good fish stores, as well as Aquarium Gardens. However, I am comforted to know that I'll only be a 15 minute drive from the MA flagship freshwater centre. :) I also think you'll have to tell me more about the Bracknell Aquarist Society. ;D
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Lovely to read of your employers' assistance and flexibility - good to be valued in that way. All the very best to you and the gang for the move - I'll be thinking of you and sending positive vibes in your direction. Daft though it may sound, when I adopted two fish, and again when I bought my most recent shoal, I talked to them in as calm a voice as I could (almost exaggeratingly calm, possibly in an effort to keep me calm too!) on the journey home, attempting to reassure them that all would be fine. I do think this helped them (and me!).
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I moved the dwarf puffers on Sunday. They weren't overly happy, but have settled down now.
The removal men are currently bringing my furniture and empty tanks in. It will be lovely to have a sofa to sit on and a tv to watch this evening. :)
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Sound good so far!! Ive lived without sofas for short periods before so I know how amazing it is when you get them back!!
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I'm also looking forward to not sitting on the floor whilst eating my dinner. I'm getting too old for that sort of thing. :isay:
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It will be lovely to have a sofa to sit on and a tv to watch this evening. :)
Who needs a TV, though, when there's fish to watch? :))
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I hope to have more fish to watch soon. ;D
This morning I had a quick trip to the MA at Ascot. Oh my, what a store. :o
Ok, they've done a lot of work there, and it's looking great. The chap said that they hadn't finished, and more was being done. It looked very neat and well organised. Lots of tanks, equipment, etc.
A good range of plants. They had some more unusual ones as well as the standard ones I've seen at other MAs.
As for fish, I'm amazed I got out of there with just the frozen bloodworm I'd gone for. :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1: :fishy1:
They don't have marines, because the Reefkeeper store is not that far away, so it's all tropicals, temperate & coldwater. They also have a great range of shrimp (including the giant fan shrimp I really like) It was lovely to see the bettas in the standard size shop tanks, rather than the smaller ones, and not mixed with other fish. Their bettas looked particularly perky too.
On top of it all, they had quite a range of oddballs. More varieties of puffer than I'd seen in one shop before, and the most stunning https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/channa-aurantimaculata/ two of which appeared to be a pair. I'm sure they'd look lovely in an Aqua Oak 180, which happens to be on sale at the moment.
No, I must be strong, and not buy anything until I've got my gang all relocated and settled here, even though it's not going to be easy. :-[
My dwarf puffers enjoyed the bloodworms though. ;D
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Don't make me rename this thread to "Moving home and acquiring fish" :isay:
I'm also sure you said you had lots of spare tanks... try using them rather than buying even more... :rotfl:
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Oh - but I do want this thread renamed... it would be soooo exciting to read of Littlefish's latest acquisitions every time she visits the new LFSs... ;D I really oughtn't to be encouraging her, though.
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When I got home I found myself thinking " I wish I'd rented the other house - the bigger one with the integrated garage that already had electrics wired through & mains sockets fitted". :rotfl:
I think the limited space in this house may be the only thing that will be helping me to be strong and not succumb to the charms of the adorably ugly congo puffer (though I've just noticed that some of my current empty tanks are more than big enough for that one. Oh dear.) or actually cute south american puffers (though I feel increasing the numbers of dwarf puffers I already have might just be fair game).
Actually, the house move hasn't been a complete success so far, which means that my focus has to be on that and my current gang, as I have to hand the keys to my other place back at the end of the month/year.
Unfortunately, when the furniture arrived on Tuesday we found that the combination of ceiling height, turns in the stairs, & design of my wardrobes meant that they wouldn't fit and couldn't be carried up the stairs. My wardrobes are currently in the living room, and the ones from the spare bedroom are in the dinning room. It's going to take a while for me to dismantle them, take them upstairs, then rebuild them. Also, although this house has more bedrooms, none of them are as big as the rooms at the last place, so not all of my bedroom furniture will fit into 1 bedroom. Bedroom & separate dressing room it is then. Which then means limited space for the wardrobes from the spare bedroom, and the bookcases and other stuff.
As for the living room, 4 seater sofas are not always the easiest things to place in a room, which then limits where I can put tanks. I also find it difficult to plan the room and/or rearrange furniture when there is a wardrobe in the way. :rotfl:
The situation around the house move has caused quite a few problems. Most removal companies survey the house/furniture prior to quoting. As I was already working away, so wasn't at the house for them to visit & survey, I was sent lists to complete,which they used for the quote. Obviously I listed the tanks, but there were a lot of things I forgot about, and I didn't realise how many boxes of books, fish-related equipment and decor I would end up with after packing. Luckily the removal men packed everything they could onto the truck (even stuff I hadn't listed), but weren't comfortable with moving the aqua oak fish tanks, so even the empty ones ended up staying in Cambridge. Obviously if they'd seen the tanks before quoting this would have been something I'd been aware of.
