Moving The Fish Tank

When it comes to moving your tank, if you’re moving a short distance you may be able to save the bacteria colony, but remember you have to account for the time involved in breaking down, packing, and setting up the aquarium again, and generally this takes a few hours.  The first thing you will want to do is remove the fish and get a secure container for them to be in.

Make sure your tank is empty, especially if you are traveling out of state and if you are using cross-country movers and are not able to take the tank yourself.   If you are traveling a short distance and moving yourself you may leave a little water left in the tank to save the bacteria colony. It’s a good idea to move it yourself if you can.

Take the tank apart, your aquarium plants can survive if the roots are able to stay  wet, and the filter can be placed in a container that is free of chemicals. If long distance moving, clean or throwaway the filter.  Pump, heaters, lighting, etc all can be packed with other fragile items.

It’s a good idea to move the tank yourself when you can.

When you reach destination, reassemble your tank as if it were a new tank, giving it about a week to make sure everything is functioning properly and the filter system is working, etc. you can now place your fish back in the tank.

Move the Fish

When it comes to your fish you want to stop feeding them a couple days before the move, it’s a good idea to get some plastic bags for the fish and make sure to store them in cooler water. When moving your fish, you will need to have a place to store them and keep up with them during the move. Some options you can do would be a temporary bowl or pet store boarding. Some pet stores will even pack and ship your fish for you at an additional cost if you are traveling long distance.

Packing fish yourself is not a good idea, but if you have to do this you can place them in a plastic bag with half water and ½ air or Oxygen, or a sealed bucket is another option. Make sure to keep the fish separate.  Make sure to keep and maintain the temperature for the fish  nice and cool for them to survive in. Fish usually won’t eat during the move because is a stressful time for them, so don’t put food in the container as you do not want to contaminate the water that they are in. Also fish usually can last up to a week or so without food especially if they have been fed well prior to. Allow enough time for them to be able to adjust to their new homes.

Remember when you are using relocation movers, the best option for your fish is to move the aquariums yourself if at all possible.

Let your fish slowly adjust by taking water from the new tank and placing it in their temporary bowls and keep doing this until they have adjusted properly to their new tanks.  Your fish and aquatic friends should be enjoying their new home in no time.

HAVE AN AGENDA: Plan ahead, there will be many people in and out of your home during this busy time.  Make sure you pet is safe and does not have a disruption in activities to avoid future mishaps down the line.  Make sure your pet stays on the same schedule whether it is bathroom breaks, feeding schedules, playtime schedules, etc.  Have a comfortable crate or room your animal can be in while people are coming in and out of your home during this time, so your pet is not overwhelmed with all the activities.

PET PAPERWORK AND COLLAR/ID: Make sure you have all the proper paperwork on your pet.  Some vets may even put a chip to track your pet.  Make sure all your shots, worming, rabies, etc are up to date.  Having a pet id/collar with their new address/phone #, and your contact information is important during this chaotic time.

PLANNING THE TRANSPORT: Plan on getting a secure carrier if you are traveling by car.  Make sure the carrier has enough breathing room, and enough room for the animal to stand up and turn around in, and is secure.  According to the US Humane Society, it is important not to leave animals in a car during the warm weather as the temperature if too high can kill them.  Also they state not to put your animal in a trunk, or any place that can suffocate them.  Cats can be moved in a carrier, and you may want to consider purchasing a harness for your dog (at a local pet store).  Make sure you break your animal in a month or two ahead of time with these items to make the transferring easier for you and your pet.  Other options may be checking with your local vet to see if there are any calming medications you can give to your animal before the process.

Moving by air travel requires a lot of planning ahead.  Check with your local hotels if you will be staying at a hotel to make sure they welcome animals.  Check with your airline to confirm they allow pets.  Some airlines do not, so we want to make sure you do your research.  Depending on the airline, there may be certain rules, regulations, and restrictions so you want to make sure you are prepared.  Most airlines will require all animal’s papers to be up to date (updated Certificate of Health).  It is a federal law that pets must be at least 8 weeks old and weaned from their mother before being able to be transported by air.  The Animal and Plant Health Service has some helpful tips for things to do/ and not to do in air travel (www.aphis.usda.gov).  Try not to feed your animal about 4-5 hours before the flight and water a couple hours before taking off.

LOCAL MOVING AND YOUR PET: If doing a local move, plan to either let the animal stay with a neighbor, kennel, vet, etc.  Another suggestion if you don’t have anywhere for your animal to go, block off a room, like a bathroom, or empty room and put a sign for your ideal movers to let them know that the pet is in there (DO NOT ENTER or something to that nature for all the people in your home).

PREPARE FOR YOUR NEW HOME: Check with your state or city to see if there are certain laws for owning a pet, such as dumping laws, leashes, fences in your yard, dog runs, walking restrictions, etc.  You can also check to see if there are any licensing requirements, fees, permits, etc needed to have a pet in your community.  Also information to be gathered is finding where the local vet, boarding, any dog parks, etc.  Once you are settled in, you may want to set up the animal’s surroundings to be similar to your old place, whether its toys, bowls, dishes, etc.  Break your pet into the home if dog or cat little by little, allowing them to adjust to a room at a time.  Keep tags on your animals at all times.  Keep routines the same.  Don’t allow your cat or dog out without a leash until they are familiar with their surroundings and neighborhood ad they may wander off or get lost.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Depending on your mover’s prices and budget, other options to consider for transporting your animals are Animal Transporting Services:

ANIMALS AWAY (www.animalsaway.com 1-800-492-7961) they transport all across the U.S.

Puppy Travel (www.puppytravel.com 1-877-261-3555)

Boarding for animals

Animal Hotels

Local Veterinarian.

HAPPY PETS MEANS HAPPY OWNERS.