So, I have empty Fluval Romas here (240, 200, and several 125s). There is limited floor space downstairs to set them up due to multiple wardrobes. Then I still have to move my gang, and arrange for the tanks to be transported. Due to time constraints I plan to contact some of the specialist fish transporters that Matt noted. I also plan to head back to Cambridge and see if the guys from MA can help. They have offered to house my fish in their sumps whilst I move tanks. Without wishing to sounds hideously ungrateful, I didn't want my gang in their water system. Obviously they have fish being delivered every week, and have a regular list of medications they use on a daily/weekly basis, and my gang wouldn't be used to that sort of thing. I was worried that it would have a very negative impact on them, especially with the stress of the move as well. I have explained this to them, and they have been very understanding, bless them.
They have provided various sixes of polybox (nominal charge for the larger ones, no charge for the smaller ones), various sizes of fish bags, and last week I had a training session on how to tie fish bags correctly. Whilst standing in front of a plant tank, making a complete pigs ear of several attempts, I was told that this was how they all started at MA. :)
Ok, enough rambling for now. Stuff to do & plans to make. :)
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As mentioned ages ago, it's easy to formulate an image of what different folk on the fish forum look like, and it's probably very inaccurate. For some reason, it never really occurred to me that Littlefish might actually have furniture - I think I have this image of a house full of tanks crammed into every room, with perhaps one additional item of furniture - a chair for watching them from and sleeping in.
:rotfl:
All the best with everything!
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When my mother came to live with us back in 2011 she brought a wardrobe unit with her. It was the three section type popular many years ago. The middle section (drawers and mirror) just went round the bend in the stairs but the two wardrobes sections would not go. Luckily it was July so we were able to dismantle them on the lawn. We never did find one of the screws. I would hate to have done that in the middle of winter indoors.
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:rotfl: @fcmf that made me chuckle. I will admit that I may have too many thanks though. ;D
@Sue I'm not looking forward to dismantling stuff, but I guess I put all of it together in the first place, so hoping I can manage. I can also shift a lot of boxes of books into the cupboard under the stairs, and probably even the downstairs wc, to free up space in the conservatory for the temporary tanks. That will give me time to move the gang down from Cambridge in a timely manner without having to move all of the wardrobes first.
As long as I can ignore the chaos and focus on the fish & tanks I'm sure it will all sort itself out eventually.
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Good luck!!!!!
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Don't make me rename this thread to "Moving home and acquiring fish" :isay:
I'm also sure you said you had lots of spare tanks... try using them rather than buying even more... :rotfl:
@Matt you know it's going to happen at some point. :rotfl:
I can't possibly start visiting a new LFS, especially one like Ascot MA, without some new arrivals.
As for the spare tanks, you make a valid point. :-[
Though just imagine how happy the axolotls would be if they were moved from a 150cm to a 180cm....then perhaps the forest tank inhabitants could be moved from their 100 to a 120 or 150cm. Then, well, I guess I should get my furniture sorted and my gang relocated first, before I get carried away. ;D
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Some suggestions for furniture:
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I'll keep those in mind if I ever get around to looking for new furniture @fcmf ;D
Busy day today. I dismantled my wardrobe and reassembled it upstairs, so the living room now only contains the tv, sofa, armchair, and has lots of space ready for tanks.
I don't have enough room upstairs for the spare wardrobes, so I think I'll phone around and see which charity shops will collect as those wardrobes are quite new. I also have a 2 meter run of wall space in the dining room now, ready for the temporary tanks to be set up.
I've moved the large bookcases to the spare bedroom, unpacked quite a lot of boxes, and have even located the Christmas decorations.
It was quite nice to eat sitting at the table today, though it will be much better when I have some tanks set up in that room. :)
Looks like I'll be building cabinets & setting up some of the temporary tanks tomorrow. Progress. ;D
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:cheers:
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This morning I had a quick trip to the MA at Ascot. Oh my, what a store.
Hi @Littlefish
What a shame we missed you. My wife and I were also in there the very same day! Late afternoon, to be precise. It would have been nice to have met you in person.
JPC
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I have no doubt that I will be visiting the Ascot MA again @jaypeecee and the chances of bumping into me there are probably quite high, especially considering the amount of time I'm likely to spend with my face pressed up against their tanks of puffers, oddballs & shrimp. :rotfl:
Things are very busy with the ongoing move, but come January things will settle down considerably, so we could even arrange to meet at MA.
I've also noticed that the Bracknell Aquarist Society you mentioned previously meet every month, so I'm planning to head over there in January. Perhaps we can catch up there. :)
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Things are very busy with the ongoing move, but come January things will settle down considerably, so we could even arrange to meet at MA.
I've also noticed that the Bracknell Aquarist Society you mentioned previously meet every month, so I'm planning to head over there in January. Perhaps we can catch up there.
Hi @Littlefish
That all sounds great. It would be good to meet you before the BAS meeting in January. Then we can introduce you to the BAS crowd knowing a little bit more about you. Much better that way.
You will have seen evidence of the construction work that is currently in progress around the Ascot MA store. They may have got the coffee shop in operation by the time we meet but, if not, there is a Hillier garden centre a few hundred metres away where we could chat over a coffee. Both my wife and I are very much looking forward to meeting you.
JPC
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I contacted a few of the specialist fish/aquarium removal services and provided information for quotations.
I have mixed feelings about this. I was hoping to get the removal men to move the empty tanks, move the fish myself, etc. and keep you guys informed of the ups and downs of moving house with multiple tanks. I thought this might be helpful for others when moving in the future.
Unfortunately, due to the larger empty tanks not being moved last week, the numbers of tanks, and the timescales involved, I have to admit defeat and call in the grown ups - those specialists who do this sort of thing for a living.
I had one quotation back today which made my eyes water. Admittedly, the distance of travel & number of tanks makes it likely that it will take 2 days to move the tanks. There was a brief discussion in the kitchen with some of my fish-friendly colleagues as to whether it would be cheaper to buy some new tanks and get them delivered, especially in reference to the Aqua Oak 180s being on sale. We may have been chuckling, then realised it wasn't such a crazy idea. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to get the tanks delivered before Christmas, so that ruled out the new tanks option.
After speaking to the second company on the phone they suggested it would probably be cheaper for me if they hired 2 larger vans than the ones they already had, so everything could be moved in 1 day. I'm hoping to hear from them tomorrow with that quotation.
At the moment the moral of this story is don't try to relocate within 6 weeks, just before Christmas, don't expect domestic removal services to be comfortable moving large tanks, and expect specialist services to be expensive. :)
I'm expecting the
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That was one of the options that I was considering @fishtales especially when I got the first quote. :o
I had the second quote through today, and jumped at it. For moving 8 tanks, cabinets, equipment, plus livestock & some water from each tank, over 100 miles using 4 people & 2 vans in one day I felt it was close to a bargain, and it will certainly remove a lot of the stress of doing things myself.
Speaking to the chap today they said it would be the biggest move they had done, as their previous "big move" was 3 tanks with equipment & livestock.
I'm just glad I now have something booked that will get everything relocated by the end of the month. :)
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I'm so excited thinking about getting my gang here. The date is set for 28th December. ;D
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I'm just glad I now have something booked that will get everything relocated by the end of the month.
Hi @Littlefish
Wait for it - that must be a weight/wait off your mind! :D
JPC
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Great to read today's update which seems a much better plan. How wonderful , and that your gang and you will be reunited on 28th. :cheers:
This would make a great article in a certain magazine!
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So glad to hear you've got something sorted. I won't even let my husband get a new carpet because I'd have to move the tank to another room.
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I completely assumed these companies would be working with places like Sea life. The fact that you are their biggest customer to date is quite amusing... goes to show that in a stressful house move, a)frustratingly "normal" removal companies arnt set up to do this kind of thing, b)people are willing to pay for this added stress to be taken away, even if it is only a couple of tanks.
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There are different companies that deal with non-domestic aquatic relocation, but it was strange to see that they existed as well.
I'm quite fascinated to meet the people who are doing the relocation, and find out how it all started. I'm guessing it was someone who started out doing private jobs relating to tank & pond maintenance, like a few of the guys at the LFS do, then it grew from there. Their website covers tank installation, scaping, maintenance & relocation, which makes sense. I've also had a look through the gallery, and the tank installations they've done are generally on bigger tanks, and ones built into walls, that sort of thing.
At the moment I'm certainly willing to pay for this service. Time & distance aren't on my side. ::)
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Well, I'm going to say it quietly for now, but moving day has happened and so far there have been no losses.
It's been a long day, and exhausting (even though all I did was watch), so I'm off to bed now.
:)
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Awaiting your morning update!! Congrats either way, another big step completed!!
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Awaiting your morning update!! Congrats either way, another big step completed!!
Yes - looking forward to the full details when you find time to do so. :D
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A quick check on all the tanks and it appears that all aquatic inhabitants of the Littlefish household are fine.
The human inhabitant is a bit of a wreck, but very much relived that yesterday went well, and chuffed to bits to have all the gang here with me. ;D
I'll go through the logistics of the day when I've had some more coffee and spent some more time just sitting in front of various tanks watching the antics. :fishy1:
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Absolutely fantastic news on all fronts, Littlefish (apart from you being a wreck which is entirely understandable under the circumstances). Enjoy watching the antics while drinking your coffee.
:cheers:
Edited to add: I think I'd have needed a general anaesthetic for the duration of yesterday if I had been in your circumstances, so all credit to you!
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That's great news :)